Post by Gilvan Blight on Apr 8, 2011 13:20:32 GMT -5
Quickly: amazing, much better then expected, long!
Summary:
I realize this is an old one. I had kids, been away from video gaming for a while and only recently getting back into it and my old 'to play list' is rather long.
This is a first/3rd person RPG from Bethesda, famous for the Elder Scrolls series. It continues the story and worlds created in the acclaimed Fallout 1 and two games that came out for PCs years ago. I have to admit to not having played any of the old games, this is my first Fallout game. I also have to admit I haven't liked anything out of Bethesda in years, this game changed my mind about them.
Fallout 3 is a first or third person RPG set in a uchronic future. The setting actually reminds me a lot of Bioshock. It has that 1950/60s vibe. The art, aesthetics, music and more all calls back to an earlier age, while the game itself is set in the future. It's a very unique feel. Controls are simple enough and mainly equate to you walking around with the sticks (one for moving and one for camera control) and interacting with things with the A button. Another button turns your flashlight on, one jumps and the last opens the menu. The triggers are saved for combat.
Combat is interesting in this as it can be played either as a FPS or semi turn based. It has what the game calls the VATS system which lets you pause at any time and pick your shots one at a time deciding where to aim each one. It's an interesting mix and I found myself using both systems throughout the 80+ hours of play.
The main story starts with you as a baby and quickly playing through your childhood as you determine which type of character you play. This is very well done and you find youself developing your character through a series of choose your own style questions and mini quests. You find yourself growing up in a Vault. An underground nuclear shelter. As far as you and everyone in the vault knows there's nothing left outside. This all changes the day your dad suddenly gets up and leaves the vault. You decide to chase after him and find out that the world isn't as empty and destroyed as you thought.
From here you wander a post apocalyptic version of Washington State called The Capital Wasteland. Interacting with it's inhabitants and following your fathers footsteps in more ways than one. I don't want to give the plot away here but it's a good epic one. Along with the main plot there are a ridiculous amount of side quests from helping the villagers of a small town disable a Nuclear bomb at the middle of their city to intervening in a recurring fight between super heroes. There's hours and hours of gameplay in this. I played for over 80 hours and eventually gave up on completing all of the side quests. Added to this is a slew of downloadable content that I didn't even touch.
Doing all of these quests of course gives you XP and access to new equipment. Leveling up means improving skills and picking cool traits. The traits remind me of feats from various Fantasy RPGs and give you player new or drastically improved abilities. Along with all of this the game has a morality system reminiscent of Bioware games. Throughout the game you have the options to be the good guy, the bad guy or neutral in the affairs of the denizens of The Capital Wasteland. Of course the ending changes depending on which way you go.
The Good:
I'm usually not a fan of Bethesda games. I could never get sucked into the Elder Scrolls games. They always seemed overwhelming to me, too many options and too many ways to go. I didn't have this problem at all with Fallout 3. It sucked me right in and didn't want to let go. The things this game does to make it immersive is fantastic. Little things like having the menu on your Pip Boy wrist computer, to the radio stations you can choose from during play, there's lots to keep you in the game and little to pull out out of it.
The sheer amount of stuff in this game is staggering. You can spend hours and hours just wandering around The Wastland. There are tons of official side quests. There are non-listed ones as well that also have their own rewards like finding a monster lair and emptying it and finding a new crafting schematic at the end.
The Bad:
The amount of stuff in this game can be a bit much. I have this bad problem of wanting to see and finish everything. If you try to do that with this you will spend more then 80 hours on it. From what I hear the main quest can be beat in about 6, all the rest of optional. Thankfully Fallout 3 doesn't take this as far as some of the other Bethesda games or else I might have lost interest. While I found it overwhealming, it wasn't so overwhealming I lost interest in the game.
The Ugly:
This is one of those games where you loose yourself. It's as bad as if not worse then an MMO. There's always one more thing to do, and every door leads to two more. Because of this you tend to loose some sleep and get urges to call in sick just to finish off Paradise Falls. It's a long one and it sucks you in feet first and doesn't want to let go.
It's not stated anywhere that I noticed but this game has a level cap of 20. This was the most disappointing part of the game hitting level 20 way before the end. Meaning none of these side quests or fights were earning me anything. This almost had me quit playing and did have me quit doing side quests anymore. Once I hit 20 it just wasn't as fun so I rushed to finish the main story and get the game over with. It's a good thing that the rest of the game was so good, or else this would have been a much more negative review based on the endgame.
Overall:
I normally don't like these huge Bethesday RPGS where you can do almost anything. Fallout 3 was an exception. I loved it, it sucked me right in and didn't let go until the finish. There's a ton of things to do and a ton of things to see. If it weren't for the rediculous level cap I would still be playing now trying to complete every little bit of the game. If you haven't checked this one out you are missing out. It's worth fighting through the initial shock of how open it is and getting sucked in. As a bonus this one's old enough that you can easily find it for $20 or under. I found my copy for $10 at Zellers.
