It doesn't look like Fallout at first but it is.
It's with great anticipation that I loaded up the new Fallout 3 and I must say it's generally surprising how much Bethesda got right considering this was an Interplay product over five years ago.
Playing in normal game play mode, the new version of the Wastelands has its ups and downs. I would have preferred to see more readily available ammo and health packs coupled with a more densely populated world but instant travel option makes up for this. It was always a nice feature and it cuts down on what is universally recognized as monotony.
Amazingly, many of the small options that made Fallout great are included, most notably the option to be attacked in the course of traveling or even sleeping for that matter. Countless items from the old series are proliferated throughout the world. Radscorpions, Raiders, the Enclave are just a few recognizable characters.
Before I get too far ahead of myself, let me say that I was completely surprised at the character creation scenario which has you as the main character actually being born into the world and as you grow through childhood your characteristics are granted through actual activities rather than just opening up a scroll sheet and being done with it and of course, there is always the Pip Boy which is the standard gift for 10 year olds in the Vault.
The story is very involving from the start with your daddy opening the door and departing the vault, leaving you as a young man and now target of the ire of the Overseer of Vault 101. With the help of the friends you have made and the Overseer's daughter you manage to escape its confines.
That's when the adventure begins. Interestingly, you have no idea where to go or where to start which gives one an initial disjointed feeling until the realization hits that this actually is how the ordinal Fallout was; it just looks different in a first person perspective.
Like the original, you'll explore the landscape encountering the good, the bad and the ugly. A karma rating travels with you and increases or decreases with whatever actions you perform. This karma also affects how those around you view you, either as a trusted confidant or someone they are afraid of and in many cases want to expunge off the face of the Earth.
Attributes, skills and perks that made Fallout and Fallout 2 very diverse are included in the new version. In fact, most of anything having to do with character development have been restored which sways you to finally accept that you are indeed in the Fallout world.
Of course, no Fallout game could be complete without the V.A.T.S combat system which allows you to stop the action and pick the parts of the body you want your weapon to focus on. It is bloody, make no mistake about it but it's also pretty phenomenal as well considering it's similar to the slow motion combat scenes in the Matrix movies.
However, as usually is the case, it's not without its flaws and for Fallout 3, they are on the technical end which feature an abundance of crash situations. Oh so many crashes. Although annoying, the auto save feature is well crafted to deploy whenever you enter or exit a loading screen. The save anytime flexibility also aids this but truly, Bethesda needs to invest in a patch very soon.
Other than this minor instability, it features tight game play mostly controlled through your Pip Boy and the environments are creepy as you'd expect from a post-apocalyptic world. The effects of radiation do affect you should you get too close to a radioactive source and mutant animals and humans dot the world, some aggressive and some benign.
I do give Bethesda credit, they have crafted an atmosphere that has had me almost jump out of my seat on occasion and that's no small task considering the hundreds I've played that bore me to tears.
It's a familiar engine for Elder Scrolls fans but it doesn't lessen the experience. I'd say this one will find its way into many Christmas stockings this season and for good reason.