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Name: Fallout 3

The original developers of the Fallout series, Black Isle Studios unfortunately closed when parent company Interplay laid all of the employees off due to a financial struggle back in 2003. Since then Interplay sold the rights to the Fallout franchise to ZeniMax the parent company to Bethesda who then stepped in to bring the Fallout universe back into the limelight. The big question at play here is; Does Bethseda do the Fallout history justice with there take on this universe?

Fallout 3 is a role playing game set in the year 2277, 200 years after a nuclear holocaust has devastated the planet with all its natural resources and 36 years after the previous Fallout game. The game is set in and around the Washington D.C. area of America as we know it today, and many famous landmarks appear in a post apocalyptic manner to add poignancy to the tale woven as the game unfolds. The name of the game takes its title based on Fallout shelters, known as Vaults in Fallout 3, which were created underground to house people in preparation for the nuclear wars, these vaults allowed the human race to survive as the Earth tries to repair itself after such a devastating Nuclear attack. Each of these vaults operate independently of each other, just how many there are, and the agenda of each are unknown, the only thing they have in common is that they were all created by the almighty Vault-Tec company.

As the main protagonist of this game your story begins in Vault 101, you're born in this environment and various set pieces allow you to take some introductory actions, the basics of the game are explained to you in various tutorials from the basic get up and walking and learning exploration skills to shooting mutant Radroaches on your 10th birthday when you are given your Pip-Boy 3000 as a coming of age present. The Pip-Boy 3000 is a device which monitors your health and gives you some detail as to your current situation and also gives you access to the Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System, or V.A.T.S. which is the main combat system in the game. The game will momentarily pause the action while you select your target or targets, you then take your shots when the action resumes. You'll also be introduced to the attributes, skills and perks system which effects your performance later in the game, these effect your Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility and Luck. The more you have of each the better or worse you will do in certain situations, for example a higher perception rate will allow you to become aware of your surroundings and will alert you to threats such as wild animals sooner or just a simple lone traveller who means you no harm, should your Charisma be higher people will respond to you better. You're reasonably happy with life in the vault until you reach the age of 19 when your father suddenly decides to leave the vault for some unknown reason. This is when your quest begins, in the panic and chaos as your Father escapes, events unfold and you follow your Father out into the Wasteland.

Undoubtedly entering the world that Bethseda have created for you is a little daunting at first, your first meaningful port of call is a Town called Megaton, this is where you will find your starting point for many of the quests you'll be asked to undertake. Quests in the game come in many shapes and sizes, some you'll be able to complete by following a linear path, others will have to wait until you discover a new location or someone you need to speak to, it could be that you start a quest and don't actually finish it till much later in the game. The choice is usually yours, some of the time, on how much you dedicate to a particular quest and the vast majority of them don't actually contribute to the main games storyline at all, just little incidental meetings that pad out the story. For each of the quests you complete you'll gain experience points (XP), these in turn contribute to a levelling up system where each level reached will allow you to select a new 'Perk'. These perks can affect your experience of the game in many different ways, the way you handle large guns or small guns for example, you'll also be given the chance to upgrade your Skills in a certain area as well so you can become a better lock pick to get you into doors or ammunition crates. Karma also comes into play, certain actions are deemed 'Good' or 'Bad' and determine how the characters in the Wasteland react and respond to you, should you find yourself in a good role then most of the inhabitants will be friendly towards you and trust you, should you find yourself walking the dark path then you'll find help in other places where you normally wouldn't, of course you can also choose to walk the middle path allying yourself to neither good nor evil. As you progress through the game you'll come across other characters that may offer to follow you round to aid in combat situations or help on a quest, this is directly related to your Karma, a 'bad' character won't want to help out someone who is seen as a force for good, likewise a 'good' character won't ally with someone who has a reputation for being a bad boy or girl.

The game world is one of great size, you can wander round the Wasteland in parts you've been in many times and still find something new from a small town to an industrial complex, the sheer scope of the game and the locations is huge. At first you'll find yourself walking everywhere, you've no choice as there are no vehicles in this world, but, once you've discovered yourself a few locations then you'll be able to fast travel to a location by selecting it on the map, again this is optional, you can simply set a waypoint for your compass and start the walk there where you are likely to come across something else that's new.

Obviously a nuclear wasteland is fraught with all kinds of creatures, some good, most bad. These come in many forms, from small bugs and other wild animals that are just trying to stay alive, to huge Super Mutant creatures that have there own agenda within the Wastelands. Each of the threats you encounter can be dealt with or run away from, although more often than not they will track you down so normally it's worth fighting them and getting it over with. Other humans roam the wastelands also, these can be simple traders who you can trade goods and supplies with or they can be Raiders who'll simply attack you for being in there territory. Ghouls can also be encountered, these are humans that have been subjected to huge amounts of radiation, some of these can be intelligent and behave much like an offshoot of the human race, others have been exposed to a lot of radiation and have returned to a more feral state, hunting and lurking in the shadows for their next meal. To help you combat the inhabitants of the Wastelands various weaponry is scattered around in different ways, you can buy it, find it, loot it or make it, these range from simple melee weapons such as a baseball bat or sword, to small guns, rifles and machine guns, then moving onto the really big weaponry like missile launchers or the small nuclear weapon device known as The Fat Man, if you managed to take down a particular variant of the Super Mutants you can take a Mini-Gun off him and then really start to have fun! You'll also need to keep your health up while traversing the Wastelands, this can be done with food rations you find or medical equipment, again this can be found in various different ways and in differing quantities depending on your location. Many of the buildings you stumble across will hold a number of First Aid Kits that are normally good for a few Stimpaks, the main redeemer of health, but the buildings are often inhabited by some kind of creature that wants to hurt you. Some of these buildings you will need to enter as part of your quest, or, you can just go exploring on your own accord, there are various weapon based or medical rewards to be found this way in one way or another.