Fallout 3

Game play:
Fallout 3 controls do take a bit of getting used to, but once you've got the hang of them, its as easy as, say, blowing the head off a Super Mutant.
While in first person, getting around is easy enough with standard controls, and the D-pad makes for a handy selecting tool, letting you select up to 8 weapons without even stopping game play.
Where Bethesda went wrong, was with the third person view. This game doesn't really need a third person view in the first place, but for the "Over the shoulder gamers" its handy to be able to go into third person view at the tap of a button.
Either Bethesda just didn't care by the time they wrote the code for the third person component for this game, or they were in a hurry. While you have a good 360 degree view of your surroundings, your character practically glides across the Wasteland while in third person. And don't even get me started one what you look like when you jump.
Overall, the controls are easy to get used to, and quite user friendly.

Story:
The story for Fallout 3 is pretty good. Good enough to keep you guessing till the end anyway. You exit vault 101 after discovering your father has ventured outside, and find a harsh Wasteland spread out before you. Now, its up to you how you choose to live your life. Will you save the nearby town? Or will you blow it up? Will you save little Brian from sure death? Or will you leave him for the fire ants next meal? You choose. That's one thing that is so amazing about this game, is the power of choice. Good, or evil? The decision, is yours.

Graphics:
Ok, let me say this. After walking around the Wasteland all night, stargazing a bit, and checking out the full moon over my head, I literally sat and watched the sun rise. Amazing scenery (even if it is a Wasteland) coupled with great sound effects make the world around you a truly enchanting place. I cant count how many times I've been walking around the wasteland for hours saying to myself, "I'll just see whats over that next hill."
Characters have a surprising amount of detail in in them. Whether it be in their face or some of the crazy outfits they wear.
But the true Graphic genius comes from the world around you.

Leveling Up:
Leveling Up in Fallout 3 is great...................oh sorry, did I say great? I meant "great UNTIL you reach level 20", where the leveling up system CUTS OFF and killing that big ugly Super Mutant now has no meaning except for the fact that he's dead. That's right, once you reach level 20 you can no longer level up, gain experience, or choose perks. Which, quite frankly, stinks. While I understand that if you just kept leveling up, you would have an indestructible, invincible character running around, I also felt that there just wasn't enough in the leveling up system. A few more levels would have been nice.

Quests:
There was a good amount of variety in the Quests department. Everything from finding you Dad, to collecting Nuka Cola Quantum for a wastewander. First you have your core Quests, they help you finish the game. Then you have your optional Quests, they're pretty much just for fun and experience.
Fallout 3 can actually be completed in about 15-20 hours if you stick to the core Quests. But if you're like me, and you enjoy running around discovering EVERYTHING, then there is literally hundreds of hours of game play in this game.

Glitches:
A rye smile crept across my face as I emptied my last shotgun shell into the giant Rad Scorpion attacking me. Not because I killed it, but because the thing suddenly flew straight up about 500 feet, then fell, landed, bounced once, and disappeared altogether.
You will often find critters of the wasteland literally stuck in the ground or in a rock. Sometimes you can shoot them, others you cant.
It didn't seem to happen with people, although if you have a follower, sometimes upon entering a room, your follower will spawn inside the wall and was unable to follow you. Very frustrating. But not nearly troublesome enough to stop me from playing the game.

Radio/Music:
A fairly unique thing about this game is the radio. You can open your arm-mounted "Pit-boy" and flick to your favourite radio station. You discover quite a few stations while playing the game, but there are two main ones. The first plays old war tunes and the voice of the president. On the second, you will frequently hear the commentator talk about random things in between songs. But something I found quite impressive was that as you complete Quests in the game, the commentator will actually talk about them, and whether you did the Quests in a good way, or a bad way makes a difference. He will either praise you, or shun you.
The music was another thing I found to be quite refreshing about Fallout 3. It took a sharp turn from the typical heavy beat that you hear in most games today. While you can imagine killing Super Mutants or Raiders to heavy metal (or if you cant imagine it, just type in to YouTube "Me owning Super Mutants", I'm sure you'll get what I mean) it was oddly amusing to blow the head off an unsuspecting "Ugly" as Danny Kaye played in the background.

