GameCouch, 5 (of 5?).<blockquote>If you look beyond perspective and mechanics, Fallout has always been a collection of memorable moments: humorous, grim, exhilarating, and poignant. Fallout is a world that exists around me, but one where my actions matter. Fallout isn’t about saving the universe; it’s about touching virtual lives. It’s doing what you can to make the post-apocalypse a little better (or a lot worse). And that’s what you can expect from Fallout 3.</blockquote>videolamer blog.<blockquote>But in the big picture, most of the game’s negatives can be translated from “this is a flaw” to “this is what Fallout did the last two times.” You can condemn it for not fixing these problems with the help of a decade’s worth of knowledge and technology. Or you can take off the rose tinted glasses and realize that maybe the series isn’t quite as good as you thought.
Yet another idea is that Fallout 1 and 2 really were amazing, because their strengths greatly overshadowed their weaknesses, and that Fallout 3 follows incredibly closely to their footsteps. Or maybe it falls short due to failed execution. I know what I feel (hint: I chose option 3), but this is Fallout. The choice is yours to make.</blockquote>FramesPerSecond blog.<blockquote>I can’t fully describe how high of quality that the sound design is in Fallout 3. Not only does it sport a rather epic soundtrack that captures the rather epic nature of the game, but it’s the voice acting that raises the bar way above the competition. The number of well delivered lines of dialogue is unprecedented, and is simply astounding. Nearly every single line is delivered right on the money.
Fallout 3 is a lot of things. It’s beautiful, it’s dark, it’s depressing, it’s engrossing. The RPG elements are to die for, the world is extremely full and polished. There’s a lot to see and do in the wasteland, but most of all: it’s main quest is its strongest point. I always hate reviewing games this good.</blockquote>VG Chartz, B.<blockquote>Fallout 3 is a solid game, but there are a lot of issues here as well. The graphics engine is starting to look dated and the game is full of technical problems. There are lot of great ideas that work well but aren’t perfectly executed, like V.A.T.S. and the radio broadcasts, and there are other ideas that aren’t really executed at all, like the FPS mechanics and the 3rd person mode. That said, the RPG elements are well executed, the open world is ambitious (giving you the freedom to explore, whilst at the same time giving you a clear direction and not leaving you to wander aimlessly), and the post-apocalyptic setting is great. Oblivion fans will probably fall in love with the game, and if you invest a lot of time and effort there’s plenty of enjoyment to be had, particularly if you can adapt to the game’s numerous idiosyncrasies.</blockquote>That VideoGame Blog.<blockquote>It is important, however, to not take too narrow a view of the game. For all its little flaws it must be remembered that the scope of what Bethesda is trying to realize is tremendous. On all levels the game is vast, wild and at the player’s whim. If you invest time in the character and the world, all the imperfections listed above can quite easily become just superficial little nothings that you wish reviewers didn’t even care about anymore.</blockquote>360Sync.<blockquote>The most talked about feature specific to Fallout 3 is the V.A.T.S. (Vault-Tec-Assisted Targeting System). It essentially is a pause-then-target system, adding a turn-based element to the very FPS-themed combat. It shows the percent you’ll be able to hit each part of the body (legs, arms, torso, head) and any weapon that enemy may be carrying. You can queue up multiple shots on one or more enemies using Action Points. These regenerate and are really only used for this purpose, so fire away. There’s not a real advantage to using this as you are immobile, watching your attacks from a cinematic angle, thus vulnerable to enemy attacks. In the beginning of the game, with your stats low, you may be frustrated with how often you miss, but would you expect someone straight out of the Vault hardly ever having fired a gun before to be scoring headshots left and right? You could play the entire game and hardly ever use it or it could be your favorite tool, which is a very strong sign of a “play it however you’d like” open RPG.</blockquote>IncGamers, second review, 7/10.<blockquote>One of Fallout 3’s biggest problems is its predecessor. When compared to the majestic Oblivion (complete with appalling frame rate and all), Fallout 3 comes off worse. The story is less compelling, the environments, whilst well-designed, just don’t feel as inviting and the NPCs fail to evoke any emotions. The main quest does show some imagination at times but too much of the game is spent looking for items in grotty, indoor environments.
Fallout 3 is undoubtedly a big game but the pacing, quest design and NPCs all too often make it feel tiresome.</blockquote>GrrlGamer.<blockquote>Fallout 3 has a lot to offer. The game is hugely immersive and inherently replayable due to the sheer variety of decisions and amount of real estate to explore. The world is gorgeous, atmospheric, and feels utterly real. The main plot is compelling and worth following closely, and plenty of details faithfully tie in and expand on the Fallout timeline with lots of inside references to delight old-school fans. The decision to offer a blend of real-time and turn-based combat styles will appeal to players of all stripes, and there's plenty of "crunchy" though seamlessly integrated stat-based mechanics to delight the hard RPG fans if they want to pay attention.</blockquote>Caught in the Crossfire, 7/10.<blockquote>To some degree it is fair to say that Fallout 3 can be classed as the Oblivion with guns videogame. The Gamebryo engine is used, as it was with Oblivion, by Bethesda to give their own unique vision to the Fallout series and most of the time it all works very well; story, quests, images and combat all look part and parcel of the setting. This doesn't mean Fallout 3 doesn't come without flaws and there are times when Fallout 3 struggles to bring any real empathy to the player with the loneliness of the wasteland grating heavily on the nerves.
