Fallout 3

Radiating nothing but quality

The unmitigated devastation of Fallout 3's world means that Bethesda was never going to equal the lush and rich world it conjured up in Oblivion. In fact, many gamers may find Fallout 3's almost complete lack of colour to be somewhat depressing; but then rolling hills, grazing sheep and crystal waters weren't ever going to convey a once mighty city hauled to its knees by nuclear strikes. That being said, Bethesda still manages to surpass Oblivion's glorious visuals by offsetting colour with astounding levels of detail and a relentlessly desperate exterior that rolls beneath the player's feet without ever pausing to load. To be honest, there are a dozen regular games packed into Fallout 3, yet it never overtly beats its own chest or attempts to be unnecessarily flashy. Both indoor and outdoor, its foreboding atmosphere is beautifully weighted while environments are positively dripping with developmental love and attention. Clichéd as it sounds, the singular truth with Fallout 3 is that seeing really is believing.

Throw in superb NPC voice acting that rarely misses the correct tone in order to intensify situations while pushing the narrative incrementally closer to its climax, and it really is difficult to find fault with the game's overall presentation. Even Bethesda's decision to deliver an experience short on orchestrated accompaniment works perfectly, as it allows a silent world almost devoid of mankind's artificial sounds to heap yet more tension on the player's shoulders through creaking buildings, whistling winds and the lonely repetition of footfalls on parched ground.

Of course, graphics and sound aside, the deciding factor of any videogame is its gameplay and, from that perspective, hardened RPG fans or genre virgins can rest assured that Bethesda has crafted a dream entry to the Fallout series that openly embraces everyone. While expansive exploration makes up a great deal of the core game, enjoyable battles against wasteland creatures, human Raiders, automated defence robots, Super Mutants, Feral Ghouls, and the heavily armoured Brotherhood of Steel make for guaranteed challenge and excitement.

Note: the game carries an 'M for Mature' ('18') rating and its violent clashes are punctuated by a savage level of slow-motion impact gore and dismemberment that some may find unsavoury.

Saving can be done at any point in the game, which is a huge plus as long as players actually remember to do so - there's nothing more frustrating than traipsing across the map to a new area only to run into a new foe and have your ass dished before bringing up the save option. Also, players are not physically restricted to carrying a small amount of weapons and items, with the Pip-Boy 3000 providing instant access to virtually anything collected across the game, which includes a weighty portable armoury that would shatter the spine of any normal human being. With RPGs thriving best on inspiring creativity, Fallout 3 includes hard-to-find workbenches that enable players to utilise acquired schematics to construct unique weaponry that will provide a valuable edge when in combat (see, the guilt of obliterating Megaton does have its advantages).

In terms of isolating points of detraction beyond personal tolerance for exploding bodies and a superhuman capacity for carrying heavy equipment, there are a few other things worth noting. Specifically, players will need to be patient as they hone the V.A.T.S. system, and there's a degree of disappointment connected to the clunky optional third-person view. Also, the Xbox 360 occasionally groans under the sheer weight of processing (even freezing on occasion), A.I. opponents tend to blindly rush forward too often, and the odd floating gun or body part may raise an eyebrow. However, any minor quibbles that budding adventurers encounter fade into insignificance when faced with a hulking beast of a game that offers more high-quality content than most software releases can dream of - it's difficult to know how Bethesda managed to pack it all onto a single disc.

Quantifying the merits of a videogame during the reviewing process is generally a case of identifying its genre placement and assessing whether it measures up to, or perhaps even surpasses, integral related and/or established yardsticks of quality. However, every now and again a game comes along that absolutely refuses to be tied down by preconceived notions of what it should or shouldn't be, instead rising mightily above the gamut of gaming mediocrity and unashamedly embarrassing other, supposedly top-tier titles in the process.

In that sense, Bethesda's apocalyptical Fallout 3 belies its own jaw-dropping desolation by delivering a near-faultless action RPG that manages to not only execute compelling first-person gameplay but also provides an influential and in-depth character evolution system that's supported by an intriguing storyline and a mind-boggling game world that screams "Game of the Year" at every turn.

96%

By Stevie Mostyn