Spring Break
'Fallout 3': Stop worrying and play the bomb
John Bailey
Issue date: 11/3/08 Section: Focus
It's irrational, but I was always terrified of the day the bomb would drop. That ghastly dream scene in "Terminator 2" is still burned into the reptilian part of my brain. I spent my sleepless 6-year-old nights shivering in my bed, but I wasn't listening for bumps in the night - I was straining my ears for the Russian bombers.
If only I'd known how much fun the apocalypse would be.
In "Fallout 3's" nightmarish vision of the future, human civilization implodes in nuclear fire in the year 2077. After 200 years, the survivors have emerged from their shelter to rebuild among a radioactive wasteland of mutants, barbarians and beasts. After your father leaves under mysterious circumstances, you find yourself unceremoniously booted from your comfy vault with only a baseball bat, pistol and futuristic PDA to your name.
Immediately, the variety of character options is impressive: with five combat skill categories and a multitude of non-combat abilities, plus myriad "perks," it's easy to make a character that supports your preferred play style (though unfortunately, in a change from previous "Fallout" titles, you're unable to play a pacifist).
Despite your fresh, baby-faced innocence, it doesn't take long before you're embroiled in plenty of nasty encounters. Firefights happen early and often, and use a hybrid system: you move and aim through a first-person interface, but a feature called VATS lets you pause the action at any time and direct shots to particular parts of enemies' bodies (series purists will note, regretfully, that "groin shot" is no longer an option).
The pause-release mechanism does slow combats a bit, but it saves lots of ammo - a precious commodity in the Capitol wasteland - and besides, the giddy, terrified rush of adrenaline you get the first time you whack a slaver's head off with the hydraulic power fist is well worth it.
Bloody though it may be, this violence isn't pointless. The main storyline of the game focuses on your journey to find your father, and potentially follow in his footsteps. But a few hours of play will reveal one of this game's greatest strengths: there's an enormous amount of other content available, and if you're not really interested in chasing your daddy around the ruined D.C. metro area, it's quite possible (and lucrative, both in playtime and in-game loot) to spend the majority of your playtime doing other things.
If only I'd known how much fun the apocalypse would be.
In "Fallout 3's" nightmarish vision of the future, human civilization implodes in nuclear fire in the year 2077. After 200 years, the survivors have emerged from their shelter to rebuild among a radioactive wasteland of mutants, barbarians and beasts. After your father leaves under mysterious circumstances, you find yourself unceremoniously booted from your comfy vault with only a baseball bat, pistol and futuristic PDA to your name.
Immediately, the variety of character options is impressive: with five combat skill categories and a multitude of non-combat abilities, plus myriad "perks," it's easy to make a character that supports your preferred play style (though unfortunately, in a change from previous "Fallout" titles, you're unable to play a pacifist).
Despite your fresh, baby-faced innocence, it doesn't take long before you're embroiled in plenty of nasty encounters. Firefights happen early and often, and use a hybrid system: you move and aim through a first-person interface, but a feature called VATS lets you pause the action at any time and direct shots to particular parts of enemies' bodies (series purists will note, regretfully, that "groin shot" is no longer an option).
The pause-release mechanism does slow combats a bit, but it saves lots of ammo - a precious commodity in the Capitol wasteland - and besides, the giddy, terrified rush of adrenaline you get the first time you whack a slaver's head off with the hydraulic power fist is well worth it.
Bloody though it may be, this violence isn't pointless. The main storyline of the game focuses on your journey to find your father, and potentially follow in his footsteps. But a few hours of play will reveal one of this game's greatest strengths: there's an enormous amount of other content available, and if you're not really interested in chasing your daddy around the ruined D.C. metro area, it's quite possible (and lucrative, both in playtime and in-game loot) to spend the majority of your playtime doing other things.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Elition
posted 11/08/08 @ 4:57 PM EST
" ... will keep you entertained and sleepless for weeks."
I just finished this game, and it took 15 hours of game play...no walkthroug help, and on very hard. (Continued…)
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