Fallout 3 Retrospective
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Moving from Megaton to Rivet City, and on to Arefu and The Brotherhood of Steel Citadel built inside what remains of the Pentagon, the entirety of the Capital Wasteland is worth exploring. Before I do that though, I will caution that this title is not for everyone, and I've stated that before. However, Bethesda is notorious for being adaptable at creating immersive games that have overall been fun to play and Fallout 3 is no exception. While taking the reins of the Fallout series, there have been mixed feelings in regards to the reception. Where Fallout was traditionally a dungeon crawler series, Fallout 3 has taken a page out of Oblivion and it shows. Being able to play the game from first or third person in addition to being able to shoot in either V.A.T.S utilizing action points or shooting without any assistance and hoping for the best, this is just scratching the surface. What really kept me playing though were the various narratives. The main quest was interesting, however, the side quests kept me coming back for more as they took a life of their own, giving the game a distinct Pulp Fiction feeling as all the stories in one way or another tie together giving way to a satisfying conclusion. But with the massive amount of downloadable content made available by Bethesda, the game doesn't end there. Five different episodes, each capable of four to five hours of additional gameplay see to it that Fallout 3 maintains its longevity and keeps the players who really love the game coming back. Operation: Anchorage, The Pitt, Broken Steel, Point Lookout and Mothership Zeta all offer up a different unique flavor relative to the universe in which they exist, and I can't wait to explore them.
Ultimately though, as with any game, what it boils down to is whether or not the title was fun. I can assure you, that the game was fun and at times you'll forget why because you are having so much fun. Ideally, it's the exploration, combat and narrative that at the very basic level continued to intrigue me throughout the entire title, never making me feel like any of my fifty hours of gameplay were being wasted. The controls were tight and solid as I only found myself very occasionally fumbling with the controller enough where I would be forced to reload a save as a result of my error. The graphics are spot on, with very minute glitching, also easily fixed by loading a save. Sounds were ambient and created an atmosphere that put me in the Capital Wasteland and didn't let go, while the overall playability offered a title that would welcome many gamers, but would be slightly off putting to any newcomers to the genre. Finally, with the ability to play through the game as good, evil and neutral and still not having explored every single location on my Pip Boy's world map, I'm convinced that Fallout 3's replay value is assured.
