Fallout 3 Review

By Kristan Reed Published 28 October, 2008

Oblivious.

Version tested: Xbox 360

Fallout 3 is such an embarrassment of riches, it's hard to know where to begin. The news is definitely good though, because whichever way you stack it up it qualifies as a landmark game. Like BioShock and Oblivion, unpicking its merits is something of a Gordian knot. But that is, of course, precisely its charm.

The bedrock, as you would hope, is the game's immensely well-realised and beautiful openworld. Arty, varied and epic, it's crafted with attention to detail, housing secrets, lies, hopeless ambition and revenge. The Capital Wasteland has a palpable sense of place, where even the more obscure backwaters hide pleasing diversions, intriguing characters and curious sub-plots.

It doesn't seem to matter which angle you take with Fallout 3 though, because there's usually something pleasing to report. It makes the fiddly micromanagement of weapons, apparel and health a relative joy with a slick, intuitive interface. It rewards and encourages progress with a transparent and logical levelling system. It delights with countless improvements to the Oblivion engine, physics and animation. Even the script and voice acting are pretty decent, and there are reams of detailed text logs to discover. At one point, you even stumble across a playable beta version of a fully-fledged text adventure.

Question marks will always linger over how much it can live up to the expectations of diehards, and people will argue about how Bethesda's storytelling stands up to Black Isle's, but this is a new game, from a different developer in a different era, and the most important thing for now is that Fallout 3 manages to improve on almost everything Oblivion did well, as well as what it didn't do so well - and how it streamlines a lot of the questing without resorting to dumbing-down. For a fair chunk of you, that's pretty much all you need to know.

'Fallout 3' Screenshot 1

Is that a bollard in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me?

Undoubtedly one of the most appealing aspects of Fallout 3 is the fact that the post-apocalyptic premise feels fresh - assuming the harrowing aftermath of thermonuclear war can be described as such. The fact that games haven't milked this theme to death is puzzling: rooting the game in the realms of potential reality gives the world credibility, with dozens of real-life weapons (from pistols to assault rifles) and near-future equivalents (think laser and plasma), recognisable locations, and relatively normal characters populating the world. There's even a series of local radio stations, belting out dubious propaganda or the rantings of the ever-exuberant Three Dog.

That said, the basic setting for Fallout 3 isn't exactly the down-to-earth playground I've portrayed once you dive into the fiction. It imagines a parallel version of America that remained locked in the cultural norms of the '50s, complete with the naivety, unflinching optimism and penchant for pre-rock 'n' roll. In this version of 2077, technology progressed to the extent that robot slaves populated every home, everyone drove fusion-powered cars down bold art-deco streets, fearing communism, wearing beehive hairdos and bopping along to happy jazz. Strangely, though, computer technology remained resolutely stuck in the late 1970s green-screen era.

Then it all went to hell at the climax of a long-running war with Communist China over Alaska, and the world went nuclear. 180 years later, literally at your birth, you join the game in the depths of a shelter known as Vault 101. The opening hour plays out as a wonderfully engaging run through the first 19 years of your life, through baby steps and petty infighting with the other children. With the sudden, unexpected departure of your father, you decide to fight your way out of the sterility of the Vault and emerge blinking into the shattered wilderness of Wasteland for the first time.

'Fallout 3' Screenshot 2

The dialogue system is simple and elegant, usually offering positive, neutral or negative responses.

Stark freedom awaits you, in much the same way it did after emerging from Picard's dungeon in Oblivion - only this time under much less welcoming circumstances. The landscape is almost the polar opposite of Oblivion's lush green pastures, with a sea of grey and brown shattered rocks and ruined buildings stretching off into the distance. You can trudge to the nearest settlement, Megaton, or wander off wherever takes your fancy. There's no specific path to follow, and never is. You can either let the curiosity of your father's disappearance guide you through the game, or just explore.

The controls follow the standard first/third-person template, although, like Oblivion, first-person is preferable. As you might expect, enemy threats are never far away, and you won't get very far without facing some sort of mutant bug or ghoul. This, it turns out, is a good thing, as it shows of the first truly impressive aspect of Fallout 3: the V.A.T.S. The Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System.

On one level it's a cinematic way of framing the combat in what is already a glorious-looking game, but this hybrid of real-time and turn-based combat also forces players into a new approach. Effectively you pause the action and decide on specific areas to target, whether it's head, torso, arms, legs or weapons. To help decide, each area is marked with the percentage chance you have of landing a hit, determined by the distance and angle of attack. At the start of each 'round', you have a limited number of action points to commit, which generally equates to three or more hits before the slow-motion combat reverts to real-time. Then your action points slowly regenerate, leaving you vulnerable.

Because combat is so fast and deadly in real-time, you find yourself forced to rely on V.A.T.S. in a measured, strategic fashion. You'll dive out of cover, slam it on, try and cripple a specific body part and get the hell away before the enemy can strike back. And if you're cunning, you'll find time to recharge your action points and repeat the process without wasting too much ammo or getting busted up.

Some might find it irritating, initially, that the real-time combat is so fast and loose compared to the average FPS, but then that's the point. It's rarely if ever desirable to fight this way. This bias towards V.A.T.S. also helps Fallout 3 evade comparison with FPS titles it has very little else in common with, and this aligns it more closely with its RPG roots than, say, Mass Effect, which had a comparatively troubled time integrating action into gameplay. That Fallout 3's combat is distinct from everything out there is a massive achievement; that it's enjoyable merely adds to how much credit is due.

With an eye on progression, the chances are that your first port of call will be the ramshackle community of Megaton, home to two bars, a supply store, a grumpy doctor's surgery, a religious cult, and numerous battered homes for the strange and wonderful individuals who found sanctuary there. If you manage to resist the temptation to break into everyone's home and loot their belongings, it's possible to mine the town for leads and side-quests that may or may not prove useful to finding out the whereabouts of your father. Or, you could just work out how to blow the stupid place up. As a graphic illustration of choice, Megaton is an excellent distillation of the freedom afforded to you and the knowledge that nothing is ever that straightforward. What might seem like a good deed ends up screwing someone else, and the path you take ultimately shapes your destiny.

In those first few hours in Vault 101, and Megaton, and the surrounding locations, it's possible to sink hours into doing almost nothing. You might struggle to come to terms with the freedom, and end up, as I did, clinging to Megaton like a life raft. When you finally do start following up leads and exploring, the sheer scope comes as a shock. You'll come across a seemingly abandoned underground station and see what's inside, only to discover that it's part of a coherent network that spans the length and breadth of Wasteland. Far from a pointless dungeon, this subterranean world has a purpose, connecting discrete areas and providing access to quests you'd otherwise never encounter.

'Fallout 3' Screenshot 3

A cripped head and leg? Nothing a stimpack can't sort out.

You can also scavenge for loot in these areas, which facilitates levelling. And unlike Oblivion's derided system, which saw enemies level up with you, Bethesda has returned to the more familiar progression of awarding players XP for every kill and successful mission, allowing you to level up as you go. Gone is the ridiculous convention of having to sleep to level, replaced by a straightforward, transparent process that allows players to designate skill points where they see fit, along with a single 'Perk', which grants an extra layer of precise customisation. Do you want to be a smoothie who can talk your way out of things, or a master thief, or throw everything towards brute force?

Whatever your decision, the game's ability to reward you is one of its greatest feats. Far from making you feel you've missed out, the dazzling array of choices heightens the incentive to go back and play again. You'll come across missions with four or more ways of succeeding. Sometimes you'll want to go for the least risky option, especially if you're keen to maintain good karma, so bribery might work best. At other times, you might decide to hack computers, or repair a specific item. Or, of course, just kill everyone. Whatever you choose, it's generally always entertaining. It's a no-lose kind of decision.

It isn't, however, all that difficult, and there's no option to crank up the challenge, other than making things difficult by heading off to areas that are too dangerous. If you even vaguely follow the main storyline, there's rarely anything that feels beyond you. This worked for me - it's more than big enough without the game bashing me over the head every five minutes - but it'll be understandable if others hanker for more brutality.

'Fallout 3' Screenshot 4

Such scenes of breathtaking destruction soon become the norm, but the sheer craft never fails to impress.

And when you get all the way up to level 20, you simply become a bit too good for the game. With your abilities capped, you're generally such a badass that the tension is reduced as you explode every head you aim for. With no more levelling possible (at least until the DLC, perhaps), there's no longer the same sense of reward, and it turns into a bit of a victory march. This is a problem specific only to truly committed players, but in a series that attracts an unusually large proportion of hardcore gamers, the endgame is relevant.

Another thing that threatens to undermine Fallout 3 is the massive amount of repetition while scavenging and exploring. As entertaining as it undoubtedly is to check out every last empty office, factory or subway station, you do get into a cycle of checking every locker and desk, entwined with a succession of OCD battles against Super Mutants and Ghouls.

Then again, one of Fallout 3's strengths is that it doesn't seem to matter how long you trawl the Wasteland, or how many times you snap into V.A.T.S. It's always entertaining to duke it out, seeing how many different stylish ways it can cut together the uber-violence as entrails flap around. And even when you feel like you've seen everything the game has to offer, you find yourself greeted by entirely new creatures, characters and architecturally unique areas more than 60 hours into the game. The sheer scope and ambition shames most other blockbuster games.

In any case, I'm scraping the barrel for things to pick holes in. Fallout 3 has been by some margin the most enjoyable game I've played since BioShock - a game with which it shares a similar artistic vision and ambience. Despite so many worries, Fallout 3 almost effortlessly succeeds in its central aim of reviving a much-loved brand to appeal to the vast majority of players. It's a thrilling, all-consuming experience that will absorb you for weeks, whether you're attracted by the action, the adventure, or the role-playing, as you fall in love with the relentless excitement, incredible atmosphere, sense of place and sheer choice.

Bethesda has once again delivered a game of life-affirming brilliance that will be heralded as a classic, and talked about for years to come.

10 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of Kristan.

About Kristan Reed

Kristan is a former editor of Eurogamer, dad, Stone Roses bore and Norwich City supporter who sometimes mutters optimistically about Team Silent getting back together.

Read more articles from Kristan by visiting the Kristan Reed archive page.

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Comments (413) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Oh-Bollox #1 3 years ago

    First, thank you insomnia!

    Oooh, a ten.

  • Shane86 #2 3 years ago

    Game of the year

  • quantumsheep #3 3 years ago

    Holy shit!!!

    /reads

  • TriggerHippie #4 3 years ago

    Argh, there just isnt enough time in the day for all these awsome games! Guess it just remains to try and work out which version to get. I'll probably just punt for the PC one since I can't imagine playing Fallout on a console :p

    edit: And thank God they didn't go with Oblivions bloody awful exp system.
    Edited by 1 at 28/10/08 @ 04:15

  • Harmonica #5 3 years ago

    Wow, yet another 10? Anxiously awaiting Friday to see if that score checks out.

  • Obiwanshinobi #6 3 years ago

    It's Kristan Reed who marked TESIV: Oblivion 10/10, thus I'm still not convinced. I obviously didn't want to like Fallout 3 though, that's how much I dislike Morrowind.

  • gaselite #7 3 years ago

    Quite surprising given that the last preview of the game that I read on EG was quite (refreshingly) negative.

  • Svecke #8 3 years ago

    Glad I preordered the collectors edition now.

  • David_Snakes #9 3 years ago

    Screw the review, I gotta get my comment in because then it will be at the top of the list for everyone to marvel at!

  • DAL9000 #10 3 years ago

    "Life-affirming brilliance," really? That's just a biiiiiit over the top, I have to say.

    Still getting it, though. Lunchbox ahoy!

  • 3william56 #11 3 years ago

    Come on. PS3 quality comment please?
    Is it a real difference that makes actually impacts on the experience of playing it, or some pissant pixel counting and slightly less AA?

    This has got to be the biggest surge of 9 and 10s in history. Wish I had time to play half of them. 60 hours?
    /cries

  • Avarice36 #12 3 years ago

    o my god this game sounds amazing!!!!!!!! i actually decided today that i wasn't going to get the game and get COD WaW instead but after reading this i have changed my mind i will get it (the reason i decided today to get cod5 cause of the 4 co-op nazi zombie shooting mode).

  • avoozl #13 3 years ago

    Sounds awesome, but there's no mention of the character creation system or how good the storyline is. Otherwise it does sound like most of the things I hated about Oblivion are not in this game. I can see the dialog face zoom thing is still there which really pisses me off, but at least it doesn't appear to zoom ALL THE WAY IN this time Can't wait to hear the comments after the game comes out. That review sounded a little lethargic compared to usual- no offense intended.

    Edit: Didn't know it was Kristan who gave Oblivion a 10- that is disturbing.
    Edited by 1 at 28/10/08 @ 04:49

  • littlehamster #14 3 years ago

    Post deleted at 09:23:26 14-12-2011

  • littlehamster #15 3 years ago

    Post deleted at 09:23:26 14-12-2011

  • craziii #16 3 years ago

    anyone played this yet? finding out the reviewer is the same person who gave oblivion 10 is alarming.

    my only concern is: how are the controls? pc rpg controls? or the same 1 button menu of oblivion that I hate?

  • DAL9000 #17 3 years ago

    @littlehamster: You /can/ just pull the Ethernet cable out of the PS3, dude. It's not as if the console will explode if you should DARE to disconnect it from the Internet.

  • clockworkzombie #18 3 years ago

    I consider oblivion a 10. I loved it.

  • agparrot #19 3 years ago

    Very looking forward to playing it - now to the expo I am bound!

  • mkreku #20 3 years ago

    Since Kristan reviewed Oblivion and did such an embarrassingly bad job at it, this review holds no value to me. His tens seem to be my fives. I wonder if he spent a whole three hours in this too as he must have with done Oblivion (to be able to miss the multitude of flaws as he did) ?

    Did he also review the gargantually overrated Bioshock..? I checked. No he didn't.

  • Keza #21 3 years ago

    Oblivion's a straight 10. It's become fashionable to hate it for the two or three things that it got badly wrong rather than love it for the thousands of little things it got right, and the fundamental strengths of its open world. Nothing since has come close.

  • pauleyc #22 3 years ago

    10? Now that's a surprise.

  • AhrimaaN #23 3 years ago

    Sold. Good time to be a PC gamer!

  • TiredRiver #24 3 years ago

    I'm scared.
    10's are coming too easy. This looks cool, this game, but Bioshock was too videogame-y for me.
    I'm scared.
    Fable 2 disappointed me. Too videogame-y.
    Gears 2 is preordered and guaranteeed fun.
    So do I buy this ?

    Game reviews can be so incorrect.
    IGN gave this 9.6 but it does have an american slant just as fable 2 had a british slant.
    IGN gave fable 8.8.

    So do I bite ??????????

    I did love McCarthy's "The Road" but does that qualify this as a good investment ???????
    And he never mentioned the bit about the dog !!!!!!

    Edited by 1 at 28/10/08 @ 06:06

  • TiredRiver #25 3 years ago

    Please tell me !
    Everything I have, I have traded in.

    Sega Rally (not a 9 btw) Orange Box (dated) CofD 4 ( halo beater my ass ) Gears of War (obsolete after new one comes out )

    I have 100 dollars credit.
    Is this worth 60 and gears 60 ??????/
    Hard economic times means I must be more careful.


  • clockworkzombie #26 3 years ago

    @TiredRiver

    You could always rent Fallout and see if it is worth it to you.

    Call of Duty 4 IS better than Halo 3.

    You seem a little jaded, perhaps you should take a break. Try some train spotting perhaps?

  • Maykael #27 3 years ago

    Oblivion haters STFU!. "It's alarming... OMG OBLIVION SUXORS!!!". The leveling world was a bit dubious I admit, but think of the rest of the game FFS! Think of the stories, think of the exploration, think of Patrick Stewart (I'm a trek nerd), think of the incredible many things you had to do. You're basicaly criticizing Oblivion because it's not Diablo or, better said, because it doesn't have toilets in-game so it doesn't do the world immersion as it should... Times have changed, RPG's have changed.. you can't expect another Baldur's Gate or Fallout 2, although we loved and love these games. Settle down!

  • RedPanda #28 3 years ago

    Post deleted at 14:31:59 28-01-2012

  • krudster #29 3 years ago

    I spent just over 60 hours playing this, which, I dare say is longer than most. I still want to go back and play some more. If that's not the sign of a great game, I'm not sure what is.

  • TiredRiver #30 3 years ago

    Yeah.
    I am a little jaded.
    Videogames have the capacity to surpass all other forms of entertainment. I love them when they are good and despise them when they are bad. They make me feel stupid, the poor ones, but the good ones elevate it above everything else. I felt very stupid chopping wood for money in Fable 2. I don't like experiences that make me feel stupid and I just hate it when I SEE the seams.

    Rent I will.First

    (COD 4 is not half the game Halo 3 is btw. Trust me. The seams are laid bare. When you cannot jump over a mound of dirty the seams are screaming in your face. Perhaps this is more suited to a different thread. )

    And I have never played Oblivion.
    Edited by 3 at 28/10/08 @ 06:33

  • clockworkzombie #31 3 years ago

    @TiredRiver

    We are all different I guess. I really enjoyed the CoD4 multiplayer, after my first night online I traded in my Halo 3 for store credit as I felt CoD was superior.

    I like renting games my local rental place will rent new releases for a week so a game can be thoroughly hammered if you like it.


  • TiredRiver #32 3 years ago

    krudster is up very early !!!!!!

    btw you never mentioned the dog !
    and 10/10 demands at least 4 pages.

  • TiredRiver #33 3 years ago

    Out here (Canada) Blockbuster will rent you a new release like Fallout for 14 days for 8 dollars ! (ABOUT 3.50)
    Edited by 1 at 28/10/08 @ 06:29

  • makeamazing #34 3 years ago

    Yeah i dont understand the Oblivion hate either, yes it had faults, but how many games have come close to what its trying to do... very very few.

    Im not surprised that its got a 10, its a open world that if it improves on Oblivion then its pretty much a plus. What worries me is the previews that EG did, and I said this at the time of the previews. EG really need to look at itself, cant see how you can write an overtly negative preview and then give the game a 10. Yes i know it is probably a different reviewer, but perhaps as Kristan likes oblivion he was the perfect person to do the preview...

    Anyway good review, only thing i would have liked more information about is the platforms which they seem to leave out these days. I mean the PC version SHOULD be better than the consoles, how does the consoles handle the controls etc etc.

    /me is getting it on PC
    Edited by 1 at 28/10/08 @ 06:30

  • Genji #35 3 years ago

    Why should people that didn't like Oblivion "STFU"? You're allowed to have your opinion, and so am I. Given that the new Fallout is being done by the people who did Oblivion, criticisms about that game are relevant.

    It was the NPCs that hurt the game for me. My "immersion" was ruined when I found that every NPC talked in the same stupid stilted voice, spouting cliche after horrible cliche. I would've preferred they just kept the game text-based, without the horrible voices. The quests were ordinary, and the AI non-existent. The game was certainly very pretty to look at, but that wore off after a while. And I haven't even mentioned the levelling system.

    Given what I've heard about Fallout 3, I will almost certainly be picking it up, even with my reservations about Oblivion. I just hope it can recapture the humor and drama of the first two.

    Oh, and I could do without all the Monty Python references this time around. :-)

  • RedPanda #36 3 years ago

    Post deleted at 14:31:59 28-01-2012

  • TiredRiver #37 3 years ago

    Would vats take you out of the game and spoil the 'immersion' ?

    Also, does this game has a legit ending ?

  • Maykael #38 3 years ago

    The "STFU" was mostly for people saying: "Kristan reviewed this so it must suck, though i haven't played it so I don't really know if I like it. Oblivion sucks!!" The main purpose of that post was a short defense of Oblivion, because it was getting a wee bit too much trashing in this thread.

