Fallout 3: Game Of The Year Edition Review

When it first came out, Fallout 3 wasn’t a game that directly appealed to me. I understood the basic concept, but in all honesty the strange altering game perspective (the ability to switch from 3rd person to 1st person at will) made the game look awkward and clunky to me. It wasn’t until I rented the game to test it out that I truly fell in love with the Capital Wasteland and all of its denizens. Until now, I haven’t owned a copy of the game and obviously any of its revered DLC. So how does Fallout 3 and it’s add ons stack up against some of the other heavy hitters busting our wallets in this late quarter of 2009?

So I figure since this is indeed the GOTY edition that features all DLC packs I’ll go ahead and review the main game first and then the add on’s.

Fallout 3:

story:

Fallout 3 puts players in the shoes of ‘The Lone Wanderer” or sometimes “Mr. Vault 101″ over the radio. Your character is fully customisable and this includes specific traits, strengths and weaknesses (one should remember that Fallout 3 is an RPG at heart). After a short-lived childhood and a series of misdemeanours within your nuclear shelter, Vault 101, you are cast into the vast open world of the Capital Wasteland, a harsh, post nuclear war landscape teaming with brutally warped creatures to kill and citizens to meet and converse with (or kill if you’re anything like me). Fallout 3 is brimming with more side quests and exploration than you can poke a stick at and it will easily take you over 100 hours to see and do everything in the main game, and even after that there is still reason to keep playing. The main quest of the game see’s your character trying to track down his or her father who also vanished from Vault 101 shortly before you did. Throughout your journey you will encounter gigantic Super Mutants, crazed mercenaries, Raiders, giant wildlife and even an enormous patriotic American built robot. All in all, the story is compelling enough by itself, but with the numerous side quests and overbearing sense of purpose even when you aren’t doing anything in particular, Fallout 3 is a game with palpable atmosphere and belonging.

Gameplay:

As mentioned earlier, Fallout 3 allows players to instantly switch from a 3rd person to 1st person perspective. In my experience, 3rd person fares better when exploring the wastes, and 1st person for combat and exploration in confined spaces. On top of this, something that is unique to Fallout 3 is the VATS combat system. This allows players to enter a freeze-frame of sorts in order to target specific body parts of an enemy. After a selection is made the game often switches to slow-motion so you can observed your selected actions play out. It sounds like it would become arduous, however, I can assure you that no matter how many times you watch your bullet speed through the air and splatter a particularly nasty Super Mutant all over the wall it never gets old. So, in this sense, one could not be blamed for assuming that Fallout 3 is a shooter, and on the surface it is. However there is a strong RPG element to the game that gives players total control of everything from how their player fares with certain weapon types, to even their resistance to the effects of alcohol. There is also a lot of dialogue in Fallout 3, you can converse with almost any human NPC you come across which is quite involving even if they have nothing particularly interesting to say. If you choose, you can make your character have a higher charisma and speech skills allowing them to influence people into doing things they wouldn’t normally. This depth of character customisation coupled with an action mechanic that is actually quite deep makes for a truly memorable experience that could be recommended to anyone apart from Tetris playing 14 year old girls.

V.A.T.S in action.

Presentation:

Fallout 3 is starting to show it’s age. In its time (only last year I might add) Fallout 3 was a bastion of impressive graphics and sound, however now with technological advances making way for mind-blowing graphical improvements one only has to look at Uncharted 2 or the upcoming Assassins Creed 2 to realise that times are changing. With a colour palate ranging from slime green to brown and even stretching the limits to dark grey, Fallout 3 was never a ‘pretty’ game, however it’s graphics and representation of a post apocalyptic dystopia were revered for their distinctive style, and this still holds true today. It might not be the best looking game on the market, but it is distinct. Sound isn’t a big factor, however the rolling winds of the wasteland and the far off growl of a Deathclaw still have the ability to send chills down one’s spine, and Three Dog’s (the featured radio announcer) weathered voice, whilst growing somewhat tiresome, still offers a familiarity and adds to the atmosphere.

One BIG problem with the game however is it’s glitches. All too often one will see car tyres floating in the sky or big see-through sections of a mountainside should you venture too close. However the biggest problem with Fallout 3 is its tendency to freeze up and crash without warning. Sure the game chugs a bit when too many things are happening on screen at once, but for it to physically crash is almost inexcusable in this day and age. You might think that this is a rare or infrequent occurence like the 360′s infamous Red ring of death, but without fail, every 2nd or 3rd time the game will crash without warning. For a game that can end up being a bit of a grind fest at times, this can certainly become frustrating quickly.

