Fallout 3

Fallout 3....or shall we say "do we really need family and friends?" is finally out this week. The journey has been a long one seeing as the original Fallout hit the shelves 11 years ago in 1997 and the wait appears to be well worth it.

So what exactly is Fallout? Is it a shooter? Is it a RPG? Well, it’s actually a bit of both. Fallout 3 departs from the original Fallouts as the game no longer utilizes a sprite based top down view of the game. Instead, Fallout 3 uses the same engine that was used for Oblivion. The game has shooter elements but the game is a RPG through and through. Without giving anything away, you play a character in the future that lives in a “vault” designed as a long term shelter to house inhabitants after the world is decimated by a nuclear war. You start the game immediately from birth (yes, the game begins from the view of you coming out of your mother’s vaginal cavity) with your father (voice acted by Liam Neeson) as the first thing you see along with the vault’s doctors.

From the minute I started out the game, I knew I was in for wild adventure. Sure, it’s only a single player game…but it’s a massive single player game. You definitely get your money’s worth seeing as this is a game that you’ll probably still be playing a year from now. The strategy guide (sold separately) is about 500 pages long. That alone tells you how much the game has to offer. Just imagine a game where you can look out into the distance and see destroyed buildings far away and being able to walk there all in real time. The game is large. Massive. Your standard shooter does not offer that.

So now the important questions are:
1. Is it any good? – Yes, it is good. No, scratch that…it’s great, it’s fantastic, it’s the next best thing since Cinnabon cinnamon rolls.

2. Is it Oblivion with guns? – Absolutely not. Yes, it does use the same engine. Yes, the character models look similar to oblivion (even down to your character creation) but that is where the similarities end. Saying Fallout 3 is like Oblivion with guns is no different that saying Halo 3 is CoD 4 in space. Fallout 3 is everything that Fallout would have been had it used a FPS engine.

3. Will my wife divorce me? – Possibly. Fallout 3 will bring out your inner geek, and nothing sets back things in the bedroom than hours of playing Fallout 3 with Dorito dust on your finger tips (well, don’t go blaming Fallout 3 on your personal hygiene).

Anyway, there’s not much else to say about the game that hasn’t been said by others. The following reviews provide a much better insight as to what you will expect once you leave the confines of your vault.

If you are on the fence for Fallout 3, rest assured, it’s an awesome experience. Buy it. Play it. Say goodbye to your family and friends and welcome to the wasteland vault dweller.

Fallout information to bring you up to speed:
Fallout 1
Fallout 2
Fallout history

Fallout 3 Reviews:
IGN – 9.6/10
Teamxbox – 9.4/10
Gamespy – 5/5
1UP – A
Eurogamer – 10/10
Xplay – 5/5
Gamesradar – 9/10
OXM – 10/10