Those of you who haven’t been lost in an MMO or living under a rock might be aware that last week Fallout 3 was released. Some of the younger members of the audience might not know anything about the Fallout series since this sequel is roughly 10 years in the making. As a die hard fan I picked up this latest installment and tried to fit in some play between the Warhammer grind and life. I’d like to talk about how it compares to its predecessors.
The first thing to note is that Fallout 3 was designed by Bethesda Studios who are well known for the Elder Scrolls franchise. They are not, however, the original designers of the series. This has, understandably, a lot of fans quite concerned due to the fact that both franchises are role-playing games. I’ve seen a lot of “is this just Oblivion with guns” questions around the internet. Allow me to allay your fears.
I would be lying if I didn’t say that Fallout 3 feels like Oblivion. In fact, to begin with, it feels exactly the same. This is both good and bad. Oblivion uses a good graphical system and user interface which Fallout 3 could benefit from it. At the same time, Fallout has always had a very unique atmosphere to it. It is almost legendary. Initially I was concerned that that image would be lost in the wasteland that can be modern PC games. A couple hours into the game, however, and my concerns vanished.
Fallout 3 feels very much like the games of old with a new polish. The dark humor and quirkiness survives just as we recall it. The environment is stunning and holds true to the gritty feel from the first and second game. Life among the inhabitants of the wasteland just feels like it should to any veteran player. I’d say the only real change is the modern graphics and the combat system.
Fallout historically had a modified turn based combat system. You would have a certain amount of action points and could spend them accordingly on moving, shooting and other activities. Fallout 3 does not totally retain this system. As an upgrade to the standard Oblivion hack and slash Bethesda has presented the user with a hybrid system that mates the old with the new. You get the twitch of an FPS (like Oblivion) but also the V.A.T.S. (Vault Assisted Targeting System) by pressing V. This freezes time and allows you to pick targets. You may use either but I feel most users will take a little of both depending on the situation. It is delightful to occasionally go out and shoot from the hip and pull off a stellar shot (for instance, a feral ghoul jumped out at me last night in a dark tunnel and a quick shot tore its head clean off). It is also good to let the VATS help you out in a tough fight. The system does well to capture the combat system of old, however, and quickly sweeps you away in nostalgia.
Leveling up and advancing your character also follows the same unique and interesting path that it did in the previous games. The “perks” system yields some of the strange effects we all know and love and really helps you individualize your character. Through the skills system you’re offered more ways than ever to progress through the game. Do you want to kill your way through everything? You can do that. How about being a thief? You can do that too! I chose to be a super intelligent computer hacker (shocking right?) and I’ve been having a blast. I can already see a few different ways I could have played, however, to change things up. Next time I might be a charismatic chap with sticky fingers.
In short, the game is worth your money. I’d go so far as saying it is worth playing through a couple times or playing through really carefully. I’ve seen a few sites giving a perfect score for the game and I can’t say I disagree! Most of all, I’d like to point out that the game has literally scared me multiple times. It keeps the heart racing when you realize you’ve set off a trap or a ghoul jumps out at you. I simply have not had a game in so long that I had to force myself to put down.
I give Fallout 3 10 out of 10 gnolls. This game is worth your money!
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