    I never said it didn't have its flaws, but then again all games have flaws. You may not like the game or even hate it, but you shouldn't say it's shit/worse game ever/etc., not because I say so :), but because it was at least in some respects (r)evolutionary in its time and because I'm sure that while you played it you had some good times. It's like a band that you hate, but you recognize they're good musicians.:)

  • Strac #39 3 years ago

    Well, there goes my wallet (with this, GoW2 & Fable 2). D'oh!
    And yes, I absolutely loved Oblivion & BioShock too. And Mass Effect for that matter.So i can't see how i can go wrong here :)

  • Genji #40 3 years ago

    Well, I played Oblivion for well over 50 hours, so it's not like I came to my conclusions about it immediately. NPC interaction is very, very important for me in any RPG, and Oblivion's was lacking. If they have improved that aspect of the game for Fallout 3, then I'll be a lot happier.

  • Ryuken #41 3 years ago

    Already pre-ordered this for PC but I've already given up hope it's gonna come close to what made the originals so great.

    The fact this review doesn't even touch the previous games says enough I think. Different generation of different developer doesn't mean anything, it's still called Fallout right? Then it should be compared as such.

    "And when you get all the way up to level 20, you simply become a bit too good for the game."

    Oblivion's flaws were fixed you said? :)
    Edited by 1 at 28/10/08 @ 06:56

  • Genji #42 3 years ago

    Well, getting to level 20 in earlier Fallouts basically made you unstoppable, too. :-)

  • sweetcheeks #43 3 years ago

    this comment thread is riddled with moronic comments.
    a review is an independant opinion, not an internet average of what other people think.

  • krudster #44 3 years ago

    If I could play the game again, I think I'd resist the temptation to keep picking the Fast Learner perk. As much as I wanted to level up quickly I think I may have reached the level cap sooner than I would have liked. My advice is avoid this one if you want to explore the world properly - it's evidently not as much fun to play once you're unstoppable.

  • Scimarad #45 3 years ago

    I'm quite curious as to how the rather lacklustre impressions of the previous build turned into a 10/10 game - especially as many of the elements criticized appear the same.

    Still, much as I take an EG review with a pinch of salt these days, this really does sound worth getting...unfortunately!

  • Les #46 3 years ago

    Treasured franchise gets a hyped sequel and a glowing review from Eurogamer. Think I'll pass... ;)
    Edited by 1 at 28/10/08 @ 07:07

  • krudster #47 3 years ago

    Oli and Christian previewed it - not me. There's also a chance they would have been less blown away by the final game, but that's the nature of reviewing; we all have different opinions. Neither were big Oblivion fans, incidentally.

  • Lobotomist #48 3 years ago

    I hated Bioshock , and you say Fallout is as enjoyable ?

    Oblivion was watered down, stupidified version of Morrowind - Consolified ...

    Is it same with fallout 3 ?

    Was this review done on PC or console ?

  • Tonka #49 3 years ago

    Wow. Cool beans. I just hope my next laptop will be able to cope with it.

  • krudster #50 3 years ago

    It was primarily reviewed on the 360, FYI.

  • Scimarad #51 3 years ago

    Ahhhh - Thanks for clearing that up Krudster:-)

  • Scimarad #52 3 years ago

    Once again, the IGN review sounds like a big list of the flaws - Still gave it 8.8, though.

  • sirtacos #53 3 years ago

    OH MY FUCKING GOD.

    This is INCREDIBLE! I'm so happy right now. I'm definitely getting it.

    FUCK!!!

    (*am high so may be overblowing my enthusiasm a bit*)

  • Agent_Llama #54 3 years ago

    Blimey! :oD

  • DerFlange #55 3 years ago

    I am moist for this game

  • UncleLou #56 3 years ago

    If I could play the game again, I think I'd resist the temptation to keep picking the Fast Learner perk. As much as I wanted to level up quickly I think I may have reached the level cap sooner than I would have liked. My advice is avoid this one if you want to explore the world properly - it's evidently not as much fun to play once you're unstoppable.

    Aha, that sounds like good advice. I lost interest in Oblivion when I became an unstoppable, all-damage-reflecting God.

  • CordableTuna #57 3 years ago

    Oh bloody hell. A post-apocalyptic game with a puppies and rainbows level of difficulty. Yes, I know the casuals have to be thought about too, but how about at least giving some scraps for the types who've played RPGs before? Like a difficulty level slider? How the hell do they expect to create atmosphere without danger? "The earth shakes! You turn around and see a huge mutant! And now it's dead. Right. Anything else here? No? Okay, I'll just be on my way then."

    And yes, I'm the guy who complained about the deaths in Fable 2. I hate how the casual-friendly wave turned out gamer-hostile so fast. I'm by no means hardcore, but I just want some sort of challenge from my games.

  • muscleblade #58 3 years ago

    According to a british PS3 magazine the PS3 version has a lot more graphical issues than the 360 version. Just wanted the people with both systems to know.

  • dr_faulk #59 3 years ago

    Holeeeeee Shite.....

    I knew Bethesda wouldn't let me down.

  • Darren #60 3 years ago

    So the overly negative previews EG gave of this game led to a... 10/10 review? Huh? :?

    Granted, I'm thrilled that the game is *that* good but I honestly expected EG to lay into it and give it a 7. Nice to be proven wrong though! :)

  • MrDurandPierre #61 3 years ago

    I'm thinking of picking up either this or Fable 2. Can anyone who's played both shed any light on the core differences?

    I mildly liked Oblivion, but not that much. I found the combat, stealth elements, and NPC conversations horribly clunky and not at all fun. Yet I still enjoyed wandering about the land seeing all the sights and sounds. Once I discovered that I could run faster than most enemies, I found myself frantically scrambling through the oblivion gates, checking my map every 2 seconds as I would when playing a Silent Hill game. Once I started "breaking the game" by running through it, I found it much more exciting, oddly enough. In other words, the game seemed broken in a lot of regards, but it was so ambitious that there was at least some way to make it fun for anyone. Not worth $60 for me, but not bad for $30. Fallout 3 looks much the same way, so I'm wondering if others who didn't love Oblivion (but also didn't hate it) feel differently about Fallout 3.

    Haven't played the first Fable, so I have nothing to compare Fable 2 to other than Oblivion. I'm leaning towards buying Fable 2 over this, but I'm pretty on the fence. Any advice would be appreciated.

  • bad09 #62 3 years ago

    A 10? Wow might have to have a look. I've not really been sold on what I've seen (and to be honest I'd never heard of Fallout before 3) but Oblivion was cool so might check this out.

  • dr_faulk #63 3 years ago

    Holeeeeee Shite.....

    I knew Bethesda wouldn't let me down.

  • Darren #64 3 years ago

    krudster - "I spent just over 60 hours playing this, which, I dare say is longer than most. I still want to go back and play some more. If that's not the sign of a great game, I'm not sure what is."

    Yup... sound like another Oblivion to me and that is all I need to hear as I still consider it *the* best game this generation has produced because of its immersiveness and sheer amount of gameplay; it is a wonderful game that kept me playing it for over 300 hours in total. If Fallout 3 is better then I can't imagine how much I'm going to enjoy this... all I know is that I'm sure I *will*. :D

  • Darren #65 3 years ago

    @Scimarad - The 8.8 is the UK IGN score... the US site gave Fallout 3 9.6 on the PC and 360 and 9.4 on the PS3. ;)

  • Darren #66 3 years ago

    P.S. Just noticed that Resistance 2 got 9.5 on IGN!!! WOW! I'm playing the beta and it is excellent. Another game to look forward to then considering I'm buying Fallout 3 for the 360 (it has AA and extra DLC you see).

  • Jimpanse #67 3 years ago

    OMG iam first ^^

    Great Game btw !!!

    omg, must have....

    /need money

  • siro #68 3 years ago

    I've been (pleasantly) surprised that it's a just two page review. Didn't think this would get the score it has then.

    It's raining tens, hallelujah.

  • Katsumoto #69 3 years ago

    It was technically possible to complete the original games without firing a shot - doing everything relying on your speech and intelligence etc. I'm guessing the emphasis is firmly on combat in this one? A shame, it was always fun talking the final boss into committing suicide. Not sure why I spoilered that, it was mentioned in yesterday's retrospective!

    Anyway, for all the bitching I will no doubt get up to as a hardcore Fallout 1/2 fan, I hope to get over myself and enjoy this a fair bit. May have to splash out next week. Or should I get Dead Space instead? Gah! No money!

  • f00b_inc #70 3 years ago

    I've honestly never had such a difficult choice of next game purchase... I guess I'll get LBP and wait for this, Far Cry 2, Bioshock to be 20 quid!

  • JoeBlade #71 3 years ago

    Sounds fair enough.
    Oblivion would've been an 8 or 9 to me instead of a 10, mainly because it was possible to 'ruin' a character by levelling it up poorly, in turn caused by the quite awkward enemy levelling system. Thanks to that I found myself restarting so much - while trying to create a proper character build - that I'd only achieved level 14 or so when I got tired of the game, which I found a real shame.

    If that's been ironed out together with the minor faulty tidbits and replaced with some nice additions such as VATS I can very well see how this would be a 10.

  • captainrentboy #72 3 years ago

    10? Fucking hell this site is bias, towards errrmmm, the PC, 360 and PS3.
    This looks cool, but I thought the same about Oblivion before playing it, and I bloody hated that in the end. Anyway I've still got loads of Fabling to do. Too many good games in such a short space of time. Damn!

  • bonker #73 3 years ago

    76th!

    Blimey, another 10: 3rd-gen games rule :)

  • rotmm #74 3 years ago

    @Darren, "P.S. Just noticed that Resistance 2 got 9.5 on IGN!!! WOW! I'm playing the beta and it is excellent. Another game to look forward to then considering I'm buying Fallout 3 for the 360"

    Not entirely surprising given IGN's favourable attitude to PS3 exclusives.

  • lennon #75 3 years ago

    wasnt expecting this as the previews always seemed negative. Good job I have Thursday off what with this dead space and fable I am not going to get any sleep!

  • systems #76 3 years ago

    ^Garo - 10/10 doesn't mean perfection in the EG marking scheme. It just means it is an essential game to play for anyone with that system. It can be essential and still flawed.

    Oblivion and Bioshock were essential games to play and were as flawed as hell. I didn't particularly care for either but I'm glad I played them.

  • Mysjkin7 #77 3 years ago

    Not entirely convinced by this review. It touches upon few crucial elements as to what makes the game spectacular. Sure, innovative combat and living world, but there's gotta be more than that, right? Where, exactly, lies Fallout 3:s strength to hold its own in a world full of post-apocalyptic RPG-shooters?

  • PearOfAnguish #78 3 years ago

    "It's Kristan Reed who marked TESIV: Oblivion 10/10, thus I'm still not convinced. I obviously didn't want to like Fallout 3 though, that's how much I dislike Morrowind."

    Eh? What's Morrowind got to do with it?

    "10's are coming too easy. This looks cool, this game, but Bioshock was too videogame-y for me."

    A videogame was too videogamey? Oh no!

    "Gears 2 is preordered and guaranteeed fun."

    Because that's not videogamey at all. That's serious business. It's got big men with big muscles. Grr!

  • Crea #79 3 years ago

    Fuckity fuckity fuck.

    /reaches for wallet.

  • JYM60 #80 3 years ago

    So one of the yes men reviewed it. 10 was obvious.

    Bit sad to see EG give all these sequals ten, but not LBP.

  • Der_tolle_Emil #81 3 years ago

    Wow. I guess this is a must buy then. I have never really been into Fallout but the review really makes me want that game.

  • DB2k #82 3 years ago

    what happened to all the 7/10 reviews? yo uare making me too poor. Stop giving games 9s and 10s.

  • gman7714 #83 3 years ago

    Cool, I'm so glad this got a 10. Just got to sneak it past the missus now!

  • siro #84 3 years ago

    I wouldn't really consider this a sequel in the classic sense.

  • ZuluHero #85 3 years ago

    so oblivion 10 and now Fallout 10? Mucho Awesomeness.

    Tbh the moaners just have to get over it. There is no denying these games are some of the most realised and detailed out there with more to do and see than any that come close.

    I just wish friday would hurry up already...

  • Dizzy #86 3 years ago

    What? 10? Oh dear.... there goes my money.

  • Moonprince #87 3 years ago

    Of the big games released recently, this is the worst so far without a doubt. 7/10 at most.

  • Darkjinxter #88 3 years ago

    Picard's dungeon indeed - pfft
    Septim's dungeon.

  • Skywise #89 3 years ago

    Hmmm is this a Spore or Fable 2 10/10 or a real one?

  • JaysonG #90 3 years ago

    oh man stop with the 10's I can't afford it.

  • dreamkin #91 3 years ago

    I think we must call games like Oblivion and Bioshock "reviewer favorites". It seems like a good strategy to play to the tastes of the average clueless reviewer. Essentially Bioshock was a fool's System Shock 2. At least it had a better design than the dreadful Oblivion which was nigh unplayable without mods applied.

    But I guess the magic word for reviewers is "non-linear" today. Nevermind the horrible mechanics and non existent story.

    Now I am wondering why we are comparing Fallout 3 to Mass Effect or Oblivion. This is supposed to be Fallout 3. Even if it's a great game (which I assure you isn't, but many people will buy it anyway) there is still one simple issue. This is not Fallout. Fallout isn't its setting only. It's a game as a whole. And that game isn't a First Person Shooter masked as an rpg. It's perfectly okay to make a Fallout game like this, but at least it should not be named Fallout 3. In the past we had Brotherhood of Steel, on the consoles. It was an action rpg and wasn't called Fallout 3. Even Fallout Tactics wasn't called Fallout 3 and it was more Fallout than 10 Fallout 3s combined.

    My advice is... old fans, stay away from this thing. New people who want to experience fallout, go get yourself Fallout 1 or 2 for 5 dollars.

  • JYM60 #92 3 years ago

    "Hmmm is this a Spore or Fable 2 10/10 or a real one?"

    I'm struggling to remember the last real one.

  • PearOfAnguish #93 3 years ago

    "Seriously, you need to stop this 'OMG Bioshock teh roXXors1!!!!' bollocks. It's becoming a bit childish."

    But it's not as childish as deriding someone else's opinion of a game because you don't agree.

    They liked it, you didn't. Try to move past this.

  • Mr_Dodger #94 3 years ago

    @simakperrce

    A good number (possibly the majority?) of people that played Bioshock really enjoyed it. Therefore it's a good benchmark for opinion.

    Likewise a good number of people who played CoD4 really enjoyed it. I thought it was extremely overhyped and buggy as hell. Does that mean people shouldn't reference it as a shooter benchmark, or if they do I should say "stop the CoD4 bollocks"?

    No. Because it's all down to opinion, and everyone's is equally valid. It's up to you, using discernment, to decide which ones you agree with, not try to denigrate others.

  • rotmm #95 3 years ago

    @dreamkin, "Even if it's a great game (which I assure you isn't....)"

    Thanks for the assurance. I'm more than happy to take your opinion as stated fact over another persons opinion. You strike me as so much more an "authentic" gamer.

  • mcmonkeyplc #96 3 years ago

    GOD FUCKING DAMN YOU!

  • Benno #97 3 years ago

    Wow, might have to get this then. Damit!

  • DoctorZoidberg #98 3 years ago

    I wish everyone would stop rattling on about Oblivion. Sure it was great / shit (delete as appropriate)...

    This is not Oblivion.... It was made by the same people, but its a DIFFERENT game! jesus!

    I must say 10/10 is a surprise, but I found that to be a rather lacking review, like there are things to hide.... (okey, im a suspicious man!)

  • w00t #99 3 years ago

    Boo. And indeed, ya.

  • barchetta #100 3 years ago

    I'm not really a big RPG fan (saw about 20% of Oblivion and so far about 30% of Mass Effect) as I don't get on with stats/levelling and especially magic but do like the immersion of these games. I took a plunge into Fable II and am liking much of it so far though only the christ knows when I'll ever get close to finishing it. Now this comes along (which I didn't have down as a must - despite some glowing previews) and I know that come Friday my wallet will be dragging me towards the local games emporium. Oh well, I'm going to have to try and hold off a few months....

  • andywilkie35 #101 3 years ago

    Jesus christ, I wasn't expecting a 10 from Eurogamer, I knew this would get top scores everywhere else tho but this has pleasantly suprised me! I was gonna wait til xmas for this but not a chance now, I'm all over this on Friday, fuckyeah!

  • Olemak #102 3 years ago

    I should hurry up and finish Oblivion then.

    Oh, and I actually need a new lunch box, so everything works out here.

  • barchetta #103 3 years ago

    @ Farticus

    +1

    "All in all, it's a great time to be a gamer with a pocket full of monies!"

    Don't forget the time machine too. Or we live in hope for a slow slow start to 2009!


  • ScottyXTUK #104 3 years ago

    Wow

    Well I was hoping it would get a top review and it has, this will probably be the game I play the most from now on.

    Well done Bethesda, can't wait for my copy to arrive now.

  • ps3owner #105 3 years ago

    muscleblade ..."a lot more graphical issues"...
    littlehamster ..."receive message under XMB...the game freezes and the screen blurs for a few seconds..."

    10/10 sounds perfect yet the review tell's me nothing about which version I ought to get? PC? or PS3. looking at the comments here it seems as though it will have to be PC, which leaves me with the problem of not knowing the specs (you could have listed them). I do know that my PC isn't up to the task. So I will have to bite the bullet and get the PS3 version and just not login.
    I am not happy with the structure of the review, this is a multiplatform game and Krudster (the reviewer I assume) mentions in the COMMENTS that he's played the game mostly on the 360. "mostly", so you must have played/tested it on a ps3 and a PC, briefly anyway. what are your thoughts on that then?
    To top it all off, as somebody has mentioned before already, you haven't even mention Fallout 1/2 once! Your retrospective was written by "Keza MacDonald" and it was spot on! However your REVIEW was done by "Kristan Reed"
    . Why? Why not get Keza to review the bloody game!


    I am just not sure whether to order it now on amazon or not! pisses me off
    Edited by 1 at 28/10/08 @ 09:39

  • idragon #106 3 years ago

    and i thought that Gamespot has the majority of clueless editors on planet. GG Eurogamer, another gaming site bites the dust.

  • actionfitz #107 3 years ago

    ah For Fuck Sake...

    was hoping this would get a good but not too good review.
    I can't afford all the games i want this month :/

    got Fable 2the other day, almost walked out with Saints Row 2, Facry 2, Deadspace too...
    thats over £200.
    and now this...
    with Gears out soon, COD5, Left For Dead and the new WoW expansion...

    at least I dont own a PS3... or LBP would be in that list too ;/

  • rotmm #108 3 years ago

    @huppla, "Well, if you look i the top left corner, you will see that this is indeed a 360 review."

    Roofle :D

  • FTM #109 3 years ago

    I'm gutted

    with dead space, fable 2 the upcoming gears of war 2 and now this...my wife is going to kill me!!

  • ps3owner #110 3 years ago

    @huppla

    ok, I assume therefore that they will post another review for the PC and the PS3 in the near future, correct?...

  • Razz #111 3 years ago

    Ho-Ly shit. My wallet just started crying. :/

  • tincanrocket #112 3 years ago

    Awww hell yeah! 10/10 :)

    \o/

  • rotmm #113 3 years ago

    Look on the bright side FTM, she's hardly going to see you enough to have a go at you ;)

  • Eighthours #114 3 years ago

    I'm not quite as enthusiastic about the game as Kristan, I have to say. It's a hugely atmospheric, colossal achievement, but it's also riddled with flaws. The dialogue system is dated, the voice acting stilted, the real-time combat awful, the interiors repetitive, the menu map terribly designed when trying to find your way around inside anywhere... ordinarily the combination of these things would absolutely kill the game, but Fallout 3 is curiously compelling despite them.
    Edited by 1 at 28/10/08 @ 09:51

  • rotmm #115 3 years ago

    @ps3owner,

    It's unlikely. They may do one for PC if the control scheme and inventory system is sufficently different to warrant a new review, but the PS3 version is effectively the same product as the 360 one, so in no way would warrant a new review.

  • StooMonster #116 3 years ago

    As to which platform, didn't the Official PSM3 issue 107 say that "The PS3 version compares poorly to its Xbox and PC counterparts." But then they clarified by saying that the PS3 version looks "slightly worse" than the other versions, but the PC version is the graphical tour de force and the one to get. Guess they gives us a heads up on the Eurogamer Face-Off for this title.
    [link url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article. php?id=199997&site=psm
    ]http://ww w.computerandvideogames.com/art...[/link]
    Although, isn't there DLC for the Xbox 360 version?

