RandomNPC – Video Game RPG Reviews, Editorials, and Features

The controversial successor to a short yet venerable gaming dynasty, Fallout 3 generated a lot of backlash amongst older fans. Frankly, there’s a lot of wiggle room as to whether or not Fallout 3 constitutes a worthy sequel (whatever that means) to the Fallout series. The combat system has been changed from an almost tactical turn-based affair to a first person shooter with a sort-of-kind-of turn based option, and the mainline plot is very inflexible, both aspects previously considered hallmarks of the series. However, by not relying too heavily on established conventions, Fallout 3 pushes itself further towards being a stand-alone title, which allows it far more creative freedom.

By presenting a vast, wide-open Wasteland with a first person perspective and then presenting the player with a wide variety of ways to define their character, what Fallout 3 really excels at is pure immersion. This is further reinforced by the numerous philosophical and moral choices the player is presented with, though the alignment system is a bit unrefined. The karma meter tends to swing rather wide with each action, and although playing a neutral character is possible, it’s more or less impossible to keep a character safely in the middle by being anything other than wildly inconsistent, freeing slaves one minute and then punching stray kittens the next.

The VATS, or Vault Assisted Targeting System, helps infuse a little bit of the turn-based flavor of earlier Fallout games, while also making things easier on non-FPS players.

But perhaps the largest problem Fallout 3 experiences is the contradiction present in its mainline quest. Despite the various different alignment and character-building choices the player can make, all roads will inevitably lead to the same place. The player character will always be thrown out of his or her Vault at the beginning of the game, they will always be required to seek out their father, and the game will always end the same way, short of a specific DLC package which alters one of the more depressing aspects of the ending. Although the story presents some interesting twists and turns, the forced linear aspect of the mainline quest stands out as being uncomfortably set against the design of the rest of the game. In general, the vast array of side quests tend to feature far better opportunities for the player to actually affect the outcome.

In this way, a great deal of the appeal of Fallout 3 can be seen simply by ignoring the mainline plot. The Capitol Wasteland is an enormous area with a huge amount of things to uncover, and the player is given more or less free reign to explore. Similarly, players have a huge variety of character building options, from the mundane to the pure awesome. The game uses a combination of skills, basic stats, and Perks — unique passive skills, of which players may select one per level up — to create a wide variety of possible builds. A basic soldier, a sniper, a warrior monk, and a rocket launcher-wielding Abraham Lincoln with a bad attitude are all perfectly viable builds. Heck, with the right setup, players could clean up the Wasteland as a trash-talking, bare-knuckle brawling Mister Rogers if they cared to.

And this points out one of the better things about Fallout 3; the great, almost Doctor Strangelove-esque sense of humor. From the comically sinister mad scientists to the giant insects to the radioactive soft drinks, the world of Fallout is basically what would have happened if the world were governed by B-movie physics. The game’s black humor is also reflected in the sheer amount of gore to be found, to the point where there’s even a Perk which increases the level of splatter. It’s not what you’d call out of place — certainly no one expects a post-apocalyptic wasteland to be antiseptic — but it does wear a little thin after a while. Given the overwhelming advantage of going for a headshot, the slow-mo exploding braincases become a bit routine.

Visually, the most interesting thing about Fallout 3’s visual style is actually the art style inside the art style. On the surface, Fallout 3 provides a very grey-and-brown world that often has trouble providing drama without a big silhouette or major point of interest to tie it together. However, the retro-futuristic 1950s design of the pre-war society, fragments of which can be seen in the nuclear-powered cars and Leave it to Beaver fashion pieces littering the landscape, is downright intriguing. It presents a vision of a society obsessed with nuclear power, to the point of more or less abandoning any hope of progress in favor of ever more glowy nuclear tech. The shattered remains of this society, along with bits and pieces of information left over from the period of the war, helps to give Fallout 3 a remarkably strong backstory without actually doing very much exposition. And in the end, it’s much more effective this way; the player slowly becomes aware of the circumstances that lead to nuclear war and the creation of the Wasteland of their own accord, rather than having it handed to them in a massive infodump.

Exploring the ruins of Washington DC is a creepy combination of morbid fascination and post-apocalyptic tourism.

Interestingly, the player is given hands-on control of one of the more basic areas of the art design; the soundtrack. The Pip Boy (which serves as the game’s inventory and menu system) doubles as a radio, allowing players pick between one of the few radio stations still available, or to leave it off and sample the ambient sounds of the Wasteland. The music played by these radio stations is mostly of the same retro 50s bent, and provides a distinctly creepy counterpoint to the destroyed buildings of downtown DC. On the other side of the fence, the game’s voice acting and sound effects are both very solid, with enough variety and talent to keep things interesting.

The amount of time it takes to complete Fallout 3 depends almost entirely on the player. By aiming straight at the end, the game could probably be completed in as little as 25 hours, whereas players taking their time and attempting to see everything would take easily three or four times that, perhaps even more. The difficulty is adjustable while playing, allowing for a simple way around any part a player might find too difficult, but in all honesty, it’s not particularly necessary. Aside from the rare grossly overpowered random encounter, Fallout 3 tends to be rather well balanced on the default setting.

In the end, I find myself rather conflicted about Fallout 3, as it just seems to contradict itself far too often; the sheer openness of the game is astounding, and yet the mainline plot railroads players like a 19th-century robber baron. The tone can waggle back and forth between melancholy seriousness and black humor without pausing for breath in between, and the combat system seems to be trying to appease both FPS and RPG fans at once (although, to its credit, it mostly succeeds). In spite of this, I find myself really liking Fallout 3. Perhaps its just the huge amount of character builds that are possible, but the combination of wide open spaces, free exploration, and the ability to play as a sniper rifle-wielding Robin Hood makes for a compelling experience.

This game was played to completion and reviewed using a retail copy purchased by the reviewer.