Fallout 3 Preview

[GameBanshee News]

Fallout fan extraordinaire Will Porter has penned a preview for PC Zone.

The last thing I was shown was an all-action piece set in a ruined Washington, starting at a battered Washington Monument (that you can climb to the top of) and ending with a Fatboy nuclear explosion battle in front of the Capitol building.

Between these, beautifully imagined, tourist spots was a network of trenches where the Brotherhood of Steel and Super Mutant factions have warred for decades - now riven by trenches, tripmines and bomb scars.

Bedecked in Power Armour (robbing you of perception and agility, but maxing out your bullet-soaking abilities) you'll fight your way through the area, but it did get me worrying how Fallout 3 will work as a shooter.

All the time-halting VATS stuff still looks great, but what of the non-tactical shooting - will it feel as weighty as it should? Are Bethesda biting off more than they can chew when they enter the realm of the FPS?

Time will tell, but the (admittedly max-ammo and max-stimpack) jaunt through the DC trenches didn't allay any fears. Fallout 3 will still be roleplaying game of the year. After all - it's got Dogmeat in it!