Fallout 3 Xbox 360 Review

I’ve never played a post apocalyptic game before. It seems like a theme which should have been exploited to oblivion and I’m surprised not many games utilize it. Perhaps it’s too depressing. Or perhaps because a world with practically nothing left would be difficult to entertain gamers with. Whatever the case may be, Fallout 3 isn’t just your every year western RPG game. Claims of “Oblivion with guns” is a mystery to me as I gave up on Bethesda’s high fantasy role playing epic. I didn’t give up on Fallout 3 though. There was a time when I wanted to, but in the end I am pleased to say that I enjoyed my journey through the Capital Wastelands — despite its flaws.

A strong sense of time and setting served as Fallout 3′s opening moments. It’s one of the most memorable openings rife with genuine efforts to dress character customization screens with something more meaningful. (I won’t spoil it, as it was quite ingenious.) Bethesda grabbed me immediately and did their best not to let go. Life in Vault 101 was simple and as young buck starting out in the world, I was anxious to explore the world, meet its people and listen to its story. But, alas I was not ready for the harsh reality of Wastelands.

Perhaps that was intentional.

It didn’t take long before I was shaping the game in my own way. I chose to veer off the beaten path and explore the remains of what were once the suburbs of Washington D.C. And, to my astonishment, there was not a whole lot to unearth. There was rubble, swirls of dust and the occasional mutated wildlife, but it wasn’t like a Fable II or a Mass Effect where the initial stages were plump with content. It took a fair bit wandering before the trickle of content turned into an all out flood.

The fact of the matter is: Fallout 3, as a whole, is bit of a sloth when it comes to delivering the fun immediately – especially with its take on the action RPG formula. Like Mass Effect, it was a role playing game before a shooter and because of that I was initially frustrated by the combat. My frustration subsided as I diverted more points into my ‘Small Arms’ skill, however the game did a poor job of communicating my inferiority. A reticle change to reflect my accuracy would have sufficed. Then again, it would have been pointless since the enemies would eventually zero in on my position regardless of their own well being or abilities.

I rarely spent time outside the comfort of the Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System despite its reliance on action points. I surrendered control over my attacks to hidden formulas of chance, skill points and distance because aside from a select few, I found utilizing weapons in real time wasted ammunition. With time, I learned to rely on the pause and aim system for its effectiveness and for the gory spectacles. I also quickly discovered that luring opponents around corners and unloading shotgun blasts via V.A.T.S. was the most efficient strategy – simply select the head for easy mode I guess.

I got over the lousy combat with the help of the Capital Wasteland’s many tales. Eventually, I met Super Mutants, slavers, prostitutes, raiders and even cannibals. Not all of them shared their stories via dialog though. Their homes and their computers told me things that would bore some, but enlighten others. When I reached the denser areas of the of the D.C. core where nearly every building was of some significance, I was in questing paradise. There was just so much to do, see and learn; Fallout 3 began to open up and get into the rhythm of things. I knew I was in a good thing when I was finding quest items before I was even asked to fetch them. I adore being rewarded for going out of my way to explore.

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