Fallout 3

Reviewed by:
Gerasimos Manolatos

Price: $59.99

The Skinny: In a post-apocalyptic America, everyone has gone underground to avoid the massive wars raging across the world. You play a boy, raised all his life in a fallout shelter, who has to venture out into the world for the very first time in search of his father.

The Good: Gears of War 2 may have you chainsawing people in half, but Fallout 3 is one of the most violent games you will play this year. The weapon targeting system, called VATS, is spot on, allowing you to aim your gun—small pistol and large missile launchers included—so precisely that you can behead mutant enemies, rip their limbs off, or tear their torsos in half. The gameplay also gives you the choice of becoming a knight in shining armor or the biggest rat bastard in all the land. Plus, you won't find a more expansive game around, with a running time estimated between 50 and 75 hours. Not a bad investment to make with the real world slowly deteriorating as well.

The Bad: The gameplay is solid, but there are way too many times in the game when you're either looking for something to do or are faced with traveling across the whole map just to get to a target. That could easily mean 20 minutes of walking through enemy-infested territory just so you can deliver an envelope. Seriously, that's one mission. While you'll be able to transport instantly to places you've already visited, you are still going to have to manually get to all these places at least once in your adventure in order to "discover" them. Also, while the presentation of the game seems to be first-person shooter intensive, there's a surprising amount of meticulous planning and maneuvering you'll have to do before jumping into fights. Great for those who have a lot of sit-down time, bad for those who just want to pick up and play.

Maxim Tip: You'll encounter lots of weapons and items traders across the region. You can either buy their wares legally or just kill them and take all of their money, guns, and clothing.

Buy, Rent, or Disembowel? It's a great value at just 60 bucks, but if you've never played Bethesda's previous Elder Scrolls games, we'd recommend renting before buying.

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