This is what happens when you lift an embargo. GamingTrend 9.5/10.<blockquote>First person shooters are routinely the strength of the PC platform. There is no substitution for the mouse and keyboard interface, but as controllers have gotten more accurate, this advantage gap has certainly lessened. Fallout 3, at its base, looks like a first person shooter, but it really isn’t as simple as that. The turn based nature of the Fallout series meant that Bethesda Softworks had to build some sort of turn based system or they could lose the entirety of the old school Fallout fans. To that end, they have integrated something called the Vault Assisted Targeting System, or V.A.T.S. for short. The V.A.T.S. system is essentially the body part targeting system present in the previous titles, with a few differences. No longer can you target the groin or eyes, so you won’t be able to complete the entire game using eye shots and the BB gun. There are often specialized areas such as the combat inhibitor on robots, or the antennae on giant ants, but the face is your primary target for the vast majority of the game. When you start creating your own ambushes using landmines, you might switch that up to tear off the legs of your incoming enemies. I can certainly say that the V.A.T.S. system is not a get out jail free card, and once you start engaging multiple enemies you’ll find out why. You can split your attacks between multiple opponents, or different body parts, but once those action points are used, you’ll have to wait until they regenerate over time. You can use items to instantly regenerate your AP, but many of them have negative effects including radiation, or worse yet, addiction. </blockquote>GameDaily 8/10.<blockquote>Fallout 3 wasn't created as a firstperson shooter so V.A.T.S. is a balanced way to solve the game's lack of shooting accuracy. Most of the time, it's a great tool for eliminating threats but shooter fans may find the lack of accuracy frustrating at times -- especially when your character misses near point blank shots. V.A.T.S. also has an issue with your player is near corners or if there's an obstruction between you and the target -- when it indicates that you're likely to hit it, your character pops up and wastes ammo by shooting a rock, wall or other item. The other problem with V.A.T.S. is that weapon damage is listed as number values during combat; your target's health is represented by a list of red numberless lines. Unfortunately, with a limited amount of creatures in the Wasteland, the only real challenges are found when Super Mutants sport better weapons or several mole rats attack at once. </blockquote>Planet Xbox 360 9.8/10.<blockquote>Creating “Oblivion with guns” was no easy task. The developers answer to all the problems created was the innovate V.A.T.S. (Vaultek Assisted Targeting System, a way to have turn-based battles without the boredom. Basically Fallout 3 can be played through the entire game using only the first-person shooter style of gameplay, or by using V.A.T.S. players can really experience the game for everything it is. By clicking the RB button the game will freeze, zooming the camera in on your nearest enemy. Next you must choose what specific part of the body to target, each region being represented with a percentage of successful attack. The amount of times you can use V.A.T.S. is not unlimited and must be recharged before use in battle again. </blockquote>VideoGamer 9/10.<blockquote>These instances of Bethesda dropping the ball are certainly irritating, but the truth is that they will only really hurt hardcore Fallout fans. The use of the word "only" in that last sentence will probably put a few noses out of joint, but it's true: most people who play this won't care a bit - because they never played the original games in the first place. That will be of scant consolation to those of you unhappy with the direction Bethesda has taken, but perhaps you'll take comfort in the fact that the original classics are surely bound to receive new attention in the months following Fallout 3's release. Personally, I'm having a ball with this game. I've been playing it pretty much non-stop since our review copy arrived at the office, but I'm sure as hell not going to stop any time soon. There are elements here that are significantly altered from the first games - some pleasant, some not - but I ultimately find the game to be a good thing: it's a different experience, yet one with many familiar ingredients.</blockquote>Team Xbox 9.4/10.<blockquote>You’ll happen across pockets of humanity, mostly banded together against the numerous dangers in what’s become a true survival-of-the-fittest situation. Even if you find somewhat solid structures on their own, there’s a good chance you’ll have to fight with giant mutant bugs, “Super Mutant” humans and Wasteland raider squads before you can pillage for any goods left behind. Thankfully, items can be found nearly anything with a lid or a door, such as a mailbox, garbage can or dumpster. You’d better have a good supply for weapons and ammo, though, because the Wasteland is a survivalist’s nightmare. Red blips on your compass indicate when you’re close to a threat (or two or three or four…), and it’ll come in handy, especially if you can sneak up and get a critical first hit (or first critical hit) to tip the advantage to your side.</blockquote>Shacknews.<blockquote>Now, if I was looking for a reason to dock percentage points from a great game, I could pick out some flaws in Fallout 3. The stiff character animations that often lead to embarrassing mid-hallway collisions. The repetitious dungeons, in the form of the ghoul-infested metro tunnels.