    I pre-ordered on Steam ... now if only I could free up some time in my life to play this and the other great games that are available or just about to be released.

  • Vanmunt #117 3 years ago

    Any ideas which this is better on... no fanbaiting just would like to know... is the dlc only on 360?

    10... hmm.. Fable2 worse most pointless ending ever and a 10.. whats wrong with giving good games a 9 *cough*lbp*cough*

  • Turrican #118 3 years ago

    Firstly, its great that this game lives up to its promise, rather that than a 6 or 7 due to critical flaws (just hope they haven't been missed like the Oblivion Levelling Feature).

    However, this absurd rush of AAA titles being released in the space of 3 weeks is no good. I'm sure the publishers have worked out this is the best time to maximise profits, but it really is survival of the fittest, loads of very good games will be buried under the weight of the biggest titles. So now I will get Fable 2 and Fallout 3, but Far Cry, Dead Space et al will not get my money.

    Why can't they spread some of these titles out so we don't have the interminable summer drought every damn year! Its just crazy imo.

  • Raymeister #119 3 years ago

    Sppfffttt: The sound of four ten pound notes leaving my wallet, never to return...

  • Ihya #120 3 years ago

    Same reviewer who gave Oblivion 10/10? There are too many faults forgiven that I experienced in that game for a Eurogamer 10 score. After reading other folks' reviews of Fallout 3 the same appears true here.

  • Xedoss #121 3 years ago

    Game Of The Year!!!!

  • rotmm #122 3 years ago

    @Raymeister, You could put £5 back in it if you preorder it from Zavvi.co.uk. And if you'd rather pick it up yourself, then just choose to collect at store on release day.

    It seems to me that Zavvi is becoming the place to buy games online, though in-store prices tend to be the same as other retail chains.

  • Lebowski #123 3 years ago

    Another 10/10.

    Talk about "The Story of Too Much."

  • ps3owner #124 3 years ago

    ok huppla. I'll get the PS3 version then. hope they'll fix the bugs ;)

  • IronCladChicken #125 3 years ago

    So... PC or XBox360 version?

    Btw, FTM - You're not Greg Mitchell a gorgeous sandy coloured labrador by any chance are you?

  • Xerx3s #126 3 years ago

    Too bad that headbog/arbiter & co where banned, they could have rampaged through this entire thread with claims of bias and unfairness.

  • Les #127 3 years ago

    "Same reviewer who gave Oblivion 10/10? There are too many faults forgiven that I experienced in that game for a Eurogamer 10 score. After reading other folks' reviews of Fallout 3 the same appears true here."

    +0.5

    I didn't get Oblivion based on the score but for the glowing review text that really made the game appear to be enjoyable. It made me disregard my dislike of the art style exhibited in the numerous trailers. How foolish of me. Besides being an awful looking game artistically, it had a broken graphics engine and worst of all broken gameplay.

    From the ING review I understand that Bethesda didn't fire its entire artistic staff nor send them on an animation for beginners course.

  • DUFFMAN5 #128 3 years ago

    Right then, it looks as though Fable II will remain sealed (only arrived yesterday) I though to myself spend the rest of the week with Saints 2 (60% in) and then Friday night is Fable II night...
    Do I keep wrapped and buy Fallout instead*. I think I should pop over to play.com.

    *rhetorical question, of course

  • ekko #129 3 years ago

    People keep mentioning Oblivion because the review does. If Kristan was going to do a "compare" review then I'd rather he did so against Fallout 1 & 2, but I guess I can't have everything.
    Edited by 1 at 28/10/08 @ 10:13

  • BiscuitBase #130 3 years ago

    ARGH TOO MANY GAMES TO PLAY

  • Xerx3s #131 3 years ago

    "Treasured franchise gets a hyped sequel and a glowing review from Eurogamer. Think I'll pass... ;) "

    Kthxbye, you don't mind that the rest of use will keep on playing awesome games eh?

    "According to a british PS3 magazine the PS3 version has a lot more graphical issues than the 360 version. Just wanted the people with both systems to know."

    Oh give it a rest will you.

    "Not entirely surprising given IGN's favourable attitude to PS3 exclusives. "

    ZOMG! IGN = t3h bias!

    "But it's not as childish as deriding someone else's opinion of a game because you don't agree. "

    <a href='http://mikedorazio.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/ms_word .jpg'>MS Word yo</a>!

    -----

    Great timing btw, after +- 1000 hours of playtime, I finished it 2 weeks ago. I can now safely say that I've seen at least 50% of the game. Oblivion is without doubt one of the best games made this generation, hopefully this will continue. Got to finish fable 2 first though. :(
    The ps3/pc/360 most certainly have a great line-up this autumn!

  • Les #132 3 years ago

    "People keep mentioning Oblivion because the review does."

    People keep mentioning Oblivion because it was created by the same people that created this game.

  • kangarootoo #133 3 years ago

    This comments thread makes me feel disappointed. You would really think that people might, after all this time, finally GET that liking games is wholly subjective. Are people pretending to be thick just so they can enjoy the fight?

    I really liked Oblivion. I also liked Mass Effect, and Morrowind, and Jade Empire. I liked Fallout 1 & 2, and Daggerfall, and Fable. Can anyone see a trend developing?

    I don't particularly like Battlefield 2. Its an awesome game and well deserves its reputation, but online competetive shooters just aren't my thing. Doesn't matter how good they, I just don't dig them.

    Some people will never like this game, and some people will love it. If one of those people that loves it happens to be a journalist that reviews it doesn't make them a good or bad journalist. Its just the way the dice falls.

    It would be idiotic would it not for a publications to set a journalist loose on a game that typified a genre they hated, as they would hardly produce a review that gave fans of the genre what they needed to know. I recall once reading a bad review of Monkey Island 2, but a reviewer that simply hated the whole point and click advanture genre.

    Here is the kangarootoo reiew of FO3, and I haven't even played the game.

    "If this kind of game isn't your bag, you won't like it. If you love RPGs like this, its one of the good ones. I give this game no score whatsoever because I trust you all to apply your intelligence".

    This comments thread makes me feel disappointed, because many of you will be old enough to vote soon. And realising that almost all of life is subjective is pretty important if you have any hand in controlling it. If you don't like FO3 and its kind, move along quietly and buy something else. I'll even clap whilst you do so.

  • ThePatrioticBrit #134 3 years ago

    10/10 nice. IGN gave it 8.8.

  • pinhead #135 3 years ago

    Yes I will probably pick this up. I did not get into oblivion because of the setting which is why fable 2 is not floating my boat as a potential purchase.

    Will I pick it up on PC or 360 TBD. Shiny new 22" monitor says PC, 42" HDTV and sofa says 360.

    For those moaning about the review score. Use this review as a source of opinion. You also have other references to compare reviews with should you wish to. I personally find EG a pretty good site for a reasonable guide to where a game is at. A 10 score to me says that this is a good example of this genre of title, oh and all software has bugs. Remember this is the reviewers opinion and if you disagree with it you can always just JOG ON!

  • Silvervein #136 3 years ago

    This review feels more like PR drivel than review. It bounces off the things beth pr highlighted and curiously keeps silent about everything else. It almost makes me wonder how big the money check from zanimax was for posting this review.
    That aside.
    Fallout 3: improved oblivion? There's that saying about polishing a turd. And 10/10? I'm curious to see what will be opinions about this game in a months time, when impact of threads on sales will be negligible and company censorship won't bother with fishing out bad press anymore.
    Edited by 2 at 28/10/08 @ 10:32

  • prolific8 #137 3 years ago

    "Besides being an awful looking game artistically"

    Oblivion was many things, but awful looking was certainly not one of them.

  • Les #138 3 years ago

    People getting off on scores is what annoys me most in threads like these. 10/10 is as meaningless as 1/10, 7/10, etc. Let's not discuss or make statements about scores but about the review text or better still, the real game.

  • Nameless-001 #139 3 years ago

    Yes..10\10..like that shit that was Oblivion.
    And unlike the last preview of the game that I read on EG (that was quite (refreshingly) negative and\or critical).
    And I see the reviewer isn't the same as the guy who made the preview. Understandable, yes..
    Maybe I trusted this site far too much..
    Edited by 1 at 28/10/08 @ 10:47

  • Xerx3s #140 3 years ago

    Oh dear, this autumn in particular must be very hard for les. Think of him while play your goty this autumn.

  • Abscido #141 3 years ago

    Nice one Kris!

  • ps3owner #142 3 years ago

    hupple, could you post the link please?

  • septimus #143 3 years ago

    FFS another 10. Don't have time for this game at all either.... damn it.

    One to get and leave until I get around to it I guess. Really wanted this to suck so I didn't need to get it at any point.

  • symmetry #144 3 years ago

    Oh Fucking Shitballs.

    Was hoping this would be a 7 or 8 so I wouldn't have to buy it so close to Fable2, GOW 2, Mirror's Edge and Left 4 Dead !!!

  • michaelius #145 3 years ago

    Ok now with 10/10 i'm finally reassured that this is just FPS becouse official maximum score on EG for rpg's is 8.

  • oerhoert #146 3 years ago

    "Besides being an awful looking game artistically"

    Oblivion was many things, but awful looking was certainly not one of them.

    Not technically, of course, but notice that he specifically says artistically. Oblivion is quite dire in that manner, a generic I-want-to-be-LOTR non-descript high fantasy bore.

    Kristan: I liked the review, but wanted more information on the quality of the story. Any reason you decided to go for a "short" review with such a long-awaited game?
    Edited by 1 at 28/10/08 @ 10:55

  • Darren #147 3 years ago

    How well does Fallout 3 run on the PC? I know it uses the same engine as Oblivion but does it run identically to that game? In other words, will it run as well as Oblivion does now on my current PC, or is the engine heavily tweaked and thus far more demanding?

  • Gl3n #148 3 years ago

    Another 10 /o\

    If Gears and banjo score well, i'm done for :(

  • peteb #149 3 years ago

    @michaelius

    Fable II

  • FooAtari #150 3 years ago

    From the way he compares this game to Oblivion and Bioshock think I'll be giving it a miss. I thought both games were highly overrated. Especially Oblivion which bored the pants off me. I might pick it up when it gets cheap and see what like.

    60 hours though? It seems games are either too short or too long these days. Don't really have time to devote 60 hours to one game.

  • The_Game_Guy #151 3 years ago

    WARNING on saving:

    [link url=http://www.gameplayer.com.au/gp_documents/ Fallout3-Warning.aspx?Page=1
    ]http://ww w.gameplayer.com.au/gp_document...[/link]

    Also:

    Graphics
    The resolution is crisp, the landscapes are impressive, and there are a lot of clever details to be found in the massive world. However, the unrealistic ragdoll physics, often inaccurate V.A.T.S. animations, flat textures, repetitive environments, and poor, emotionless facial expressions combine to make the visual experience decidedly less than stellar.

    Control
    Having the ability to completely customize the control mapping is a great feature. Unfortunately, the shooter mechanic is clunky. The game plays as if it were a ported PC title; it begs for a mouse and WASD keys.

    Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
    The background music, radio function, and sound effects are all nicely captured, but the star-studded voice acting is fairly grating; the silly comments made during fights and the consistently inane conversations detract from the overall sense of accomplishment.

    Play Value
    There is so much to do in this game it's almost overkill. There is an enormous amount of quests, character development options, factions to join, and territory to cover. If you get hooked, you'll be playing this title for months!

    http://ww w.cheatcc.com/xbox360/rev/fallo...

  • X201 #152 3 years ago

    @huppla

    IGN US 9.6
    IGN UK 8.8
    IGN OZ 9.5

  • corposant #153 3 years ago

    Dear EG. How dare you give a game in a genre that I don't like, a 10! You should be aware of my personal views. I am very fond of lace-making. There's no lace-making in Fallout 3 as far as I can tell - although you wouldn't know it from this review!

    For shame.

  • JediMasterMalik #154 3 years ago

    Can't wait for this!

  • PearOfAnguish #155 3 years ago

    "Erm, IGN gave it 9.6"

    IGN UK gave it 8.8.
    Alec Meer did that one so the writing is vastly superior to the godawful IGN US review.
    Edited by 3 at 28/10/08 @ 11:08

  • Kreydon #156 3 years ago

    Ah, the master of platitudes. So many words, saying so little. An intuitive interface? How so? What is a transparent and logical levelling system? You gain EXP and level up? Is that worth commending in this "new era"?

    "It delights with countless improvements to the Oblivion engine, physics and animation. "
    Does it now? I didn't notice that when watching gameplay footage. The animations suck.

    "everyone drove fusion-powered cars"
    Yet they fought a war over oil. How could they be so stupid? Oh right, that's because originally, the cars weren't fusion-powered. That was a custom job in Fallout 2. Fusion power wasn't commonplace in Fallout's idea of the pre-apocalyptic world.

    "The dialogue system is simple and elegant, usually offering positive, neutral or negative responses."
    You couldn't even provide an example. In fact, all screenshots in this "review" are months old. How do I know you even played the game?

    I have to edit my comment one more time to make it more memelicious: This review is worthless without pics. NEW pics.

    "Because combat is so fast and deadly in real-time, you find yourself forced to rely on V.A.T.S. in a measured, strategic fashion."
    I.e. as much as possible. When you were scavenging the dictionary for such gems as "embarassment of riches" you apparently forgot to look up the correct use of "strategic" as well.


    "Some might find it irritating, initially, that the real-time combat is so fast and loose compared to the average FPS, but then that's the point. It's rarely if ever desirable to fight this way. This bias towards V.A.T.S. also helps Fallout 3 evade comparison with FPS titles"
    I see. Real-time combat sucks, but that's OK because it's meant to, don't compare Fallout 3 to games with good real-time combat, that'd be profoundly unfair. Yeah, let's not judge a game on its merits but on how it's "supposed" to be judged.

    "As a graphic illustration of choice"
    THE graphic illustration, you gotta say. The one official example Bethesda has been willing to provide. Much like Fargoth in Morrowind, I wouldn't be suprised if it was unique rather than representative.

    I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the actual beginnings of real criticism near the end of the review, thankfully quickly negated before it could sway the reader's mind.


    I am very impressed by a review whose contents could be entirely made up from previews. No new screenshot, no new example of gameplay, dialogue, story or choice beyond what we've seen months ago. Even all the arguments for why the game is so brilliant are nothing new. I've seen previews that were more substantial than this drivel.

    This review gets the Pete Hines seal of approval! 11/10

    PS: Goddammit, what's with all those bloody typos!
    Edited by 5 at 28/10/08 @ 11:30

  • FooAtari #157 3 years ago

    How come people are moaning about all the good games coming out at the moment. You don't have to buy and play them all as soon as they are released. There will be several barren months ahead after Christmas to pick all these games up. Although I do agree games from smaller devs publishers should release at other points in the year to avoid being buried by the big hitters.

    @kangarootoo.

    You talk to much sense, therefor you comments are not welcome here! ;)

  • Megalodon #158 3 years ago

    What the?!?!!?!

    From all those horrific previews of yours, I was under the impression that this was gonna be a 6er, at most. Now I'm impressed.

    *Reads the article*

  • The_Game_Guy #159 3 years ago

    "How come people are moaning about all the good games coming out at the moment. "

    They are moaning at the obviously 'bribed up' scores these games are getting.

    Anyway, I will not be buying this for my console.
    Why should I pay twice as much as PC users?
    I choose not to.

  • septimus #160 3 years ago

    After reading other (more balanced) reviews, this certainly doesn't seem a 10 or a 9.5 for that matter. A worthwhile purchase none the less.

  • Snidesworth #161 3 years ago

    "the most important thing for now is that Fallout 3 manages to improve on almost everything Oblivion did well"

    This strikes me as an attempt to glaze over the flaws and say "it's Oblivion, but better!" Any not a word on how it compares with the old Fallout games. Having read the retrospective last night and it reminded me of why I loved the originals. The exploration was certainly key, as was the combat, but there was also the dialogue. As the article said, "It made you care, deeply, about people who were only a few moving pixels and sentences of expository text." What I want to know is if Fallout 3 does this. Any improvement over Oblivion is great, but are there iconic, memorable characters like Killian Darkwater, First Citizen Lynette or good ol' Harold?

  • Calgon #162 3 years ago

    Right, now it feels like this generation has started properly... if theres still people moping about complaining that gaming isnt as good as it used to be now, they need to take those rose tinted goggles off or stop gaming(I have a feeling most of those comments will come from Nintendo fans now).

    This gen is shaping up to be one of the best in a long while at this rate.

  • Kreydon #163 3 years ago

    How come people are moaning about people moaning about all the good games coming out at the moment? You don't have to read their comments, nor do yu have to comment yourself.


    "Anyway, I will not be buying this for my console.
    Why should I pay twice as much as PC users?
    I choose not to."

    Thus is the greatness of Fallout 3: It gives you the power of choice!

  • mcmonkeyplc #164 3 years ago

    9.5 or 10, what the fuck difference does it make? It's fucking good.

    Also whats with the Oblivion hate? I assume all that's coming from the PS3 fanboys.

  • Snidesworth #165 3 years ago

    mcmonkeyplc: It's coming from people who found Oblivion to be a vapid experience (at least with regards to characterisation and storytelling) and are afraid that these qualities have leaked into a series that is praised for it's dialogue, characters and story. Oblivion was good for having fun in an open world environment, exploring and getting loot/exp, but it was pretty poor when it came plot and dialogue.

  • FortysixterUK #166 3 years ago

    Thankyou EG. ( I never thought I would say that ! )
    In your face all you naysayers, feel free to Foxtrot Oscar.
    I don't know why I'm surpirsed at the score, I would have got the game and thoroughly enjoyed it even if it only scored 5 !
    Come on Shopto.net wheres my ltd edition and strat guide ?

  • MasterNameless #167 3 years ago

    @Kreydon

    How come you're moaning about people moaning about people moaning then eh? O_o You don't have to read their commen....

    Damn it, now I'm doing it too!!!

  • muscleblade #168 3 years ago

    @mcmonkeyplc

    Oblivion is availaible for both the PS3 and 360 so i dont see your point.

  • michaelius #169 3 years ago

    9.5 or 10, what the fuck difference does it make? It's fucking good.

    Also whats with the Oblivion hate?

    Becouse non moded Oblivion was shit and total failure as RPG - becouse no it's not normal that you jump all the way to other town to level acrobatics or shoot spells at trees to level up :D

  • Xerx3s #170 3 years ago

    "Oblivion is availaible for both the PS3 and 360 so i dont see your point. "

    He means the diehard nintendo fanboys. In particular: Les.

  • hiddenranbir #171 3 years ago

    So really, this is a better oblivion for sure. But questionable on a better Fallout which depends on the feelings of Fallout fans.

    I can take that.

    Of course, with Kristan, over-rating or under-rating is common! Let's find out on Friday!
    Edited by 1 at 28/10/08 @ 11:43

  • Blackthorned #172 3 years ago

    Obviously it was written by different people but does anyone else find the relationship between the EG preview and review of this game odd? The preview threw up a number of issues that looked like potential deal breakers for many but the reviewer hasn't touched upon them in any detail where I feel he should have - especially in light of it being giving a 10.

    I want this game to be good, I want to buy it but it just seemed odd to me.




    .

  • curtlikesmeat #173 3 years ago

    "Besides being an awful looking game artistically"

    Oblivion was many things, but awful looking was certainly not one of them.

    Not technically, of course, but notice that he specifically says artistically. Oblivion is quite dire in that manner, a generic I-want-to-be-LOTR non-descript high fantasy bore.

    Couldn't agree more. Technically it was outstanding but artistically it was extremely bland, especially compared to Morrowind (and even more so compared to stuff like WoW). This review doesn't say a lot for me. I'm not pushed on the setting and I don't like the sound of the combat so I'll give it a miss.

    The main thing I wanted to know is: if you manage to reach the boss at level 1 would he still be level 1? I know the review mentioned this briefly but it wasn't clear to me, sorry. Scaling levelling was absolute balls in Oblivion, totally killed any immersion - I completed it at level 3.

