Fallout 3 Combines the Action of a First Person Shooter with the Strategy of a Role-Playing Game.
Issue date: 11/12/08 Section: Entertainment
By Brandon Loudin
Rotunda Reporter
Ten years after the release of the first sequel, Fallout 3 finally arrives to the gaming world. It was created by Bethesda Game Studios, the same masterminds behind the epic RPG "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion." Fallout 3 sticks to the same mold that Oblivion has cast but brings two very different elements to the table: guns and a first-person view of a post-apocalyptic portrayal of Washington, D.C.
The game opens with the literal birth of your character and then is followed by an in-depth character creation process. You can customize your character such as his or her appearance and tag skills. These tag skills change how you play the game. For example, if you want to use pistols and have the ability to heal yourself with medicine, you can specialize in "small guns" and "medicine."
After this, you jump into the story and find yourself living in a "fallout" shelter know as a vault. Your best friend tells you that your dad has left the vault and you decide to pursue him. I won't talk anymore about the story because everyone hates spoilers. All you need to know is that you leave the vault with your gun and you are off into the vast world of Fallout.
As you walk the scorched earth, you can't help but feel like you're writing your own chapter in
"I Am Legend." Eventually though, you find that the world isn't that friendly and you have to defend yourself from hostiles such as giant mole rats, giant ants, raiders and super-mutants. You have many ways to dispose of them, and each is satisfying. Laying a self-made bottle cap mine and leading a fire breathing ant to its inevitable doom simply feels incredible. It feels like you're leaving breadcrumbs of destruction.
Going into this game I was skeptical of how the promoted VATS, or Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System, would play out and how it would affect first person combat. However, after using it in combat and targeting an enemy's leg so he wouldn't run away, I found it to be pure genius. VATS allows you to freeze time and target an opponent's head or limbs, inhibiting them. Sometimes it's even necessary due to low visibility or long range shots. Even though you have VATS, it doesn't mean that you have to use it. You are welcome to run and gun just like you would in "Halo" or "Call of Duty," though I wouldn't advise it. VATS makes for an impressive and highly entertaining animation sequence.
One surprise I received while playing the game was the rewarding of the character with perks. You gain a perk each time you gain a level and also sometimes from completing a quest. They are game changers that improve your character, making them even more individualized. This element in its own right gives you amazing replay value, not to mention the 200+ hours of game play if you include side quests.
After playing through this game extensively, I find that it is a must own for any fan of first-person shooters or role-playing games. One of the only downsides of the game is that walking to your next unexplored quest objective gets old and worn out. If they had included a vehicle, I would have been completely happy. With that being said I would rate "Fallout 3" as 9 out of 10.
"Fallout 3" is now available on PC, XBOX 360 and Playstation 3.
Rotunda Reporter
Ten years after the release of the first sequel, Fallout 3 finally arrives to the gaming world. It was created by Bethesda Game Studios, the same masterminds behind the epic RPG "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion." Fallout 3 sticks to the same mold that Oblivion has cast but brings two very different elements to the table: guns and a first-person view of a post-apocalyptic portrayal of Washington, D.C.
The game opens with the literal birth of your character and then is followed by an in-depth character creation process. You can customize your character such as his or her appearance and tag skills. These tag skills change how you play the game. For example, if you want to use pistols and have the ability to heal yourself with medicine, you can specialize in "small guns" and "medicine."
After this, you jump into the story and find yourself living in a "fallout" shelter know as a vault. Your best friend tells you that your dad has left the vault and you decide to pursue him. I won't talk anymore about the story because everyone hates spoilers. All you need to know is that you leave the vault with your gun and you are off into the vast world of Fallout.
As you walk the scorched earth, you can't help but feel like you're writing your own chapter in
"I Am Legend." Eventually though, you find that the world isn't that friendly and you have to defend yourself from hostiles such as giant mole rats, giant ants, raiders and super-mutants. You have many ways to dispose of them, and each is satisfying. Laying a self-made bottle cap mine and leading a fire breathing ant to its inevitable doom simply feels incredible. It feels like you're leaving breadcrumbs of destruction.
Going into this game I was skeptical of how the promoted VATS, or Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System, would play out and how it would affect first person combat. However, after using it in combat and targeting an enemy's leg so he wouldn't run away, I found it to be pure genius. VATS allows you to freeze time and target an opponent's head or limbs, inhibiting them. Sometimes it's even necessary due to low visibility or long range shots. Even though you have VATS, it doesn't mean that you have to use it. You are welcome to run and gun just like you would in "Halo" or "Call of Duty," though I wouldn't advise it. VATS makes for an impressive and highly entertaining animation sequence.
One surprise I received while playing the game was the rewarding of the character with perks. You gain a perk each time you gain a level and also sometimes from completing a quest. They are game changers that improve your character, making them even more individualized. This element in its own right gives you amazing replay value, not to mention the 200+ hours of game play if you include side quests.
After playing through this game extensively, I find that it is a must own for any fan of first-person shooters or role-playing games. One of the only downsides of the game is that walking to your next unexplored quest objective gets old and worn out. If they had included a vehicle, I would have been completely happy. With that being said I would rate "Fallout 3" as 9 out of 10.
"Fallout 3" is now available on PC, XBOX 360 and Playstation 3.
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