Fallout 3 (Xbox 360, 2008)

I personally have never liked games that have post apocalyptic game worlds, everything looks trashed, dingy and has a depressing atmosphere. I enjoy worlds that are visually pleasing and this was the opposite, but I heard so many great things about Fallout 3 that it convinced me enough to buy it. My initial reaction was that it was an average game not worthy of the hype. My character was equipped with a pistol in the beginning of the game. Gunplay shots were highly innacurate and doled out very little damage when the shots hit their targets.

When I found better weapons, in the game world, they barely had any ammunition to make them useful. Ammunition along with everything else is very scarce and hard to come by at first. I was also suffering from radiation poisening and got my leg injured after fighting off a giant rat. I had barely enough money to have my injured leg healed by a doctor and even less to buy ammunition or purchase better weapons.

After a very rough start I was ready to give up on Fallout 3, but decided to keep exploring its huge open world. After Several hours of gameplay I've met some very fascinating characters, visited creepy underground tunnels, looted abandoned cafes and shops. Whenever I wanted a new weapon I just picked up the ones which dead enemies dropped. I destroyed many evil characters some worse than others and encountered many deadly creatures.

I became a scavenger, mercenary for hire, and a gun-slinging hero all rolled up into one! Characters rewarded me for my good deeds or gave me information which proved useful for specific quests. Everytime my character gained enough experience points to "level up", I upgraded my combat ability or bartering skills; making it easier to earn money. I also picked from many of the fun PERKS which enhances combat playability and dialog interactions. I had a sword/chainsaw hybrid that tore things apart. I was able to go to a workbench and create unique weapons from junk found in the wasteland. I could solve problems by killing or being diplomatic. I choose how I want to play, I choose where to go and what to do- This is my world! This is the world of Fallout 3!

A lot of people describe this game as Oblivion with guns, and they are partially right, because the gameplay and menu systems feel similar. Everything else about it is different yet enjoyable. If you like role-playing games or open world type games, you should not hesitate to buy Fallout 3.

Pros:
+open world
+excellent PERKS
+excellent controls
+excellent creature designs
+excellent map design
+excellent voice acting
+excellent story
+excellent music
+excellent side quests
+excellent sound effects
+be good or evil
+lots of scavanging
+lots of guns
+melee weapons
+blood and gore
+ragdoll physics
+save game anywhere, anytime

Cons:
-game randomly crashes
-combat looks a bit stiff
-technically outdated

Bethesda has outdone themselves once again. From the truly gripping story of Oblivion comes another unforgettable game that will have you begging for more. The story of fallout 3 immerses you out in the wide open Wilderness, full of danger and mystery. Fallout 3 doesn't drop you straight into the Wilderness mind you, fallout 3 involves a story that never ceases to amaze me or anyone I've known to like it. You start out with your mother giving birth to you, which is the point that you get to choose your incredible line of attributes which will display the way you look as an adult. The selection consists of your gender, your race, skin color, hair color, hair styles, and many other wide open selections that you can fiddle with for as long as you please. After you finally arrive into the huge land of the Wilderness, you have the choice to switch through the perspectives of 3rd and 1st person views. An astounding feature that Bethesda has added to fallout 3 is V.A.T.S, the Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System. This is one of the many features of your Pip-boy 3000 which is given to you at age 10. The Pip-boy 3000 is what tracks you stats, health, radiation poisoning, XP, AP and other various needs in fallout 3. If you didn't know Fallout 3 takes place in post-apocalyptic Washington DC. Which is why your Pip-boy has a built in Geiger counter.

RATING SYSTEM:

Graphics: 9/10
The graphics in Fallout 3 aren't the best I've ever seen, but they don't exactly take away from the fun. The graphics are still great and Bethesda definitely does a great job of getting you wrapped up in the whole post-apocalyptic thing.

