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Computer Times
Editors' Choice Game Fallout 3 Reviewed by Angie Kibiloski
I have been eagerly anticipating the release of Fallout 3 (Retail $49.99 for PC), by Bethesda Softworks, since I first saw the game trailer at E3 in 2007. I am not typically a devoted FPS gamer, but everything about this title caught and held my attention. The graphics, gameplay, story concept, and battle style all combine to make this title a major triumph, and anything but a typical "shooter." Now that I have actually played Fallout 3, for many, many hours, I can say most definitely, that it surpasses all of my expectations. I am so enthusiastic about this title that I find myself telling everyone I know about it, and getting them excited to play as well. Already, since its October 28th retail release, it has had record sales, and shows no sign of stopping.
The story concept is a compelling one. The world of Fallout 3 is slightly different from our own. Our society, in relation to popular culture and social consciousness, halted around the 1950’s, but technology developed exponentially, far beyond what we have today. This incongruity of an idyllic past juxtaposed with a somewhat sci-fi future makes this, at once, both an intriguing and disturbing setting. In the year 2077, nuclear war broke out. The population, those that could afford it, were sheltered in underground vaults, safe from the nuclear fallout that was sure to ravage the earth. Two hundred years later, you have grown up inside Vault 101, the only vault left unopened since the war. You were born in the vault, you will die in the vault, or so says the Overseer, the head official of the vault infrastructure. At age 19, you chase after your father, who has broken out and left Vault 101, into the harsh, radioactive world of the Capital Wasteland, or what is left of Washington D.C. You must make your way through the remains of the old civilization to find your father. Survival is difficult, as radiation is not your only danger. The Wasteland is filled with mutated creatures that will tear you apart for food or pleasure, and human raiders and mercenaries who will kill you for their own horrific reasons.
Not everyone you meet in the outside world is out to get you, thankfully. Starting with the settlement of Megaton, you will come across communities of Wasteland dwellers who just want to live their lives, and might just help you out with your quest. In return, you can help these characters out as well, by completing tasks for them. Or, you can decide to be one of the bad guys, and completely annihilate anyone you meet. That is one of the joys of Fallout 3; the world is an open book for you. Be nice and helpful, or mean and nasty, or a nice even mix of both. You could choose to help out the Sheriff of Megaton by saving his life from a villain, and later decide that you are tired of the self-righteous cowboy and blow his head off. Your choice!
The graphic environment that you find yourself in is extremely beautiful, and fully realized. If you see a distant demolished highway, it is not a painted backdrop, you can actually go there. You have access to the entire topography of the Wasteland, not just a set path like in some games. You have complete 360 degree rendering to explore. And the world is completely interactive too. Fire a bullet into a puddle of water, that water will ripple from the point of impact. Walk over a tin can, scrub brush, coffee cup, etc, and those objects will move according to real physics. These graphic elements and attention to detail truly make you feel like you are a part of this world.
When you encounter a human enemy or a mutated creature, like a giant cockroach or a super behemoth (large troll-like thing), you will have to either run away or stand and fight. You will collect a variety of weapons along the way, and can use them at will if you possess the ammo. You can fire away at your enemy in the classic, riddle-it-full-of-bullets-until-it-drops method, or you can employ the super cool V.A.T.S. method. V.A.T.S. stands for Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System, and allows you to line up several shots before firing one bullet. When you enable V.A.T.S., the game will pause with your target, a viscous mercenary for instance, displayed on screen with different percentages shown over each body part. The percentages represent the likelihood that you will actually hit that body part. By rolling over each part, a damage bar will show you how much a hit will affect the enemy. Click on various body parts, maybe the left leg and the head, press Execute, and sit back to watch the action. For each shot chosen, you will use up some of your Action Points, which you will need to build back up before making more V.A.T.S. moves. By using the V.A.T.S. you will also be able to see your shots in somewhat slow motion, and watch some rather cinematic footage of your bullet, baseball bat, energy blast, or whatever, make bloody contact with your opponent. Again, not typically a bloodthirsty gamer myself, but this is really, extra awesome! Uh…just a hint though. Be careful how you use certain weapons (say, a cap mine for instance, when you are too close to the rock formation next to you to flee) because it isn't actually so much fun to watch your own headless body flop to the ground in slow motion…despite the cool graphic effects.
You won’t be equally as effective with all types of weapons, at least at first. Your affinity with small guns, large guns, explosives, and others will depend on the points that you assign to each skill. This is true for non-weapon related skills too, like lock picking, science, and your repair ability. When you initially create your character, you choose your basic personality traits, and proficiency sets, through your S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes. These letters stand for Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, and Luck. The emphasis you put on certain traits will determine the way you interact with people and deal with situations. As you complete quests and level up, you are allowed to allocate earned points into various additional skills, like Speech, Medicine, or Sneak, advancing your competency in each, and choose one new Perk for each level, to add new dimensions to your talents. Some of the more interesting Perks are Bloody Mess (which will make some of your killed opponents explode into an interesting array of gore), Mysterious Stranger (where a heavily armed guardian angel will sometimes assist you in V.A.T.S.), and Cannibal (that will give you the power to regain health by…eww…eating a corpse).
I could probably talk about this game for a week straight (my co-workers can attest to that - sorry guys), so I will let you discover all of the other goodies and super cool features of Fallout 3 on your own. When you get this game home, be prepared to be hooked from the opening scene. In fact, go check out the official game trailer online. While you're at it, get more info on the game at Bethesda's site at http://www.bethsoft.com, or at the official game site at http://fallout.bethsoft.com. I have waited a year and a half, with baited breath, to play this title, and I can say with complete satisfaction, that it was worth the wait! Fallout 3 is, by far, the best game I have played this year! Also available for Xbox 360 and PS3.
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