Well I promised a review when it came out, but have been very busy so apologies. I’ve now managed to squeeze a reasonable amount of gaming time in on the side and I have to say that Fallout 3 is a masterpiece.

The stats system lends itself to the original two games, enabling you to create a diversely skilled and seemingly unique character. There are also multiple ways to solve each quest so you get to play the game the way you want.

The Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System, or VATS, plays an important part in the fighting phases of the game. While using VATS, real-time combat is paused creating a combat system that the Bethesda developers have described as a hybrid between turn-based and real-time combat. Various actions cost action points, limiting the actions of each combatant during a turn, and both the player and enemies can target specific body areas for attacks to inflict specific injuries. The game features a new health and radiation system as well. The player can measure an object’s radioactivity and gauge the effect it will have on the character.

Another cool thing is that firearms wear out over time (they are over 200years old since manufacture!): as a weapon degenerates, its rate of fire slows and it loses accuracy. However, worn out firearms can be used to repair a similar weapon, or to make more reliable and powerful weapons. Weapon schematics can also be found and used to create various devices such as the Rock-it Launcher, created by combining a vacuum cleaner, leaf blower, fire-hose nozzle, and a conductor, that can fire various items such as lunchboxes and stuffed animals, or the Bottlecap Mine, made out of a lunchbox, cherry bomb, sensor module, and bottle caps. Along with equipping various weapons, the player can also utilize different armors and clothing that may have effects that can alter various skills. For example, a pair of mechanic’s coveralls may boost the player’s repair skill while it is worn. Armor and clothing come in two main parts for the head and body, allowing a player to wear different combinations of hats and armor. Also, a player’s inventory has a specified weight limit, preventing a player from carrying too many items. Some items like weapon ammo have no weight, due to the developer not wishing to bog down inventory management.

The karma system is an important feature in the game-play. The player’s actions, including conversation and combat choices affect the player’s status in the game world; a player who makes good choices will be received more positively by NPCs, and a player that makes bad choices will have the opposite reaction. Extremes of karma also have other effects: a high karma leads to the player being attacked by bounty hunters, and for random NPCs to give the player gifts in thanks of their service. Crimes can also be committed by a player, and whichever faction or group that is harmed by a crime will be fully aware of the player’s action. Other factions that were not affected by the crime will not be aware of it, and since a town is usually its own faction, news of a crime committed in one town will not spread to another. Factions can range in size and boundaries, however, and may not be restricted to a single area. The game world itself is similar in size to that of Oblivion, which has a 16 square mile game world.

The fact you have such a huuuge amount of area to explore and the 100 hours plus in game-play and quests means you won’t get bored of Fallout 3 any time soon!

I’d like to say i’m with the Halo fans on this one and find it hard to see how Fallout 3 would beat Halo 3 .. NOT …….in all fairness having weighed up the previous games from both trilogys and the content/use of emerging technology I can clearly see that Fallout 3 will be a crowd pleaser compared to Halo 3. It may not sell as many copies but will own it in both gameplay and atmosphere.

FALLOUT 3 WINS!

A bit of Fallout 3 news hit today with the site updating to show a new piece of concept art for the game by Craig Mullins and news of who will play the lead role in Fallout 3.

The art, shown below, seems to show a decimated Washington D.C. but nary a damn dirty ape. Fortunately, someone did blow it all up and will, I assume, be damned all to hell.

The lead role in Fallout 3, that of the gamer’s father, will be played by Liam Neeson, the Oscar nominated Irish actor known for his roles in Star Wars Episode I, Shindler’s List, The Chronicles of Narnia and Batman Begins.

Judging by the quote in the press release, Neeson’s role doesn’t really have a name:

“It’s been a pleasure bringing the father to life and working with the wonderfully talented people at Bethesda on Fallout 3,” said Neeson. “I hope the fans of the franchise and the game will be excited by the results.”

Special thanks to kotaku.com for providing this story. So looks like Fallout 3 is topping the budget with content… I CAN’T WAIT!

VS

So I thought i’d stick with the new games facing each other off. So i’ve gone for Halo 3 VS Fallout 3. Both are successful series and both have been egarly anticipated.

HALO 3

Halo 3 is a first-person shooter developed by Bungie Studios exclusively for the Xbox 360. The game is the third title in the Halo series and ends the story arc begun in Halo: Combat Evolved and continued with Halo 2. The game was released on September 25, 2007 in New Zealand (which due to its midnight release made it first available for official retail), Australia, Singapore, India, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, and the United States; September 26, 2007 in Europe; and September 27, 2007 in Japan. GameSpot reported that 4.2 million units of Halo 3 were in retail outlets on September 24, 2007, a day before official release, a world record volume release. Halo 3 also holds the record for the highest grossing opening day in video game history, making US$170 million in its first 24 hours.

