Fallout 3
by Bethesda
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List Price: Category: Video Games See more product details |
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Video Game Reviews of Fallout 3
Customer Review: Believe the Hype
Summary: 5 Stars
I'll admit, that previously I've been drawn to games with a fairly linear gameplay style. Not linear in the way that there's only one single path and it can only be traversed one way, but linear in the way that the game can baby you and keep you on the right track, even if you're given a decent scope to explore.
Well it turns out that I was just looking for the right massive, open game. Because here you're free to be your own man. Sure, you can tackle the main quest and it's decent. But the real treat is the exploration. There's a positively huge world to explore, and even more underground.
Lets say you have some kind of vendetta against the raiders. They roam the Wastes, pillaging like metal-head versions of pirates, and you don't like them. Maybe out of strong sense of justice, or maybe one of them just looked at you funny. Well feel free to wander around, picking them off from on-high with a rifle, sneaking in to set up mines before tossing in a grenade to stir up some carnage, or put on your power armor and run in, guns blazing.
There's a big town, the first one you're likely to come across, with an undetonated atomic bomb sitting in the middle. You can take it on as a mission from the town sheriff to disarm it, or have the mysterious Mister Burke rope you in to rigging it up to blow. And you're fully capable of doing so, climbing to the top of Tenpenny Tower, and watching the mushroom cloud in the distance as you vaporize the city, and all its residences. It's all up to you. Scurge of the wastes, savior, or anywhere in between. Get into the slave trade business, or shoot your way through the traders' encampment and free the slaves.
The only legitimate complaints I know of for the game are the controls with the VATS targeting system, but you don't even really have to use it. In fact it's often better and more fun not to. Sometimes the game doesn't even feel like an RPG. Sometimes it's an action game, sometimes it's a shooter, but it's always an adventure.
The graphics are... terrific. Sure everyhing's grainy and brown and dark and bleak. But somehow it manages to be pretty anyway. Everything might be ugly, but it's ugly in a really good looking way. I'm trying to think of a celebrity to use as an example, but feel that would be in bad tastes.
The facial animations can tend to be a little robotic, but the voice acting is top-notch and lively, from everyone. And in a game with so much dialog, that's very welcome.
Speaking of sound, I was surprised to end up really loving the soundtrack. And I don't mean the ominous background tracks made for atmosphere, but the 1940s hits played from the game's "Galaxy News Radio". I, being a youngster, never even heard any of this music. But after having it as a constant companion in my fares across the Wastes I grew to love it.
My first time through Fallout 3 I played for over 60 hours, and didn't even do everything (keep in mind I did add four of the add-on packs). And just a few days ago I started a new file.
Speaking of add-on packs, there are five. Broken Steel, Mothership Zeta, Point Lookout, The Pitt, and Operation: Anchorage. Personally, I found Operation Anchorage to be boring and linear. The Pitt was similar, but with a better story and an uglier world to explore. Point Lookout is a valuable addition. And Broken Steel continues the main story and raises the level cap. I haven't played Mothership Zeta, so I can't comment. But I only recommend Broken Steel and Point Lookout (which are offered together on a buyable disc if you don't have access to XBOX Live). The standalone Fallout 3 is the most powerful and by comparison the add-ons fall short in general.
But in all, I found Fallout 3 to be a fantastic game, in my top-ten list of all time. And in a game-playing career of somewhere around fourteen years, that's saying something. If you're on the fence about whether or not to buy, I'd say buy.
Customer Review: Game of the year? Game of the decade is more like it!
Summary: 5 Stars
Maybe my review title is overstated, but only slightly (since I haven't played every game that has been released in the last decade...)
I heard a ton of positive reviews about this game but it didn't seem to be my "cup of tea." But after playing Far Cry 2 and getting addicted to its gameplay and story, I thought Fallout 3 might be for me. Oh, it was for me, and so much more than I had thought.
Frankly, the game is amazing. I'm surprised there are so many CONs on other people's reviews. My only CON is that I got it on XBOX 360 instead of PS3 so I'll probably burn up my XBOX due to my marathon sessions of playing it. The game IS a shooter and does it very well. But it is also an amazing RPG. The VATS system is one of the greatest things ever in a video game, I think. Without it, Fallout 3 would be a sub-par shooter; yet if it was VATS-only the game would be terribly slow-paced. The option to use VATS when you want to enables you to "pick your poison" and play the game how you want, when you want. Want to snipe a super mutant in the head from afar? Might want to use VATS. Want to smash a radroach with a bat? Just hit the right trigger...
