Writing a review for Fallout 3 is like playing golf in a mine field! However hard I (or so to say anyone&hellip may try to get it right in the first shot, chances is some game fan may 'blast' the reviewer over disagreement on some aspect of this game. And why not - a brilliant and huge RPG like Fallout 3 commands respect, awe & dedicated long game-play hours. One has to be extremely careful writing about a game that has left millions of gamers charged up around the world. With the hope of evoking less 'blasts' and more bouquets, I hereby pen down my post-play thoughts on the Playstation 3 version of this wonderful game.

Intro - "So what is Fallout 3?"

Fallout 3 is the third sequel in the series of role-playing games set in the universe of post nuclear annihilation. Though the first two games were developed by now defunct Black Isle Studios (part of Interplay Entertainment), the third title has been made by Bethesda Softworks (my favorite Elder Scrolls studio!) which now also owns the right to make all Fallout games. Fallout 3 is set 36 years after Fallout 2 and 200 years after nuclear war devastated the game's world.

Story - "Does this RPG have a plot?"

That's a tough one! Not because it does not have a main quest (albeit nothing fancy or memorable except the climax), but because there is so much to do in the Fallout world, that you may actually loose track of your "story" in no time! You are born and raised in a "vault" – special anti-nuclear bunkers capable of protecting & sustaining life. While your mom died during child-birth, come age 19 & your dad goes missing too. Forced to escape the vault, you begin searching for him in the wasteland around now ruined Washington D.C. The main quest is centered on your father's attempts to conclude Project Purity - a revolutionary technique to free all wasteland water of radiation that will help bring normalcy to the life of waste-landers. As you explore the wasteland, you will encounter hundreds of characters who may engage you in side quests. Completion of these quests helps in further exploration & enhancement of your skill-sets. The number of these quests is way less than that of Bethesda's Oblivion, but quite a lot of them are pretty thrilling (nuking a town and watching it from the highest point in the game world for e.g.)

Whether you prefer to dissolve yourself into the umpteen quests of the wasteland or strictly follow your papa's directions depends on the level of your nomadic adventurer spirit, but rest assured, your satisfaction gauge will always be pointing towards the "full" level!

Gameplay – "Can I do whatever I feel like?"

Yes, you can do whatever you feel like. You can choose to escape or face combat, you can choose to sneak, lie or kill, you can choose to be good or bad – but whatever you do, don't forget the famous one-liner from Bioshock: "We all make choices in the beginning, but in the end, it's our choices that make us!!" The Fallout world is extraordinary & requires you to be one as well!

While your growth phase from an infant to a teen in the vault doubles up as a tutorial level, meaty gameplay triggers in when you step out in the wasteland. Though small compared to Oblivion, Fallout's world is still quite large. You will traverse huge landscapes & long underground metro tunnels to get to your destinations. Once you discover a location, you can then fast travel to it from any point (unlike Far Cry 2 where traveling was a chore!). You will perform many activities like (but not limited to) conversation, combat, stealing, lock-picking, computer hacking, weapon creation through scavenged items and even decorating your apartment with useful gadgets – thereby adding an element of believable liveliness in the game world.

Fallout is set in a lawless wasteland and it makes no bones about the fact that guns & grenades are your best companions. However, all the combat stuff that you prepare, scavenge, steal or buy in the wasteland has an effective life & needs regular repairs to ensure its continuity & effectiveness. So before getting trigger happy, ensure you're using the right weapon and not the one you plan to make your alter-ego (lest you should end up wasting it!). Even armor may have skill enhancing effects and remembering to dress appropriately for the right occasion (from conversation to combat) helps in sailing through them faster.