  • KreyAtiv #174 3 years ago

    With the levelling topping off at 20 I guess people will need to be a bit more careful about what areas they add points to.
    But I suppose getting to that level is part of the fun.
    Looking forward to getting the Brotherhood of Steel armor that is on the box art. :D Should be good to keep radiation out.

  • christourlord #175 3 years ago

    10 means fuck all on this site these days.

    Reading other reviewers' impressions (particularly Alec Meer's over on RPS) makes me wonder what actually motivates giving a perfect 10 to such an obviously flawed game.

  • ph101 #176 3 years ago

    I cannot understand all the oblivin hatred. Is it "cool" to hate oblivion? It was an outstanding game never before has there been such an open and involving world and narrative. Most definately a 10 if not oblivion then what desreves it? Fallout 3 sounds great as a result. I was dubious following previews and have some concerns about VATS but if its on a par or even better than oblivion i'm all over it.

  • IronCladChicken #177 3 years ago

    kangarootoo
    >This comments thread makes me feel disappointed. You would really think that people might, after all this time, finally GET that liking
    > games is wholly subjective.

    Sure, but, this is the discussions section where people talk about their subjective opion of the game?

  • Planeswalker #178 3 years ago

    "Bethesda has returned to the more familiar progression of awarding players XP for every kill and successful mission, allowing you to level up as you go."

    Best thing i've heard, as great as Oblivion was, after a while it got pointless because of this.

  • PearOfAnguish #179 3 years ago

    "does anyone else find the relationship between the EG preview and review of this game odd?"

    "Obviously it was written by different people"

    You answered your own question.

  • Physically_Insane #180 3 years ago

    10 OVERLOAD

  • InsoFox #181 3 years ago

    I'm still wary. I enjoyed Oblivion while I was playing it, but it had similar buggy problems that have plagued all the games in the series. I want to believe Fallout 3 has improved on this, but too much reminds me of the negative parts of oblivion - such as the horribly squishy uncanny valley face models/animations. If the artists and animators in Half Life 2 could make great looking faces, then why are so many games still getting this wrong?

    Who am I kidding? I'll get this and I'll eat it up. I just worry that, like Oblivion, instead of looking back on all the fun I had, the flaws will bubble to the surface after a while.

    Still, I'm glad that at least the core experience proves worthy as ever.

  • iago71 #182 3 years ago

    Looking forward to playing this though God knows when Ill have time to fit it in what with all the other great titles at the mo! After Christmas I guess.

  • spekkeh #183 3 years ago

    How come the preview completely berated the game and this review is nothing but praise? Does it just come down to different reviewer opinions? Have Bethesda fixed the problems in a matter of weeks? Were they not problems to begin with? This must be one of the most sloppy reviews I've seen this otherwise great website pull off.

    tl;dr

    An explanation, I demand one

  • mingster #184 3 years ago

    As long as you can ignore the dodgy character animations, the poor textures, the poor way the characters stand/slide/clip into the environment (especially in 3rd person view) as long as you liked oblivion then you will like this.
    If any of the above things annoy you then they will drive you mad in this game.

  • clean515 #185 3 years ago

    Wow throwing around 10/10 alot these days ? I would at best give this 8/10, it's way too much oblivion like and they could atleast have hired more than 4 voice actors. The gameplay is boring, the graphics are surprisngly bad at some points and it's just not impressive at all.

  • Les #186 3 years ago

    "I cannot understand all the oblivin hatred. Is it "cool" to hate oblivion? It was an outstanding game never before has there been such an open and involving world and narrative."

    Differences in preferences. I can't understand that anyone could honestly think Oblivion was good. But I can't really care less if they do.

  • RedSparrows #187 3 years ago

    OH FFS shut up all of you, jesus wept. If anyone still has trouble applying the 'subjective taste to a minimal level of objective quality' thing (and worse, doing it with snobbery that is utterly undeserved, simply because you played a game 10 years ago), then you have a more serious problem of broken thinking, than FO3 getting a number next to another number.

    Damn it, there's too many games and I don't have enough cash, time or....cash.
    Edited by 1 at 28/10/08 @ 12:30

  • xagarath #188 3 years ago

    I fear to say that the 8.8 IGN review seems much better-written than this one.
    Unusual for IGN to outdo EG, but there you go.

  • Physically_Insane #189 3 years ago

    How can people say stuff like, "I'd give this an 8/10", before they've even played it let alone completed it!?

  • Physically_Insane #190 3 years ago

    The phrase "let alone" looks weird when writen down. :/

  • mingster #191 3 years ago

    Unfortunately in this case i side with the UK IGN review more than the EG one.
    It's a rare day indeed when i agree with IGN more but unfortunately this game just has too many graphical flaws (honestly don't play it in 3rd person view!) and other inconsistancies to warrant a perfect 10.

  • bonker #192 3 years ago

    "Too bad that headbog/arbiter & co where banned, they could have rampaged through this entire thread with claims of bias and unfairness. "

    They were banned? WTF for??!!

  • captain_artyfartfog #193 3 years ago

    If ever there was a case for Eurogamer having alternative reviews from other peples perspective, this was it.

    10/10s are guarunteed for hyped games that are on the 360, but anything on the PS3 loses out.

    Teh Biaes.


  • yegon #194 3 years ago

    Easily my most awaited game of the year, and I'm off Fri, Sat, Sun. Get in.

  • bigbadbeasty #195 3 years ago

    Same shit storm as always - "I wouldn't give it that... bitch, moan etc".

    Regardless, I have already pre-ordered. I loved Obilivion, I have faith that this will be another quality title. Reviews have been strong across the board, so be it a 8, 9 or 10, it will be a good game I expect.

    The only game that had massively different reviews was Assassins Creed, it had reviews from 3/10 to 10/10. I blagged a free copy, good job too, as it was shit with knobs on.

  • avoozl #196 3 years ago

    I like these comments that dismiss people who didn't like Oblivion as youths or "PS3 fanboys", despite being given proper explanations. You know that funny thing children do where they put their fingers in their ears and start singing when they don't want to hear something, hehehe.

  • clean515 #197 3 years ago

    Physically_Insane > Because we have played it ?

  • bonker #198 3 years ago

    "SOLD!

    which version though... "

    PC (if, y'know, it actually works) > 360 > PS3.

  • kangarootoo #199 3 years ago

    @IronCladChicken

    "Sure, but, this is the discussions section where people talk about their subjective opion of the game?"

    Yeah, but some people deliver their subjective opinion as if it is objective fact. The same people might as well repeatedly and stubbornly state that the moon is made of cheese. Then they get livid when someone disagrees with them, and try to suggest that the opposing point of view is simply "wrong". "Where is the love?" as some pop-hop band might ask.

    I don't object to discussion in itself. Proper debate is great stuff. An exchange of ideas, some questioning of assumptions, its all gravy to me. I just tire of the same tabloid outrage idiocy. There is a difference between intelligent debate and just "saying stuff". Not even original stuff. The same stuff some people have been saying for years. The stuff people are still saying because they haven't deepened their understanding one iota in all that time.

    When I read yet ANOTHER comment about how "Oblivion was shit, there is no way it was 10/10, this site is teh biazed" I just wonder how many polar bears might be saved if such people just stopped breathing out. Is that really the best contribution that some people feel they can make? The same uninformed bleating that is mirrored by a hundred others?

    That is the question I am really asking. What is the real cost, measured in polar bears? ;)


    I'm in full rant mode, so I'm going to chill. I'm going to play FO3 and I'm almost certainly going to enjoy it, but regardless of whether it rocks my world or just nudges it with its foot, at no point during the experience is the mere concept of a review score going to enter my head.

  • FrankCannon #200 3 years ago

    Guaranteed and biased you numpty.

  • NickJC1 #201 3 years ago

    Oblivion was horse shit, Morrowind raped it in every area, I have faith that this is better.

    But the 10/10's thrown about on a lot of gaming sites in the last 12 months is very worrying, I still don't think there has been a 10/10 game since Ocarina of time. To easy now days to get a clean sweep of amazing scores on video game sites. I blame the massive $$$ involved in advertising.

    Up goes massive Fable 2 adverts 10/10
    Up goes massive Fallout 3 adverts 10/10
    rinse and repeat for Halo 3, GTA IV, Bioshock, Braid, UGH...10/10 means nothing anymore.

  • izerman76 #202 3 years ago

    A few quotes from the review:

    Even the script and voice acting are pretty decent, and there are reams of detailed text logs to discover.

    - So a decent script and voice acting is considered a praise?

    Because combat is so fast and deadly in real-time, you find yourself forced to rely on V.A.T.S. in a measured, strategic fashion. You'll dive out of cover, slam it on, try and cripple a specific body part and get the hell away before the enemy can strike back.

    - wow, amazing strategic level for a 10/10 game. Hit and run. I wonder if the AI is so dumb that does not follow you and stick in its 5-foot radious field of vision, or such an unparalleled level on napoleontic strategy is too complicated for the highly sophisticated AI to comprehend?

    It is obvious that the programmers aimed for a turn-based game, but because FPS is the trend nowadays, they gave it a fps look but made it impossible to play the game in any other way than turn-based. Very honest approach.

    And furthermore, there is no mention about the types and variety of the quests, the length of the game (15-20 or 80-100 hours?). And don't get me started about the comparisson with Mass Effect's battles (which were great imo, not too difficult, varied approach to them).

    A pretty poor attempt for a review, it seemed more like a preview to be honest.

  • Blackthorned #203 3 years ago

    @PearOfAnguish

    Why consciously misinterpret my point in an attempt at humour? Oh yes, it's the internet.

    Opinions differ but they are published under the banner of Eurogamer, a site with regular readers who follow their coverage on the progress of a game - in short why couldn't the reviewer cross reference any of the notably negative concerns raised in the preview?

  • FrankCannon #204 3 years ago

    Radius you numpty

  • bonker #205 3 years ago

    Well it's certainly fun when the PC gaming boys get involved isn't it and can't you just tell which ones they are by their comments?!

    Honestly, you guys need to get your own site for this stuff - all your trashing of games like Oblivion etc based on "Elves ears are not pointy enough" (I know you're not actually saying that but it sounds like it) etc is hilarious.

    The fact is that more and more of "your type" of games are going to be coming to consoles and yeah, they will get dumbed down/made more 'fun' because of it and while that may be sad for you, maybe if more of you actually bought your half-priced games rather than pirating them then the PC would still be holding the attention of publishers as it used to ...

  • FrankCannon #206 3 years ago

    SPELLING!!!! 4/10 See me.

  • mikeck #207 3 years ago

    "How come the preview completely berated the game and this review is nothing but praise? Does it just come down to different reviewer opinions? Have Bethesda fixed the problems in a matter of weeks? Were they not problems to begin with? This must be one of the most sloppy reviews I've seen this otherwise great website pull off.

    tl;dr

    A twat, I am one"

    Fixed!
    Edited by 3 at 28/10/08 @ 13:06

  • SteveB #208 3 years ago

    I skipped on Oblivion because the levelling up system put me off, but it looks like this has been addressed in Fallout 3. From reading other reviews and forum members comments who have the game, it seems that this game has a lot of technical issues that are glossed over in this review. However I’m still really looking forward to it, as I’m hoping the gameplay, setting and atmosphere will far out way any technical deficiencies.

  • JoeBlade #209 3 years ago

    Ohhh, I've figured it out: the recent slew of 10/10 games is an incentive for additional site activity, thus increasing advertisment revenue! By the looks of this comments section it's working out rather well...

    /snaps out of conspiracy theory mode

  • Darren #210 3 years ago

    @OldRed - My three favourite and most memorable games of this generation are Oblivion, BioShock and GTA IV, three games which for some reason I've noticed have become fashionable to hate. I've never understood it myself whereas I've found other acclaimed games such as Gears of War and Halo 3 a bit ordinary and nothing particularly special. But, you know, as long as I love those games, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. I suspect that Fallout 3 will also be a game that many love and many hate. It's just what always seems to happen with "popular" games.

  • Petulant_Radish #211 3 years ago

    You liked Oblivion: buy it.

    You didn’t like Oblivion: don’t.

    Everyone else just do one.

  • FooAtari #212 3 years ago

    What ever happened to being able to just not like a game? I was someone that didn't like Oblivion

    mcmonkeyplc
    "Also whats with the Oblivion hate? I assume all that's coming from the PS3 fanboys."

    At the time I only owned a 360. I'm not really a fanboy of anything, but my platform of choice is the PC.

    Old Red
    Some of the criticisms of it are such bullshit though, you really have to wonder about the taste of todays gameplaying yoof. Shit the objection aimed at Oblivions 10/10 compared to GTA4 and the double standards is quite sickening and shows these kids are just whores for marketing.

    What counts as youth in gaming. I'm 27 been playing games since I got an Amstrad CPC 464. Although I didn't realise you had to be certain age before you could be critical of games. For what it's worth I think GTA 4 is overhyped too.

    Both games I bought on release and sold again within a few days. But clearly I like to waste money selling on games just so I can be fashionable and say I don't like them...

    Pisses me off when people who don't agree with your opinion have to somehow validate why your wrong and they are right. You love it, great. I thought it was a pretty tedious experience which after ten hours I could take no more of, as with the other Elder Scroll games now I come to think of it. Whats the problem.
    Edited by 1 at 28/10/08 @ 13:37

  • Dizzy #213 3 years ago

    "10 means fuck all on this site these days.

    Reading other reviewers' impressions (particularly Alec Meer's over on RPS) makes me wonder what actually motivates giving a perfect 10 to such an obviously flawed game. "

    Errr?? Do do know that Alec writes for EG as well. Yeah of course you did!

  • Petulant_Radish #214 3 years ago

    But then what would I know, I am merely a bad tempered root vegetable with my head in the ground about most things, especially thermo-nuclear physics, though not freeze pops psychology

  • Gandelin #215 3 years ago

    No mention of how good the storyline is and if it successfully continues on from the Black Isle games, from a short mention that die hard fallout fans may not agree with the change in authors from Black Isle to Bethseda it leaves me thinking... well is the story any good or not?

    Clearly this review covers most of the major elements for an FPS but the Fallout games were always about the storytelling aspect it just baffles me that the review can effectively skip that element and still give the game 10/10. I mean no-one judged Deus Ex or Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines on gameplay and graphics because everyone was so enthralled by the story itself. I will more than likely buy Fallout 3 but I would have liked to heard how eurogamer feels about the change from Black Isle to Bethseda and if the game sucks you in like the first two.

  • UncleLou #216 3 years ago

    I feel sorry for anyone who opens IGN in their browser let alone enjoys the content


    Got to love a knee-jerk response like that. IGN UK is pretty good. And Alec Meer, who has written the IGN UK review, is one of the best games journalists you can find.

  • JYM60 #217 3 years ago

    IGN UK is basically the reviewers who don't get the big games here but get them there.

    Everyone's favourite McCarthy pops up all the time. :)

  • Lemming81 #218 3 years ago

    Suck it, NMA! :)

  • mingster #219 3 years ago

    The IGN UK review is extremely detailed and gives you way more accurate details to base your buying decision on. It's worth reading as a second point of reference. Its very informative.

  • Marvinator #220 3 years ago

    cannot. wait.

  • hiddenranbir #221 3 years ago

    Yup, better work from IGN. For shame.

  • avoozl #222 3 years ago

    @bonker

    The PC game comments sections are coherent, and usually has pretty interesting conversation. The last time I went to check out the review of a console game (LittleBigPlanet), the comments section was completely unreadable, and filled with gibberish about halo3 and fights over which console was better. Don't worry I read mostly the PC sections. This review covers three different platforms.

    I find it very strange you are on an internet forum and you seem to be expecting a place where everybody agrees with you. I can see that you are unable to respect other people's opinions on a videogame. I wonder how you deal with a conflict of opinion where the issue is actually serious.

  • Feanor #223 3 years ago

    Giant Bomb's review covers the negative points of the game a little more thoroughly.

    http://ww w.giantbomb.com/fallout-3/61-20...

  • Mr_Brown #224 3 years ago

    You've got to laugh at all the haters (not just here but on the internet in general). We all knew (especially the developers) that old fans would hate this regardless of how they made it. They hate it because it isn't Fallout 1, which means pleasing less that 50,000 strong fanbase was going to be impossible (just look how many state Fallout 2 isn't as good, because it isn't exactly the same as the first). I'm not going to pretend that I have played or even seen much of the previous Fallout games, but you can understand why the devs didn't bend backwards to try and please a very small number of thankless c**ts.

    Its nothing like the original Fallout games and I'm glad it is not, the originals are about 10 years old. Things have moved on. I would rather they try and make the games as interesting and fun for everyone not just a core set of fans. It is sad they used the name to sell more copies, but lets be honest here, it could be worse, just look how Silent Hill fans have been treat (me included). Two games bearing the name of Silent Hill both scored 6/10 and you lot moan that your favourite series has been raped and made into a bloody 10/10 game.

    As for the hate regarding Oblivion, frankly I'm stunned. I know its not a game everyone would like, but I fail to see how anyone wouldn't see it has an incredible achievement of a game. It has its issues and didn't meet all its promises, but to put it frankly, if you cannot see any greatness in that game at all I would question your own tastes rather than the majority who absolutly adored it.

    Rant over. I shall definatly be buying this and enjoying it imensely
    Edited by 2 at 28/10/08 @ 14:17

  • krudster #225 3 years ago

    Here's a fact for you all to chew on: Fallout, in its lifetime, sold 20,500 copies in the UK.

  • UncleLou #226 3 years ago

    "Here's a fact for you all to chew on: Fallout, in its lifetime, sold 20,500 copies in the UK. "

    Pah! Doesn't affect me one bit. I am surprised about such high sales numbers of a good PC game in the UK! ;)

  • Eighthours #227 3 years ago

    Here's my own review, for compare-and-contrast excitement:

    [link url=http://www.incgamers.com/Games/1943/reviews/765/Fallout -3
    ]http://ww w.incgamers.com/Games/1943/revi...[/link]

    I'm more with Alec Meer than Kristan on this occasion, but there you go.

  • sanduixe #228 3 years ago

    10/10?
    OMG, AWESOME!

  • oerhoert #229 3 years ago

    Dear EG. How dare you give a game in a genre that I don't like, a 10! You should be aware of my personal views. I am very fond of lace-making. There's no lace-making in Fallout 3 as far as I can tell - although you wouldn't know it from this review!

    For shame.

    Post of the thread.

  • ElNino9 #230 3 years ago

    Fuck sake, too many good games coming out this christmas.

    My wallet is cry. :(

  • smelly #231 3 years ago

    Once someone plays this - can they let me know if this really is a 10/10 before i spend wonga on it?

    I.e. is it a "oblivion" 10/10 - where its sooo almost great, but its obvious that the reviewer only played it for an hour or so, as if you play it long you'll see the flaws

    or is it a "bioshock" 10/10?

    or is it a true 10/10?

    I never know with this site any more - especially when there are full screen ads next to the review.

    Thanks

    (no comments from people who havent played it - I dont want to know from you - i just want to hear the bad points as well as the good)

  • T4RG4 #232 3 years ago

    "Fallout 3 has been by some margin the most enjoyable game I've played since BioShock"

    Hmm, I didnt enjoy that at all.


    Goes to read review rather than last para and score...

  • krudster #233 3 years ago

    Fallout 2 did a little better in the UK - about 46,000. Still pretty poor, considering most of those sales were when it was released on the Sold Out label.

  • ronuds #234 3 years ago

    I was going to pass on this, but now I don't know what to do!

  • darc #235 3 years ago

    "Fallout 3 has been by some margin the most enjoyable game I've played since BioShock"

    I was so excited and then you had to go and say that.

    Besides which I've been enduring the (10/10) Fable 2, so I am at best cautiously optimistic. Will rent ASAP.

    Any opinions on whether this will be better on XBox vs. PC?

  • Darren #236 3 years ago

    GameSpot have given Fallout 3 9.0 for both the PC and 360 versions. The PS3 version got 8.5. Dunno why though as the actual review text isn't there for some reason, just the scores.