But despite its flaws, the game more often surprised me with its polish. Every time I tried to creatively "break" Fallout 3, it defied me. When I jumped into a slave pen from above, trapping myself inside, a guard was triggered that opened the door from the outside before attacking me. When a quest took me deep into a dungeon, and then left me wandering all the way back out after completing it, the game interjected with a scripted sequence that whisked me off to another location--one of, if not the only time this happens in the game.</blockquote>Cheat Code Central 4/5.<blockquote>Outside of the fully realized, detailed world, the game's presentation suffers from an outdated engine: Gamebryo. The resolution is crisp and the landscapes are impressive; however, the unrealistic ragdoll physics during the V.A.T.S. animations, flat and generic textures, repetitive environments, and poor, emotionless facial expressions combine to make the visual experience decidedly less than stellar. The background music, radio function, and sound effects are all nicely captured, but the star-studded voice acting is fairly grating; the silly comments made during fights and the consistently inane conversations detract from the overall sense of accomplishment.</blockquote>GamePlasma 9.8/10.<blockquote>The only way to describe Fallout 3’s graphics is “jaw-dropping.” There are moments where you will find yourself completely infatuated with the terrain, detailed buildings and creatures. Seeing the Potomac Bridge in ruins or walking through Georgetown was a treat and was created in, what appears to be, painstaking detail. Every graphical element in Fallout 3 helps create the feeling that you are actually in a post-apocalyptic Washington D.C. and you must be weary of what lurks in the dark corners of the wastelands.</blockquote>Kikizo 9/10.<blockquote>Whilst Fallout 3 does suffer the same failings as Oblivion, and one can't help but think these could have been improved upon, it's easily forgiven when Oblivion was such a outstanding game to begin with. It brings with it the same awesome scope; the 30 hour or so main quest really is nothing compared to what the side quests and exploration have to offer. Every player who creates a character will find their own playing style and perks to carve a niche into the Super Mutant Behemoth's forehead. It is a game which successfully replaces fantasy for science fiction, managing to create a dissonant yet familiar and completely immersive world. </blockquote>GamingExcellence 9.5.<blockquote>One of the most talked about features in Fallout 3 is V.A.T.S. - the Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System, and it's slick. During combat, V.A.T.S .allows you to freeze frame the action, and enter a targeting mode to queue up attacks on your foes. Given a certain number of action points, you’re provided hit percentages on different parts of their body, and once activated the game enters a slow-motion cinematic perspective that shows the debilitating hits in gruesome detail. If you enjoy gore and lots of it - this is where you’ll really have some fun. Once consumed, the action points will slowly replenish themselves. As such, V.A.T.S. really needs to be used sparingly to be most effective. Outside of V.A.T.S., the real-time combat system is solid, albeit less predictable in terms of damage delivered. Third-person combat is a bit of a mess, and the game does offer a few cheap tactics (like the ability to run backwards at full speed), but all in all the combat system works. Besides, you’ll never get tired of watching Super Mutants explode into a bloody pile of guts.</blockquote>GameFocus 9.8/10.<blockquote>Some gamers might say Fallout 3 is The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion with big booming guns and they will not exactly be wrong. The game feels like Oblivion in many ways, but it is so much more then just switching off swords for shotguns. It actually has some interesting gameplay additions which take it above and beyond the last Elder Scrolls game. </blockquote>
But despite its flaws, the game more often surprised me with its polish. Every time I tried to creatively "break" Fallout 3, it defied me. When I jumped into a slave pen from above, trapping myself inside, a guard was triggered that opened the door from the outside before attacking me. When a quest took me deep into a dungeon, and then left me wandering all the way back out after completing it, the game interjected with a scripted sequence that whisked me off to another location--one of, if not the only time this happens in the game.</blockquote>Cheat Code Central 4/5.<blockquote>Outside of the fully realized, detailed world, the game's presentation suffers from an outdated engine: Gamebryo. The resolution is crisp and the landscapes are impressive; however, the unrealistic ragdoll physics during the V.A.T.S. animations, flat and generic textures, repetitive environments, and poor, emotionless facial expressions combine to make the visual experience decidedly less than stellar. The background music, radio function, and sound effects are all nicely captured, but the star-studded voice acting is fairly grating; the silly comments made during fights and the consistently inane conversations detract from the overall sense of accomplishment.</blockquote>GamePlasma 9.8/10.<blockquote>The only way to describe Fallout 3’s graphics is “jaw-dropping.” There are moments where you will find yourself completely infatuated with the terrain, detailed buildings and creatures. Seeing the Potomac Bridge in ruins or walking through Georgetown was a treat and was created in, what appears to be, painstaking detail. Every graphical element in Fallout 3 helps create the feeling that you are actually in a post-apocalyptic Washington D.C. and you must be weary of what lurks in the dark corners of the wastelands.</blockquote>Kikizo 9/10.<blockquote>Whilst Fallout 3 does suffer the same failings as Oblivion, and one can't help but think these could have been improved upon, it's easily forgiven when Oblivion was such a outstanding game to begin with. It brings with it the same awesome scope; the 30 hour or so main quest really is nothing compared to what the side quests and exploration have to offer. Every player who creates a character will find their own playing style and perks to carve a niche into the Super Mutant Behemoth's forehead. It is a game which successfully replaces fantasy for science fiction, managing to create a dissonant yet familiar and completely immersive world. </blockquote>GamingExcellence 9.5.<blockquote>One of the most talked about features in Fallout 3 is V.A.T.S. - the Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System, and it's slick. During combat, V.A.T.S .allows you to freeze frame the action, and enter a targeting mode to queue up attacks on your foes. Given a certain number of action points, you’re provided hit percentages on different parts of their body, and once activated the game enters a slow-motion cinematic perspective that shows the debilitating hits in gruesome detail. If you enjoy gore and lots of it - this is where you’ll really have some fun. Once consumed, the action points will slowly replenish themselves. As such, V.A.T.S. really needs to be used sparingly to be most effective. Outside of V.A.T.S., the real-time combat system is solid, albeit less predictable in terms of damage delivered. Third-person combat is a bit of a mess, and the game does offer a few cheap tactics (like the ability to run backwards at full speed), but all in all the combat system works. Besides, you’ll never get tired of watching Super Mutants explode into a bloody pile of guts.</blockquote>GameFocus 9.8/10.<blockquote>Some gamers might say Fallout 3 is The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion with big booming guns and they will not exactly be wrong. The game feels like Oblivion in many ways, but it is so much more then just switching off swords for shotguns. It actually has some interesting gameplay additions which take it above and beyond the last Elder Scrolls game. </blockquote>