The game features new vehicles, weapons, and gameplay features not present in the previous titles of the series. Halo 3 focuses on the interstellar war between 26th century humanity and a collection of alien races known as the Covenant, who after a decades-long war have begun the invasion of Earth. The player assumes the role of the Master Chief, a cybernetically enhanced supersoldier, as he wages war in defense of humanity.

The gameplay of Halo 3 largely builds upon the previous iterations of the franchise. It is a first-person shooter that follows the character Master Chief and his struggle against the Covenant and the Flood. The game’s action takes place largely on foot, but also includes segments focused on vehicular combat.

Halo 3’s campaign encompases nine levels, which complete the storyline of the Halo trilogy. Players can play through by themselves, or play with the help of other players via Xbox Live or System Link. For plot reasons, instead of having each player be an identical Spartan as in previous Halo games, the first player plays as Master Chief, the second player the Arbiter and the other two players newly created Elites; N’tho ‘Sraom and Usze ‘Taham, each with their own backstories. Each player has identical abilities, although the Arbiter and his Elites have different starting weapons.

FALLOUT 3

Fallout 3 is an action role-playing game, currently under development by Bethesda Softworks. It will be the third major game in the Fallout series, which has also spawned the spin-offs Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel and Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel.

Similar to previous Fallout games, Fallout 3 takes place in apocalyptic United States. The player character is a member of Vault 101, a fallout shelter serving Washington D.C. One day, the player wakes up finding that his father has left the vault and ventured into the wasteland for unknown reason. Wishing to uncover the mystery behind his father’s departure, the player leaves the protection of the vault as well in search of his father’s whereabouts.

On June 5, 2007, Bethesda released the Fallout 3 Teaser trailer. The press kit released with the trailer indicates that Ron Perlman is on-board with the project, and cites a release date of Fall 2008. The trailer also features the Ink Spots song “I Don’t Want To Set The World On Fire”, which the previous Fallout developer Black Isle Studios originally intended to license for use in the first Fallout game. The trailer, which was completely done with in-engine assets, closed with Ron Perlman saying his trademark line as the narrator of the first three Fallout games: “War. War never changes.” The trailer shows a devastated Washington, D.C, evidenced by the partially crumbled Washington Monument in the background.

A cover story in the magazine Game Informer revealed that:

1. The game can use both first-person and third-person perspective.
2. Main character creation is implemented by specifying the character’s childhood. The character’s mother dies in labor in a Vault hospital, after which the player chooses the character’s Traits and general appearance during the father’s DNA analysis. Afterwards, the father removes his surgeon’s mask to reveal a face much like the one chosen by the player for the character.
3. As a child in the Vault, the character receives a book titled “You’re Special”, whereupon you’ll set the character’s 7 primary aptitudes. The character receives training weapons and a PIP-boy during childhood, and the player’s performance in various tests determines the rest of the attributes. Additionally, there will be quests inside the Vault that influence the pc’s relationship with his or her father.
4. Skills and Perks are similar to those in previous games: the player chooses 3 Tag Skills out of 14 to be the character’s specialties, and the character will gain a Perk every other level. 4 skills have been cut out from the game (Fallout and Fallout 2 had 18 skills) but it is unknown what skills have been cut off.
5. Max level will be 20.
6. There will be a definite end to the game, with many possible endings based on good/evil/neutral events you trigger.
7. The Vault-tec Assisted Targeting System, or V.A.T.S. will be implemented. Various actions cost action points, and both the player and enemies can target specific body areas for attacks, inflicting specific injuries. While using V.A.T.S., real-time combat is paused creating a combat system that the Bethesda developers have described as a hybrid between turn-based and real-time combat.
8. The game will maintain the same level of gore. All gory deaths in the game will be shown in slow motion. One of the featured screenshots (above) is of a super-mutant’s head exploding in great detail.
9. The game will feature a new health and radiation system. The player can measure an object’s radioactivity and gauge the effect it will have on the character.
10. Karma titles, similar to those from previous games, will grant Xbox Live Achievements on that platform.

Both look really good. I’m going to dig up a bit more on them and hopefully focus on them a bit more over the coming days!

FIGHT IS ON!