The locations and side missions seem endless. The story and characters are believable. Bethesda has created a fully developed world that deserves a ton of praise. There is so much to do and the atmosphere is unmatched in any game I've seen. I've seen complaints about the music but I think the contrast of 50s "happy" music with the post-apocalyptic nightmare-scape is a creepy match made in heaven (or hell?). And you are never out of 1st person (or 3rd person if you choose, at will), from the moment your character is born so you really experience the world as your character does.
If they had stopped there, it would have been a remarkable game. But then there's the experience points, karma, perks, leveling up, etc. Everything from cannibalizing corpses and breaking into computers, to building new weapons and becoming a cyborg becomes available as the game continues. As many hours that can be spent on this game, these options ensure that the player will want to come back again and again. Even then you can never do everything as one character so the possibilities are endless and guarantee replay value.
AGAIN, if they had stopped there, it would have been spectacular...as they say, BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE! There is now downloadable content that raises the XP cap creating more room for character growth and more stories to experience. I cannot say enough good things about this game and how they managed to get it all into one disc must be a technological feat. Since the game has been out for a while, the price has dropped to below $30, making this surely the best value per gaming hour you will ever have.
Customer Review: Wonderful, wonderful
Summary: 4 Stars
I'll admit I was a bit skeptical at first. Friend calls me over one day, wants me to check out a new game he'd just bought. Fallout 3. I really didn't see appeal in the concept. Wandering around a desolate wasteland, shooting at anything that moves - sounds like the basic concept of a thousand games before it. Well, that was before I'd gotten a chance to play it. And now, I can safely say that the hours I've spent with Fallout 3 are some of the best hours I've spent with any video game I've ever played.
Maybe it's because I'm not what anyone would call an "avid" gamer, and I haven't been exposed to as much peripheral as some. But the sheer time and effort that went into the production of is incredible, and the result is nothing short of magnificent.
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Story, Gameplay, and Concept: In the distant future of 2077, somebody finally pushed the button. The bombs flew and flattened America into a desolate, irradiated landscape. But before the blast, a select few were chosen to seek shelter in a series of high-tech "vaults".
You are a citizen of Vault 101. The first hours of the game see you growing from a drooling baby to a full-drown adult. All hell breaks lose when your father, the highly-respected focal point of your whole life up until now, goes AWOL. In his pursuit, you are forced to leave the sanctity of Vault 101 and venture out into the great beyond that is the smoldering remains of Washington DC.
Once you're out, what you do is entirely up to you. And I mean entirely up to you. With the proper weapon, guidance, and skills, you can do almost anything now. You can go after your good old dad if you want, or forget him altogether. Become a wasteland messiah and bringer of good fortune, or shoot every poor soul you come across and pick over the remains. Everything you do affects your level of karma, which in turn affects the way others interact with you. Acting like a total jackass gives you a load of freedom, sure, but expect people to act coldly towards you. On the other hand, you could be a total saint, and unqiue rewards abound.
The overworld that this game encompasses is huge, taking hours and hours to fully traverse. And while the basic premise of the game focuses on finding your dad, sidequests abound. Some take only minutes to complete, while others could have you at it for days. But while the sheer variety of the quests does help out with playability, some of the missions prove to be pointlessly boring. And while rewards are usually given out upon completion, you'll often leave feeling a bit cheated. But if you're one of those people who just has to have everything done and completed, you'll have one hell of a heyday.
Hindering your post-apocalyptic escapades, however, are a variety of bad guys. Roving gangs of raiders and beastly Super Mutants jump you at any and all times. Scorpions the size of cars charge at you from over the hill. Zombies, dysfunctional robots, even man-sized mole rats. All fair game. You better watch your back.
In order to defend yourself, however, a variety of weapons are at your disposal. Guns, primarily. But you can also use your fists or various bludgeoning weapons, too.
Battles tend to be unexpected, and a surprise attack can seriously burn a hole in your health and restorative supplies. This proves to be a pain, especially early on, when money is scarce. You'll find yourself saving and reloading the game multiple times in some instances. Often times, your enemies greatly outnumber you.
That being said, you will probably die. A lot. Even at the lowest level of difficulty, Fallout 3 can get pretty taxing. You're bound to get better as you go along, but it is frustrating.
Luckily, you've got a few more things to help you out here. A targeting system, V.A.T.S, allows you to single out certain parts of an enemy's body to attack, and even gives you a hit ratio. This is especially useful with guns, though it does hamper the challenge of battles some times. Along the way, you can also recruit the help of several allies. These allies range from completely useless to almost invincible, but some of them are a bit tough to recruit.
With the completion of missions and the vanquishing of enemies, you gain experience. Enough experience, and you'll level up. With each level up, you have a variety of stats to raise and tweak around with. It gives you something to look forward to, and it doesn't take forever to level up.
