Sloppy Potatoes

First look: Fallout 3

Yeah, this could be bad (in the most awesome way)

This game is expansive. You’ll probably find several reviews already out there, but I doubt there are many people who have explored everything this title has to offer.

I can’t wait to dive in for more. I’ve only played for about 3 hours, but I enjoyed every second and played far longer than I should have.

How bout some bullet points:

• Addictive, much like Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, this game has plenty of people to talk to, quests to take, decisions to make and sights to see.
• The scenery is awesome: Nuclear-war ravaged Washington D.C. One of my first missions was to enter a convenience store filled with survivors straight out of a Mad Max movie. If you were amazed by the details in Oblivions, you’ll be blown away. By far my favorite part of this game so far. Also, this feels kind of Bioshock-y — that is a great thing.
• The controls are better than most RPGs: I can control my character. There are still some numbers being crunched under the hood, but I get to aim my gun.
• VATS allows you to target specific body parts. I’m a shooter fan, but I still love this feature.
• Pip-Boy 3000: This watch is given to you early and it acts as your inventory menu, health monitor and quest manager. You also control the games radio stations on it. Yes, you can play the “set the world on fire” song from the commercial.
• The player creation process was a little tedious, but moved the story along quite well in the process. Many decisions to make. They will affect you for the rest of the game. Be sure to save just before you make some final choices as you leave the vault. You’ll be able to start a couple alternate characters easily this way. I did not do this and will have to play through from the beginning again.