Fallout 3 Reviews

It's time to kick off the new week with yet another round of Fallout 3 reviews. The first is at RPGWatch with a score of 4/5:
So I haven't spent much time comparing this Fallout to the earlier games. Why? Because it just doesn't matter. Fallout 3 is its' own game, set in a universe that many of us know from past games, but all of that is about as relevant as the Night Watch books are to whether or not you enjoy that game. OK, maybe that reference doesn't work...but the point is that this is a very good game loaded with excellent features and enough bugs and flaws to completely obliterate most games. Somehow it all works; somehow you can forgive the silliness and lack of depth and closure and lousy writing and combat issues and on and on. Somehow you just keep coming back, trying to avoid hitting the end of the main quest so you can just keep on exploring the Wasteland. I cannot say it is the best game I've played over the last twelve months - it falls behind King's Bounty, the just released Geneforge 5 (for the Mac only right now) but is better than the recently released NWN2: Storm of Zehir expansion. But it is a really good game and certainly one of the better games I've played and one that I wholeheartedly recommend as a 'must buy' to all adult fans of RPG's and action / shooter games.

The second is at Panic Manual with no score:
I find the story interesting, but surprisingly linear. Yet once you get out of the Vault, you can go anywhere, shoot anyone, and do whatever you wish. The result of letting people get non-linearly through a linear plot, is that very often you skip entire sections of the story because it is no longer of any consequence. For example, my brother played through it and skipped entire sections of the game and made it obsolete by unknowingly taking on tasks that wasn't to be found yet. To give you an idea how much side-quests there are - I was Level 16 before I finish the second objective of the story. And this is where Oblivion-esque size is well-appreciated. There's simply tonnes of sewer, derelict buildings, shacks and power stations to run though. The NPCs are usually colorful, too. Make the drudgery of level grinding and RPG fetch quests that much more fun.

The third is at The Couch Mercenaries with no score:
As a PC gamer Fallout 3 fails. It is a good game but it ain't Fallout. It reminded me of Highlander II. You watch the first then the thirds and the story is even better. So I will sell my copy of this game and simply download the next one to see if they got it right. Another one will come out. They made too much money to ignore making a sequel. Let's just hope the next one they make deserves the name Fallout.

And the fourth is at The Girls Entertainment Network with no score:
I fully recommend this game. This is a game that really exemplifies a great and thorough free-world RPG. With an almost unlimited amount of gameplay and the soon to come expansion, Operation Anchorage, this game really gives you your money's worth. My only big complaint is that, unlike Oblivion, when the main quest is over, the game is over, so be sure that you've done everything you want to do in the game before you finish the main quest. Also, this game is not meant to be rushed, and patience is crucial to fully enjoy it.