Soooooo. Fallout 3. Here we go! I actually downloaded the game because I was actually interested in replaying New Vegas for its 10 year anniversary... but then I noticed that the mod Tale of Two Wastelands was out and I could play FO3 and FNV in the same game so obviously I jumped on that shit! So this isn't so much a review of Fallout-3-as-it-was but rather FO3 through the engine of NV along with some handy mods to make things a little (LOT) better. This is also the first time I have played a game with an optional "survivor" mode and uhh... I really really liked it actually? It takes a while for the penalties to kick in and it just keeps you on your toes and a bit more 'grounded' in the world and I appreciate that in an RPG.
Anyway, Fallout 3 - the story of a kid born in a vault (but not really) then later finds out that there's a whole WORLD out there to explore! And its full of monsters and other horrible shit but your dad leaves you in the lurch so you gotta go after him. This starts a series of "Have you seen my dad"'s that will have you bopping around certain points on the map until you figure out what your pops was up to - creating clean water for the wasteland. So I have a lot of issues with the main story of FO3 in that it doesn't play too well with the open world aspect of it. Namely - every story quest minus one exception takes place entirely in the SE quadrant of the map. Now that's where the DC area is which is perhaps one of the most interesting 'open air' dungeons I've seen in a game BUT it leaves huge chunks of the game essentially just open to random side shit. However now that I've spent a lot of time wandering around in those other areas a lot of that side stuff is actually REALLY good. So why the heck does the game not really nudge me AT ALL to go see it..?
Unfortunately I did that thing where I let a little too much time pass between finishing the game and writing the review so I will just have to cut it short unfortunately. Fallout 3 very much shows off Bethesda's strengths - an open world with lots of wonderful and interesting little side stories tucked away and available for the player to interact with at a moment's notice. The main section is hugely overwrought, uneven, and a clear attempt at shoehorning in a "Hollywood-style" plot into a series that frankly has no such use for one. The worldbuilding can be lackluster in a lot of ways and there's not real theme running through the story or locations at all which makes it feel hodge-podge going from one little sidestory to the next. All that said - it is still an interesting time for each of these little sidestories and wandering over that next hill to see what kind of monster, loot, NPC, or apocalypse log awaits you still felt pretty darn good.
Anyway, Fallout 3 - the story of a kid born in a vault (but not really) then later finds out that there's a whole WORLD out there to explore! And its full of monsters and other horrible shit but your dad leaves you in the lurch so you gotta go after him. This starts a series of "Have you seen my dad"'s that will have you bopping around certain points on the map until you figure out what your pops was up to - creating clean water for the wasteland. So I have a lot of issues with the main story of FO3 in that it doesn't play too well with the open world aspect of it. Namely - every story quest minus one exception takes place entirely in the SE quadrant of the map. Now that's where the DC area is which is perhaps one of the most interesting 'open air' dungeons I've seen in a game BUT it leaves huge chunks of the game essentially just open to random side shit. However now that I've spent a lot of time wandering around in those other areas a lot of that side stuff is actually REALLY good. So why the heck does the game not really nudge me AT ALL to go see it..?
Unfortunately I did that thing where I let a little too much time pass between finishing the game and writing the review so I will just have to cut it short unfortunately. Fallout 3 very much shows off Bethesda's strengths - an open world with lots of wonderful and interesting little side stories tucked away and available for the player to interact with at a moment's notice. The main section is hugely overwrought, uneven, and a clear attempt at shoehorning in a "Hollywood-style" plot into a series that frankly has no such use for one. The worldbuilding can be lackluster in a lot of ways and there's not real theme running through the story or locations at all which makes it feel hodge-podge going from one little sidestory to the next. All that said - it is still an interesting time for each of these little sidestories and wandering over that next hill to see what kind of monster, loot, NPC, or apocalypse log awaits you still felt pretty darn good.