“Nostalgia Goggles”: A Fallout Fan’s Review of Fallout 3

Luckily, I gave this game a chance. As one forum poster put it, I had to take off the “nostalgia goggles.” I got used to the battle system, I got used to the perspectives, and I got used to the sheer open-endedness of the game.

So I persevered through my frustrations and feelings of fanboyish scorn… and now I’m at a point where I don’t want to do this review anymore because it takes time away from playing the game.

Let me paint you a picture, Fallout fans. Picture me, humble Oliver Saenz, venturing into the wasteland and journeying to Megaton, the first city available to you once you leave the Vault (which is pretty much the “introduction and tutorial level” of the game). Now, as a guy that loved the original Fallout games’ ability to explore every inch of your surroundings without having to be bogged down by quests, I immediately decided to go through the town and get acquainted with everyone in there, but not take on anything significant. After learning the ins and outs of Megaton, I departed the town to roam the wasteland and explore the game.

I was promptly mauled, killed, and humiliated by a pack of mole rats while patrolling the perimeter of Megaton.

Reduced to fleeing from the monsters I had taken so much delight in easily obliterating in the first two Fallout games, I got caught by a jumping attack and went down for the count. My secret shame knew no bounds: let’s be honest here, GotGamers. ****ING MOLE RATS?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? Does any Fallout fan not remember how easy it was to kill those things? Defeated and dejected, I regrouped in Megaton, licked my wounds, stocked up on supplies I could barely afford, then chose a random direction and began running, promising never to return to Megaton until I had reclaimed my dignity and avenged my humiliation. I would bend this wasteland to my will, or I would die trying. And then I’d load the game and die all over again, if that’s what it took.

Several hours later, I returned with some brand new armor, loaded down with medical supplies and sellable goods, with a few dozen kills to my name and a level or two to my credit.

And that’s when you had me, Fallout 3.

That’s the beauty of Fallout 3: just when you think it’s time to pack it in and call it a day, something pops up at you that you can’t resist exploring. In my self-imposed exile from Megaton, I discovered an abandoned sewer, and quickly dispatched the radroaches inhabiting the room that leads to the sewers itself, while the radscorpion took a little more time. Once inside the sewers, I found myself dealing with numerous enemies: mole rats, ghouls, raiders, and even this weird raider-ghoul thing that had his own private store room, safe, and was wearing a party hat. I would’ve laughed had he not also been wearing thick armor and wielding a powerful gun, which I ended up taking as my own after some trial-and-error.

Continued on page 3.

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