Fallout 3 E3 Previews

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Written by BuckGB on July 21st, 2008

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While we'd like to see the accuracy of real-time fire increased a bit, it's clear that the reduced precision comes as a way of balancing use of V.A.T.S. Still, combat is full of visceral thrills. One particularly cool scene during our time with the game took place when blasting a raider at point blank range, first with a pistol and then with a baseball bat. The action slows down and shows you're kill shot in all of its bloody glory. This is without a doubt an eye popping game and is certainly M rated. The combat looks wonderfully brutal.

We managed to play the first bit of the game after the character exits the vault - I ran around Megaton interacting with characters and picking up quests as fast as I could, since we were on the clock, and took out many mutants, ghouls and humans on our brief sojourn.

Also like Oblivion, a huge percentage of the world is optional, so the work put into creating a sprawling, ruined world filled with death and decay should pay off most to players interested in exploring a post apocalyptic landscape. Just in my few moments with the game I realized that there was more than I could possibly absorb in one sitting, so like many of you I'm still desperately awaiting Fallout 3's release later this year.

My expo-mate, Pfgonzo took the console reigns as I scanned everyone else playing to gather as much info as possible. Aside from the seemingly open world and having people all experiencing different things at their own speed, the thing that struck me most was the combat system.

I was one of the purists who believed that a Fallout FPS would not be nearly as effective as the isometric games we are used to. Well, I am man enough to admit when I am wrong and I tell you now: I was wrong. During that half hour, not only did the first or third-person perspective increase immersion into the Fallout universe, it also gave the new combat system a much more approachable interface.

Since time was running short we started flipping through the pages of the PIP-Boy 3000, which contains your inventory, map, quest journal, status, skills, perks, all the things associated with Fallout role-playing. Just as we had hoped these screens look and sound like classic Fallout made new, and that's the most important thing I took away from the demo. It isn't a top-down perspective and it isn't 2D sprites but it still looks and feels like Fallout.

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