From time to time, I wanted to throw my controller at the screen. But at the same time, my frustrations rarely kept me from playing. Granted some of the situations you wind up in are pretty unreasonable, it makes you use your mind, plan ahead, and keep at it. It worked for me, I know that. How it sits with other people, I have no idea. Some may not like the weapon mechanics, either, as they're rather primitive when stacked up against other FPSs. Just keep in mind that this game isn't entirely about weaponry.
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Graphics and Surroundings: As I've said, I haven't played many games as of late. So I'm not entirely sure how Fallout 3's graphics match up with others. I doubt they're THE BEST EVER LOL, but considering how expansive the game is, the graphics are pretty damn impressive. The overworld is majestic, in all its irradiated glory. Sometimes it's worth it just to find a high, elevated point, and take a nice long gander.
However, the draw distance can get a bit buggy at times, and enemies rarely stick out (which can be a pain in the ass). And the game will sometimes even suffer graphical overload and freeze up, which can also be a pain in the ass. Sadly, this is pretty much unavoidable.
Considering the situation you're in, nuclear war and all, the graphics and surroundings aren't what you'd call colorful. Gray, brown, dark brown. Ooo, little bit of blue over there. It certainly isn't an eyesore, but it does get a bit boring. Absence of light in some areas can often hinder your progress, but that's when you turn on your flashlight.
So I didn't find the graphics to be absolutely astounding. Your surroundings are realistic, sure, but not very pretty. It shouldn't keep you from playing, but it might make you pine for something a bit more colorful.
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Sound: The sounds that emanate from the wilderness, the caves and the settlements are atmospheric, but pretty dull. The sound heats up when there's a fight, but it's still dull. However, you have the option of tuning into a variety of wasteland radio stations, some of which play some pretty catchy tunes. Funfact: most of the music you hear is real music from the 40s and 50s. You might even recognize some of it, if you're a fan of that kind of thing.
As with any game, the music does get repetitive after awhile. Which is why I recommend uploading music onto your XBOX, if you have the ability to do so. The ability to turn off the in-game music and keep the sound effects is a brilliant one.
Sound-effects-wise, you've got your basic shouts, grunts, explosions, gun pitter-patter, and whatnot. All of the characters have complete voice-acting, too. Some of it is a bit sketchy, but most of it sounds good, and is definately worth commending, seeing as every last word is acted out.
Otherwise, not much to praise where sound is concerned. Not bad, but certainly nothing special. It's atmospheric, but buffs of game music probably won't be appeased.
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Length: To put it bluntly, you could play this game for years and still discover new things. Granted, I doubt anybody would actually play it for that long, but there's certainly no end to things to do and people to meet. The sheer sense of exploration you get is just wonderful.
The game technically ends when you complete the main quest, but I advise everyone to take it slow. Don't rush, savor the game and all that it gives you. If you get bored of being the good guy, or you're tired of being evil, make a new save file and branch off. If you get this game for the PC (which you really should), you'll also be presented with software that allows you to modify this game in any way you wish. There are entire communities built upon the making and sharing of Fallout 3 'mods', and it all provides an even more extensive experience. Point being, it's very, very hard to run out of things to do here.
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Final Statement: I've played videogames since the days of the Super Nintendo. I've played a wide variety of games from a wide variety of systems. I can safely say that Fallout 3 has, and continues to, provide me with one of the best video game experiences I've ever had.
Yes, the game has its fair share of flaws. But there's so much to love about it. So much time and effort was put into this game, and the outcome was just wonderful. And while it may not be for everyone, I think everyone owes it to his or herself to at least give this game a shot.
Score out of ten: 9.5/10
Customer Review: Not what I expected...
Summary: 1 Stars
I really wanted to like this game. I love FPS's and blowing/shooting things but this game just wasn't it. The controls are messy and unwieldy and after playing for an hour I could still barely figure out how to play it. I kept picking up guns and bats and for the life of me couldn't figure out how to equip them so that I could use it.
The game starts off so SLOOOOOOW. It's your birth, then you're 1 year old, then 10, 16, 19... at each point you have to do different things and talk to different people. I kept waiting for the game to "start" and it never did. After about 90 minutes of play I finally exited the bunker and got outside and just went "eh" and exited. This one's going back to Gamestop...
Customer Review: Not bad, but gets boring after a while
Summary: 4 Stars
Have you ever played Oblivion? Yes? Then you've played this game. I finished it in 40 hours, not because that's how long it took, but because I got bored and switched to "very easy" mode and exploited a few xp glitches. The game was very fun for the first 35 hours though.