Fallout 3
Preview
After years of absence, Fallout will return, and how!
by Rook
previewed on PC
The saga continues
The Nuclear War of 2077 has all but completely destroyed the continental United States. Raiders, Super Mutants and general hate and discontent rule the lands between ‘Sea and Shining Sea’. Washington DC, now called the ‘Capital Waste’ is home to a steadfast pocket of salvation: Vault-101. This is where a brand new story of the Fallout saga begins, with a young man in search for his father.
Fallout 3 is the latest gem coming from Bethesda, developers of the mega hit Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion. The game takes place in the wastes of Washington DC and centers on the travels of a young man who has been born and raised in Vault-101. In the 200 years after the Great War, no one has stepped foot outside the sanctuary of the vault until your father –voice acted by Liam Neeson- mysteriously leaves one morning. Armed with the iconic PipBoy, the player heads out in search of his father, forging his own story in the great Capital Waste.
Prettiest post-apocalyptic ever
The story of Fallout 3 is not directly connected to the previous Fallout titles. Building from the history and lore of the Fallout world, the game will provide a whole new story, art direction and gameplay. Todd Howard, Executive Producer of the project, has stressed that ‘reinvention’ is a key point in the development of Fallout 3. This is not to say that history and lore will be ignored, but the game play itself will be redefined into a whole new playing experience to separate it from previous titles.
General gameplay aspects are expected to be epic and will reflect Fallout 1 in many respects. One can expect to see high levels of violence and destruction through the Capital Waste. A headshot won’t simply be a shot in the head. It will be a head obliteration. Disintegration, Jellification, Incineration, all manner of gruesome and extremely painful ways to kill or be killed with threaten every step through the massive environment of the ruined DC. Using an evolved version of the same engine used in Oblivion, Fallout 3 is easily the prettiest post-apocalyptic Washington DC any of us have had the pleasure of seeing, let alone run around in.
Attributes and Perks
Character development is completely open ended. Everything you do will have a consequence and nothing the player does will ever be the ‘correct’ choice. Everything has a pro and a con, it is up to the player which is the best choice for himself at that particular time. Good or bad, you are the guy with the mouse click and decide. The players’ character is SPECIAL. No, not so much special in that way, but as in the character development system that stands for Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility and Luck. It is by these attributes that you will live and die out in the wastes. With the SPECIAL system, the player can literally create any character they wish. In addition to these attributes, the ‘perks’ system also makes a return. Perks are special (in the normal meaning of the word) traits that offer the player character certain abilities and advantages that can have a dramatic impact on how you play the game.