  • mingster #237 3 years ago

    Smelly its not a 10 game.
    Its a 10 on this site but honestly it shouldn't be its a high 8 - low 9.

    I've played it for about 10 hours at the weekend on a 360 at a friends house.

  • lolife.se #238 3 years ago

    I'm highly sceptical of this review.. Like someone said, IGN UK's review seems to be the only one that has honestly looked at all the parts. And if there are many bugs, graphical glitches, stupid interfaces, etc, than perhaps it deserves a 9 for being great, but not a ~10.

    On the other hand, I'm extremely sceptical of the game review industry as a whole..

    Oh, and why you review an FPS game on a console, when there's a PC version is beyond me..... But then again, they keep saying the console market is more profitable...
    Edited by 1 at 28/10/08 @ 16:04

  • krudster #239 3 years ago

    Just to add a little further detail to the review. After 10, 15, even 20 hours I would agree that it's a high 8, low 9, but the 10 comes from the sheer amount of amazing experiences I had the further I got into the game. I'd say the game really starts to open up and do itself justice around the 30-40 hour mark when you've started to level-up properly, and have had a chance to really explore the intricacies of the plot and game world. THEN it became a nailed-down 10 for me.

    People who want to write it off as less than a 10 after first impressions, that's fine, I agreed with that too. I know for a fact most reviewers had about 15 hours on the game. I managed 60. It's easy to get bogged down with certain minor negative aspects of the game without really having experienced the bigger picture, at which point many of those things cease to bother you.

    I could spend another 2000 words just waxing on and giving fantastic examples of some of the stuff that goes on, but to do that would spoil the whole surprise element. I deliberately shied away from giving too much away, because half the fun is finding out this stuff for yourself.

  • JYM60 #240 3 years ago

    'I've played it for about 10 hours at the weekend on a 360 at a friends house.'

    Didn't your friend tell you to gtfo?

  • mingster #241 3 years ago

    ooo now thats actually interesting that it gets better the longer you play it.
    I didn't realise this. good to know its worth perservering with . Thanks.

  • krudster #242 3 years ago

    Also, I would like to assure people that the so-called graphical 'glitches' were not something I ever experienced in 7 solid days of play. It's wonderfully polished, I had absolutely no menu slowdown (as Alec mentioned), and no problem reading the fonts (admittedly I have a larger TV, but also played it on a 26" and never had such issues). On the contrary, I thought the menu interface was a HUGE improvement on Oblivion.

    As for the comment about the physics somehow being off...that's another element I completely disagree with. On the 360, at least, to my eyes they looked absolutely fantastic during VATS, and only on VERY rare occasions did anything remotely odd.

    In addition, the AI is generally very good, it chases you down, flushes you out of hiding places, and puts up a real fight almost all of the time. I wonder what will actually satisfy people sometimes.

  • UncleLou #243 3 years ago

    "In addition, the AI is generally very good, it chases you down, flushes you out of hiding places, and puts up a real fight almost all of the time. I wonder what will actually satisfy people sometimes."


    Now that is something I am glad to hear!

  • smelly #244 3 years ago

    >Eurogamer are giving 10's out like what Burger King give out hamburgers!

    LOL!

    But sometimes the games deserve it.

    But im more than a little paranoid about a BIG game like this - as i know most reviewers rarely play games for longer than a couple of hours (if that)...

  • kickerconspiracy #245 3 years ago

    I don't know about the targetting system though. Every video i've seen has just headshots and it's obviously the most expedient way of dispatching the enemies, so just what exactly is the point of being able to target specific body parts if it's really not worth hitting anything other than the head?

  • mr_chimp #246 3 years ago

    So excited for this. But then I'm clearly stupid, as I loved, and continue to love, Oblivion.

  • mikeck #247 3 years ago

    "I wonder what will actually satisfy people sometimes. "

    The moon on a stick. Is that too much to ask for :p

  • mikeck #248 3 years ago

    "I don't know about the targetting system though. Every video i've seen has just headshots and it's obviously the most expedient way of dispatching the enemies, so just what exactly is the point of being able to target specific body parts if it's really not worth hitting anything other than the head? "

    Those trailers have handily used a higher level character to show off head-shots, it's not going to be that easy to start with. Also, when the percentages are too low, surely a nice leg-shot to slow down your enemies is a good idea? Or as has been stated either int his review or IGN's (I forget which) you can target an enemies hand which is holding a grenade, and kaboom!! :D

  • Feanor #249 3 years ago

    I'm highly sceptical of this review.. Like someone said, IGN UK's review seems to be the only one that has honestly looked at all the parts. And if there are many bugs, graphical glitches, stupid interfaces, etc, than perhaps it deserves a 9 for being great, but not a ~10.

    See Giant Bomb's Review.

  • UncleLou #250 3 years ago

    Yeah, exactly. The official pre-release videos are a bit misleading. You'll usually have a much lower chance to actually hit the head than you have to hit the torso, for example.

  • UncleLou #251 3 years ago

    Tat said, this official screenshot demonstrates it rather well.

  • dryden555 #252 3 years ago

    it all depends how much you liked oblivion -- if you liked that, you'll like this

  • darc #253 3 years ago

    For the record (ie. despite my smarmy comments re: Bioshock and Fable 2) I thought this review was a fine read. We readers sure go out of our way to make an otherwise enviable job (games reviewer) a bitch. :)

    Oblivion-bashing is clueless revisionism IMO. There were a lot of things just head-shakingly WRONG with the design, but it was so ground breaking and effective overall, I still consider it a solid 9/10. 2 years later and most RPGs shipping pale in comparison.

    Which reminds me - the recent Fable 2 review is delusional. ;)

    Also, to everyone complaining that Fallout 3 has been reduced to an FPS, or alternately that the review paints it as a BAD FPS... I think it's pretty clear from the review that it's not an FPS at all. Which is really, really, really good news. VATS has been the most exciting idea since this game was announced, and I hope it features heavily.
    Edited by 2 at 28/10/08 @ 17:07

  • Penguinzoot #254 3 years ago

    @Smelly
    But im more than a little paranoid about a BIG game like this - as i know most reviewers rarely play games for longer than a couple of hours (if that)...

    Krudster played it for 60 hours, which seems a more than reasonable time investment IMO.
    Edited by 1 at 28/10/08 @ 17:08

  • Xerx3s #255 3 years ago

    "Differences in preferences. I can't understand that anyone could honestly think Oblivion was good. But I can't really care less if they do."

    You care so much less that you are forced to hammer on it being awful as a fact at every opportunity.

  • kangarootoo #256 3 years ago

    @smelly

    "especially when there are full screen ads next to the review."

    Oh shuuuuut uuuuuup.

    Seriously, grow up and change the record. This site is free to you and me because it is paid for by ads. Are you pretending to be dense about this one? Is this some kind of test? Do I win a prize if I spot the deliberate mistake?

  • Xerx3s #257 3 years ago

    "Fallout 2 did a little better in the UK - about 46,000. Still pretty poor, considering most of those sales were when it was released on the Sold Out label."

    Isn't that because the UK is the console outpost of europe? I reckon that it sold tons in pc regions such as germany and the benelux.

  • Eighthours #258 3 years ago

    It's easy to get bogged down with certain minor negative aspects of the game without really having experienced the bigger picture, at which point many of those things cease to bother you.

    I don't agree with you that the negative aspects of the game are minor, to be honest. The dialogue system, the voice acting, the real-time combat, the map marker system when searching for a particular spot indoors when there are multiple floors, the repetitive, drab interiors... there are some pretty fundamental problems, as far as I'm concerned.

    I do agree that the game improves the more you play, though. Just not enough for me personally (after just over 25 hours) to give it a higher mark, because I couldn't forget about the issues. I gave it an 8.3, which is low compared to most of the other scores on the Internet, but which I stand by. I'd recommend that everyone buys Fallout 3, because it's a really good game that needs to be experienced, but there's a lot wrong with it.

    Definitely not to be missed, mind. It's an experience alright.
    Edited by 1 at 28/10/08 @ 17:19

  • lennon #259 3 years ago

    Oblivion wasnt perfect either as has been much covered but if I look back at my "This Gen" gaming experience it still is one of the stand out moments (if you can class 80 hours as a moment)

    Not saying any of the reviews are right or wrong but the feeling I get after reading 4 of 5 reviews is this game is going to be right up my street.

  • bonker #260 3 years ago

    "Oh, and why you review an FPS game on a console, when there's a PC version is beyond me..... But then again, they keep saying the console market is more profitable... "

    If this *was* a FPS game I wouldn't consider buying it for a second.

    As it's an RPG with some shooting in, it's pre-ordered ...

    Consoles are where it's all going mate, rightly or wrongly, deal with it ...

    If Krudster had spent 60 hours trying to review this on the PC he'd have spent the first 30 hours trying to get it to work :)

  • Snidesworth #261 3 years ago

    Krudster: Seeing as you've finished the game, can you give us a word on the dialogue? Is it well written? Voice acting good? Are the characters memorable or are they just the faceless masses we knew from Oblivion?

  • bonker #262 3 years ago

    "Fallout 2 did a little better in the UK - about 46,000. Still pretty poor, considering most of those sales were when it was released on the Sold Out label."

    Aye, 46k sold and 500k pirated ...

  • izerman76 #263 3 years ago

    Just a note on krudster's comments - from what i've read in this forum, most of the people complaining about the review do so because we feel that it was lacklaster in some -important in my opinion- fileds, like variety in gameplay, AI (which was addressed in this section), story and character development. I obvioulsy haven't played the game (and waited this review to see whether i will) but when such a highly anticipated game gets a 10, i expect a more detailed justification. I realise that in order to release the review in the first day you are not able to expand the article as much as you'd like, but still... OK, maybe i'm too harsh, but i have higher expectations from some sites than others.

  • gmmonkey #264 3 years ago

    I've put 160ish hours into oblivion. Played it on my pc first, then bought if for my 360 in the summer when there was no games so I could sit on my couch and play it. Sci-fi is my favourite setting and I especially like post apocalypse stuff. This game sounds like it was made for me. I'll trade in fable 2 for it, because it's utter pish. DID NOT LIKE!

  • Kovacs77 #265 3 years ago

    10 out of 10 is spot on, game of the year for me.

  • krudster #266 3 years ago

    The storyline and characters are hard to discuss without giving specific examples and taking away the surprise element, to a large degree.

    Firstly, it's a massive game with hundreds of characters. Some are fairly dull and lifeless, others quirky and amusing, some deadly serious, others intensely interesting. From what I understand, and from what I've experienced, there are around 100 voice actors in the game (correct me if I'm wrong). There's a shedload of variety, and yes, some repetition too. But there's hours and hours of dialogue to wade through, and, obviously, not every voice actor is as good as the next one. Not every character is as interesting or engaging as the next one. I'm 62 hours in. I still have about 20 locations to discover (assuming there are 100), and about seven actual story missions to finish (not main quest ones). I'm STILL finding new places, packed with new and interesting characters with stories to tell.

    Sure, some of them are just faceless drones, and you quickly learn to spot who those people are, and can just wander past them. Others are really interesting to engage with. It's not always engaging, no, but it's certainly evident that FAR more effort went into crafting an interesting story and improving the dialogue than Oblivion. It might not measure up to what people experienced in Fallout 1 and 2, but there's so much passionate opinion to deal with there, it's almost not worth even getting into the discussion as a reviewer. You're in a no-win situation. Even if I thought Fallout 3 was better in a narrative sense than 1 or 2 (which I don't), there's almost no point going there. It's the Elephant in the room, and an argument that would never end.

    What I *can* say with absolute confidence is that the narrative structure, the dialogue, the facial detail and the overall STORY in general beats the crap out of Oblivion. That's just a personal preference, but I was far more engaged and driven through the game by Fallout 3's back-story and interwoven narrative and moral choices than I ever was in Oblivion. That's partly because I actually prefer the setting of the game overall, but also because I think that Bethesda just made a better fist of it this time. Characters are less wooden, and just generally more alive, but, yeah, they still do dumb things that break the immersion, but in a game as ridiculously complex as this, with as many choices as this, you have to cut the game some slack now and then, just like we have to in pretty much every game ever.

    I hope that fills in a few blanks about my thoughts on the storyline. We're limited by a word count on these reviews, so it's simply not possible to just rant on and on about every single aspect of the game. That is, essentially, why comment threads can be useful sometimes.

    One final point, though, I find it stunning to see certain comments deriding the game's interiors as 'drab and lifeless'. For the most part, they're incredibly varied, and have almost unbelievable attention to detail. Sure, there's repetition, but there's repetition in everyday life. Do you really expect every underground station, every office to have some sort of unique architecture? Playing the game over a period of time BEYOND 20-30 hours really hammers that point home. Even 60 hours in I'm finding new creatures, new types of building, completely batshit mental characters with new problems for me. Seriously, how many games can you possibly say that about?

    I'm usually a fan of focused games that last 10-15 hours, but this proves to me just how engaging an epic can be when it's done correctly. It's NOT perfect, there ARE flaws - but as an overall experience it's one of the easiest 10s I've awarded in six years of writing for the site, encompassing more than 600 reviews.


  • Snidesworth #267 3 years ago

    Krudster: Thank you, that was the exact information I was looking for. While I'm disappointed that the dialogue doesn't compare to the quality of F1 and 2 it sounds like it's nowhere near the dire level it was in Oblivion. You got repetition of dialogue in all old games, but it was alot less noticeable because voice acted lines were a treat for special characters, as opposed to modern games where it's pretty much expected from every single NPC. It was just that Oblivion had a handful of voice actors and this fact became very, very obvious.

    I'll be playing the game, of course, but now I'm feeling more positive about it. Once again, thanks for the additional information.

  • Max_Powers #268 3 years ago

    Boy, lots of whiners on this here comments thread.

    "I haven't played it but I already know it can't be great!"

    I'm looking forward to the game.

  • Kbone28 #269 3 years ago

    It sounds good, but you put me off when u said it's the most fun youve had since Bioshock....
    Bioshock was simply no fun to play, that was my only gripe with the game :|
    For anyone reading this, go play DEADSPACE - that is a quality game.

  • DjFlex52 #270 3 years ago

    * Okami is the only game this website has ever properly rated 10/10; it's the definition of the best in gaming design, all those other examples simply aren't.

    @Crofto

    We should all bow to Crofto's valued opinion...NOT!
    Okami's flaw is that it couldn't sell on 2 different consoles. Yea, that's a 10/10 game, alright ;)
    Why do people, like Crofto, act like they speak for everyone?
    TWIMC, for the 1000th time, a 10 score doesn't mean the game is perfect...jeez!

  • cheekyjay #271 3 years ago

    Stop picking on Kristan - his review covers most of the major points that the average gamer wants to know, and I know for a fact that he worked on this review after investing nearly 70 hours constant play time into the game - it wasn't an unresearched write up by any means. The whole purpose of reviews is to gain an opinion, and it is clear that the opinion of an Oblivion-lover (which many, though obviously not all, Fallout purchasers are likely to be) may not speak for everybody, but no review can.

    If you didn't like Oblivion, fair enough, but don't knock Kristen for having an opinion - simply do what all educated gamers should do, and have a look at the wider picture, check out some of the more negative reviews, then you should have a more balanced outlook on the game. If reviewers left personal gaming preferences aside, reviews would evolve into boring personality-devoid facsimilies, press-release Daily Mirror reviews - I for one don't want to see that happen.

    Like Oblivion, this game will not appeal to everyone - Fallout series fans may be disappointed by certain areas, graphics whores may pick at the game's sub-Mass Effect animations, FPS fans may find the whole stop-go RPG element too slow or lacking in immediacy, Bethesda haters are not likely to be converted, the casual crowd and those without the time to invest may simply be intimidated by its scope... but such is the nature of a game in Fallout's category - it is guarenteed to divide opinions, in the same way that classic films, great music, and noted works of art always have done. Enjoy this review, stop knocking it, and see it for what it is: a deeply researched opinion from somebody who was clearly touched and enthralled by a game he loved.
    Edited by 2 at 28/10/08 @ 18:47

  • darc #272 3 years ago

    @krudster - thanks for your most recent comment. It sounds like this is the game the Fallout 1/2 fans were alledgedly looking for then, which makes it all the more ironic that people are already complaining about dodgy FPS mechanics LOL.

    It also makes up my mind re: PC vs. XBox360. Sounds like the best way to appreciate this one is to play it for 60+ hours, and I'm not sitting in front of any PC for 60+ hours unless I can send a bill afterwards.

    @Crofto - different strokes. I thought GTAIV was 10/10 material. And I thought Okami was overrated, a true work of art, but eventually a rather boring game. (Disclaimer: I didn't finish either one.) No matter how a game reviews, it is up to the discretion of the player to buy games that suit their taste in genre, gameplay, content. That's just common sense.

  • fredrikpj #273 3 years ago

    Krudster, you've turned my rotten day into a not so bad one, sooooo looking forward to this game! Loved both Oblivion and Bioshock

  • izerman76 #274 3 years ago

    Thanks for the added info - i didn't know about the word count - shame really, perhaps you could add the posts here to a link at the review, because they really do justice to the game's score (sorry for any wrong expressions or spelling, but i'm greek). I'm sold, i'll order it, i was between fallout, Fable and far cry, but this seems the best package as a whole.

  • patchbox360 #275 3 years ago

    Eurogamer gave sega rally a 9/10, Gears an 8 and Dead Space a 7 which = can't be trusted

  • StrayBezza #276 3 years ago

    This wasn't hugely on my radar....but hell.......now its is......so many games so little time.....! 10/10 for this and Fable 2, it does bring into question the giving of a 9 to Saints Row 2 mind....its fun and all but a 9??? From what Krudsters saying however he does eloquently justify the mark here and from the majority of comments Fable 2 is being well received.

  • illusiondance #277 3 years ago

    looks like i've stumbled into a bit of.... fallout here.....

  • oerhoert #278 3 years ago

    Eurogamer gave sega rally a 9/10, Gears an 8 and Dead Space a 7 which = can't be trusted

    Ah, stop it already. Opinions, people. They differ. From person to person.

    That doesn't make Eurogamer non-trustworthy, it only makes it necessary to use your own intelligence when reading those obviously subjective reviews. This is their truth, but you need to find your own truth yourself.

  • TheBrow #279 3 years ago

    Some of the scores here recently have seemed a little high, but then again there's been some good games released recently too!

    I bought Saints Row 2 and Bioshock on the strength of the reviews here (and from the various 360/PC players saying that the game was great and recommending that PS3-ers jump in - thanks folks).

    Bioshock is proving to be a real treat; graphics are beautiful, story is excellent and there's a real sense that I'm playing an *event* game here. Saints Row 2 in many ways is the very opposite, but its heaps of fun all the same! Perhaps people would have preferred if Saints Row 2 was marked down a notch or two becuase of the faults, and then we could say "Pah! Only a 7?", and feel better about ourselves that graphics aren't that important to us. Or something.

    I reckon now I'll be getting Fallout 3 too now. I liked Oblivion despite its faults, although most of my characters turned to crap at about level 10 (I never mastered the levelling system). It sounds like Fallout 3 is an improvement all round. I'll probably get many, many hours of fun out of the game without ever finishing it...

  • Eighthours #280 3 years ago

    One final point, though, I find it stunning to see certain comments deriding the game's interiors as 'drab and lifeless'. For the most part, they're incredibly varied, and have almost unbelievable attention to detail. Sure, there's repetition, but there's repetition in everyday life. Do you really expect every underground station, every office to have some sort of unique architecture? Playing the game over a period of time BEYOND 20-30 hours really hammers that point home.

    We'll have to agree to disagree here, Kiran - at least partially. I found many of the interiors to be confusingly laid out (surely you must acknowledge the problem with the map marker indoors?), and really rather repetitive. When you've got a grimy, dark setting spread over several floors where most of the rooms are identical, heading towards a map marker with no idea what floor the destination's on, it's easy to get lost and frustrated.

    Who knows, though? Maybe I'll change my mind after the 30 hour mark when I've discovered even more locations. I can only go by the quests that I completed in the course of reviewing the game. For me, the outdoor environments are in a different league to the indoor ones. That being said, you're bang-on about some of the attention to detail. Seeing long-dead bodies in abandoned city houses, surrounded by various pre-war paraphernalia, is rather affecting. Oh, and I love the "baby-carriage-used-as-a-mine". That's an EVIL touch.

