
click to embiggen
My time with Fallout 3 was brief. I was tasked with escaping an underground vault which separated my character from the desolate world outside. Once outside my character shielded his eyes from the blinding light of the real world -- which bathed the entire screen for a few seconds, a cool effect -- I explored the barren world, a landscape of broken roads, dilapidated buildings and radiation. Fighting my way past feral beasts and equally feral humans. I was able to acquire some new armor, weapons and, in one case, vodka.
Managing your inventory is done through the PIPBoy menu. Again, this process is reminiscent of Oblivion, with different tabs for items, character traits, skills and the like. Items can be hotkeyed to different directions on the D-pad for quick access (sound familiar?). I was able to use several armaments, including police batons, a pistol and, strangely enough, a BB gun. The BB gun actually came in handy for setting off trip mines, though it didn't do much damage to enemies.
Speaking of combat, it's important to remember Fallout 3 is an RPG. Though it looks like a first person shooter (or third person, if you choose to play that way), every attack you make is still based on your combat abilities. If you're not proficient with a pistol, a shot that looked perfect might still go wide. Just because that evil dog is in the crosshairs, that doesn't mean it'll get shot.
Of course, the star of the show is VATS, the Vault-tec Assissted Targeting System, which was showcased at the Microsoft Press Briefing earlier this week. VATS allows you to stop time and zoom in on your targets. From this vantage point, you can highligt individual body parts, all of which display how likely it is your shot will hit. Do you take the headshot with only a 20% chance to hit or the body shot that has a 50% chance? It's a neat system with the added bonus of letting you stop the action and assess the situation. That's a good thing when you're being peppered by gunfire on all sides.
Graphically, Fallout 3 is very pretty, which makes sense considering it runs on the Gamebryo engine, which also powered Oblivion (surprise!). It's very cool to see Gamebryo applied to a more modern setting and it's used to great effect. It's a trip to see the Oblivion style combat trade bows and arrows for guns and baseball bats. Of course, the bad comes with the good. The game still comes with the somewhat flat textures and stilted animations.
Of course, that hardly affects the meat of the game, which is character growth. As you progress through the game, levels are gained and skills are learned. A traditional set of skills are available for upgrading, including different weapons skills, stealth, lockpicking, hacking and the like. You can also choose new Perks when levels are gained, which give boosts to the stats you already have. Some perks enhance your hacking skills for example, while others enhance your skills with small arms.
Overall, Fallout 3 looks to be a good RPG on the grand scale that Bethesda is known for. The post-apocalyptic setting, the 1950s kitsch that invades every part of the game (you have got to listen to the in game radio broadcasts), the intriguing VATS system, all of it should please fans when the game releases later this year.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
7-15-2008 @ 11:39PM
GobiWan said...
Thanks for the info Richard. I think I'll be picking this one up when it comes out.
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7-16-2008 @ 1:33PM
Eddie said...
me too.
7-15-2008 @ 11:47PM
StLouisRibs7734 said...
Bought at open-world RPG/shooter set in post-apocalyptic Washington DC. Thats like all the good games from last year combined.
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7-15-2008 @ 11:58PM
Jonathan guyen said...
Just what I wanted, a gun toting oblivion. I loved Oblivion got many hours out of it. So I am not disappointed to know it's similar to this game. Ah it's gonna be awesome, can't wait come October!!
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7-16-2008 @ 12:00AM
Jordan23 said...
I am super hyped for this game! I mean C'mon you can shoot mini nukes - how cool is that?
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7-16-2008 @ 12:13AM
bVork said...
Gamebryo isn't really Bethesda's engine. Bethesda just happens to license the engine for all of their games. So does Firaxis.
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7-16-2008 @ 4:24AM
Richard Mitchell said...
Ah, thanks. Fixed.
7-16-2008 @ 12:40AM
guidedbyvoip said...
will pre-order
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7-16-2008 @ 12:56AM
Tel Prydain said...
Oh, dear. Quite let down with this news.
Oblivion and Morrowind both had terrible plots and lifeless NPCs - if this is Oblivion with guns, then it'll fall off my 'must have' list.
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7-16-2008 @ 4:27PM
Flakundenga said...
me too. when i saw a vid for F3 i was statrting 2 be fearful cuz it looked too much like oblivion. this confirmation just made it go down in my "most wanted" list. this is a BIG let down as i was excited 4 this. ugghhhhh this sucks, oblivion was terrible (in my point of view)
7-16-2008 @ 4:46PM
Tel Prydain said...
I kinda wish Black Isle was on this game - it's way closer to their style of RPG.
Hell, I'll keep an eye on it, but it's not the AAA title I'm hanging out for.
7-16-2008 @ 1:49AM
Nugent said...
Oblivion was a great game, but sticking guns into it and changing the setting doesn't make it into Fallout. Hopefully they get the atmosphere and humor right. But based on Oblivion, I'm not going to get my hopes up.
I'll probably get this game anyway, and enjoy it, but I have a feeling it won't be a real Fallout game.
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7-16-2008 @ 1:51AM
ChricoQueervae said...
Will my horse armor be compatible with this?
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7-16-2008 @ 10:57AM
tevetorbes said...
lol
and on another note, do want
7-16-2008 @ 2:59AM
Karnavalimagicus said...
Quick note: Gamebryo is actually a third-party engine, not Bethseda's. It's made by Emergent, out of Calabasas, CA.
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7-16-2008 @ 6:22AM
HE4VENSENT said...
amazing.
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7-16-2008 @ 6:25AM
andyface said...
Well I've already preordered this, but i'm still unsure as to whether it'll have the class of the original games, which where utterly fantastic. I've never played oblivion so unfortunately this mini review doesn't give me much more info, but from what i hear of oblivion this should be good fun, but will it be fallout? I hope so.
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7-16-2008 @ 8:44AM
zombienutz said...
I can't wait for this game. I am glad to see the BB Gun makes a return.
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7-16-2008 @ 9:54AM
Ian said...
Yes please.
I am pre-ordering this tonight.
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7-16-2008 @ 10:10AM
erturk said...
If you never play fallout game before, what you're saying is meaningless. I'm sorry about that. I watched the game play, it's looking dull, soulless and empty for me. He's not even walking, like flowing on the surface, combats are looking too easy. I wish it'd be build on isometric graphics engine based on a freedom and deep dialogs and character development. I can't get any clue about that and i'm deeply sorry. It's not a fallout after all, it's something else. First fallout and the one after that most free, most amazing game of gaming history. how many times you were playing this titles, it was all different experience. I hope at least Bethesda accomplish that tradition...
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