Operation Anchorage:

The Operation Anchorage add-on see’s players embarking on a quest to aid a merc company that has sent out a distress call. Upon finding them you are taken into a simulation that when completed unlocks a weapons storage bunker. apparently, you are the only one who can complete the simulation because of your PipBoy 3000, the computer mounted to your wrist that serves as the games menu screen. The simulation itself takes you back to the beginning of the war that ended in nuclear disaster in Alaska. You are tasked with the liberation of Anchorage from Chinese Communist forces, ending in a somewhat rushed boss battle that was barely alluded to at all during the simulation, so comes as a surprise. The game takes 3-4 hours to complete with little exploration, and is therefore fairly linear and action oriented. The game features a stark blue and white colour scheme, which is admittedly a welcome change to the brown and grey of the Capital Wasteland.

After it is completed players are rewarded with whatever they desire from the weapons bunker, the standouts being the Gauss Rifle, a highly powerful energy weapon which soon becomes a favorite due to its power and distance, and a new set of Power Armour that is also very durable.

The Pitt:

In ‘The Pitt’, players are taken to a destroyed Pittsburg to a colony of diseased slaves and their merciless overlords. You are tasked with finding a cure for the Slave’s illness which turns them into strange creatures somewhere between a Ghoul and Super Mutant. The area is somewhat open however there is little reason for exploration and you will find yourself sticking to the path the main story sets out for you. The story is pretty weak, and somewhat convoluted, and there is actually very little incentive to complete the quest apart from access to an ammo press and a new weapon called an Auto-Axe which is similar to a chainsaw but more cumbersome and awkward. The visuals are fairly dark with a lot of reds and browns featuring, nothing too different from the main game.

The Auto-Axe: I'm as confused as you are.

All in all it is a fun experience, however there is not much incentive in doing anything apart from the possibility of a level up or two and maybe a few new items to test out.

Broken Steel:

Broken Steel essentially continues the main story of Fallout 3 after where it ends in the main game, however I wont delve into it as I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone. It adds a few new weapons and is otherwise no different from the main game. However, the biggest draw is the fact that it raises the Level Cap from 20-30, giving hardcore players a new reason to keep playing the game. Along with this comes a series of new perks, some of which are pretty stupid (Tolerance to the negative effects of alcohol), however some are absolutely awesome (One that raises all of your stats to 9 out of 10, trust me, its fucking good).

definitely the best pack in terms of how much it actually adds to the overall game experience, and if you dont have any of the DLC then this is the one I recommend the most.

Point Lookout:

Point Lookout essentially adds a whole new area to the game that is accessed by boat. It features a strange swampland inhabited by hundreds of inbred hillbilly types that look like something out of ‘The Hills Have Eyes’ . The main quest of Point Lookout involves a war between local ‘Tribals’, who follow orders from a disembodied brain and a rather rude Ghoul who inhabits a mansion atop one of Point Lookout’s many cliff faces. It is fairly interesting and probably the best story out of all of the Add on packs. The swampy, grotto filled area is actually very interesting to explore, even if the locales don’t differ a lot, and there are a few side quests to embark upon whilst you are there. One big issue with point lookout is that it freezes a lot more than anything else, including the main game, which is a bit of an issue. I found myself leaving halfway through the quest because it was getting so irritating to dry off for a bit back in the Capital Wasteland before heading back.

Straight out of a bad horror movie

As far as incentive goes, Point Lookout doesn’t offer much apart from a lot of random treasure, including a hefty amount of caps (Fallout 3′s currency) If you can be bothered working for them.

Mothership Zeta:

Hardcore players will remember finding a downed alien spaceship in the wasteland complete with an exceedingly powerful weapon with limited ammo called the Alien Blaster. Well, in Mothership Zeta, the alien mystery is solved as players are taken aboard a HUGE alien craft orbiting just above the Capital Wasteland. The story is fairly linear as players attempt to escape as well as find out the aliens overall intentions and is more action oriented like Operation Anchorage. It is fairly bland and the only real incentive is some cool new weaponry and ammo for your beloved alien blaster.

Overall, The Game of the Year edition of Fallout 3 is worth the ticket price as long as you don’t already have the game. It’s cheaper than the original release and features all of the DLC packs for a much lower price than they are on Xbox Live or the PSN. Highly recommended in any version, however for those that don’t have it, this is the one to go for.

Story: 10/10, well done, atmospheric and believable.

Gameplay: 10/10, brilliant

Presentation: 7/10, ageing with a few bad bugs.

OVERALL: 9/10