The game benefits very heavily from the combat-oriented Vault-tec Assisted Targeting System (or V.A.T.S.) which makes shooting a fun-filled, gratifying & infectious experience. For gamers to whom V.A.T.S. is greek or latin, remember the rare shooting sequences in Max Payne where the camera flew along with the bullet & the bad guy died in slow motion? (now don't say "What's Max Payne?"). Well here when you engage V.A.T.S. at the click of a button (it's optional btw!), the game world freezes to let you analyze whom & where (body part) you want to shoot. After selecting a sequence of shots for single / multiple targets, you will witness execution of those shots in various slow-mo camera angles. What's more, the resulting splattering / flying of limbs & dead bodies delivers a superb & gratifying visual treat that will make you want to do it repeatedly. However, V.A.T.S. drains your fatigue meter & you need to engage in normal FPS combat while the meter recharges after usage.

The enemies in Fallout are pretty tough (what else did you expect from radiation exposed ghouls & mutants?) which is why you need to have a steady hand in combat. Properly aimed shots at various body parts evoke different reactions – shoot a leg & the target hobbles & slows down, shoot the arm and the target may drop his weapon, shoot the antennas of some creatures & they go berserk …….. the responses are extensive! Though V.A.T.S. definitely gives you an upper edge in combat (especially at higher skill levels), I will not complain because the wasteland is filled with creatures who take anything from a single bullet to a mini-nuke to go down. Multiply the encounter in terms of numbers you're facing, and the first few strategic V.A.T.S. shots may actually decide the odds of your survival in a firefight!

The game's nuclear war took place some where in the 1950s. Consequently, though 200 years have passed, the cultural evolution is still under a time warp. Most of the paraphernalia, junked vehicles & civilian locations you will find in the wasteland will carry a heavy 1950s feel to it (just like Bioshock). Your arduous quests in the wasteland are journalized & managed through a PiP-Boy – an advanced hand wrapped device that will also act as a map guide, status & inventory manager.

Like a true blue RPG, Fallout allows you to develop your character any way you like. You can choose your character's name, appearance, attributes (aligned within one of the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. categories) early on during your birth in the game. As you play and level up, you get to distribute points you gain across the attributes to enhance your skill-sets. Whether you want to become a thief, scientist or a trigger happy psycho is totally up to you! Since quests have multiple & sometimes conflicting choices, you get the privilege to be either a hero or the villain. The effect of your actions will judge the level of your karma. Higher karma = you're a very good guy & low karma = you're the villain! Being good or bad has its own effects in terms of dialogue choices & quest execution further on.

Many game situations are challenging and require a structured thought process before they can be aligned with. For e.g.: Food & water restores health but they are heavy on radiation – so consume them and you may end up with radiation poisoning. Similarly, do too much good and the contract for your beheaded corpse will start floating around the wasteland in no time! Kill a character and all associated quests will be lost with it. Funny or weird as it may sound, small details like these ultimately add lots of realism to the behavior of the entire fallout world that hasn't known normalcy & governance for 200 years!

Graphics - "What does a wasteland look like?"

Step out of the vault and your first look at the Fallout world may qualify as a finalist in the list of "most memorable video game scene". As the blinding light slowly gives way to a blurry & then a sharp visual of a ruined (yet majestic) landscape, a perfect sense of déjà vu creeps in. It's a rare feat for a game to evoke strong emotional reactions but Fallout manages to do that somehow. Everything in the Fallout world is beautifully crafted – from ruined Washington monuments to vast landscapes, from superb sky & day-night effects to weapon models & animations. Fallout shines like a star in the graphics department.

However, the under-detailed character models had me wondering if the character engine was also residing in some vault for 200 years! Bland features & limited animations make them look ugly compared to the beautifully detailed landscape they reside in. Their movement feels floaty & the optional third person perspective for the player can get repelling at times. There are other visual glitches like movement through solid floors / walls, irregular spawning of characters, sub-optimal textures etc. but thankfully these are less & tolerable.

While many world locations are big & varied, repetitiveness creeps in at some level designs. The metro tunnels, underground basements & sewers all carry almost same level designs even in different locations. Building ruins will also start feeling similar after you spend an extensive number of hours exploring the game world. However, it is easy to ignore these otherwise boring elements thanks to the sense of purpose in your explorations where lowering your guard may lead to death or broken limbs in no time.

