Yes, I am speaking very soon. I just got this game this past weekend. I wasn’t going to pick it up until next year, but me going to a video game or book store is like an alcoholic going to bar, a sex addict going to a brothel, and a gambler going into a casino all wrapped up together and cooked in a spoon. So, I bought it.
I have not even gotten close to chipping the surface of this game, and it’s already possibly the best single-player RPG I have played since Chrono Trigger on the SNES. I love Oblivion for it’s vast fantasy world and limitless character customization options, but it stings that there are only a few “right” ways to play, that the game isn’t as open-ended as you want it to be. Sure, you can be stealthy, or be a caster, or be a tank; but you can’t be all three, and the press around the game leads you to believe otherwise.
Fallout 3 gives you an easier time crafting the exact character you want. Sure, early on in the game, certain skills and attributes come in handier than others (hint: tag Small Guns as an attribute during character creation), but leveling in the game allows you to distribute an equal number of points amongst all of your attributes, as opposed to the “exercise” method in Oblivion, where attributes that govern your most used skills are the ones that get big bonuses. The perks system also allows a deeper level of customization, allowing you to craft either a highly-specialized character that can, for instance, deal out critical hits and slip into the shadows or one that uses charm and wit to get what he wants, or to be a more well-rounded character that levels quickly, is skilled with certain weapon types, and is an effective self-healer.
Combat is a huge part of game play, though all but the most hardcore will want to play on Easy (you can adjust difficulty on the fly if you find things to much or too little, but you earn more XP on higher difficulty levels). This does annoy me because until somebody makes an RPG (or any sandbox game for that matter) that allows you to use diplomacy or deception when confronted with hostility, we will never see a truly open-ended game. That was my other fault with Oblivion (and its predecessor Morrowind). There is no reason why my Bard should be engaging in dungeon-diving combat; I want quests that fit the character, and when nearly all quests are “go here and kill this” or “plunge into the creepy dungeon filled to the brim with things that want to make you die and bring this back” then it’s hard to find any fulfillment in a silver-tongued devil that only pulls out his sword when an angry husband drops by.
At least in Fallout 3, the focus on combat is more logical; one gets the sense that everybody in post-apocalyptic Washington, D.C. knows how to fight–and those that don’t know how to fight don’t live very long. Also, combat is incredibly fun, with every fight being exciting. Stealth game play really isn’t a viable option so far for me; I try to remain hidden, but by the time I have the enemy in my sights they have already spotted me. That’s not such a big deal though, because I actually enjoy the firefights this game offers, especially with the inclusion of the V.A.T.S. system. This method of combat–which allows you to freeze time and select which body part to target, with varying degrees of success and damage output–adds a layer of strategic depth that could be missing from “Oblivion with guns.” Do you risk the head shot, hoping that you nail it and deal out big damage? The torso is a guaranteed hit most of the time, but also more often than not it’s heavily armored–do you go for minimal damage on a sure target or big damage on a target you’ll probably miss? With ammo at a premium and manual aiming being only good as a supplementary tool, these questions become genuineyl stressful in the thick of a fight.
As much time and money that was no doubt developing characterization and combat, it’s a shame Bethesda skimped on voice-acting, especially since the writing for this game is so great. A few NPCs entertain (Moira, a character you meet early on who sends you on some of the most ridiculous and dangerous quests in the history of the genre, is my favorite so far), but most of them will induce tear-streaked flashbacks to Oblivion’s soulless automatons. The dialogue options given to your character are varied and allow you to really craft for him/her a true personality, though it would be nice to end a conversation whenever I want (one of the few UI blunders in the game) instead of having to wade through countless options just to say “I have to go now.”
Thankfully, bad voice acting and clumsy dialogue selection is the only thing negative that I can say about the game. The post-nuclear landscape is beautiful and ugly all at the same time, an impeccable attention to detail more than making up for the (understandable) drab color scheme. Weapons and armor may steal a little from the Mad Max movies than most fans would care to admit, but fear-inducing giant insects, Feral Ghouls, inhumane Raiders, and hulking Super Mutants all combine to give this game an identity all of its own. I never played Fallout or its sequel, but even if I did I’m sure the game world would still seem fresh and new to me. In one of the most heated competitions for game of the year yet, I fully support Fallout 3 as this year’s winner.
Posted by Brandon 
Posted by Brandon 
