Fallout 3 On Xbox 360
WORDS: David Heyman (Youth Editorial Group)
Contrary to what you might have seen on TV or heard from your mate (and I'm probably about to make myself very unpopular here) I believe I can sum up Fallout 3 in three words: over-hyped, overrated and dull.
The third in the roleplaying game series from giants Bethesda starts well enough; the character creation system is relativity unique. You are born, choose your name and appearance as an adult and then as a toddler choose your starting stats.
Soon after everything starts to go wrong. All of the female voices whine at you while all the male voices are patronising. You then spend a few minutes performing pointless tasks before making a break into the main game. Here you are faced with miles of nothing, creatures that tear you apart at a whim and the constant desire for just one more bullet, which you would wisely use on yourself to end the torment if you could.
When you finally meet a NPC, conversation remains dull and unimaginative and the quests are predictable. The game continues like this; hours of nothing followed by death, followed by more nothing.
From a more technical point of view, the graphics are clean-cut and load smoothly, bodies fall onto the floor rather than through it, weapons are held properly and clothes fit. Loading time between areas are short though jumping actions still leave something to be desired. The music score is atmospheric and fits well with the game play when action finally does happen. The standard control set is mostly familiar, though for some crazy reason the jump button is Y and trying to dodge being shot at is next to impossible, so when fighting anything wielding a gun, death is likely.
Fallout 3 boasts over two years of gameplay thanks to its poorly thought-out quest radar, leaving you confused and wandering back and forth without getting anywhere. I have spoken to plenty of people who loved the game and give me horrified looks when I voice my own opinions, so while it's probably worth giving it a try yourself, don't say I didn't warn you when you finally throw the game disc out of the nearest window.
1 Comment – Post a comment
Dan (Sub-Editor)
Commented 91 months ago - 17th November 2008 - 10:48am
Your first mistake: buying it on the Xbox.
Fallout 1 & 2 are arguably some of the greatest games in the entire history of, well, ever. To compare Fallout 3 to these milestones is difficult, to say the least. I would say that it has the potential to join its brothers in game history once we start to see billions of user-created mods to improve every aspect of the game (the same way we did with Oblivion). But in the meantime, my advice to keep the game fresh and enjoyable is not to try and achieve everything with your first character, as the game just isn't built that way. Once the main quest ends, the game ends - but that's a GOOD thing, because it encourages you to play again with an entirely different character.
Play a saintly, brainly charmer who avoids confrontation wherever possible. Then, when that gets dull, play a psychotic bitch who destroys everything in her path. If you set out East in your first play, head West - the game will react accordingly, and it will keep your experience exciting and fresh.
I do feel for console owners, but have to say that games like this belong on the PC because it opens them up to a world of potential and exciting additions.