Sound: 9.5/10
The sound of Fallout 3 is definitely well put together, and has the sounds of a post-apocalyptic Washington DC. You can distinctly hear the sounds of tumble weeds and wind blowing around, not to mention the sounds of mutated animals and bugs.

Story: 10/10
Fallout 3 is really amazing and the reason it has to have a 10/10 in this category is that the story is still not over, Bethesda has pumped DLC after DLC into this game. I myself only have 2 of the 4 DLCs available. Bethesda has a recent DLC coming, called Mothership Zeta which is to premiere on Xbox live August 3rd. This upcoming DLC follows the story of the aliens which crashed landed in Washington, if you don't know you can find a crashed alien ship which holds an alien pistol, that boast some considerable power.

Character Development: 8/10
This always seems to be a rather hard category for developers to do well, and Bethesda has done a seemingly good job. You can find a good amount about these people in the wasteland and make numerous friends, but beware of who you befriend.

Controls: 9.5/10
Fallout 3's controls are smooth and easily adapted to. There's not much reason to change the default controls, unless your use to southpaw or something. If you must I think you can customize the controls anyway you want, I personally don't know since I had no trouble with the default settings.

Replay value: 9.5/10
I've remade new characters after another in this game, you grow on your mistakes. On your first character you usually make someone but you don't really understand the way the games stats work so your first character usually turns out a little weak but after a couple of tries when you finally get the perfect character you blow through the game and try things you wouldn't have tried your first run around.

TOTAL: 9.5/10

Great Game, Get it!

-XxmastermushxX

If you liked oblivion, you will like this game. It's a first person rpg that will suck you in and you will lose track of time when playing it.

very long, entertaining, and adventurous game! hours of fun! great for teenagers NOT kids unless you let them play thiese kinds of games!

i stopped buying games because for $60 i expected more than 8 hours of gameplay. so when i rented fallout 3 i knew within a short time that this was going to turn into $60 well spent. i'm normally a shooter kinda gamer and so i was concerned how this whole role playing thing would work out, but trust me, it is worth checking out. i have to be honest, it was actually refreshing to worry more about my characters attributes and my objectives than the run and gun mentality. check it out i think you'll be surprised.

Graphics: Breathtaking 9/10
Sound: Great – 8.5/10
Gameplay: Spectacular – 9.5/10
Replay Value – High (for a single player only game) 9/10
Overall – Near Perfect 9.5/10

Please note: I have never played any prior Fallout Titles, and this is from a n00b prospective.

Graphics: Breathtaking 9/10
The graphics are make you look twice – When you first exit the vault and see the landscape, you think to yourself “what next”? The graphic interface, use of PiP Boy and the movements really show that Bethesda took the time and care to make this well worth your hard earned money.

Sound: Great – 8.5/10
The sounds, music, effects, and voices take you immediately into the game. The time specific music, the radio channels, and the voice acting are all A+. The reason for the slightly lower mark is the repetitiveness of the radio, some of the sound effects, but overall, a lot of time, and thought, went into putting in effective music, voice acting and emphasis, and surrounding wasteland. The best, yet simplistic feeling is when you first turn on this gam for the first time, and all you hear is the old 50’s radio sparking on with the tube. Well done.

Gameplay: Spectacular – 9.5/10
Smooth animations, huge world design, and interactive and smart A.I. This game can be streamlined to do the main quest, or you can help the citizens of wasteland in their personal affairs. The single player game takes a lot of chances, but succeeds, in making the player make hard choices and customizing the game to their own path. Some find out too late that it is important to make hard choices to choose which attributes to build up. This aspect alone warrants multiple play times.

Some critics and players are commenting on the ending (no spoiler), but I must say that for the amount of customization a person can have in this game, it goes right along with the story.

Replay Value – High (for a single player only game) 9/10
Even without multiplayer, this game has replay value with the limitless ways you can play as – via good, bad, neutral, thief, etc. This did not feel like an RPG to me, and was well done to the point that I am on my second playthrough.

