Fallout 3

If you are a casual gamer and only like games that dont require much thought or dont have much time for gaming,forget it. Serious or "hardcore" gamers will get lost in it and settle into the game like they would a nice hot bath. The influence from Oblivion is obvious,but even if you never liked that, it offers a much more rich experience. From queing up attacks in a time stopping target system called V.A.T.S, To real time gunslinging or just the classic baseball bat to the head, Its hard to get bored with the combat. Plus it mostly ends in alot of blod and flying body parts. The huge wasteland and options you have offer a good 30 hours or more of gameplay and almost infinite replay value. Its a big atomic hit for me. So get collecting those bottle caps.

So far this is great. It has the potential to be epic. Unsuprisingly considering this game is from the makers of Oblivion this game is governed by bewildering statistics, intense charachter development and earnest dialogue is at the crux of this game. However, combine this with the game's willingness to satisft even the itchiest of trigger fingers make this game a gipping adventure.
One of the best features of the game in my opinion is the way it deals with charachter creation and develpoment. Many RPG's use tedious menus and dismembered body parts to build you charachter....This begins with the pysical birth of your avatar and you develop your skills through your younger years.
I feel this game is a real picture of what next gen gaming is all about and I think if anyone plays this game they will know what I am talking about. The world is so realistic you cant help but feel part of it. Now this is a good thing because the world itself is vast so whilst your lookin around and exploring it does help to have beautiful scenery to look at. There are some small areas where the game gets a little tedious but so far I have found it extremely enjoyable.
The amount of gameplay (around 20-30 hrs) you get for £40 makes this game well worth a purchase in my opinion.

It`s a modern Oblivion with some noticable upgrades to gameplay, particularly the combat, which VATS makes a nonstop source of joy and glee. The world is huge and has a feel entirely of its own, and wicked humor and bizarre charecters are everywhere. The story is good for a game, although having a "real end" doesn`t suite the game all to well - theres much to do even after you´ve completed the main storyline, only it´s end is really "The End". Gameplay is basicly perfect, it´s rich, as varied as you want it to be, and never runs out of challenges or surprises (Republic of Dave!!!), and basicly its a rare gem - but a slightly flawed one. The graphics could have been better in some places, but the reason its flawed is the bugs. There are more than several bugs, a few of which requires loading up an old savegame to fix/bypass, and the PS3 freezing is not entirely uncommon, though it is usually quite rare (I`ve had about 8 in 42 hours of gameplay, most in the latter half. Never had any in any other game though). Slowdown does occur, although very rarely and no more than 1 - 2 secs. Overall, if you have an Xbox360, get this one on that, and the PC version is tecnically superior to both, although Fallout 3 really is a game that should be enjoyed in an armchair/sofa rather than in front of the PC monitor. But even on the PS3 this is a game thats gives full value for your money, and offers a long, engaging, and often humourous adventure, albeit with a few interuptions. If the bugs are fixed through PSN, this could be a true musthave, but as it stands, its a good, worthwhile game with some technical issues that does detract some from its otherwise outstanding world and gameplay.

I feel compelled to write this quick review having spent over 3 hours playing Fallout 3 since picking it up yesterday. I am taking the game back today, and this is why...

There are comments here about "if you are a hardcore gamer etc...". IMHO this is slightly off. This game will have you running around for many hours building up your character and exploring the world it has created, with no doubt limitless scenarios and quests to keep you busy. GTA IV, while a very different game in many ways this also has you following a similar path, albeit with a more linear narrative if you choose to work through the "story". What I really struggle with Fallout 3 is not the open ended and intricate structure, its the fact that the game is just plain boring. The characterisation is poor, the acting poor, the early part of the story feels stilted and while this may improve with 10+ hours of play, I simply don't care any more. Sure, the graphics aren't great, the combat system, which has some nice touches and I am sure will also improve as you improve your skills and get better weapons, just feels very unnatural compared to the level of immersion achieved in other games. The open ended story line has sacrificed good'ol game play, which just isn't necessary. A strong and believable combat system (like being able to understand what is going on with your weapons and how to quickly change them, even before you try to actually use them) and believable interaction with the characters would keep me playing, but in the event I am left empty, caring little for the characters or my situation. The attempt at humour, the stand off with early characters and even the potential love interest simply isn't believable or engaging in any way.

In summary, I am stunned by the array of top reviews for this game and can only put it down to a love of the Fallout franchise and Oblivion fans. I am a gamer, going back to the earliest computers and consoles, and while I have never really immersed myself in games like this on a PC or console, I really wanted to like this game. Ironically, with a complete overhaul of the script, characters and acting, more believable movement (all the characters walk and talk like robots, which simply isn't necessary in the advent of motion and performance capture) and an improved combat system would enable the deep story engine to draw you in. And the graphics are sub-par in today's next-gen world, but this could be forgiven with the above improvements.

So as I say, this is a warning, this may not be for you. Which really is shame.

This game is not pixel-perfect. But it is the only RPG for the people who don't take it too far and go cosplay with it. This is a multi-person shooter with great (slightly square-ish) graphics which would most certainly appeal to Resident Evil fans and the fans of Oblivion. And like I said, unlike Final Fantasy (eugh), it doesn't have an army of Japanese nut-jobs who take it too far, and for that reason alone, this game is cool. Right okay, let's get a bit more serious shall we? The graphics are only good in 3rd person, because it gives a sense of scale around you, in 1st person it just looks pixel-y. The storyline is just a load of missions strung together to help with the overall mission of finding your papa, kinda like Mercs 2. The weapons are immense, exciting, customisable, big, small, flame-flinging, teddy-chucking tools of fun. If the missions get boring, take an afternoon off and go exploring or looting, or even try to hunt some Yao Guai. Yeah I know, but imagine black bears with shiny spines... You see? Scary right? The gameplay is over 100 hours but you spend longer than that just by looting for ammo and stuff, so this ain't no one-dayer. In my first few hours of gaming this game does seem pathetic, but it'll grow on you and then you'll be completely addicted, then nothing else will matter. I would be happy to spend 60 quid on this, that's how good it is. And put all your money into lock-picking skills, kill everyone in Megaton, loot all of it, including the armoury. Then go to Tenpenny tower and blow Megaton up. It's a much better choice... Trust me. And hey, who needs a weird shop owner when you've got your own butler?