Sound:

The music of Fallout 3 is very similar to that of Oblivion, many peaceful tunes played out during normal explorations sound like derivatives of the Oblivion ones. But combat tunes are quite pulsating & add weight to the tension. The game also features some awesome sound effects & ambient noises. While resounding gunshots will make your weapon feel capable during combat, disturbing enemy sounds in dark metro tunnels will put you on the edge of your couches instantly! Infact sound effects have so much influence that depending on the situation, you may find yourself wondering whether it's an action – adventure game or survival horror one! The voice-work is also crisp & varied, thereby toning down the effect of lack of character model variety in the game.

Performance

The game is plagued by some technical visual issues. Though I've heard that the Playstation version has more of them compared to the X360, no confirmation can be made because I played it only on my PS3 at high-def res. While the frame-rate was steady for 99% of the game, characters & textures were buggy sometimes. The map marker depicting quest targets / location is in the habit of going awry on some occasions. So is the character interaction that freezes for a second or two before continuing. The overall experience however is commendable considering the long draw distances & extensively traversable landscape detailed out in the game.

Closing Comments

Did I finish fallout 3? Honestly speaking, I don't know if completion of main quest is the correct way to conclude that an RPG is "finished". But I have played the game extensively and will be continuing with it for sometime. Despite some frustrating technical glitches & evident Oblivion inspiration, it's hard to get enough of the game and put it down. It's a very immersive RPG that cannot be given a miss for all the nuclear bombs (or bombshells ) in this world! The game's standalone merits are its gorgeous landscape, engaging game-play, immersive environments & deeply interesting quests. While the real world governments know better to avoid a nuclear holocaust, you can safely invest your money in Fallout to experience the virtual one & be extremely satisfied after doing so! Happy Gaming!

Hi people, the dinosaur resembling saurabh123 is not extinct yet, even though i'v made myself (and probably many others) feel like that here on gamespot! Though its exciting to watch a match from the pavillion, nothing compares to playing the game yourself! That's what i'v been doing so far, just watching all your blogs from the side (i'v read most!! even commented on some) but had simply not had the time to pen down my own for quite long! But as all wait ends with gud news, so has mine, and i'd love to share it with you all

First of all, i got a playstation 3 & XBOX! "So what's so exciting about it?" or "Is the guy nuts?" mite strike a gong in your mind, but trust me, it's because i am now the proud owner of FIVE GAMING CONSOLES!!!! Here's a list:

- Xbox 360 Pro
- Playstation 3 (60 GB backward compatible, 2 sixaxis controllers)
- XBOX (2005) (2 wired controllers)
- Playstation 2
- Playstation Portable

Don't ask me why i left out the Wii!!! I don't like its games PERIOD!!! The icing on the cake is as follows:

- Got the PS3 wid 2 remotes & 6 games at sub 20k price through a friend

- Exchanged 4 X360 games for the 2005 XBOX (modded) and 50 gaming titles - including super ****cs like Halo 2 & Doom 3 which i'v not played so far !!!

- All this within 2 weeks!!

There's been no stopping my gaming tsunami that has engulfed my new and old generation consoles! Following titles have been finished, ordered or are "work-in-progress" (in contrast to my dry diwali!!!):

- PS3: Resistance 1 & 2, MGS4, RnC : ToD, Fallout 3
- X360: PoP, NFS Undercover, Fable 2, Mirror's Edge, Far Cry 2, Splinter Cell: Double Agent, PGR4, Quake 4
- XBOX: Doom 3, Halo 2, Call of Cthulhu and so many others!!!

I'd surely appreciate some guidance in terms of what to play first and what to give a rest! Mid-way through Double Agent, i got MGS4 and you can alrdy guess what happened next (depsite the fact that i had restarted Double Agent after i left it for Mirror's Edge !!). Maaaannnnn!! Is MGS THE BEST GAME ON THIS PLANET??????

Some other killer developments in my life so far have been:

- Skidded and broke my roomie's blue new Yamaha R-15 (and myself a little) 3 weeks ago! That makes my record of bike crashes to be 3 involving the premium offerings of the Indian market (CBZ, Karizma & now R15 wid last recorded speed noticed before earth kissed me ...)

