Fallout 3 Impressions

I’m a newcomer to the Fallout franchise, and decided to pick up Fallout 3 for the Playstation 3.  After watching some videos on IGN, it looked like a game that would last a while and be fun to play.  I used to play Oblivion on the PC, which is created by Bethesda Software, the same company behind Fallout 3.  So I expected Fallout 3 to have some similar game play.

I have played Fallout 3 for about a days worth of game play, probably around 4 or 5 hours.  I called in sick for work just to pick it up and play, a reminiscence to the days I was in college and would skip classes for several days to play a new game.  I have yet to experience much game play, even after playing for so long, so this is just a first impression of the game.

The rest contains spoilers…

You start out in the game as a young child, choosing your name, and your future appearance. If you have played Oblivion, customizing your character’s appearance is very similar.  You then go through some short stages of youth, including age 10, 16, and then age 19.  During that time span you take a test called G.O.A.T., which determines your job in Vault 101.  Based on the test you are given default attributes, but can be changed afterwards. You don’t actually do much in Vault 101, but you get a feel for the game.

It seems from the beginning that you are part of a post apocalyptic group in an underground society named Vault 101.  Although, it is unclear at the stage I have progressed to if everyone in Vault 101 indeed originated there.

Vault 101 is run by a man name “The Overseer”, who everyone must obey.  You later discover that Vault 101 is part of an experimental project from a company with a patent on the vault technology, essentially a sealed underground vault.  After your Dad decides to escape from the vault, you are led on a mission to escape yourself.  Once you escape the vault, the real game begins, at which point you are given the opportunity to change your attributes and appearance for the last time.

In the outside world, you soon discover that what was once Washington D.C. is now a ruined wasteland from nuclear warfare.  From there your journey continues to find your Dad who escaped Vault 101.  On the outside you often encounter Raiders, your enemies, and you come upon a city with an unexploded atomic bomb at its center.  From this point in the game your quests start to begin, and is where I end my first impressions.

Overall, Fallout 3 has the feel of Oblivion, except with guns, explosives, and a new storyline. I am playing the game at 720p resolution (the max resolution), and on a 42in LCD television. The graphics for Fallout 3 are very impressive, although I would have preferred it at 1080p. There is a bit of anti-aliasing issues, but they aren’t noticeably from a distance. The game appears to be very dark in appearance, and upping the brightness might help you see things a little better. This is especially true during the night, considering the game has a realtime daytime system.

I have 5.1 surround sound with a sub woofer, and the game sounds great. I always feel like the sound experience is an essential feature of a game, as well as movies. It gives the game a more realistic feeling.

Controls are pretty smooth for a console game, and includes an auto aiming capability that allows you to pinpoint body parts on your enemy. This feature comes in handy when you are being attacked by several enemies at one time.

I encountered a bug in the game during the G.O.A.T. You are instructed to take a seat to take the test, but the test never begins. I eventually solved the problem by reloading my saved game and choosing a different seat. So far this is the only bug I have encountered on the PS3 version. Hopefully there won’t be many more to come.

Overall, Fallout 3 has the feeling of Oblivion in a post apocalyptic era. The game play is very similar, and if you enjoyed Oblivion, I’m sure you will also enjoy Fallout 3 as well.

October 28, 2008 at 7:09 pm | Action & Adventure, Playstation, Shooters | No Comments