Overall – Near Perfect 9.5/10
I am not a fan of RPG’s, nor long drawn out games over 30+ hours, but I was swept away in this post apocalyptic wasteland. This holiday season is rough with the shear amount of great games, and this is definitely in the Top 5 for contention of game of the year.

This would normally be a game I would run from, but I rented it, and then bought it. It is so engrossing that others will want to watch you play and help you make those hard choices.

The game is not perfect, but close to. The story flows, as with the action, and it makes you feel as if you were there with your character trying to survive.

It has elements taken from genres such as RPG, puzzlers, action-adventures, but is not pigeonholed into this experience and to say it is an RPG is gives too little credit. This is an experience that should be played by any hardcore gamer.

Gameplay: 9.4
If the third-person perspective was better, Fallout 3 would’ve been an almost perfect RPG. Even with that said, everyone needs to spend time showing off how amazing VATS is since it is pure ecstasy.

Graphics: 9.4
Once you leave Vault 101, be prepared for an epic world full of beautiful disasters and calamities.

Sound: 9.5
Bethesda has once again hired superb voice-actors and filled Fallout 3 with outstanding sound effects.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Depending on the quest and how far you are leveled up, Fallout 3 will vary on the difficulty level.

Concept: 9.7
It’s great to see the Fallout franchise back on top again. It may not have the same developers or team behind the originals, but I can guarantee you that there’s fun to be had within Fallout 3.

Overall: 9.4
While Fallout 3 may not be for everyone (especially those who are looking for something a little more light-hearted), that doesn’t stop it from being a marvelous game. The replay value alone should hold gamers over until the dawn of the New Year. Fallout 3 is a must-have for gamers who are looking for the next bona-fide RPG on any console.

PROS:
- Great presentation with a lots of details
- Well achieved post-apocalyptic scenarios
- Huge detailed cities and landscapes with a lot of freedom to do pretty much whatever you want
- Every decision you make affects how the world around you reacts
- Classic Fallout story that doesn’t disappoint
- Interesting combat modes
- Great animations and effects (specially the gore stuff)
- Leveling up for perks is a lot of fun and becomes addictive
- Lots of cool & creative weapons
- Long single player campaign (around 25 hours that can be expanded to over 100 with all of the side quests and they are fully re-playable as an evil or good character)

CONS:
- Some minor bugs & glitches
- A little more details in the characters would have been good, but they are ok
- No multiplayer, but hey! Fallout never had one so just contemplate the greatness of its singleplayer.

*Just as a WARNING, this is a Role Playing Game and not a First Person Shooter, so don’t except Halo-like action, its different, but equally enjoyable.
*Another warning on this game is that it is not suitable for kids, the dialogs and goreish action is for mature gamers.

OVERALL THOUGHTS:
It is hard to compare this game with first 2 games, as the gameplay mechanics are a bit different, but even standing in the shadow of its predecessors Fallout 3 stands on its own as great game. You’ll immerse into the best post-apocalyptic world ever made

You must have in mind that the developers of this game are the same guys from The Elders Scroll IV: Oblivion, and at first you might feel like playing a modification of that game, but after a while you realize that Fallout 3 is completely unique and in a lot of ways better than Oblivion.

Fans of the series will most probably love the return of the post apocalyptic RPG trades and for new comers the games takes a little time to get used to, but it eventually grows on you in a really nice way and you’ll enjoy all of the huge amount of gadgets, weapons, quests, side quests, characters, humor, enemy dismemberment and complete freedom that Fallout 3 offers.

It is definitely a must-have for hardcore gamers and a serious contender for “game of the year award”. An instant new classic for all gamers, just as its predecessors.

Fallout 3 is possibly the best game I have ever played. Its ability to include action, horror, shooter, sci-fi, and RPG genres is outstanding, as is its quest and karma systems. Set far into an alternate future, the game encompasses an intriguing story that keeps us digging for more.

