The 10th Hour 06.26.09: Top 10 Things in Fallout 3

Posted by Adam Larck on 06.26.2009

In the latest edition of The 10th Hour, 411’s Adam Larck takes a look at the top things in Fallout 3. From locations to perks to even Super Mutant sidekicks, see what he thinks is some of the top things from the game from Bethesda.


Hello and welcome back to the 10th Hour. After taking a short hiatus, the column is back with a new writer. You've probably seen some of my work around the Top 5 and Fact or Fiction, and I hope to do this column justice like Drew and Derek did before. As always, I'll start off on a few tangents about what's going on here.

-Got the Ghostbusters in last weekend to review. I've been having fun with both the single and multiplayer this week. There are a few problems that I'll mention when my review goes up (which should be soon after this column) but it's still fun for fans of the series. Having the original actors really adds to the game.

-By the time this comes out, the newest Transformers will also have been out, but I'll still haven't seen it either. I'll probably wait a week to let crowds die down there. However, I have started to watch the other movie again. I liked the movie, primarily for the action and explosions. It's a Michael Bay film. I've come to expect that and I hope Revenge of the Fallen doesn't disappoint.

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Top 10 Things in Fallout 3

Since the newest content for the game came out Tuesday, I felt it would be good to kick my debut column off on a game that I like. I decided to leave the expansion items off the list because that could probably make another 10th Hour altogether, so this is just the top things I like from the original game. Considering how big the game is, there's quite a bit to choose from. So let's get going.

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10. Vault 108 and the Gary clan - The vault itself is pretty easy to run through and only really offers a Bobblehead for the trouble. That's not why it made the list, though. The reason it's on the list is due to the main enemy there, a ton of Gary.

The vault was also a cloning facility for the lone resident there, Gary. Because of this, the vault just roams with Gary's that normally just use some melee weapons to take you on. Just seeing Gary after Gary try to take you on, just to get mowed down was hilarious to me, and a great touch to a vault.

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9. Fawkes-the Super Mutant helper - You fight Super Mutants throughout the game, in a variety of forms. So, it comes as a great surprise later on when you find a Super Mutant not only caged by his peers, but actually civilized as well.

While you meet a few other Super Mutants in the game that are civilized as well, Fawkes is the first one that will actually join you as a companion and help you out. The best thing I can think to call him is a tank. Not only is he huge and can take a lot of punishment, but his main weapons are a Gatling Laser and his own personal Super Sledge. He's a great fighter to have in your corner, and makes the last little bit of the game a breeze with him helping.

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8. Crashed Alien Ship with the Alien Blaster/Firelance - The crash site may be out of the way to get to, but is definitely worth seeing to see one of the most random things in Fallout 3.

Past a Power Station, you can see a crashed alien ship wedged into the ground. When you finally get close a transmission starts to play in an alien language over your radio, and radiation slowly starts as well. Finally, when exploring the site, you find the Alien Blaster, one of the strongest weapons in the game. The only downside? The limited number of ammo with no chance of finding more.

Also in the game you have a random chance of hitting another specialty Alien Blaster called the Firelance. This pistol not only does fire damage, but is also one of the most powerful weapons in the game. The problem is that it's a random event. I've only seen this random event happen on one of the three systems I've played on, but it was worth it. You have to love Bethesda's touch of hitting the 1950s paranoia about aliens.

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7. Reservist's Rifle with Sniper perk and high Luck - When you talk about powerful weapon's, this one might not be the first one to come to mind, but it was one of my favorite ones to use throughout the game.

Basically found in the middle of nowhere at an abandoned church, the rifle is just a variation of the sniper rifle found throughout the game. After a bit of digging around, though, I found out that its critical strike ratio jumps huge when the player's Luck is high. Considering a lot of what I do is sneak attacks that add a damage bonus already, when you add in the Sniper perk (higher percentage of headshots in V.A.T.S.) and the high Luck I use, I would one hit kill most things I came across. This gun was great throughout all my plays.

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6. Pip-Boy 3000 - A clock, radio, item management system and more on your wrist? Sign me up for one.

The Pip-Boy 3000 is a great gift for any 10-year-old. It basically converts anything that the player needs into a simple click of a button. It keeps track of the player's body, including the health and radiations absorbed. It also shows the items the player has, along with a handy map and radio. If that wasn't enough, the light coming off of the Pip-Boy can help illuminate dark areas while exploring, or can even be turned off to hide.

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5. You're S.P.E.C.I.A.L. - Well, Bethesda always has an interesting way to let you choose how to allocate your character points.

In Fallout, this comes thanks to the You're S.P.E.C.I.A.L. book you get when you're a kid. The rhymes in the book are humorous to read, but still gave you all the key information needed about each area to let you know how to spend your points. It was a great way to kick of the game and introduce players to the various stats. I would have loved to have had more things tied into this book later on in the game, like finding a sequel to the book or the author. Maybe in another game.

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4. Mysterious Stranger perk - While it's one of the most random perks available in the game, it also becomes one of the strongest when you actually get to see the stranger.

While you never actually get to talk to the stranger, much less see him outside of V.A.T.S., he is a great helper in situations. Any random time in V.A.T.S. you can get him, and he comes in with his hat, trench coat and, of course, his powerful magnum. The thing in his way at the time just gets demolished. If only you could get his magnum to use.

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3. G.O.A.T. Test - If the book at the beginning of the game was good, the G.O.A.T. Test is great to read and answer.

All of the questions in the test are interesting, but it's the answers that are hilarious. From asking for a mingun to shoot a grandmother, to removing a mutated hand on your stomach with a laser, the answers are great to read. Not only is the test fun to take, but it also helps give you your skills that seem to be honed in to what you like to do in the game. Don't like the skills? Don't worry, you can still change them. But, after that fun and interesting test, why would you?

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2. V.A.T.S. System - This is the most creative way I've seen to change up the normal shooter formula, and the system actually works amazing.

A system that actually freezes the game and then lets you pinpoint what body part to aim for and even the percentage to hit. It's a system that sounded hard to do in theory, but worked out great for Fallout 3. Being able to actually target a point to destroy it to hamper the enemy in some way is great. I want to see how Bethesda can build on this in future games. I'm not sure how they could even top this, it works so well already.

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1. Bloody Mess perk - The five percent damage boost for all weapons isn't what makes this perk the number one on the list. It's the other effect that this perk has that does.

The thing I like the most about Fallout is the different way a body can blow up. Preferably, they blow up into little tiny pieces. With the Bloody Mess perk, this happens about 95 percent of the time. It always entertained me to see this happen, yet I could never figure out how you could search an eyeball afterwards and pick up a gun and armor from it. The blood and guts that spill out from a headshot always leave me with a feeling of self satisfaction that I've completely obliterated the enemy.

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Well, that's all I have for this week. Like or hate what I said? Shoot me an email at [e-mail] or leave a comment below. Any feedback is appreciated.

Also, let me know your thoughts about the banner. Should I keep the old banner to pay homage to the old column, or open up to fan submissions for a new banner? I want the fan's input on this, so let me know.