  • bonker #281 3 years ago

    ^^^^^ Thanks for the spoiler? ^^^^^

  • bonker #282 3 years ago

    "I hope that fills in a few blanks about my thoughts on the storyline. We're limited by a word count on these reviews"

    Well that's a shocking revelation, to me at least. Care to elaborate on the size of that word count limit?!

  • Eighthours #283 3 years ago

    ^^^^^ Thanks for the spoiler? ^^^^^

    Come on, you call that a spoiler? :)

    I presume you only read every twelfth word of the review and the score at the end, just in case!
    Edited by 1 at 28/10/08 @ 19:48

  • kentmonkey #284 3 years ago

    Smelly wrote:
    But im more than a little paranoid about a BIG game like this - as i know most reviewers rarely play games for longer than a couple of hours (if that)...

    What an absolutely idiotic thing to say. Ever been a reviewer? Exactly how many reviewers do you personally know? Where did you find this wonderful stat from exactly?

    If any reviewer who wrote for any reputable site/magazine, spent less than or around two hours on any game (other than perhaps a retro download off of one of the console download services, or as part of a round-up) they would lose their job quicker than a flash. Most reviewers get paid an absolute pittance, somewhere in the region of £10-£20 a review isn't uncommon unless you write for one of the bigger magazines/sites, yet they still put in hours into every game in order to give the reader the most balanced view they possibly can. All for the princely sum of about £0.50 - £1.00 an hour, when you consider that most games require 10-15 hours minimum, some much, much more than that.
    Edited by 1 at 28/10/08 @ 20:11

  • Tehren #285 3 years ago

    God, Yes. You had me worried for a moment back there. Best hurry up and finish Fable II.

  • MrTulip #286 3 years ago

    the review posted by eighthours is imho way better and more balanced than this here.
    ( http://ww w.incgamers.com/Games/1943/revi... )
    i really hoped that mr. gillen or mr. donlan would review this game but wtf

    i just finished my first run (i had to get a hold of a modded xbox just for this) and i'd say that it is a solid 8/10 and not the second coming of smack a lot of reviewers make it out to be. (same with far cry 2... how anyone could award it a 9/10 -or even a 100% score- while keeping a straight face is beyond me)
    it was fun while it lasted although it's certainly not the crack equivalent that makes you skip a day at work or your social life etc but at least it has some replay potential.

    tomorrow i'll fetch my pre-ordered pc-version with high hopes that it will be mod-able despite the fact that bethesda isn't releasing a sdk (yet?).

  • Climhazzard #287 3 years ago

    looks great might get it come january when i have a bit more time to play it.

  • spekkeh #288 3 years ago

    Thanks for all the elaboration here krudster, I think it's awesome you even read this dribble and you have me convinced. I was more than a little worried when this game seemed botched in the preview and suddenly hosannah in this review. I'm getting increasingly anxious over games websites ditching out tens for blockbuster games and reviews that read like the press release. The gamespot incident does not rub off easily I guess.

    edit: don't mean to say your review reads like a press release, more like in general. Your review is actually pretty good, but I missed a rationale as to why the final review came out so different from the preview.
    Edited by 1 at 28/10/08 @ 21:14

  • VMerken #289 3 years ago

    10?

    Hilarious.

  • makeamazing #290 3 years ago

    it was fun while it lasted although it's certainly not the crack equivalent that makes

    To be honest i would rather believe the EG reviewer than someone who thinks its good to link a games enjoyability to crack... Epic Fail.

  • mainaman #291 3 years ago

    People are claiming that the writing is generally mediocre,voice delivery-ditto.Mass Effect did well with both and it didn't have a single important failure.Yet it scored 8,while Eurogamer continue to gives 10s to games that OBJECTIVELY don't deserve perfect score-GTA4,Bioshock,Halo3 and now Fallout3.


    The VATS system is stat-based and real-time combat is also stat-based!This sounds bad and the incgamers review confirmed my suspicions.

    I am still on the fence(to get it now or later),but it looks beter bet than Fable 2,which also scored 10 here.


  • White_Westie #292 3 years ago

    Of course this was going to get 10/10, Saints row got 9/10 ;-)

  • urizen #293 3 years ago

    "Your review is actually pretty good, but I missed a rationale as to why the final review came out so different from the preview."

    The rationale's been given - different people previewed the game.

    "Yet it scored 8,while Eurogamer continue to gives 10s to games that OBJECTIVELY don't deserve perfect score-GTA4,Bioshock,Halo3 and now Fallout3."

    I challenge you to prove OBJECTIVELY that they didn't deserve that score. Really.

  • shotgun44 #294 3 years ago

    Saints row 2 is awesome though! GTA IV and Oblivion get so much hate! I thought they were awesome so Fallout 3 is getting bought friday! Need to play bioshock but im sure PS3 vers will eventually be level priced with 360 one. If ebuyer don't fix my TV by friday I'm gonna go batshit! Already sent me my TV back once. STILL broken!! Fuming! Hope the PS3 version isn't too inferior, although i'm not a pixel counter myself so should be fine!

  • DjFlex52 #295 3 years ago

    Eurogamer gave sega rally a 9/10, Gears an 8 and Dead Space a 7 which = can't be trusted

    @patchbox360

    What is wrong with alot of you people?

    Kristan Reed gave Sega Rally a 9. Kristan Reed gave GoW an 8. Dan Whitehead gave Dead Space a 7.
    None of them are named Eurogamer.
    EG is a site where reviewers review games. If you don't like the reviewer's tastes in games, skip his review. See how simple that is ;)
    But all this whining about bias and conspiracy is just getting too ridiculous for words.

  • bumgut #296 3 years ago

    Oh for fucks sake.

    How much money do you think I have to spend this winter?

  • Les #297 3 years ago

    Man, this thread is boring. Weren't any religious people offended (even just a little bit) by this game?!

  • DjFlex52 #298 3 years ago

    Man, this thread is boring. Weren't any religious people offended (even just a little bit) by this game?!

    @Les

    Well, the game is banned in India because of Fallout 3's 2-headed cow sacrifice.

  • MrTulip #299 3 years ago

    "To be honest i would rather believe the EG reviewer than someone who thinks its good to link a games enjoyability to crack... Epic Fail."

    lighten up, it's just a figure of speech. crack = a synonym for very high addictive potential. mkay?

    edit: i just recognized that i used another drug metaphor ('second coming of smack') but rest assured that i'm a pretty sober guy who just can't quit the fags (cigarettes, that is).
    Edited by 1 at 28/10/08 @ 22:00

  • GitSomE_UK #300 3 years ago

    Great time for games IMO not great for my wallet though :(

    Loved Fallout 2, liked Oblivion but disliked the setting, this sounds more up my street.

  • Sevens #301 3 years ago

    Inflation of scores.

  • Bulbatron #302 3 years ago

    I thought Oblivion was a 10 / 10 game myself. I thought the same about BioShock though, and so far, I'm really enjoying Dead Space. I'm up to Chapter Four. Looking forwards to getting Fallout 3. I never played any of the previous Fallout games.

  • Bursk #303 3 years ago

    Is Sensible Soccer 2006 still a 9?

  • LordGamma19K #304 3 years ago

    This gaming stuff is really starting to empty my pockets!

  • Krelle #305 3 years ago

    @Bursk:

    Naa, its a 10.

  • dr_faulk #306 3 years ago

    @ Krudster

    Thanks, dude. You've told me all I need to know (oh in so many thousand words, I know). Really appreciate it. This is definitely on my list.

    @ Crofto

    I agree with you on most games there, but I don't agree with Okami. It's an amazing game, just not fun enough.

  • KosovaPower #307 3 years ago

    is the best

  • bad09 #308 3 years ago

    I'll be honest a lot of footage of Fallout 3 left me very "meh" it looks really bland to me, but actually seeing it yesterday I thought that it looks quite cool and while Oblivion was a bit to big for me as RPG is not really my thing in all honesty (except for KOTOR and ME!) I think I might give this a go.

    Just maybe after Christmas - too much to buy right now!

  • m0thr4 #309 3 years ago

    "Strangely, though, computer technology remained resolutely stuck in the late 1970s green-screen era."

    LOL when I read that... hardcore coders still use that green screen!

    (emacs FTW!)

  • itsfuzzy #310 3 years ago

    Anyone who played Oblivion and loved it will have been eagerly waiting for this game. So thats a hell of a lot of people. I knew Bethesda would come up with the goods.

  • Eighthours #311 3 years ago

    the review posted by eighthours is imho way better and more balanced than this here.

    Reviews are subjective - it's a different opinion, is all. What we class as "better" is usually the piece that's closest to our own views, in my experience!

    Personally I really enjoyed reading Kristan's review, even if I didn't agree with all of it. Indeed, I often like contrary views more than "me toos".

    Your (Kristan's) review is actually pretty good, but I missed a rationale as to why the final review came out so different from the preview.

    That's simple. Firstly, sitting down to play a game like this over an extended period of time is naturally going to be a very different experience from limited exposure at a press event. Secondly, this game is going to be far more divisive in terms of public opinion than the current Metacritic score would suggest. I think so, anyway.
    Edited by 4 at 29/10/08 @ 09:18

  • m0thr4 #312 3 years ago

    i loved oblivion, twas my first experience of a game of its type... so i guess the flaws didnt annoy me as much as they did others.
    this game is a day 1 purchase for me, not that anyone gives a shit lol

    +1 to that!

  • kangarootoo #313 3 years ago

    @krudster

    Your last comment strikes a chord with me. Oblivion has plenty of things wrong with it, but after 120 hours so far (haven't played it for ages, but that was my last count iirc) I have to question whether I wouldn't have bailed and sold it on ages ago if it wasn't an overall stunning package.

    I guess reviews are not just there to wax lyrical and pros and cons, but they are also (if not absolutely) there to help gamers decide what to spend their limited funds on. And if one title is likely to give players 4 times the gameplay (assuming quality is level) for the same amount of money, that surely HAS to be reflected in the score.

    I enjoyed the review, and I'm not that fussed about the final score. But all things considered, given its peers, and the value of the game as a purchase, a 10 seems appropriate to me.

  • shadaik #314 3 years ago

    "The fact that games haven't milked this theme to death is puzzling"
    You haven't been around during the 90's, have you?

    Other than that: my next time-sink! Oblivion got me to 312 hours (and this with a terrible German dub), I wonder how long this will keep me. On the other hand, Kristan compares Fallout 3 to BioShock - which is way overhyped mediocrity.
    Edited by 1 at 29/10/08 @ 09:31

  • m0thr4 #315 3 years ago

    Kristan Reed gave Sega Rally a 9. Kristan Reed gave GoW an 8. Dan Whitehead gave Dead Space a 7.
    None of them are named Eurogamer.
    EG is a site where reviewers review games. If you don't like the reviewer's tastes in games, skip his review. See how simple that is ;)

    Yes... a bit too simple to be honest.

    Normally, magazines and websites that review things choose who reviews what a little more carefully. A good reviewer will also review something based on its own merits, rather than personal taste. At the very least, the reviewer should mention whether or not the item is to their taste or not. Very often, after the 1st draft, one or more other reviewers might give a peer review of the article, or even add a couple of paragraphs of their own (EGM does this). Finally, there's usually an editor to oversee the whole process.

    All of this seems missing from Eurogamer, which is why I never take their reviews seriously.
    Edited by 1 at 29/10/08 @ 09:34

  • FaceOmeter #316 3 years ago

    A good reviewer will also review something based on its own merits, rather than personal taste.

    No... oh god.. guys
    How long must this one stupid discussion go on?
    Reviews are inherently subjective, like literally everything else.
    This is not a bad thing.
    Right, done
    Let's just play some games and have fun

  • w00t #317 3 years ago

    There is high proportion of nobheads in this comments thread.

    Just an observation.

  • PearOfAnguish #318 3 years ago

    "Normally, magazines and websites that review things choose who reviews what a little more carefully. A good reviewer will also review something based on its own merits, rather than personal taste. At the very least, the reviewer should mention whether or not the item is to their taste or not. Very often, after the 1st draft, one or more other reviewers might give a peer review of the article, or even add a couple of paragraphs of their own (EGM does this). Finally, there's usually an editor to oversee the whole process."

    You really have no idea what goes on at a magazine, do you?

  • Grayvern #319 3 years ago

    There is no such thing as objectivity its a scientific myth.

    Also I like the reviewers reviews he fealt the same way about bioshock as I did after I played it.
    Edited by 1 at 29/10/08 @ 10:42

  • Eighthours #320 3 years ago

    A good reviewer will also review something based on its own merits, rather than personal taste.

    You can't escape personal taste. You can't review as a robot. But there's a difference between being a slave to your personal taste (as you seem to be implying), and using the inevitable influence it has upon you to the betterment - rather than detriment - of a review. EG does a fine job of walking the balancing line between subjectivity and objectivity, in my view.

  • krudster #321 3 years ago

    2000 words is felt to be enough room to get your point across in an EG review. Tom's quite strict about that. In this instance, though, I think any Fallout 3 review is going to struggle to do the game justice over two pages. There's simply too much to talk about. For example, I never got to mention:

    - The weapon customisation and how you can make your own weapons out of the junk in the wasteland.
    - That you can earn a house of your own and kit that out with all manner of useful (and rather cool) items.
    - Some examples of the freedom you get in the missions and the long-term effect that can have on things later in the game.
    - The way weapons and apparel degenerate over time, and how important repairing them becomes.
    - The wonderful (and often poignant) soundtrack and how much it contributes to the atmosphere.
    - The audio logs you find, and how much that contributes to the story development.

    Any review you write has to get the fundamentals across: the premise, the controls, the combat, how it looks and feels to play, and how it measures up to what's gone before. Problematically, that doesn't leave a lot of room left to dig into some of the immensely cool elements of this game. Hopefully, that's been served by the extra comments. It's going beyond the call of duty to do this, but for a game that's given me as much pleasure as Fallout 3, I feel it's more than worth it. Some of the reviews I've read really only scratch the surface of what the game's like (and I understand that, because most won't have had as long as me to play it), and have exaggerated technical flaws to an alarming degree. I don't expect everyone to love this game the way I did, but if giving a little bit of further explanation helps push one or two into taking the plunge, then I've done my job.

  • Eighthours #322 3 years ago

    In this instance, though, I think any Fallout 3 review is going to struggle to do the game justice over two pages. There's simply too much to talk about.

    I only had 1500 words to play with, and it was immensely difficult. You just have to choose which battles you want to fight.

  • HermitArcader #323 3 years ago

    Post deleted at 09:17:39 22-12-2011

  • bigbadbeasty #324 3 years ago

    For me it seems like people on here WANT a game to be poor. They are want all games to be average, middle of the road, or pedestrian. This seems like a shame to me.

    There have been some very good games in the last couple of years, not too many, but some. It looks like Fallout 3 will be one of those games. I am positive that I will not be disappointed, I certainly wasn't with Oblivion.

    Not everyone will enjoy the same game. Gears of War was very popular, and got high scores- however I didn't agree with them. I really do not care what score 'X' website or magazine gives to a game, it is just a guide. Read the review, don't just asume from the score.
    Edited by 1 at 29/10/08 @ 11:56

  • Quiiick #325 3 years ago

    Why the 2000 words limitation?
    This is the internet, not a printed article where physical space does matters.
    I'd really love to read longer reviews, especially from EG.
    Edited by 1 at 29/10/08 @ 11:56

  • timberwolf #326 3 years ago

    no trophies on ps3 and no difficulty on any console ( DLC ... grumble ).. those sort of things really make me sigh, because the level cap is probably not high enough and i hardly ever replay games with different paths so i hope it's a good long adventure and not just the 60 hours mentioned... sigh... mind you bioshock was a measly 10 hours so i guess we should count our blessings.

  • Remy85 #327 3 years ago

    I hated Oblivion, which I remember also scoring a ten...

  • CunningLinguist #328 3 years ago

    @Krudster

    It might not measure up to what people experienced in Fallout 1 and 2, but there's so much passionate opinion to deal with there, it's almost not worth even getting into the discussion as a reviewer. You're in a no-win situation. Even if I thought Fallout 3 was better in a narrative sense than 1 or 2 (which I don't), there's almost no point going there. It's the Elephant in the room, and an argument that would never end.


    I understand where you are coming from when you say this, but this is after all FO 3, not a new IP created by Bethesda which also happens to be a post nuclear RPG. With that in mind how can you not compare it to the previous games? You compare it to Oblivion, which I think says more about your reviewing stance than you might want to show. OK I understand, Bethesda made a better game than Oblivion, and I agree from the short time I had playing it, but this Fallout. All I want is a simple straight answer, is it in the same league as 1 and 2?
    Edited by 1 at 29/10/08 @ 12:13

  • bodypopper #329 3 years ago

    Well said Genji. People seem to be of the depressing opinion that games are rubbish until proven otherwise and anyone who says different is under the pay of the developer.
    It's a cynical world we live in.

  • krudster #330 3 years ago

    It comes back to the word cap. You can't get into that discussion without truly getting into it. No-one would accept it being glossed over. To do the subject justice, you need to provide clear examples and go into depth and state your case. It's a feature for another time, and one someone with far more in-depth knowledge of the Fallout 1 and 2 narrative should tackle (I have people in mind for that task...)

    The bottom line at this stage is 'is Fallout 3 worth buying?'. The answer, from everyone it seems, is yes, whether you're coming at it from the Oblivion or Fallout angle.

    Whether the narrative quality is better or worse is obviously an important and hugely contentious issue, but it shouldn't be the deciding factor here. It's a great game in its own right and one I'd urge people to experience. The discussions over its ultimate worth will rage for a very long time.





    Edited by 2 at 29/10/08 @ 12:28

  • Eighthours #331 3 years ago

    Why the 2000 words limitation?
    This is the internet, not a printed article where physical space does matters.
    I'd really love to read longer reviews, especially from EG.

    Please, no. Remember the absolutely horrible 8 page reviews from IGN a few years back? Messy rubbish. Even the 3 page ones are pushing it... I'm glad that the decision seems to have been taken here on EG to go back to 2 pages.

  • PearOfAnguish #332 3 years ago

    "All I want is a simple straight answer, is it in the same league as 1 and 2?"

    That's something of a contradiction, you won't get a simple straight answer when you ask that question.

    I enjoyed the original Fallout games and appreciate that they are very good indeed, but I don't go ga-ga over them like the chaps at NMA. I'm having a great deal of fun with Fallout 3.

    But if you were to ask a true Fallout fanatic I suspect the answer would be very different.

    The important thing is this: Bethesda has captured the spirit of Fallout. It is very different to FO 1 & 2 in many ways, but enjoy the game on its own merits and try not to hold it up alongside the originals. Lower your expectations if you need to.
    Edited by 1 at 29/10/08 @ 13:15

  • bonker #333 3 years ago

    "2000 words is felt to be enough room to get your point across in an EG review. Tom's quite strict about that. In this instance, though, I think any Fallout 3 review is going to struggle to do the game justice over two pages. There's simply too much to talk about. For example, I never got to mention:

    - The weapon customisation and how you can make your own weapons out of the junk in the wasteland.
    - That you can earn a house of your own and kit that out with all manner of useful (and rather cool) items.
    - Some examples of the freedom you get in the missions and the long-term effect that can have on things later in the game.
    - The way weapons and apparel degenerate over time, and how important repairing them becomes.
    - The wonderful (and often poignant) soundtrack and how much it contributes to the atmosphere.
    - The audio logs you find, and how much that contributes to the story development. "

    I can't argue the merits of one word count against another as I don't do this for a living (although there's a clear inference there that you're aiming at a "Sun readership" level of visitor) but I do know this:

    If you're scoring a game at 9+ then, frankly, word limits should either be removed or increased drastically as they are in magazines.