GRAPHICS: 9/10
Bethesda outdid themselves on this one. After such titles as Oblivion, I was ready for another pixel-strewn world that was mundane at best. However, Fallout 3 delivered a far better scape, making every minor detail remarkably realistic. If you shoot it, it bleeds; if you hit it, it staggers; if you throw it at a wall, it bounces back at you. The textures leave nothing to the imagination: even the rust on the cars is believeable. The only problem is that every once and a while you come across a wall that seems to be paper-thin. The world around such an anomoly only adds to its obscurity and makes it distracting, but ignorable.

CONTROLS: 10/10
All of the controls in Fallout 3 are easy to get used to, even the quick (and occasionaly choppy) turning speed. The controls make sense and are not too touchy, which allows for an extraordinarily natural gameplay. The experienced player will not even need to read the control section of the quidebook before he/she gets started.

MAIN GAME: 9/10
There's no other word for the main game except for amazing. From beginning to end, your player is thrown into sources of conflict: from a corrupt dictator (overseer) who wants you killed to a madman that wants you to detonate an atomic bomb, there is no room for a breath until the game is finished. The singular complaint that could be made is that the purpose of your quest is so stupid. Your purpose in the Capital Wasteland is to help fix a water-purifying machine that will leach away all the radiation from the water and make it suitable for people to drink. Bethesda writers must have missed the fact that this can be done simply by running the water through normal, every-day dirt.

ONLINE: 10/10
The online content for Fallout 3 is nothing short of awesome. Currently, there are three DLC packs available for Xbox 360 (and PC): Operation: Anchorage!, The Pitt, and Broken Steel. Each of these expands the game in new ways, giving the player more weapons, armor, perks, and goodies than the base game has to offer. If saving the world's water supply isn't enough, now the player can rescue Alaska from Communist invasion, purge Pittsburg of slaver scum, or rid the world of the evil that calls themselves the Enclave. In my opinion, a steal at 800GP apiece.

OVERALL: 9.5/10
Fallout 3 has some minor flaws, but they only add to the pure awesomeness that the game represents. It is always funny to find some glitched-out character with a five-foot neck or a moron holding a gun backward. If I were to recommend one game to anyone, it would be this one, bar-none.

GREAT GAME. LIKE IT A LOT. ONLY PLAYED IT FOR AN HOUR SO FAR BUT IM ADDICTED ALREADY. HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS TITLE TO ANY RPG FAN

I love that it is the best game in the world. I decided to purchase it because my good friends Austin and Sean encouraged me greatly to do so. GO HUSKERS!!!

If you are part of the XBOX Live community, then you probably already know that the general consensus if that YOU MUST PURCHASE FALLOUT 3! Probably one of the better RPGs ever made! If you loved OBLIVION, then FALLOUT 3 is for you! Graphics and story line is amazing! Packed with action, adventure, and lots of humour, FALLOUT 3 will keep you entertained for hours!

Fallout 3 like Fallout 1 and 2 is one of the few unique titles of its time. While some of the features that made Fallout 1 and 2 great are no longer part of this sequel, Fallout 3 has went the route of a 1st person shooter, but added a VATS combat system that still allows for aiming, sniping, and some more strategy in combat than most 1st person shooters. However, Fallout 3 still sticks to its RPG roots, and will not disappoint those who like to be put into moral situations. I give it a 5 out of 5, and will be looking forward to more Fallout titles coming out in the future.

This game is incredibly rich. When you kick over a barrel, it responds and you hear the clang. The map is BIG, with lots of stuff to discover and interact with. The baddies are numerous and XP abounds in your game, however way you choose to play it. You can tilt your character toward an evil mentality and end up with a completely different experience next time you play. And V.A.T.S. This is a beautiful thing. When you activate the system, you can lock onto whatever body part strikes your fancy, and a cut scene ensues in which you watch, in slo-mo, your character make the custom-made kill.