Summary:
I realize this is an old one. I had kids, been away from video gaming for a while and only recently getting back into it and my old 'to play list' is rather long.
This is a first/3rd person RPG from Bethesda, famous for the Elder Scrolls series. It continues the story and worlds created in the acclaimed Fallout 1 and two games that came out for PCs years ago. I have to admit to not having played any of the old games, this is my first Fallout game. I also have to admit I haven't liked anything out of Bethesda in years, this game changed my mind about them.
Fallout 3 is a first or third person RPG set in a uchronic future. The setting actually reminds me a lot of Bioshock. It has that 1950/60s vibe. The art, aesthetics, music and more all calls back to an earlier age, while the game itself is set in the future. It's a very unique feel. Controls are simple enough and mainly equate to you walking around with the sticks (one for moving and one for camera control) and interacting with things with the A button. Another button turns your flashlight on, one jumps and the last opens the menu. The triggers are saved for combat.
Combat is interesting in this as it can be played either as a FPS or semi turn based. It has what the game calls the VATS system which lets you pause at any time and pick your shots one at a time deciding where to aim each one. It's an interesting mix and I found myself using both systems throughout the 80+ hours of play.
The main story starts with you as a baby and quickly playing through your childhood as you determine which type of character you play. This is very well done and you find youself developing your character through a series of choose your own style questions and mini quests. You find yourself growing up in a Vault. An underground nuclear shelter. As far as you and everyone in the vault knows there's nothing left outside. This all changes the day your dad suddenly gets up and leaves the vault. You decide to chase after him and find out that the world isn't as empty and destroyed as you thought.
From here you wander a post apocalyptic version of Washington State called The Capital Wasteland. Interacting with it's inhabitants and following your fathers footsteps in more ways than one. I don't want to give the plot away here but it's a good epic one. Along with the main plot there are a ridiculous amount of side quests from helping the villagers of a small town disable a Nuclear bomb at the middle of their city to intervening in a recurring fight between super heroes. There's hours and hours of gameplay in this. I played for over 80 hours and eventually gave up on completing all of the side quests. Added to this is a slew of downloadable content that I didn't even touch.
Doing all of these quests of course gives you XP and access to new equipment. Leveling up means improving skills and picking cool traits. The traits remind me of feats from various Fantasy RPGs and give you player new or drastically improved abilities. Along with all of this the game has a morality system reminiscent of Bioware games. Throughout the game you have the options to be the good guy, the bad guy or neutral in the affairs of the denizens of The Capital Wasteland. Of course the ending changes depending on which way you go.
The Good:
I'm usually not a fan of Bethesda games. I could never get sucked into the Elder Scrolls games. They always seemed overwhelming to me, too many options and too many ways to go. I didn't have this problem at all with Fallout 3. It sucked me right in and didn't want to let go. The things this game does to make it immersive is fantastic. Little things like having the menu on your Pip Boy wrist computer, to the radio stations you can choose from during play, there's lots to keep you in the game and little to pull out out of it.
The sheer amount of stuff in this game is staggering. You can spend hours and hours just wandering around The Wastland. There are tons of official side quests. There are non-listed ones as well that also have their own rewards like finding a monster lair and emptying it and finding a new crafting schematic at the end.
The Bad:
The amount of stuff in this game can be a bit much. I have this bad problem of wanting to see and finish everything. If you try to do that with this you will spend more then 80 hours on it. From what I hear the main quest can be beat in about 6, all the rest of optional. Thankfully Fallout 3 doesn't take this as far as some of the other Bethesda games or else I might have lost interest. While I found it overwhealming, it wasn't so overwhealming I lost interest in the game.
The Ugly:
This is one of those games where you loose yourself. It's as bad as if not worse then an MMO. There's always one more thing to do, and every door leads to two more. Because of this you tend to loose some sleep and get urges to call in sick just to finish off Paradise Falls. It's a long one and it sucks you in feet first and doesn't want to let go.
It's not stated anywhere that I noticed but this game has a level cap of 20. This was the most disappointing part of the game hitting level 20 way before the end. Meaning none of these side quests or fights were earning me anything. This almost had me quit playing and did have me quit doing side quests anymore. Once I hit 20 it just wasn't as fun so I rushed to finish the main story and get the game over with. It's a good thing that the rest of the game was so good, or else this would have been a much more negative review based on the endgame.
Overall:
I normally don't like these huge Bethesday RPGS where you can do almost anything. Fallout 3 was an exception. I loved it, it sucked me right in and didn't let go until the finish. There's a ton of things to do and a ton of things to see. If it weren't for the rediculous level cap I would still be playing now trying to complete every little bit of the game. If you haven't checked this one out you are missing out. It's worth fighting through the initial shock of how open it is and getting sucked in. As a bonus this one's old enough that you can easily find it for $20 or under. I found my copy for $10 at Zellers.