Summery:
Overall, I can truly say that Fallout 3 is one of (if not THE) most impressive and unlimited games I have ever played. The fact that you can just walk around without even doing a quest and still be entertained speaks for itself. I have played this game through twice, (once being good, once being bad) and I still haven't found and seen everything in it yet.
I take my hat off to the boys and girls at Bethesda (if I was wearing one) for creating a truly impressive and rewarding masterpiece.
When you buy this game, get ready to say goodbye to a LOT of your time by the way.
The goods of Fallout 3 far outweigh the bads, and its the goods that will keep you coming back time and time again.

Bethesda’s latest masterpiece, Fallout 3, is a brilliant amalgam of first person shooter and post apocalyptic RPG.

This game, released in Australia on the 30th of October, 2008, has to be the must have game this Christmas. And with its availability for PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 no one should feel left out (unless you are still living in the typewriter age).

What makes this game so good is that you can walk around anywhere and do all kinds of things, from shooting or maiming raiders to talking to children about their hopes and fears. You can buy and sell a wide variety of items, make really cool weapons yourself, and even drink cola and get rich!

Fallout 3 has not been without controversy in Australia with its “drug references”. Fictional drugs do appear in the game, as does alcohol, swearing, stealing and over the top (exploding bodies) violence... However, the game is designed so a person can choose to be “good”, and do things like make donations, make friends with radiation-affected “ghouls” or even go to Church!

In a post apocalyptic world, where “war never changes”, bad things are going to happen. Maybe a giant ant might cripple your leg. Maybe the Saloon owner might rip you off. But playing on is not without rewards: you can level up your skills in whatever areas you choose, and even choose a perk for every level increase. These perks are the icing on the cake, and there are plenty to choose from, such as becoming an “Animal Friend”, a “Ninja”, a “Cannibal”, a “Contract Killer” or even a “Cyborg”!

In short, there are many, many hours of fun in the radiated countryside of Washington D.C. And you can listen to your ingame radio, and even find the President of the not so United States. There is so much more...

As an Australian, you might not find the game so strange, as water is rare, and it never seems to rain.

If you are 15 years old or over, you do not want to miss this game of the year!

http://fallout.bethsoft.com/

Fallout 3 for me is one of those rare occasions I get myself into a little trouble... The story and the game play lure me right in and I end up playing the game for what seems like minutes and ends up hours. Only classic games have this addictive effect for me. Sure I have felt addicted to other games before that wern't considered classic by any means however only the truly gifted games have given me the "hmm I think I will take a sickie here because I cannot wait till I can play this game again" feeling.
This is truly a classic game from a classic genre and will keep you coming back for more and more.
Bethesda have done a fantastic job integrating the best elements of Oblivion and merging it into the Fallout Universe.
Most that have tried to follow a classic like Fallout 1, 2 have fallen flat on their faces, many almost ruining a respected franchise in the attempt.
For me Fallout resonates as one of those true RPG experiences. You are truly "Role Playing"..
In fallout 2 I was an evil, sadistic, wasteland warrior, and the game accommodated and it didn't feel less of an experience as a result.
It didn't feel like I was having a much more subdued experience . In Fallout 3 I find much the same experience, with a greater sense I am "actually" apart of this futuristic apocalypse.
The humor in the previous games were brilliantly done with a mix of 50's tongue in cheek and "horrificly comical" black humor.
Thankfully still present in this game. Think Mad Max vs Evil Dead.
On the down side there are some minor annoying bugs, however this should not distract from the grandeur of this game.
The experience first played is at least 40 hours + (unless you don't play any of the side missions or explore). Not to mention the replay experiences.
If possible I'd give this game 11/10 but I will settle with a 10/10. Fans of RPG you OWE it to yourselves to buy this game.

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