Fallout 3 Review

Here is the second of my reviews and this time round I shall be reviewing Bethesda's new game Fallout 3.

Gameplay - 8
Fallout 3 plays incredibly well in the first person perspective. The VACS system is a fantastic feature allowing you to slow down the action and pick out certain body parts of opponents that you wish to destroy. However that's only if your aim is good enough as a missed shot can get incredibly annoying in those tight situations. The shooting mechanic is just like an FPS using the right trigger to fire and the left to zoom in and aim. The problem comes if you wish to play in 3rd person it's hard to aim at enemies, hard to move round and the movement of the character looks disjointed.
This is defiantly a game to enjoy in the first person.

Graphics - 8
The graphics in fallout 3 are impressive to say the least, you'd think with such a huge game map you would see the engine struggling but there is no tearing at all, very very occasionly you may see the odd texture popping in but nothing you will ever notice. The only loading is entering buildings from the map making the game seem pretty seamless. The character models are well built and are good enough to keep the immersion in the game high.


Sound - 9
The sounds in the game are realistic and allow you to get lost in the game. The soundtrack is very dramatic and gives you the feeling of unrest in the wasteland, and a sense of everything falling apart. The guns all sound realistic especially the mini nuke it sounds fantastic when fired as you here the pop as it leaves the gun and the apocolyptic explosion as it connects with the enemy. The objects around you react well to each sounds realsitic as you walk into them or knowck them off such as shopping trolleys and oil drums. Finally the voice acting is of a high level with none of the characters really having voices that annoy you.

Story - 8
The story of Fallout 3 is very well told witha lot of plot twists and various mini stories going on around the main narrative. Each quests holds its own little story for you to unravel and understand and eventually reach a pretty staisfatpry conclusion. However the same can not be said of the actual game ending, for those who have played and completed the game you will understand, it leaves a lot to be deasired.

Re-Playability - 7
The only real reason for replaying Fallout is to experience the epic story again and just for the fun of playing there is no real incentive for doing so, the only thing that will keep you gripped after completion is the fun factor, it never gets old to see a super mutants head leave its body in a trail of blood.

Overall 8/9
Fallout 3 is a massive game and will keep you playing for many an hour so if you want value for money then this is a must buy. The gameplay is smooth and not really frustrating, the difficulty level is livable with and doesn't truly pose a challenge on easy or normal. If your looking for a western RPG and you are a fan of oblivion then buy this game even if your not I would recommend anyone to play it, believe me you wont regret it.

Rent - Definite (However no where near enough time to enjoy)
Purchase - Definite (You won't regret it)