Is Fallout 3 (a downloadable action RPG from 2008) worth your time? You bet. Originally brought to life by Interplay back in 1997 for the PC, the Fallout series of games has always prided itself on a heady mix of the 1940s “red scare” mania and 1990s grit and grime. A post-apocalyptic game before the genre was played out, the original Fallout is fondly recalled by PC gamers that had the chance to play it.
The reason?
Because it is one of the few titles that consistently offered a new – and sometimes surprisingly so – experience every time it was booted up.
Let’s see what we’ve got here.
A narrative structure that was specifically tailored to accommodate wide-ranging player choices. Check.
A storyline that was unique enough to be compelling. Check as well.
Rightfully so, the original Fallout game spawned a series that had lain dormant for some time until resurrected by the talented folks over at Bethesda.
The result?
A 2008 release on the PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 and Windows PCs in the form of Fallout 3.
But here’s the kicker.
This new game was, on its face, completely different in gameplay style from its forebears. It was 3D!
However, it soon turned out that at its heart, Fallout 3 still held many of the established traditions of the old PC game close to its heart.
How to Download Fallout 3
To download the game, click on the Download button at the end of this review. Be sure also to download and check out other titles from the series such as Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4, or the multiplayer Fallout 76.
The Game Review
Updating a classic is no easy task and when it was announced that Bethesda, the company behind the vaunted Elder Scrolls series of games, was taking the wheel of the beloved Fallout series gamers couldn’t help but be skeptical as to what would come out of the venture.
Promising to use the famous game system employed in their Elder Scrolls titles, Fallout 3 was, out of the gate, going to be a completely different beast than the other titles – and that has proven to be Fallout 3’s greatest strength.
Adapting Fallout’s combat for the TES engine resulted in a somewhat awkward and disjointed experience for many gamers but still provided something different enough that it drew in legions of new fans that had never heard of Fallout before but wanted to try this new game.
In a nod to the classic titles, Fallout 3 features a variation of the VATS system from the classic turn-based role-playing games of the 1990s that literally slows down gameplay and allows the targeting of specific body segments.
Leveling your character and choosing perks is almost as important as what factions you side with and the choices you make in the course of a quest.
Like the original games, there are a ton of different ways to do things in Fallout 3 and this not only encourages replay value but also adds value to the game in terms of lore. Like the original games, Fallout 3 encourages thinking outside of the box and has a narrative line prepared for pretty much every occasion.
People who love the unique storytelling structure found in the original games will love Fallout 3’s quirky take on those titles.
That said, there are moments where older fans of the series can see that this is a decidedly different game from those of the past (adult themes are toned down or eliminated entirely) and a combination of a first-person shooter and a role-playing game can sometimes lead to a disconnected experience.
