Life after the apocalypse.

When i heard that Fallout 3 was due for release it made me more excited than a cleptomaniac in Woolworths (RIP). I'd always been a fan of the originals, in all of their frustratingly buggy glory, but the idea that maybe i could play a Fallout game on a next-gen format that wasn't plagued with dead-ends and disappearing characters filled me with unbridled joy.


The original Fallout games were absolutely amazing but very frustrating. Riddled with bugs, often things would just disappear which kind of added to the challenge of the game.

Imagine my glee then when i discovered that not only was Fallout making a welcome return but that Bethesda were developing it, the company behind one of my favourite series, The Elder Scrolls. I knew that in the hands of these game developing geniuses Fallout would not stray far from the path of greatness and my faith was not unfounded. Why? Read on you impatient swines.

If you're a big fan of Mad Max, as i am, then the world of Fallout will instantly appeal to you. Set in a post-apocalyptic landscape the Fallout franchise is infested with radioactive ghouls, renegade sentry droids and flesh eating super-mutants - it's a tough land to survive in but you soon adapt to the harsh living environment.
Scaveging caps and trading with others is the only way to attain items, at least through lawful means, as any form of currency has long since been obliterated by nuclear fallout. This means that you have to be frugal with your items as not only could that rusty old knife you have be traded for much needed Stimpaks but space in your backpack is scarce as well.


This is pretty much the exact image that i had in mind for my Fallout character. Possibly without the lunacy of Mel Gibson though.

Having played the tutorial, which is ingeniously built into your characters growing up, you take your first tentative steps outside the vault that you were raised in and take in the vast, and somewhat daunting, enormity of the world that awaits you. At this point i became slightly disorientated as i was swamped by the wealth of options that stood before me, my initial thought was to head to the warm safety of the nearest town but the wayward explorer in me dictated that i go and check out the local primary school which was now an empty husk full of looting potential and lovely adventure. That was the beginning of my addiction to Fallout and many hours later i still sat with a smile on my face as i grew more and more climatised to the nooks and crannys that i ferreted around in.

The karmaic idea works well and dictates how the denizens react to you - it may well be possible to steal an expensive item but it will effect your karma, making your character on your quaint Pipboy eventually grow devil horns and a forked tail. Saving up for the item will take considerably longer but at least you can polish your halo every once in a while and the townsfolk will treat you favourably. I opted to be a saint, much like real life.

It's hard to give an accurate portrayal of how Fallout effortlessly immerses you into its world, even minor things like the eerie 1950's music playing on gramaphones in the burnt out houses you jimmy your way into lets you know that this game is something special. That considerable time and effort have gone into it and that no stone was left unturned in terms of attention to detail. The Fallout experience is such a joy sometimes that you'll find a smile creeping across your face before you're even aware of it and even writing this now i feel like i'm cheating you slightly by telling you anything about it, it should really just be a first hand experience.

What definately has to be mentioned is the VAT's system that Fallout employs in combat. Freezing the battle entirely it is possible to target specific body parts of your combatant, centering on an arm or maybe a head if you're feeling lucky (punk). Destroying an arm could cause an enemy to drop their weapon or suffer a critical loss in attack power - destroying a head? Well that looks something like this......and is fairly fatal.


The Raider never saw my sniper bullet coming. It may be presumptuous but i think i've won this one.

Acquiring the most bizzare of perks, tinkering with your weapons using miscellaneous junk, becoming a vigilante, hunting for the elusive bobbleheads - all this and so much more await anyone willing to invest their time into Fallout 3, i found it a pleasure to play from start to finish even when, slightly frustratingly, i'd maxed my character out less than half way through the game. There are a few minor niggles such as the occasional bug or, as i mentioned, the fact that your characters level is capped at 50 which is easily attainable fairly early on in the game. However, none of those things detract from the fact that Fallout 3 is what it is - a gaming masterpiece and a piece of software that the good people of Bethesda have invested alot of time and love into. They can be proud that they've succeeded in creating something very special indeed.

My verdict: 9/10