However, glitches abound. I just put in three hours leveling up and unlocking maps. I got into an altercation, and ended up backing into a ditch. Despite every effort to crouch, turn and jump, my character is stuck in that ditch, and thanks to autosave, I must now revert to an earlier, much lower level game save. *sigh* Just google "fallout 3 glitches" and you'll see what I mean.

Still, the storyline is compelling, and if you've ever been to D.C. you'll love the attention to detail Bethesda spent on the environment. Basically, this game is going to suck up all of my free time for the foreseeable future.

Awesome game, been waiting for it to come out for a long time!

$60 in the stores and I found it for 48.00!!

Can't beat that!

Ebay rocks!

If you loved to wander the Oblivion world on your High Definition TV via XBOX 360 then you'll also love doing the same in Fallout 3. However, were Oblivion is a 'bright' environment, Fallout 3 is post-apocalyptic wasteland. In the initial part of the game you acquire your characters particulars not through dry radio boxes but through a serious of 'situations' where you have to make decision that ultimately decide your character type - was funny. The game is very playable with LOTS of universe to explore as you would expect from Bethesda and interesting 'bad guys' and 'bad weapons' to play with. Definitely check it out if you have not already.

Its a great game. It starts out a little slow but ounce you get past that it just gets better and better. I love this game as much as I loved Oblivian. Bethesda rocks.

If you're a fan of Elders Scroll 4: Oblivion then Fallout 3 is your choice. It is similar to Oblivion, you can wait, fast travel, lock pick, boost stats and so on. This game is set 200 years in the future, after a nuclear war that devastated the whole world. The area your in is an apocalyptic and decimated Washington D.C. and its neighboring suburbs. Early on you only see a wasteland but the more you explore you can see the lincoln memorial, washington monument, the reflecting pool and the capital building and museums. I haven't found the white house yet but I know its here somewhere. The style of the game is like a first person shooter combined with an rpg. you can use a variety of weapons ranging from pistols to nuke missiles. There are a lot of enemies too you can fight like super mutants, raiders, mercenaries, robots, ghouls, and many more. Picture this like mad max and the road warrior but in Washington D.C. This is probably the best game ever released. Do your self a favor and buy it or at least rent it. You won't be disappointed. Also a great holiday gift. If I didn't convince you, please read a metacritic review of this game.
!!! Not for Children !!!

This game has so much playable storyline you could play it for a very long time. Even once you beat the main storyline there is so great of a replay factor that it doesn't even matter. I highly recommend this game to people

Gameplay-5/5
A perfect blend of shooting and rpg. V.A.T.S is the coolest thing ever made.

Story-5/5
The depression of post atomic war America with a hit of black humour.

The two main ingredients in Fallout 3 score perfectly and oll other things fall in line with them. A MUST PLAY.

This game is amazing. I'm hooked and I cannot put it down. It is so engrossing that I actually forgot to go pick up my reserve for GOW2. Gameplay is amazing, graphics are 3/5, and an rpg that brought me back from fps.

Fallout 3 is a deep experience that offers great storytelling along with excellent gameplay. The VATS targeting system truly is genious and the games'setting truly helps set a mood of grief and loss. This is an excellent game that should not be missed by anyone.

I bought fallout three weeks ago and can not stop playing...If fact have turned down several dinner invites so I can KEEP playing.
Love this game!! The game itself is great, lots of different action missions, plus missions where you just are trying to put something together but on the way Super Mutants, Ghouls, Raiders, wild dogs and much more try to kill you or stop you. Just wandering around the waste land you come upon new outposts and buildings, and each is a challange. then there is Washington DC...wow try getting around there with out using the subway, (which is full of Ghouls)...this is truly the first of many games that I have played where I have never lost interest....IT is a must have and one game I will keep...
Graphics are the best and you feel like you are really in Post-apocalyptic world.