    If I didn't already have a good idea of what Fable II and Fallout 3 were like, I would have no clue what the games were like or why you were scoring them as you have done given the utter lack of descriptive detail in those, very, short example reviews. I still didn't know anything about the stuff you've just mentioned above which absolutely should be inthe main review - it's farcical (and somewhat soul-destroying for you too I imagine) that you should have to resort to the comments section to 'finish off' your thoughts ...

    Little wonder that the comments end up being all about the score given as there's barely any justification in the review itself to focus on ...

    You guys really need to address this as a major weakness in an, otherwise, pretty decent site.

  • Eighthours #334 3 years ago

    I can't argue the merits of one word count against another as I don't do this for a living (although there's a clear inference there that you're aiming at a "Sun readership" level of visitor)

    Actually, the sign of a really shit writer is struggling to say in 3000 words what someone better can say in 2000. More space doesn't necessarily equal a better review/article. Often, the opposite is the case - bloated, badly edited, overlong rubbish.

  • darc #335 3 years ago

    "The VATS system is stat-based and real-time combat is also stat-based!This sounds bad and the incgamers review confirmed my suspicions."

    If you feel this way, there are many, many, many (many) perfectly good FPS's out there. I'm glad this was treated as an RPG, and I can't see how that would have been achieved if stats weren't always a factor. Personally, I find VATS to be the single most interesting thing about this title and have done ever since it was first announced.

    As for the dialog/comparisons to Fallout 1 and 2, give me a break. Anyone can see that a game that features full 3D animations of actors with audio dialog will have less dialog options than a text-based game out of simple, practical necessity. It's like getting ticked off because a film only lasts two hours whereas you read the novel it was based on for two weeks. APPLES AND ORANGES.
    Edited by 1 at 29/10/08 @ 14:58

  • dryden555 #336 3 years ago

    I've been critical of EG's review writing quality late but this review is fine. It offers points of strength and weakness in the game. It was also the only review I have seen that points out that there is a max level you can reach at level 20 and then the game is a cakewalk. That was good to know. Personally I'm waiting for this game to go down to half price 6 months from now :)

  • Eighthours #337 3 years ago

    "The VATS system is stat-based and real-time combat is also stat-based!This sounds bad and the incgamers review confirmed my suspicions."

    To be fair, VATS is great. The only problems are when your APs run out, meaning that you have to resort to the horrible real-time combat, and the occasional visual/realism-killing hilarity when a shotgun blast/minigun volley/rocket misses from point-blank range. Like everything else in the game, when it's firing on all cylinders (no pun intended), it's fantastic.
    Edited by 1 at 29/10/08 @ 16:21

  • Dr.Mott #338 3 years ago

    This is not fair. I wasn't going to bother with this, I just can't afford it.

    Anybody interested in buying a kidney?

  • ChadSexington #339 3 years ago

    "Fallout 3 has been by some margin the most enjoyable game I've played since BioShock" - what, it's shit?

  • UncleLou #340 3 years ago

    Bioshock wasn't a 10/10 for me either, but by God, are the bashers getting tiresome.

  • Azazel #341 3 years ago

    Maaaaaaybe, you'll think of me...

  • craziii #342 3 years ago

    seriously? anyone played it yet? how are the controls? pc rpg controls? or the same consolish 1 button controls I hate in oblivion? please answer if you have played already. I can;t find a good youtube video showing the controls.

  • Blackthorned #343 3 years ago

    The armchair quarterback has evolved into the armchair publisher.

  • Dizz #344 3 years ago

    Anyone not liking this, well....SUCKS TO BE YOU NEENERNEENER.

    It's awesome.

  • barchetta #345 3 years ago

    A little confused: As I read EGs review it seemed to indicate that the enemy don't 'level up' as you do (a la Oblivion) but today's GameCentral review (which I also find general agreement with as a rule) clearly states the same levelling model used in Oblivion is used in Fallout 3.

    Anyone got a definitive answer or is it actually more subtle than Oblivion and therefore could be interpreted either way?

  • bigbadbeasty #346 3 years ago

    @barchetta

    From what I understand, when you go to a new area that area is set to your current level, it will then remain at that level, regardless of you levelling up e.g. You head into an area at level 6, it will from then on always be lvl 6. The highest level you can be is 20 and things get a fair bit easier when at max level (so I hear).

    Hope that helps.

  • barchetta #347 3 years ago

    @bigbadbeasty

    Ah, cheers. Sounds like a decent compromise: make things reasonably difficult but maintain the feeling of growing abilities.

  • Blockhead #348 3 years ago

    Quick note,
    Played it for a couple of hours, and guess what? It's Oblivion.
    No, really.

  • migasUK #349 3 years ago

    I played it yesterday o Eurogamer's Expo, and enjoy the gameplay but the graphics really suck, i don't know if it was cuz i play it on ps3 which doesn't upscale well or the 360 version is better? can someone tell which version to buy?

  • muscleblade #350 3 years ago

    @migasUK

    As usual the 360 and PC versions is superior in every way. No bias just the truth.

  • bigbadbeasty #351 3 years ago

    Surely you mean: PC version is superior in every way ?

  • Vex #352 3 years ago

    The only thing putting me off this (other than finding time to play the game) is that conversations seem to be strictly one to one. After the sprawling arguments involving the whole party of characters that Mass Effect provided, I wonder if I will miss that.

    A particular scene I have watched struck home, where you confront someone in an office with other characters in. The other characters seemed to literally freeze in place while the conversation between you and the guy you are confronting plays out. Seemed to break the immersion a bit.

    Does anyone who played it find this bothering them?

  • mikeck #353 3 years ago

    "The bottom line at this stage is 'is Fallout 3 worth buying?'. The answer, from everyone it seems, is yes, whether you're coming at it from the Oblivion or Fallout angle."

    Well having played for eight hours yesterday, I can certainly say I'm loving it (PS3 version too) and I come from neither the Oblivion angle, nor the Fallout angle, so there :D

    Can't wait to get home to try and rectify some of the decisions I made yesterday...

  • CannonAnBall #354 3 years ago

    I've only played a short time and just got out of the bunker. So far it's really enjoyable.


  • darc #355 3 years ago

    On XBox360, it is certainly the grayest game ever. The art is good for the most part, but I don't understand how Bethesda can lavish so much loving attention on a game and not find a single artist that can draw a non-deformed human portrait.

    In terms of look and feel, I'm not so much reminded of Oblivion as Deus Ex 2. Take that game, minus the load times every 4 seconds (meaning it's actually playable), replace the FPS mechanics with VATS, and you have Fallout 3.

    I do find myself wishing I'd gotten the PC version - this game begs for mouse control, especially when you're trying to pick up a little pack of cigarettes off the floor or something. Tedious. But I'm too paranoid I'll run into the headaches described above (crashes etc) especially with Vista x64 installed on my gaming rig.

    Anyway, it's not the second coming, but it is very much my sort of game (yes, personal preferences are important in deciding what to buy!) and I can't wait to get home and play some more.
    Edited by 1 at 30/10/08 @ 17:35

  • CunningLinguist #356 3 years ago

    I still don't get it how a game that wants to be considered the follow up to FO 1/2, hence the 3 in the name, can get a perfect 10 when in reality it has so little in common with the originals. Just listen to the music (LotR music in a FO game), or read the terrible, TERRIBLE dialogue... Eurogamer's preview of this game is probably the only honest piece of journalism that this website has published. And when you factor in the fact that this website ran an ad campaign for the game, you kind of start realizing why the person who previewed it did not get to review it as well. Keep brainwashing your readers into accepting mediocrity, who cares right? You're still cashing those checks at the end of the month. How's your karma by the way?

    P.S. I'm not mad or anything, just a bit disgusted.

  • darc #357 3 years ago

    Cunning, I'm just curious - have you even played this game yet? I'm not saying you're right or wrong, I just get the impression that you're so torqued about this being named a "sequel" that you wouldn't be inclined to shell out the cash. Whereupon, how can you know?

  • Silvervein #358 3 years ago

    For more informative thread, I'd like to reference anyone that is interested to iron tower forums (connected with obsidian company). At least there they do it by question and answer (by person who played the game) in an honest and straightforward way, without any hype.
    The information I gathered at different threads, and one that's usually agreed upon by most people,whether they like free roaming games like oblivion or not, is that fallout 3 is somewhat improved oblivion. So, if you liked oblivion, or like this type of game, you might enjoy fallout 3.
    I need to stress important fact (which is, incidentally, my main problem with bethesda and the game they call fallout 3). Fallout 3 has nothing to do with fallout 1 and 2, either of terms of art direction, gameplay, general experience or writing quality. I'd be ready to treat it as spinoff of fallout games if bethesda was honest enough not to try to sell it as a sequal, that is direct continuation, of fallout series. Because, once again: fallout 3 has nothing to do with fallout 1 and 2, other than the name, obviously.

  • CunningLinguist #359 3 years ago

    I would not comment about the music and the dialogue if I would not have played the game. It is a good game, in the same vein as Oblivion, but it should not be called Fallout 3. Ultimate Fallout would have been a better name, you know like their interpretation of the Fallout universe. Sure, now I sound like some NMA poster but those two games really deserve a better sequel.

    Imagine going to your favorite restaurant after a 10 year hiatus, and then you find out it has a new chef. You want to get up and leave, but then the owner tells you they've kept the menu. So you order your favorite dish, you recognize it by the name, only to be presented with a meal that looks like the goods but lacks the intricacies and details of the original dish.

    Nobody had illusions that this game would touch the originals, but I had hoped it would at least respect it. When I saw the dialogue trees in megaton, the annoying voice over and then heard the music score, well I had no second thoughts about blowing it up. Good Riddance!


    P.S. If Beth Software would have swallowed its ego and went to Brian Fargo for some advice, and followed it, this game could have been legendary. It had a choice to make and it chose Oblivion. That is just disrespectful to the first two games, no matter how you look at it.

  • migasUK #360 3 years ago

    thanks I got the 360 version today and bloody hell it looks much better than the PS3 one, by farrrr! Well deserved 10/10 !!!

  • eepic #361 3 years ago

    yea i agree the 360 version looks A LOT better than pos3 version, everything is sharper and smoother... and there are achievements

    but oh well keep dreaming that LBP is a good game, sony fanboys.. fucking morons

  • bigbadbeasty #362 3 years ago

    "P.S. If Beth Software would have swallowed its ego and went to Brian Fargo for some advice, and followed it, this game could have been legendary. It had a choice to make and it chose Oblivion. That is just disrespectful to the first two games, no matter how you look at it"

    Well I guess you can't blame them for following Obilivions lead, god knows who many more units it has sold over Fallout 1 & 2.

  • systems #363 3 years ago

    My copy arrived last night. I'd say it was an essential purchase for non-casual gamers, but it's not 10/10. It's certainly something to be experienced that's for sure.

    For those wondering, the 360 controls are the same as Oblivion (as is the floaty jumping and the crouch that just bobs your head down a bit). You can't choose to level up it does it for you (so no holding back for weaker enemies). Every place you go is full of floating items, where everything hovers above the shelves and tables. Targeting is annoying on a gamepad as you have to cycle through every body part to get to the one you want (rather than sensibly defaulting to the head).

    The dialogue is awful, the NPCs all loop with the same dull stock phrases. Even after one evening of play it's annoying so god knows how it will be in 20 hours.

    They said it wouldn't be Oblivion with guns. It's Oblivion with guns. Worth a punt though, so have a go. £29 in Sainsbury's right now so off you all pop to the shops.

  • shotgun44 #364 3 years ago

    Went into game to buy this today on PS3, walked out with a new xbox and fallout 3 :D

  • systems #365 3 years ago

    ^Play are doing a good deal from today on a 360 Elite, Fallout 3 and Fable II:
    http://ww w.play.com/Games/Xbox360/4-/778...

  • migasUK #366 3 years ago

    "For me this was always a PC game, so i'm getting it for that format. Plus it shits over the 360 version."

    Really? Sorry pal but i prefer to play it on my 360 with a 42'' HDTV than in a pc...and well it looks nice, I mean sweetttt!


    Edited by 1 at 31/10/08 @ 14:32

  • darc #367 3 years ago

    "I would not comment about the music and the dialogue if I would not have played the game. It is a good game, in the same vein as Oblivion, but it should not be called Fallout 3. Ultimate Fallout would have been a better name, you know like their interpretation of the Fallout universe. Sure, now I sound like some NMA poster but those two games really deserve a better sequel."

    Fair enough. My memories of Fallout 1 are hazy and I never did finish it (regrettably) so I can only assume you're right. But surely you acknowledge that the resources that inevitably go into a 3D/full-audio realization of a game in 2008 are going to result in tradeoffs with regards to the amount of text/fiction on offer? I like your metaphor about the restaurant with a new chef, but I think my metaphor of a good book vs. a good film based on a book also applies.

    F3 is definitely Oblivion w/ guns, but notably it's Oblivion with VATS, which is more fun than any of the combat or magic mechanics that Oblivion had on offer. It's all a little familiar and a little tedious at times, but if you like western RPGs, it's extremely fun IMO. The graphics on the other hand are VERY uneven. Sometimes it's georgeous, and sometimes I feel like I'm looking at a game from ~1992. I can't imagine the PS3 looking significantly worse, and have to guess that posts to that effect are either exaggerated, or trolling.

    PC would seem to be the better control scheme for aiming, but I've read that the Pip-boy interface is cumbersome even with a mouse, because it was designed with the consoles in mind. So everyone has to comprimise - bummer. They really should have optimized the PC version for mouse across the board. I'd probably be trading in my XBox copy for an "upgrade" if they had.
    Edited by 1 at 31/10/08 @ 15:13

  • SleepyMagpie #368 3 years ago

    "Smelly its not a 10 game.
    Its a 10 on this site but honestly it shouldn't be its a high 8 - low 9.

    I've played it for about 10 hours at the weekend on a 360 at a friends house."

    Mingster, you're right. It's a very good game, but I can also attest to it not being a 10, whatever that is. ^^

    I played all night last night and it's looking like a very strong 8, or a 9 maybe, if it follows through.

    Slight inflation in scores on EG again? I really thought the 10 should be used for a "paragon of games" something that redefines completely how we game and takes it to a whole other level, flawlessly and effortlessly. Fallout 3 is a very good game, but it does not do any of that.

  • migasUK #369 3 years ago

    Ignore all my previous comments cuz Fallout 3 is full of shit I played it for 3 hours get stuck twice between rocks, unable to move had to load the game from the last saved game ( and also difficult to survive), perhaps is not my kind of game ....and the conversation has someone already mention it, is like a loop...for god sake fuck this game!!!! I will exchange next week with GoW2!!!
    Edited by 1 at 31/10/08 @ 17:12

  • shotgun44 #370 3 years ago

    Is a good deal! I picked up a 60GB plus fallout 3 for 169.99 from GAME which seems pretty bargainous since i was ready to part with 40 for the game anyways! Also got perfect dark zero cos I always wanted to play it!

  • darc #371 3 years ago

    "I played all night last night and it's looking like a very strong 8, or a 9 maybe, if it follows through."

    This seems to be a major point in the review - that F3 does continue to deliver new content, new surprises, well into the game. That, and personal taste, probably lent more to the "10" than any alledged EG bias. For me, this is a "10" because I've been dying for something like it to come along. Haven't had a proper western RPG worth playing since Gothic 3. But objectively, there are a few areas where Bethesda has merely maintained status quo since Oblivion - eg. graphics and presentation.

    Who cares I'm loving it!

    migasUK: "I will exchange next week with GoW2!!!"

    Apples. Oranges. But GoW2 is a great game, enjoy!

  • Snidesworth #372 3 years ago

    I've been playing Fallout 3 a bit. It's a very fun game. Excellent fun indeed. I've lurked in a darkened room scavenging for cigarette packets (worth 10 caps, weigh 1/2 a lb!) and popping the heads of feral ghouls with a hunting rifle. But it really isn't Fallout. It doesn't utterly defile the setting like Brotherhood of Steel on the console did, but it feels like they got a rough idea of the setting and sprinkled familiar names throughout their game. My gripes are almost entirely thematic in nature, the exception being that the dialogue is often weak and, if you're going to have full voice acting in a game, make sure it's good. Nothing is as painful and obvious as bad voice acting.

  • darc #373 3 years ago

    "Nothing is as painful and obvious as bad voice acting."

    Steer clear of Far Cry 2! Those guys deliver their lines like they're running out of tape LOL! (Though it seems to be a fine game otherwise.)

  • CunningLinguist #374 3 years ago

    @darc

    Steer clear of Far Cry 2! Those guys deliver their lines like they're running out of tape LOL! (Though it seems to be a fine game otherwise.)

    I almost spilled my coffee laughing when i read this. I think a more reasonable explanation would be that they had limited time in the studio, or a bad director. I remember having to direct a pop radio DJ while doing voiceover work for a serious/quirky documentary. It took so many takes, so we were there for 3 hours and all we had to do is record 5 minutes worth of voiceover.

    By the way did you play FO2? I played both games earlier this year for the first time in my life, and I am happy I waited until now because I would have missed so much had I played them when they came out. As a former film student I can say that FO 2 is the Blade Runner of gaming, while FO 1 is Mad Max. FO3 would be something like Steven Spilberg's A.I. which is not a bad film, but we all know it was a Stanley Kubrick project to begin with, thus having a lot to live up to.

    What do you think of the dialogue and especially the humor in the game, don't you thing it is forced and uninspired? I remember one line in FO1, when you speak to a kid giving out flowers outside the Children of the Cathedral establishment. If you refuse to take the flower he would tell you that you're no fun, to which you could reply:

    "Kid you're too young to realize how much fun I can be."

    And for me that encompasses the paramount difference between the originals and this Paris Hilton of a game.

  • DjFlex52 #375 3 years ago

    "Slight inflation in scores on EG again? I really thought the 10 should be used for a "paragon of games" something that redefines completely how we game and takes it to a whole other level, flawlessly and effortlessly. Fallout 3 is a very good game, but it does not do any of that."

    As much as it pains me, I'm actually starting to side with Les' viewpoint of omitting review scores altogether. Why does almost every comment have to have an "opinion" about whether a game should have scored a 8, 9, or 10? Better to know if you loved it, hated it....did you think it was a good, great or mediocre game? Games are made for enjoyment not to be judged and dissected specifically by its parts (sound, dialogue, interface etc). The highest reviewed movies, TV shows and music cds aren't judged as a "paragon" or a redefinition of its medium. Why are games rated by these lofty and unattainable levels? And why do gamers act like their "opinion" is THE only opinion that's valid? A 10 review score means that the reviewer enjoyed the game to its fullest....just like watching your favorite movie or TV show. I don't care (as don't most people) if smelly, systems or SleepyMagpie don't think a game is not a 10. As it is, they aren't even game reviewers, just gamers.

    It's no wonder the mainstream media still considers videogaming a child activiity instead of an entertainment medium like Movies, Music, TV, Theatre, etc. If adult gamers stop acting like children then maybe.....

  • SirLesterMarwood #376 3 years ago

    Sainsburys are selling the 360 version for £29
    Edited by 1 at 31/10/08 @ 18:28

  • RedSparrows #377 3 years ago

    I got it, I think it's great.

    Done.

  • darc #378 3 years ago

    CL: "I think a more reasonable explanation would be that they had limited time in the studio, or a bad director. I remember having to direct a pop radio DJ while doing voiceover work for a serious/quirky documentary. It took so many takes, so we were there for 3 hours and all we had to do is record 5 minutes worth of voiceover."

    I'm guessing the director. Budget might have resulted in fewer takes (resulting in weird delivery) but it was probably a director thinking if everybody talked fast it would "improve" the pace of the cutscenes and the game as a whole. You almost get the impression that they went back and edited out any silence between sentences! It's weird. Imeanitsweird.

    But yah, I definitely get you re: studio time - I've spent the last 20 years recording about 20 minutes of original music LOL!

    "By the way did you play FO2? I played both games earlier this year for the first time in my life, and I am happy I waited until now because I would have missed so much had I played them when they came out. As a former film student I can say that FO 2 is the Blade Runner of gaming, while FO 1 is Mad Max. FO3 would be something like Steven Spilberg's A.I. which is not a bad film, but we all know it was a Stanley Kubrick project to begin with, thus having a lot to live up to."