With plenty of side quests to compliment the main story quest line, the V.A.T.S combat which slows time to allow precision targeting and karma-tic choices that determine a players role and path within the game, Fallout 3 is a worthy staple in the RPG/semi-shooter genre. It remains to be seen if this will be the defining moment in the history of the Fallout series.</blockquote>
Yet another idea is that Fallout 1 and 2 really were amazing, because their strengths greatly overshadowed their weaknesses, and that Fallout 3 follows incredibly closely to their footsteps. Or maybe it falls short due to failed execution. I know what I feel (hint: I chose option 3), but this is Fallout. The choice is yours to make.</blockquote>FramesPerSecond blog.<blockquote>I can’t fully describe how high of quality that the sound design is in Fallout 3. Not only does it sport a rather epic soundtrack that captures the rather epic nature of the game, but it’s the voice acting that raises the bar way above the competition. The number of well delivered lines of dialogue is unprecedented, and is simply astounding. Nearly every single line is delivered right on the money.
Fallout 3 is a lot of things. It’s beautiful, it’s dark, it’s depressing, it’s engrossing. The RPG elements are to die for, the world is extremely full and polished. There’s a lot to see and do in the wasteland, but most of all: it’s main quest is its strongest point. I always hate reviewing games this good.</blockquote>VG Chartz, B.<blockquote>Fallout 3 is a solid game, but there are a lot of issues here as well. The graphics engine is starting to look dated and the game is full of technical problems. There are lot of great ideas that work well but aren’t perfectly executed, like V.A.T.S. and the radio broadcasts, and there are other ideas that aren’t really executed at all, like the FPS mechanics and the 3rd person mode. That said, the RPG elements are well executed, the open world is ambitious (giving you the freedom to explore, whilst at the same time giving you a clear direction and not leaving you to wander aimlessly), and the post-apocalyptic setting is great. Oblivion fans will probably fall in love with the game, and if you invest a lot of time and effort there’s plenty of enjoyment to be had, particularly if you can adapt to the game’s numerous idiosyncrasies.</blockquote>That VideoGame Blog.<blockquote>It is important, however, to not take too narrow a view of the game. For all its little flaws it must be remembered that the scope of what Bethesda is trying to realize is tremendous. On all levels the game is vast, wild and at the player’s whim. If you invest time in the character and the world, all the imperfections listed above can quite easily become just superficial little nothings that you wish reviewers didn’t even care about anymore.</blockquote>360Sync.<blockquote>The most talked about feature specific to Fallout 3 is the V.A.T.S. (Vault-Tec-Assisted Targeting System). It essentially is a pause-then-target system, adding a turn-based element to the very FPS-themed combat. It shows the percent you’ll be able to hit each part of the body (legs, arms, torso, head) and any weapon that enemy may be carrying. You can queue up multiple shots on one or more enemies using Action Points. These regenerate and are really only used for this purpose, so fire away. There’s not a real advantage to using this as you are immobile, watching your attacks from a cinematic angle, thus vulnerable to enemy attacks. In the beginning of the game, with your stats low, you may be frustrated with how often you miss, but would you expect someone straight out of the Vault hardly ever having fired a gun before to be scoring headshots left and right? You could play the entire game and hardly ever use it or it could be your favorite tool, which is a very strong sign of a “play it however you’d like” open RPG.</blockquote>IncGamers, second review, 7/10.<blockquote>One of Fallout 3’s biggest problems is its predecessor. When compared to the majestic Oblivion (complete with appalling frame rate and all), Fallout 3 comes off worse. The story is less compelling, the environments, whilst well-designed, just don’t feel as inviting and the NPCs fail to evoke any emotions. The main quest does show some imagination at times but too much of the game is spent looking for items in grotty, indoor environments.
Fallout 3 is undoubtedly a big game but the pacing, quest design and NPCs all too often make it feel tiresome.</blockquote>GrrlGamer.<blockquote>Fallout 3 has a lot to offer. The game is hugely immersive and inherently replayable due to the sheer variety of decisions and amount of real estate to explore. The world is gorgeous, atmospheric, and feels utterly real. The main plot is compelling and worth following closely, and plenty of details faithfully tie in and expand on the Fallout timeline with lots of inside references to delight old-school fans. The decision to offer a blend of real-time and turn-based combat styles will appeal to players of all stripes, and there's plenty of "crunchy" though seamlessly integrated stat-based mechanics to delight the hard RPG fans if they want to pay attention.</blockquote>Caught in the Crossfire, 7/10.<blockquote>To some degree it is fair to say that Fallout 3 can be classed as the Oblivion with guns videogame. The Gamebryo engine is used, as it was with Oblivion, by Bethesda to give their own unique vision to the Fallout series and most of the time it all works very well; story, quests, images and combat all look part and parcel of the setting. This doesn't mean Fallout 3 doesn't come without flaws and there are times when Fallout 3 struggles to bring any real empathy to the player with the loneliness of the wasteland grating heavily on the nerves.
With plenty of side quests to compliment the main story quest line, the V.A.T.S combat which slows time to allow precision targeting and karma-tic choices that determine a players role and path within the game, Fallout 3 is a worthy staple in the RPG/semi-shooter genre. It remains to be seen if this will be the defining moment in the history of the Fallout series.</blockquote>
