Fallout 3

[Monk]

Just finished the game.

Solid game...I feel the storyline is a bit brief. I was going to deviate from it to wander but before I knew it I was in the endgame at level 12. Next time, I'll start out with wandering:P...

I don't know what the deal is with bugs...a few FPS issues here and there. My box is nearly five years old now and I was running the game at Medium settings. Although, I didn't have any bug issues with Oblivion either...My PC <3 bethesda i guess....The effects are decent if not a bit tame for my taste. Overall graphics were good...thought they aren't important to me.

The gameplay was easy to master and fun. When my small guns skill was nearly maxed I felt my aiming was better than VATS. At that point I got way more exploding heads by taking aim than using VATS. But switching between that and shooting was nice. There is no NPC respawning which I found curious...maybe I'm wrong...but when I cleared an area it stayed clear. Playing with guns was fun and all...but I think the melee system is fairly weak...intentional?, perhaps.

Sound was great...Hearing muties talk around the corner was funny and the radio concept was executed well. I often found myself trying to pick up the People's Radio.

I'm not so certain on replay value...I'll try a couple more characters, maybe a stealth sniper or big gun hauling meat grinder. For the first time out I played as a fast moving gun slinger. I loved racing up to a mutant and blasting his limbs off with my Combat Shotgun. The few stealth kills I did seemed pretty good and it seems that the game will work well for a stealth character as well as the shoot em up type.

Overall...the game IS Oblivion with guns. Nothing wrong with that but the true success here is the mood and tone of the game. It is honestly and truly depressing and helps to magnify the apparent struggles as well as the personal ones. I do like that Bethesda got rid of the whole level up as you use thing. While it was a great idea it often lead to characters not really representing what you wanted.

I expect there will be mods for it. Seeing the data files button on the splash screen certainly suggests that. Unfortunately, with the way it ends I doubt there will be a continuation and more of just little perks, bells and whistles here and there. Though the thought of user mods is enticing.

Uhm...the explanation for the Muties in DC is glaringly obvious. At first, I thought that the information i got from the archive computer to be all I would find out about it...but then they just slap you in the face with it later...did you actually play the game Mr. Jameson?

SPOILER:














The muties hail from Vault uhm (well the one behind little lamplight). They were made by the government to use as invasion troops against Red China. The records in the vault show that every generation of them got more and more volatile and had to be put down. It would seem the latest generation was not defeated for some reason and got out.