- Positive developments at my job despite the recession season!
- 5 day vacation this week with my parents (a cherished rarity for workin fellows like me!)

Ofcourse, like a troo blue Indian giving free advice, i gotta follow up wid my view-points on the games i'v played, so here it is:-

1. Mirror's Edge:

Kinda PoP in first person is visually stunning (but too white) and thrilling. Gameplay frustrated by idiotic fite moves and gunfite! Can be played once!

2 PoP:

Ubisoft must have had some brain-dead Picasso make this game up, coz even though the game boasts one of the most beautiful level designs of 2000-2010, the sorely repetitive gameplay and boss fights had me pulling my hairs out! Fell in love wid Farah though

3. NFS Undercover:

Tolerate the first 4 hours of the game, and it'll surely GROW on you! Cops are nothing great, but racing and soundtrack is top notch! Loved it throughout! Seriously under-rated!

4. Resistance 2:

(yet to play part one!) ... If you ask me, the single player campaign is way better than Gears 2!! Gears 2 was grand, but this one's grand with novelty! Amazing, memorable and super fun!

5. MGS4:

The grand daddy of PS3 games has me crawling on my knees in prayer at every scene! Whether it be the captivating movies, gorgeous visuals, superb level detailing or ipod for a soundtrack ...... this game is super flawless! DON'T DIE WITHOUT PLAYING IT!!

Fallout 3, Far Cry 2 and rest of the gang yet to begin or with courier guyz scarmbling to drop it in my lap sooner or later .... so will write a seperate blog in it soon!

So what's missing now?

It's superb to be writing again, feels like loads of rush releasing from my veins! But that's all for now! All you guyz, have fun, njoy and let me know if anyone's up for game xchanges or trading!!
CHILLAX AND GAME ON!!!

How often does a game come your way that you mouth "FLAWLESS" at the execution of every action, monster battle, stage completion or simple gameplay elements! Such have been my feelings when i finished 'Dead Space' today finally after a lot of ongoing hiccups with my accomodation change!

Dead Space has all the elements a survival horror game will yearn for! Graphics, sound, gameplay, voicing, story - everything looks grabbed or created with the best! It takes creativity to turn the childhood yore of 'twinkle twinkle little star...' into the theme of a horrifyin nitemare, and boy! the folks at EA have hit a jackpot this time!

Letz tackle the game elements step-wise:

Story

Looks like the best of elements lifted from Aliens & other sci-fi blockbusters. A marker picked up from the colony causes chaos on an interstellar freight transporter! And the abnormally involved investigating hero goes all the way from the freighter to the colony to do things right. Wish EA would just give up making lousy games on movie licenses and take direct inspiration like it did in this one! The story is very very tightly woven & locations seemed to be planned well

Graphics

The most essential part of any game i love are the jewel of the entire case here! Splendid graphics that make the atmosphere and the feeling of loneliness and fear come alive awsumly! Space, lighting, textures, environments, weapons, vents - every small detail seems meticulously crafted and thoughtfully worked upon. The fmv videos have been replaced by short video transmissions that work in an integrated fashion damn well! The statistics-less screen added to the whole movie like xperience and kept me on my toes!

Sound

Great monster and battle sound, though music was a slight disappointment (never had much chance to concentrate upon it anyway!)

Gameplay

FLAWLESS! From monster-bashing to zero-gravity , space scenes to stasis, everything seemed so perfectly crafted in playability that i  just cannot believe that i was playing a game! The game is technically sound with virtually zero technical glitches to spoil your fun! The weapons are satisfyingly effective and make sure you feel sadistic plesure in cutting enemy limbs! Whatz more, Its long enough to quench your thirst of the whole xperience!

EA & horror seemed an unlikely partnership, bt it DOES seem that the EA team reviewed a lot of hit material (both games & movies) before it tried to even attempt storyboarding this helluva xperience. And i am an EA fan all over again! Guyz, m sure you all must be busy with GoW2, FC2 or F3, but this is one title that i strongly recommend for it will ensure you do not look at the sky with the same +ve feeling again!