The Fallout franchise has been hanging around like an irradiated ghoul since 1997, but it was Bethesda Game Studios and the memorable Fallout 3 that cemented the series as a mainstream property. Releasing in 2008 on the PlayStation 3, Fallout 3 was essentially a fusion of Bethesda's open world expertise that it had showcased with titles like The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and the Fallout franchise's grim, post-apocalyptic setting. Laced with some dark comedy and a heavy atmosphere, Fallout 3 has captured the minds of many a player, as they journey through the desolate Capital Wasteland.
The game's North American setting is both eerily believable and largely ridiculous at the same time, but its overarching, almost oppressive atmosphere is arguably the star of the show. A post-apocalyptic wasteland is never going to be pretty, and much of Fallout 3's map is made up of barren flatlands and deserted spots of civilisation, but it still manages to boast an irresistible charm – an asset that's key to keeping you engaged in such an open world.
In many ways, it's the smaller details of the Capital Wasteland that make it so intriguing. Take a detour off the beaten path – or in this case, the ruined tarmac – and you never know what you might find. An abandoned roadside diner covered in blood, an old shopping mall that's now home to a group of psychopaths – there's always some sort of horror story just waiting around the next corner. That's not to say that Fallout 3 sits comfortably in the horror genre, but it definitely has its moments of tension – after all, no one likes shuffling through pitch black metro tunnels to the sound of encroaching, howling feral ghouls.
It's a bit of a shame, though, that the game's shooting mechanics fell short. If one of those aforementioned ghouls comes screeching at you from the shadows, trying to bring it down with a well-placed bullet to the head is usually a tall order considering how rigid the aiming is. It all falls to V.A.T.S, then, otherwise known as the Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System. Essentially Fallout 3's way of working around its shoddy real-time combat, V.A.T.S transforms the title into something more unique, as you pause time and pick apart enemies based on how many action points you have. Sure, it's a system that takes advantage of a crappy aspect of the release, but it's hard to deny how cool it is when you see your foes burst at the seams in slow motion after pumping them full of shotgun rounds.
Indeed, Fallout 3's ultra violence is also part of its appeal. Shooting a man in the leg can make his whole body explode with the right character perks, and while that's absolutely ridiculous, it's also downright fun – as long as you're not particularly squeamish. It's not just people that explode, either; giant scorpions, super mutants, and, yes, even dreaded deathclaws can be blown to bits if you happen to deal enough damage. It's arguably video game violence at its stupidly bloody best.
Total annihilation of your enemies plays its part when Fallout 3 has so many despicable characters wandering its wastes. From pillaging, merciless raiders to the power mad Enclave, dishing out the pain to those who thoroughly deserve it is core to the game's role-playing elements. That said, even if you are freeing the Capital Wasteland of scum and villainy, you don't necessarily have to align yourself to the opposite side of the moral spectrum. One of the most engaging parts of the grim adventure is your own freedom of choice, as you can decide whether to be a beacon of hope for humanity, or a complete and utter demon.
Whichever path you take down morality road, though, there are plenty of opportunities to gouge your name into the history of the Wasteland. Main quests and side quests alike brim with personality, and there are numerous memorable moments and people to discover. As you'd expect of an open world title, Fallout 3 is reasonably large, and it's certainly a game that you can spend hundreds of hours exploring, all while taking in that atmospheric green glow.
Speaking of colour filters, Fallout: New Vegas trades in green for yellow, as it throws you into the Mojave Desert. Instead of wandering around as a bewildered vault dweller, you're plopped into the shoes of a courier, and instead of trudging about looking for your father's whereabouts, you're out to learn exactly why someone stole your delivery and shot you in the head once the robbery was finished. It's almost immediately obvious that New Vegas perhaps takes its narrative duties more seriously, and that's no real surprise when you consider that the game's developer is Obsidian Entertainment – a studio that's made its name through its storytelling prowess.
New Vegas inherently feels more like a traditional RPG, purely because it gives you so many opportunities to build your character's legacy exactly as you want. Moral choices combine with particular factions that you can join up with all across the Mojave, and the result is a deep sense of belonging. You can throw your lot in with the militaristic New California Republic and their cool looking rangers, or you can ally yourself with the deliciously evil Caesar's Legion – an army that bases itself on the Roman Empire, right down to the fashion sense. The way that the factions are portrayed is great, and their diversity lends itself extremely well to the previously mentioned character building process.
When it comes down to it, both PS3 Fallout games are a blast – pun intended – but not necessarily for the same reasons. Yes, they both run on the same struggling engine, and yes, systems like V.A.T.S largely define their identity, but that just makes it all the more surprising that their respective atmospheres end up feeling so different. Both releases are relatively depressing in their tone, and the hints of dark comedy arguably only serve to exaggerate that notion of post-apocalyptic hopelessness, but the green tint of the Capital Wasteland and the yellow hue of the Mojave Desert showcase two different perspectives of the same ruined world – and what an interesting world it is.
Are you a fan of the Fallout franchise, or would you like to nuke it from existence? Which is your favourite game in the series so far, and are you looking forward to the forthcoming Fallout 4? Bunker down in the comments section below.
Comments 17
There were some rumours of Fallout 4 been on PS3 and X360 because they're respective logos were spotted on the Fallout website but of course Fallout 4 is next gen only. Remastered collection perhaps?
