Fallout 3 - Game of the Year

The original Fallout, the one that started it all, was released well over a decade ago. The sequel? Ten years ago. Load up either of the embryonic entries in this franchise and todays gamers are likely to be less than impressed. There's the primitive SVGA graphics, turn-based combat reminicent of a board game (not to mention the top-down isometric perspective), and only a scant handful of characters with full voice dialogue.

It would, however, be a disservice to dismiss these games so easily. The mechanics may be vastly outdated, but both games contain a vast, complex world in which your every action directly affects the future of the wasteland at large. The dialogue trees alone could fill a book, the map was massive with plenty of secrets to discover, and that's not including the clever strategies you could devise with a combat system that is turn-based.

Then came a few more forgettable entries, the cancelled Van Buren project, the bankruptcy of Interplay, and finally Bethesda saved the franchise by announcing they would be developing the third installment. Despite the fact that both Fallout 3 and Oblivion utilized the same engine, and contrary to the many pre-release conjectures and even some reviewers, you should know that Fallout 3 never feels like an "Oblivion mod".

The only manner in which Fallout vaguely resembles Oblivion is during conversations with characters, as the mechanics are nearly the same. Though it should be noted that Fallout features more interactive dialogue trees whereas Oblivion had simple, typically one-word topics. Unfortunately, perhaps due to every character being voice-acted, their replies sometimes aren't much varied. For instance, you'll often find a character will reply with nearly the same response to all three dialogue choices.

Fallout 3 was not a rushed release either, as is also often claimed by some reviewers. There was a very long development cycle for this title covering many years. In fact, the press release for Fallout 3 pre-dated the one for Oblivion, which was released in '06. Look it up. Fallout 3, without a question, contains the most impressive 3D world I've ever seen. It's simply astonishing the detail that went into crafting this world, from the ruins of Washington D.C. to the vast wasteland itself - rest assured it will take at least 100 hours to explore it all.

The only major complaint here is that there are relatively few developed cities to explore. Essentially, there are only two major settlements - the rest are merely small "trading posts". Also, Fallout 3 fails to replicate the "outlaw spirit" in *any* of their cities. For instance, Fallout 2 players will recall how seedy and dangerous the cities of The Den and New Reno could be. There were no guards and no one really cared if you offed a drug dealer or killed a shopowner. Not so in Fallout 3, as the wasteland cities are remarkably civilized.

The character development is top notch and utilizes nearly all of the elements from the previous games - most notably the perk system. Other than leveling, stat gains can be had by finding various skillbooks or collecting bobbleheads. These are unique items hidden all over the wasteland, akin to the intel pieces in games like Call of Duty 4. When you obtain your home in the game there's a display case on which you can place your bobblehead collection.

One serious, glaring flaw is the level cap. At level 20 your character will cease to gain experience from anything, effectively halting his or her development. I suppose this was something implemented to encourage creating multiple characters, but it mostly serves as a killjoy. Critics may argue that having a character who is proficient at a dozen or more skills is "unrealistic". Honestly, nothing is realistic about any game, it's all fantasy. For instance, every RPG ever made has allowed your character to carry many, many more things than a single person ever could. So if I want to make a level 78 character in Fallout 3 with every skill maxed - I should be able to do that, provided I gain enough experience.

Turn-based combat is simply not technically feasible in a 3D environment, but the developers recreated this experience as best as possible with the VATS system - which freezes the game and allows you to target any point on the enemies body. As many have mentioned here, there is one large flaw with VATS. In spite of what the percentage may say, there are times your shot may be blocked by the environment and there's no way to prevent your character from wastefully unloading twenty rounds into a concrete wall!

Fallout 2 had an astonishing array of various weapons and types of armor, and while Fallout 3 certainly hits all the high points - there isn't as much variety as the previous title. Still, there is a nice selection of ballistic weapons and energy weapons, in addition to a launcher that can fire tiny nukes! And that's not even including the weapons you can build yourself. . .

The radio stations present in Fallout 3 add a great dose of immersion. Galaxy News Radio, helmed by the colorful Three Dog, plays pre-war music in addition to commenting on what's going on in the wasteland. He'll often broadcast what your character has been up to - with occasionally amusing commentary. Some have complained that the station lacks song variety. I find this interesting, as the developers licensed some twenty songs from the forties and fifties. Besides, I'm sure most of the world's vinyl burned in that massive armageddon deal!

An amazing feature of the original Fallouts were the ending sequences. The narrator would explain in detail how all your actions affected each locale in addition to explaining how the world will progress forward. A small decision early in the game could have lasting ramifications for your characters ending sequence. Despite some early previews hinting at a similar system, Fallout 3 basically has two endings - one with good karma and one with bad karma. The rest are just very, very slight variations.

One last note: the Securom software, in this case, is NOT a big deal. The version here is limited to a simple disk check. I despise draconian DRM as much as anyone else (which is why I did not purchase Bioshock or Mass Effect) but Bethesda does not make use of the more extreme measures. Besides, if you dislike even the disk check - you should buy a console. PC gamers need to understand that malignant software like Securom (and DRM in general) is not going anywhere.