Where the Daedra At?: A n00b’s Review of Fallout 3

Some people might remember that Mass Effect tried to accomplish a visceral but strategy-based combat system like this and I found myself drawing comparisons between the two almost the entire time I played Fallout 3, and (meaning no offense to Bioware and the Mass Effect team) Fallout’s system felt significantly smoother and more intuitive. A note to every developer considering producing a firearm-centered RPG in the future: damage zones on enemies is a must.

Oh yeah, and Fallout 3 is pretty. There are a few times when animations freaked out in weird ways, but it was mostly because of the game’s Havok physics, and these were incredibly rare. I did notice that V.A.T.S. melee animations didn’t look quite as nice as I would have liked sometimes and the collision detection seemed a little off. Although, I have to say, the fact that your character steps on radroaches rather than actually swinging at them is hilarious.

Set pieces don’t repeat themselves nearly as often as I was expecting and the lighting and textures are of the highest quality. I do have to say though, just like the Elder Scrolls games, the third-person camera did nothing for me. I only used it when I wanted to look at a recent piece of armor I had equipped or to show off my character to a real-life onlooker. Otherwise, it just showed off how my character’s animations and movements didn’t line up at all.

One of the things I found fascinating about my first foray into the Fallout universe is that the creatures you come in contact with will all seem familiar in one way or another. Mutants are simply animals and people that have been misshapen, and there is no clear dichotomy between the two. It isn’t a simple class war between humans and mutants, some humans are heartless raiders while some mutants are civil and sometimes almost more friendly than their fully human counterparts.

These subtle paradigm shifts will strike you initially, but after your second or third conversation with a ghoul, you won’t bat an eyelash when you see rough-skinned people of arguable humanity walking about. It’s not just mutants, either; this game showcases a potential for ruthelessness in humanity that is remarkably dark, and that would make William Golding proud. I really appreciated this at a point near the end of the main storyline when a cave-dwelling child was calling me a “shit sucking mungo.” It was almost cute.

The story is absolutely engrossing. While I felt comfortable in my character’s skin right away, I could also quickly identify with my character’s father (voiced by Sir Liam Neeson) who I was tasked with seeking out. The primary quest is delightful and a vast array of side-quests intersect with it as you progress. There was only one time that the story kind of pissed me off, though. At the very end, there is a plot inconsistency that I can’t explain in detail without giving away a couple massive spoilers. If you’re curious about what I’m talking about, feel free to email me and ask (my address is available at the bottom of this article); just be ready for a rant.

Despite that one WTF moment, I loved the narrative throughout. I have to give you one word of warning, though: the game does a classic ending where it rolls the credits and goes back to the main menu. Make sure, if you want to explore the wastes and soak in the irradiated glory of “post-apocalyptica,” keep a save file prior to the final mission handy.

Overall, Fallout 3 sucked me in quicker than I ever expected and kept me there up until the end and even afterwards. I’m really looking forward to my second and third play through with this one. If you have ever enjoyed a western-style RPG, you will fully enjoy Fallout 3. Also, if you ever wanted to get into RPGs but find yourself going back to Halo or Call of Duty, the faster-paced combat lends itself to run-and-gun gameplay. It might not be as well honed as your usual shooter of choice, but it’s worth at least a rental. Trust me.

And you know what? Every night, I dream of Todd Howard, standing on that broad stage at E3, uttering those beautiful words “The Elder Scrolls V.” But after playing Fallout 3, I don’t mind waiting a little longer for it.

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