Fallout 3 Magazine Review
-
Category: News ArchiveHits: 767
And it would all be wonderful if it wasn't for something unidentifiable that just isn't there. Call it "spirit", call it whatever you want. But when the gates to Vault 101 are far away from me, my eyes have become used to the sunlight and almost 15 hours have passed come the thoughts. As if the expectations had gone a bit awry.
Because in Fallout 3 I get almost everything served directly. Bethesda have tried to squeeze in as much as possible on area as small as possible. Substance enough for a lifetime in short-movie format, if you want to. And the result is an anticlimax, too much of the good in too short time. One minute I'm running into a nest of rad-scorpions, while there is a peaceful camp of settlers 30 meters away. Some slavers are walking around with their slaves just around the corner and some raiders just settled down a bit farther away. A quick jog and I'm a nest of deathclaws. It's compressed, maximized and anonymized at the same time. It feels like a enormous orgy where nobody wants to fire away. There's tight and crowded, but no friction nor excitement. Many parts, but no entirety. And this feeling of getting the world pushed in my the face is the single largest weakness with Fallout 3, and every one that loved the original two games will scratch their head, wondering.
(...)
[reviewer's conclusion - NMA] Even if I can't leave my roots as an old Fallout-player when I'm sitting with the third part I do try to let go of the comparison, and the game is suddenly a lot more amusing.
Don't let your frames of reference limit you, but rather try to experience the game on it's own merits. No matter your story, Fallout 3 is for some moments a fantastic game, only limited by the prequels.