Looking forward to the game is an understatement. I have been anxiously waiting for five years, wading through the Reddit rumors and vague Tweets just to find a shred of official evidence. To be presented with a full three minutes of in-engine footage, confirmation of rumors and promise of more to come at E3, is much more than I expected to see on Wednesday.
I was happier that day than what I suspect Leonardo DiCaprio will be the day he wins an Oscar.
Fallout 4 is the game I've been waiting to hear about for years now, and it's finally shown its face to the world. I can't wait to hear more about it at E3!
New Vegas was the better game (Or at least the more "Fallout-ish" game), it had better writing, funnier, better story and it was more interesting as a whole IMO.
But both are DAMN good games, hopefully they do get the gun mechanics right this time because those are pretty terrible.
@Faruko totally agree New Vegas was much better, thats why I am a little worried about 4 because it could be more like 3 than New Vegas. Will still buy it just crissing my fingers its more New Vegas than 3.
I love this series so much and everything they've shown so far is looking gorgeous. Fallout needed more color (NV was going in the right direction) so I'm already very happy.
While I really enjoyed both Fallout 3 and New Vegas I preferred Fallout 3's world. New Vegas seemed a little empty compared to the wasteland of DC, but thats just my opinion. What New Vegas had that Fallout 3 was missing was, weapon customisation, weapon aiming down iron sites, hardcore mode, better RPG mechanics and story.
When I first played Fallout 3 I didn't like it. I got to around level 10 and gave up. I actually traded my copy and thought nothing of it until a few months later when I saw my friend playing it. He was level 30 I think and wasn't far from finishing the main story. I remember watching him and thinking WOW! I've got to give this game another try as it looks amazing. Seeing the character wearing power armor and using a weapon that fired mini nukes whilst fighting Super Mutant Behemoths blew my mind. The next day I went to my local games store picked up another copy of Fallout 3 got home loaded up my game and 14hrs later I was engrossed in this amazing game I very nearly passed on. I couldn't believe how amazing it was.
My first play through clocked in at 170hrs. This game I traded because I thought I didn't like had now become one of my all time favourite games.
Two of my most wanted games are coming from Bathesda and they're Fallout 4 and DOOM.
This E3 is going to be an amazing show as far as im concerned.
@WARDIE I agree with you about the Capital Wasteland feeling more...well, more. New Vegas may have been bigger, but it felt empty beyond the main settlements whereas Fallout 3 had me exploring every little garage and shack I could see. Even the marked relay towers on the map had Morse code signals show up on your Pip-Boy when you explored them.
That being said, Hardcore Mode needs to make a comeback and it needs to be harder. By what can be seen from the trailer, it looks like armor and weapon crafting is going to be a big part of the game. For example, the rifle the Wanderer is holding in the trailer appears to be a Laser Rifle attached to the frame of a Hunting Rifle. There also appears to be focusing lenses of some sort at the end of the rifle. Maybe a custom made Laser Rifle with a longer range but not recoil? Irk, just my speculation.
@adf86 I'd love to play both Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas on a PS4, they look like really good games.
(I own a PS3 and the PS3 versions, just don't have the time for RPGs and longer games now)
I would be more excited if it was obsidian working on it, only thing 3 did better was put in that awesome robot liberty prime.
At the time there was a bit of a backlash against New Vegas, it's nice to see that history has been kind to it.
For my money it was the superior release, purely due to hardcore mode. That elevates it above Fallout 3 massively in my opinion. It felt more about survival and less about combat.
I had a great time with 3, although it seems I didn't play it for anywhere near as long as some people! I'm still yet to play New Vegas, but I just dont see myself finding the time to fit it in any time soon.
If they do bring a remaster collection I'd love to see an import save option. I finished the main game of 3 but not the dlc, so I'd like to be able to get straight to that without having to replay the rest from scratch!
3 and New Vegas are both great, but Fallout 2 still the best of the series. That said I hope that the approach is closer to the one used in New Vegas.
And by the way, Bethesda is awful crafting combat mechanics! Elder of Scrolls combat is atrocious, and Fallout is very bad too.
@Frank90 Agree with you, Fallout 2 is just the best
Thats why i lke New Vegas more, while the gameplay its different, the mechanics and writing feels much more in the tone of Fallout 1-2 then 3 ever did.
And yes, combat mechanics (and gameplay in general) are some of Bethesda biggest problems.
I think the setting for Fallout 3 really helped boost this franchise to where it is now. Most people in the U.S. may have not been to DC but they know what it looks like.. All of the monuments and famous buildings really have it an amazing feel. When I moved there and made my first trip to DC I couldn't help thinking "Wow, I feel like I've been here but in a different world." The metro system is what really blew me away though. They nailed that.
3 has no post-game!😠 I was surprised to have to start a new game, which isn't the worst thing ever but I expected to actually see the wasteland turn a little greener...
I loved NV immediately. No complaints whatsoever.
Idk if the shooting is as poor as people think; it's way pickier than most FPS games in terms of hits/misses cause there's a series of dice rolls for every single bullet depending on 100 different things. There's an RPG underneath, so think of it as analogous to BioWare's animation style and the reasons for it. I think it's an amazing utilization of the engine and can't wait for 4
In my opinion, Fallout 3 was THE BEST Fallout game. It was one of the few games to bring me to tears playing it, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
(plus the mods, let's not forget the sniper nuke mod)
@Brown Toast Watch the language -Tasuki-
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