PS3 Review - Fallout 3

Although I did not play the first two Fallout games from the series I still feel that I am more than able to review this game. It stands up on its own considering from the research that I have done it is completely on its own and different from the other two titles that were on the PC. This title reminds me a lot of what Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was in many ways.

But everything that I complained about Oblivion seems to have been revamped or fixed in this title. I’m not saying they are a lot alike, it’s just there are similarities here and there. The one complaint I had about Oblivion was that it was nowhere near a character-driven title. Fallout gives you the ability to make your character be a good guy, bad guy, or neutral (a lot harder than you think). You accomplish this through the various actions that you do throughout the game; even by the way you talk to people. So now that I’m done with the intro of sorts, it’s time for the real review. First I will tell you what I liked, then disliked, and finally wrap it up with whether or not I feel that the title is purchase-worthy.

What I Liked:

–Massive World—when I say massive I mean massive. This map is gigantic. I went ahead and picked up the strategy guide and it came with a full size map poster to hang up. It shows areas I didn’t even notice on my first playthrough. A lot of people have asked me if it is as big as Oblivion’s map. The answer to that would be no, but it’s not smaller by much. Also the map is a lot better than Oblivion’s is what I tell them. The reason for this being that there isn’t that much wasted space. When you are going through the map you find yourself looking everywhere. In all honesty there are areas that I know I haven’t even touched yet on the map because you simply overlook them.
–Story—the story is great. It is very interactive and you have multiple paths to take depending on what kind of person you want to be in the game. So the game is essentially all up to you. You can skip missions by killing some of the main people in the story. It literally is completely up to you. I would delve into the actual story, but I really don’t want to ruin it for any potential owners or gamers currently playing through it. Trust me though, it’s good.
–Enemies—there is quite a large collection of enemies that is available for you to encounter throughout the game. Some require different tactics from others. So be sure to try different things to see what works best. Also some things found off enemies can be used in custom weapons, such as claws.
–Level of Detail—the sheer amount of detail down to the smallest things in this title still amazes me. Just go look at some of the destroyed areas where the capital is, and I promise you will be blown away.
–Leveling Up—the leveling system also gives you multiple routes to go. This all depends on what type of character you want. There are many options available to the player. Small guns, energy guns, melee, hand to hand, big guns, etc. Those are just some of the options, there are many more for you to upgrade. Once your character levels up you are given a certain amount of points to put in the various areas of your choice.
–Equipment—so many options here guys. You can build your own, repair your own, or just have someone do it for you and purchase it rather than make it. But if you take the time to level the skill up you might as well use it. Also if you make some good weapons you can sell it for a lot of “caps” in return. Caps are what are used as a means of currency in the game. There are a ton of combinations that are available to you depending on what type of weapon you are looking for. But my favorite is the “Fatboy” hands down. I mean who wouldn’t want to shoot a mini nuke at an enemy? Also the various clothing articles can give you some nice bonuses when worn/combined correctly. So make sure you are wearing the right thing for the right situations.
–Choices—as I stated earlier there are many paths to take in this title. But I liek the ability to sit there and deviate from the main story any time you see fit. If you feel like just going to fight some Super Mutants then go do it. You don’t have to breeze through the story. The experience is what makes this title great, along with the endless paths you choose to take.
–Followers—depending on the route you take in the game you will have the opportunity to get various followers that will aid you in your journey around the Wasteland. So if you are a good guy you will not be able to get the bad guy followers, and vice versa.
–Perks—consider these as unlockables that you get to pick and choose what you want whenever you level up. One of my favorites is hands down the “Bloody Mess” perk. The “Solar Powered” is pretty cool as well, nothing like a little sun to heal you.

What I Disliked:

–Glitches—there are various glitches that have occurred for me throughout my experience. Especially the infamous PSN one when I first got it, now I just play with it whenever I am offline. But there are a couple in game glitches that I encountered, but they were very minor (enemies getting stuck in wall, etc. ). All of these glitches could easily be alleviated through a patch being released, but they are by no means game breaking.
–No Trophies at Launch—this bothered me. I know it is getting trophies now, and that is nice and all. But in all honesty would it be that hard to get the trophies out? They will most likely match the 360’s achievements. So I just don’t see why it couldn’t have been implemented before the launch. I am by no means a trophy whore, but they are nice to have.

Buy/Rent/Stay Away:

I mean honestly if you’ve already read the review this far then you already know what I am going to state here. Buy this game, and by no means should you hold off to buy this title. Trophies/glitches or not this is one of the best titles I’ve played in quite some time. It is a completely immersive world. Bethesda really pulled it off this time around, and succeeded where I thought they failed in Oblivion. I know right now if you are a gamer it is hard because there are so many titles that have been coming out that deserve a purchase (trust me my wallet is hurting too), but this title is definitely worthy of a purchase. If you can’t afford it and are still curious at least give it a rent.

PSLS Final Score – 5/5

Second Opinion

Written by LinuxGuru

I must say that I wasn’t expecting too huge a difference from Oblivion. I heard the characters felt the same, were skinned the same, animated the same…but that’s where the similarities ended.

Fallout 3 was one hell of a fantastic ride with genuinely emotional, creepy, exciting, and gut-wrenching moments strewn all throughout the experience. Dialogue was superb, the V.A.T.S. combat system is very elegant (lots and lots of beautiful gun-porn), and Fallout relies heavily on player choice for the ultimate outcome of the game to be determined. There are quite a few different endings, so I recommend playing through the game multiple times. It’s quite easy to lose yourself in this wonderful title, from the birth of your character, to the simplified-yet-effective class and customization system…everything feels well thought-out and cared for. Yeah, Fallout does have its share of bugs and clipping issues, but an open-world game is the hardest type to get perfectly error-free. There are too many variables to cover to have a perfect handle on everything that could possibly happen. None of the issues I encountered were game-breaking, and the PSN-freeze was apparently fixed with the recent patch. That patch contained trophies as well.

From beginning to end, Fallout 3 presents a well-polished, far-reaching (the world has a lot of locations…be prepared to be blown away), unique, detailed, gripping tale of a “Lone Wanderer” who ventures forth from Vault 101 in search of a father who seemingly abandoned everything and everyone he knew (including his child…you) to chase a dream, in hopes of saving the world from a horrible nuclear holocaust.