    Sadly, no. I played FO1 for just a few hours when it first came out, and recently got my hands on the re-release of both games, installed them, but honestly can not find time to dig into them. The pacing of games from back then is really tough for me now, in that I find very few hours for gaming, and there are just so many good games vying for my attention. (Gaming sure has grown since FO1 first shipped!) I guess in this regard I have to own up to the fact that a certain shallowness - in the interest of pacing - can work in a game's favor for me nowadays. My typical schedule allows for about 45 minutes of gaming a day, while I'm sitting on a stationary bicycle w/ a controller in my hands! (Ugh, does this make me a casual gamer??) So PC games are that much less accessible.

    "What do you think of the dialogue and especially the humor in the game, don't you thing it is forced and uninspired?"

    For the most part, yes. It's definitely "Bethesda humor". But it's a whole lot funnier than Oblivion ever was! Hopefully one of these days I will have time to go back and really appreciate the original Fallouts. But there's an improbably long list of games I can say that about... along with a pile of movies, books, etc. :)
    Edited by 1 at 31/10/08 @ 18:48

  • DjFlex52 #379 3 years ago

    I got it, I think it's great.

    Done.

    + @ RedSparrows

    Wow, RedSparrows....though I didn't mean to imply opinions should be limited to just 6 words or less ;)

  • FooAtari #380 3 years ago

    As much as it pains me, I'm actually starting to side with Les' viewpoint of omitting review scores altogether. Why does almost every comment have to have an "opinion" about whether a game should have scored a 8, 9, or 10? Better to know if you loved it, hated it....did you think it was a good, great or mediocre game? Games are made for enjoyment not to be judged and dissected specifically by its parts (sound, dialogue, interface etc). The highest reviewed movies, TV shows and music cds aren't judged as a "paragon" or a redefinition of its medium. Why are games rated by these lofty and unattainable levels? And why do gamers act like their "opinion" is THE only opinion that's valid? A 10 review score means that the reviewer enjoyed the game to its fullest....just like watching your favorite movie or TV show. I don't care (as don't most people) if smelly, systems or SleepyMagpie don't think a game is not a 10. As it is, they aren't even game reviewers, just gamers.

    It's no wonder the mainstream media still considers videogaming a child activiity instead of an entertainment medium like Movies, Music, TV, Theatre, etc. If adult gamers stop acting like children then maybe.....

    A HUGE +1
    Edited by 1 at 31/10/08 @ 19:29

  • SleepyMagpie #381 3 years ago

    @DjFlex52 and all the other holier-than-holier-than-thous:

    I personally dislike the numerical rating system as well. I would much rather read a deep review that gave you information and consideration of the games' flaws and merits. HOWEVER, being that there is a numerical rating system in place, which is not in place on my account, I merely voiced my take on this game.

    The odd thing is, if you don't care about the rating system, why do you care about the numbers I and some others hand out?

    You spurn us for being childish, but we are just discussing this game inside the parameters that have been defined. You're the one going on like a child that doesn't accept that.

    Anyhow. Good game. Many babies on these boads as per usual.
    Edited by 1 at 31/10/08 @ 20:05

  • DjFlex52 #382 3 years ago

    "I personally dislike the numerical rating system as well. I would much rather read a deep review that gave you information and consideration of the games' flaws and merits. HOWEVER, being that there is a numerical rating system in place, which is not in place on my account, I merely voiced my take on this game."

    @SleepyMagpie

    I disagree! You didn't "merely" voice your take on this game. You primarily voiced your opinion on krudster/Kristan Reed's review score. Read your own post.

    The odd thing is, if you don't care about the rating system, why do you care about the numbers I and some others hand out?

    I don't put anyone on ignore so I had to read your "opinion" to know I didn't care about it. Thus i'm not one of your so-called "holier-than-holier-than-thous" people :)

    You spurn us for being childish, but we are just discussing this game inside the perimeters that have been defined. You're the one going on like a child that doesn't accept that.

    But you weren't discussing the game inside the perimeters that have been defined. All you did was discuss the score. Mr Reed wrote a 3 page review. You didn't discuss his words just his number score. And you say I'm the child?

  • CunningLinguist #383 3 years ago

    @darc

    Well no shame in being a casual gamer, you have to pay your bills after all. But if you ever get the time I really suggest you at least play FO2. Make sure you read a character creation guide, because the game will prove impossible otherwise. I had to restart 4 times before I got a character that I was happy with (aka read a character guide). And I'll admit it here and now that I get bored of games so fast that I'm starting to think "I'm getting too old for this shit." But when I got my hands on FO 2 I played the game 4 - 5 hours a day until I finished it. I was in shock, I could not believe there was a game out there which would get me so addicted at my age (24, thus not a kid anymore). The amount of pop culture references, the varied characters, and the immersion is in a league of its own. I think it is really sad that there are people who will play FO3 based on the great things they've heard about FO1 and FO2, but will never play the originals. And don't get disarmed about the graphics, those games are about so much more than that. The low quality graphics just encourage you to use your imagination, after all it is a PC game incarnation of a pen and paper game.

    I find it funny how Bethesda said that they wanted you to feel that the decisions you make will weigh on you. Listening to the bad voice over just made me want to blow up Megaton that much more. I don't want to be a bad guy, but I really hated the characters who lived there. It felt like all the character from Cafe of Broken Dreams* finally got a chance to be in a FO game.

    I think gaming is getting too complex for its own good, and I would even go so far as to say xbox live and PSN are probably the best thing that happened to gaming in a long time.

    * Cafe of Broken Dreams is a random location you discover in FO 2 where all the characters that didn't make the cut for FO2 drink their sorrows.
    Edited by 1 at 31/10/08 @ 21:21

  • riz23 #384 3 years ago

    Great game. It's oblivion with guns though, but that is no bad thing in my book. What with this, Fable II and Dead Space I'm having a hella good time. And GoW2 next week....

  • Rowley #385 3 years ago

    It's a shame I don't have the time to play through this post-apocolytpic representation of an alternate reality with the kind of detail and grace that I couldn't have even dreamt about twenty-five years ago.

    You guys are truly living the golden age, quit the squabbling. I only managed to catch a snippet of the banter on here, but I agree with the last few comments regarding scores...reviews are inherently subjective no matter how open minded a reviewer is. If you're going to give scores, at least break them down a little a-la zzzap-64!.

    I imagine the perfect antithesis to this would be World of Goo. This, I do have time to play and all of you should go out and buy.

    Those of you that have the time, enjoy. Go for the kneecaps.

    edit? forgot the links to the history lessn'....

    hic!

    Edited by 1 at 01/11/08 @ 23:18

  • Tehren #386 3 years ago

    Standout moment. Sneaking up on a sniper, I get as close as I dare. My hunting rifle drawn, I dial up VATS. He's at the edge of my range; 18% chance to hit. I take the shot... The camera snaps to my avatar aiming the rifle, then follows the bullet in matrix-style bullet time. I know where this is going - BOOM HEADSHOT! The sheer panache of it was breathtaking. Awesome stuff.

  • bdgr #387 3 years ago

    I've played about 10hrs and haven't left Megaton yet!!

    Best moments so far?

    Finally emerging from Vault 101 - the bright white light gradually fading to reveal the total devastation.
    Entering Vault 106 - As the vault opened I thought it would be a bit like 101... And was immediately proved wrong!!

    The game is the most atmospheric game I think I have EVER played! Fan-bloody-tastic!!

  • magicianlord #388 3 years ago

    this game is oblivion with guns. it undermines part of what made fallout 1&2 so great, but does bring some things to the table (though we saw them in morrowind/oblivion first).

    EG can't help getting their scores wrong these days.this is a 9 out of 10 game imo. dead space is an 8 imo

  • Byzanite #389 3 years ago

    I would say its closer to a low 9. Not a 10.

  • swithers #390 3 years ago

    10/10? Someone somewhere is getting a bung.

    I made the grave error of caveing into the hype and picking this up in Morrisons during the Saturday food shop. What a cripplingly pointless and dull game. The only saving grace was when I accidentally pressed the third person viewpoint button and was suddenly able to see the game for what it is, a post apocalyptic marionette show on ice.

    Laughable animation, radio stations which have 4, maybe 5 records, and more brown and grey than a shit smeared monitor playing quake. If your idea of fun is wasting hours of your life playing an MMO with no human players, with combat so poor you have to choose which cut-scene you watch after you've decided what of the baddie you shoot... this is the game for you.

    10/10? Fuck off.

  • SteveB #391 3 years ago

    bdgr - Finally emerging from Vault 101 - the bright white light gradually fading to reveal the total devastation.

    I was looking forward to this bit, but was gutted to find that becasue I had spent so long in the vault by the time I left it was night time !

  • jonfon #392 3 years ago

    "It's a ten"
    "It's not a ten, its a [9, 8, 7, pos]"

    Why does the rather subjective number at the bottom of a review matter? This isn't Strictly Come Dancing you know, its completely irrelevant. The bottom 2 games of the week don't have to have a dance off or anything.

    What matters (to me anyway) is the (also subjective but far more informative) 2 pages before the Magic Number you're all fussing over.

    Personally I'm having a ball with Fallout 3, it's stunning graphically (I love the Oblivian engine, runs beautifully even on my laptop), morally ambiviant in a much stronger way that Bioshocks artifical-beyond-belief set-up "OMG, you is a baby murderer" and the combat system is great fun.

    I'd give it an twelvety.
    Edited by 1 at 03/11/08 @ 12:52

  • darc #393 3 years ago

    @CL: "I think gaming is getting too complex for its own good, and I would even go so far as to say xbox live and PSN are probably the best thing that happened to gaming in a long time."

    It's certainly reached the point where cost of entry precludes certain types of games from being made (or at least makes them very improbable.) I'm really psyched about the whole XBL/XNA scene. I got into computers writing little video games as a kid (way back in the early 80's!) but had long since given up on the idea of distributing anything. Now my wife and are working on a new idea. It might be a little far fetched to juggle 2 day jobs and write a decent game, but it's not impossible anymore.

    "* Cafe of Broken Dreams is a random location you discover in FO 2 where all the characters that didn't make the cut for FO2 drink their sorrows."

    Just the fact that that exists is awesome!

    BTW, I thought A.I. could have been an amazing movie if it just ended sooner. And I don't just mean it was too long - there really were several points in that film (one underwater scene comes immediately to mind) where credits could have just rolled and you'd have been left with a perfect, thought provoking film, but instead they decided to continue along with a few alternate endings.

    Back on topic - F3 destroyed my weekend. It may not compare favorably (or at all) with the originals but it's a whole lot more compelling than Oblivion IMO. I can't remember the last time I was this addicted to a game.
    Edited by 1 at 03/11/08 @ 14:14

  • migasUK #394 3 years ago


    "So I just beat Fallout 3 on PS3 and I have to say I hate you to bethesda. The gameplay was awesome yes, until the end. When "you beat the main story, it ends!!!! You can't play anymore, that's it. To compound this problem more, the story line was only around 6 hours long. Come on!! I was really getting into this game, and everything about it but it ends so abruptly. I mean Oblivion lasted forever, a great game.

    The boss fight, and the events leading up to it was probably the easiest ever. I died twice in the whole game, and that was because of taking on a deathclaw when I was lvl 5. I really expected more from this game, and it was fufilling those dreams until the short ending.

    This game should not be ranked in the 90's and should not be a AAA title. I guess the reviewers didn't get to finish it

    Anyone else feel that bet"


    so fallout 3 is more crap than i thought, I will be selling it this friday or exchange with GoW2!!!
    Edited by 1 at 03/11/08 @ 16:29

  • mkreku #395 3 years ago

    I absolutely love this game. Sorry for not trusting your review, Kristan, but you screwed up on the Oblivion one. But this one deserves all the praise it's getting!

    Who knew Bethesda had it in them? Stunning game.

  • Braincleaner #396 3 years ago

    i don't ge thoe people are saying it's "not fallout". really, name me one feature from fallout 1 and 2 that isn't somehow in fallout 3? game of the year by a mile, if bioshock can win it, fallout 3 will walk it.

  • krudster #397 3 years ago

    You say I "screwed up" the Oblivion review, but in what way? It's still regarded as a lot of people's favourite game (flaws included), and I stand by the 10. Maybe a bit of context would help. Back in the day, Eurogamer weren't top of publisher's lists to dish out review code to, and we had to wait for a boxed copy to arrive before being allowed to play it, and I crammed in about 18 hours play over two days and wrote the review as best I could.

    Fallout 3's been a different story altogether. Taking on board some of the flaws I missed in Oblivion (which I hold my hands up to - I simply didn't notice the levelling up issue as I hadn't played it long enough), I pleaded with Bethesda to give us code much much earlier, so I could actually sink a lot of hours into playing it and really see the whole game. It's not a game you can review in two days, and I knew that from the outset. As it happens, being given that extra time earned the game another point. Maybe 10, 15 hours in I would have struggled to give it more than 9, but 40, 50 hours in when I looked back on what I'd done in the game, it felt like the most justifiable 10 I'd ever given. No game has even come close this year to providing the entertainment this game has. Sure, it has a few flaws still, but what game doesn't? A 10 is not about being 'perfect' and never will be.

  • MaxiSleep #398 3 years ago

    Brilliant brilliant game. As an old fallout vet I just love it. Perhaps for those who did not know the joy of the first 2 it may be a 8 or 9, but for me is a 10 no doubt whatever.

  • discobunnywalker #399 3 years ago

    Playing it on PC, loving it on PC can't wait for fallout 4!!!

    And after reading all the comments about whether its a 10 or not instead of focusing on the number ask yourself are you enjoying playing it, if you then thats all that matters not whether its got a 10 or not!!!

    Plus I got mine from Tesco for 27 quid!!!
    Edited by 1 at 04/11/08 @ 18:48

  • RedSparrows #400 3 years ago

    @ Swithers

    That comment made me so glad I am not you.

  • TheBrow #401 3 years ago

    Yeah, agree that this game is amazing, a real time-sink so far. Yes, as many have said, it is Oblivion with guns - an improved Oblivion (and I thought that was pretty sweet anyway, despite my problems with the levelling system).

    As for the arguments about what constitutes a 10, I presume that those people who maintain that only the best of the best (of the best) of games should score 10s have some sort of Bell Curve distribution in mind. Why not use the whole scale more evenly?

  • CunningLinguist #402 3 years ago

    There's so much /facepalm in FO3's writing that you'd have to be either extremely gullible or completely oblivious to the previous games in order to accept it. I do not understand how the reviewer can overlook an element that once was an integral part of the series.

  • hiddenranbir #403 3 years ago

    Game is more a 7-8.

    I think it is getting an easy ride simply because we're in Fallout universe. A lot of Bethesda's typical weaknesses are being overlooked. Shame.

    No doubt modding community are going to end up making it worth it, same as Oblivion.

  • mkreku #404 3 years ago

    Yeah, I agree that the writing and the main story isn't up to the original two games standards. But then again.. Fallout 3 is miles above the original games when it comes to combat, scenery and exploration.

    I'm guessing that because voice-overs are now standard, the texts have to be more limited for practical reasons. Or else you'd need a voice over budget the size of Icelands BNP.

    It's still a fantastic game though. It lives off of other strengths.

  • hiddenranbir #405 3 years ago

    Well in comparison, Fable managed to get a good set of quality voice actors. Bethesda must have wasted some of their budget to get Liam Neeson.

  • darc #406 3 years ago

    @mreku: bingo.

  • Blackthorned #407 3 years ago

    Anyone having problems with bugs in this game? And I don't mean giant insects

    Four hours in and I've had four instances where I've been stuck in a corner or in rocky ground and two instances where I was unable to strafe in the middle of combat. It means I have to save even more frequently than usual to reload. Quite frustrating and I expected better after long development time.

  • crazymonkey66 #408 3 years ago

    haven't got my copy yet but here's what i get from this review:
    it's oblivion with guns, therefore it's good. story and character creation and development don't matter since they weren't mentioned. the turn based combat is frustrating but is supposed to be like that so its okay. the dialogue system is good because it's simple and elegant, and there is always a positive, negative or neutral option. no shades of grey like the original fallouts, because who wants actual roleplaying. no characters worth mentioning and the ending is lame.
    10/10!!!!

  • testpattern #409 3 years ago

    I'd love to hear any thoughts on the combat system, it doesn't sound too appealing to me, but I do love a big open world.
    chheeeeerrrrs

  • uk_john #410 3 years ago

    ..."You might struggle to come to terms with the freedom, and end up, as I did, clinging to Megaton like a life raft."

    So true, so true - well said!!!

  • angelus_imperialis #411 3 years ago

    allthough a 10/10 score is questionable (perfect game? yeah right...), the game sure deserves a high score, like 9-9,5/10.
    i've played fallout 3 for some days now and am still eager to go on, the game dynamics, the atmosphere, the theme, the fluid gameplay and replay value make this game a top rpg. Oblivion deserves a 8,5-9/10 score, the top rpg when it came out but with less fluid gameplay mechanics and less replay value but certainly was a lot of fun to play and amazed me at first. I agree that the difficulty of fallout 3 could have been a bit better though, a bit too few adversaries to go around but is still entertaining and fun. many side stories, unpredictable events and free story-shaping make this game top and still amazing for me!

  • Skitz470 #412 3 years ago

    First off, for the actual gameplay and such I would say this game is a 10/10. Unfortunately I would actually rate it 0/10 due to the ungodly amount of bugs that Bethesda decided to release the game with. From hard crashes (some which occur hours into the game and cause you to be unable to continue and have to restart from scratch) to NPC's randonmly vanishing this game is plagued with bugs. Right now the game has been out for like 2 months and for PS3 users at least there has yet to be even a MENTION of a patch release. All we get is "its being looked into". Im sorry 3/4 of the bugs should have been "looked into" and fixed WAY before the game even came out. My guess is that Bethesda wanted to save some money and instead of testing the game before release, they released it and are using the buyers as "free" game testers to find all of the bugs.

  • pha #413 3 years ago

    ^^^^^^^^^^
    Stop complaining and realize that the PS3 is the most expensive and worst leveraged gaming platform today...

    Just sell it and get the PC or 360 version. Honestly!

  • Les #414 3 years ago

    Overcame my Bethesda hate and got this game based on glowing recommendations from friends and due to the fact that I was able to pick it up on eBay for €25.

    Must say it is much better than the abominable Oblivion, though that doesn't say much. What saves this game is the fact that it is basically a shooter and therefore actually suited to the first person perspective. It shares many of Oblivion's problems (horrible animation, horrible art, annoying and totally unconvincing NPCs, acceptable story at best, useless 3rd person camera) but because this game is actually playable it makes it bearable. And because the game world must look ugly, the lack of artistic skill is less annoying.

    But so far it's enjoyable enough to continue playing.

  • geeza2020 #415 3 years ago

    Have to disagree with everyone slating this game. Graphics are great, combat is actually pretty good despite people saying its "broken" or "dodgy", very atmospheric sound, loads to do and see. I havent had the game crash once while i have been playing it on the 360 (and im lvl 20 at the mo and heading for the end) I think all the people who dislike this are either a)non rpg folk so fair enough, b) people who were spotty teen fanboys of the original FO's so no matter what will hate this game because its not been made by their precious Black Isle (despite Bethesda's remarkable work here), c) people looking to be fashionable by hating a game thats got a 10/10 (even though scores are meaningless) or d) morons. :) Oh and i went to play fallout 2 recently and thought it was rubbish. One of the things that Bethesda were trying to do with Oblivion and FO3 is take game franchises that were originally aimed at extremely hardcore rpg fans (far too many stats and numbers.... yawn), and make them a bit more mainstream while keeping the things that made the originals so succesful. Which IMO they have done as well as anybody else out there could have. roll on Fallout 4 or the next Elder Scrolls game!
    Edited by 1 at 30/03/09 @ 16:08

  • Les #416 3 years ago

    Am still playing this on PS3. Decent game and thanks to the irrelevant story perfectly suited for the occasional play session. I don't love it but I don't hate it either like I did with Oblivion (though it shares many of its predecessor's faults), I keep coming back to it so in that sense it has achieved its goal. Wouldn't give it more than a 7 though.