Fallout 3 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC) Preview

Posted by Ty Huston on 06.27.2008

The franchise returns with a new developer and it's looking pumped up for an October release.




Game: Fallout 3
System: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC
Developer: Bethesda Softworks
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Expected Release: October 2008


Unless you've been living under a rock for the past 10 years, chances are you've played one of the first two Fallout games on the PC. Personally, I picked them up quite a while after their release and got them at Wal-Mart in a two pack for $10.00. But for those of you who don't already know about this franchise, let me fill you in.

The Fallout franchise is role-playing videogame based a post-apocalyptic 22nd century ravaged by nuclear destruction caused from the United States' efforts to reduce reliance on petroleum and move towards fusion power. Unfortunately, this doesn't happen until after 2077, shortly following an oil drilling conflict in the Pacific Ocean which causes a rift between the U.S. and China. What ensues is nuclear war, creating the desolate world that the series takes place.



It's only teenage wasteland. Well, a wasteland anyway.


Thankfully, a private corporation (Vault-Tec) had already begun building great underground vaults with the idea to protect people from radiation exposure. This is basically inspired by the Cold War which saw a lot of American's freaking out about the possibility of nuclear war and built bomb shelters to try and prepare. Anyway, it was estimated at the time that over 400,000 Vault-Tec units would be needed for the entire populace of the United States, however only 122 were constructed before the bombs hit. As is discovered during the previous two games, nobody knows who fired the first missile and it has become known that the 122 Vaults were not built with the idea of saving humanity, but as a social experiment conducted by the United States government. Nearly every vault had a strange variable to test the people inside and influence their social behavior. One particular experiment (Vault 69) happened to feature 999 women and one man. Lucky bastard.

Survivors still exist on the surface of the Earth, although over the generations the highly toxic levels of radiation have altered everything from cattle to dogs to rats and even the people. Human mutations are hardly recognizable at times and you'll be hard pressed to find a cow with less than two heads.



This is my BOOMSTICK!


While there are two completed PC games, there have been a couple of spin-offs for the consoles that really weren't very good and didn't live up to the hype. Also, even though this is Fallout 3, none of the games have anything to do with the other in terms of the same character. Each game has its own area of the U.S. it works in with different characters.

The following is the prologue to the story, courtesy of the Official Fallout Website
:

" Vault 101 – Jewel of the Wastes. For 200 years, Vault 101 has faithfully served the surviving residents of Washington DC and its environs, now known as the Capital Wasteland. Though the global atomic war of 2077 left the US all but destroyed, the residents of Vault 101 enjoy a life free from the constant stress of the outside world. Giant Insects, Raiders, Slavers, and yes, even Super Mutants are all no match for superior Vault-Tec engineering. Yet one fateful morning, you awake to find that your father has defied the Overseer and left the comfort and security afforded by Vault 101 for reasons unknown. Leaving the only home you've ever known, you emerge from the Vault into the harsh Wasteland sun to search for your father, and the truth."

The game is being developed by Bethesda, creators of such jewels as the Elder Scolls series. In fact, Fallout 3 is being built on the same critically acclaimed Gamebryo engine that was used to create The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

Yes, I can see you salivating.

Also, the game will be featuring some well known voice talents such as Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Hellboy 2) and Liam Neeson (Darkman, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, The Chronicles of Narnia Series).



Inside the Vault


Fallout 3 is slated to be playable through both first-person and third person perspectives. Building on the premise of this being a roleplaying game, upon character creation you're given some variables to work with to build your appearance, improve skills, and other tweaks to your character.

Another feature, for combat, is the Vault-tec Assisted Targeting System (or V.A.T.S.). Using V.A.T.S will pause real-time combat and has been described by Bethesda as a "hybrid of real-time and turn-based combat." V.A.T.S. also provides gory deaths, in slow motion and with immense detail. The system uses "action points," which have been a staple of the Fallout series, to be spent by both the player and enemies to target certain areas of the body to cause critical injuries to those particular parts.



This is the Pip-Boy 3000 and the V.A.T.S.


Weapons will be degenerative, although it has been said that worn out weapons can be rebuilt by using good parts from different deteriorated weapons to create newer, more powerful weapons. Schematics for other weapons can be found and used with parts to build some incredible weapons such as a rocket launcher or the "shrapnel bomb" - created from a Vault-tec lunchbox and bottle caps.



A man and his best friend – Dogmeat.


Character progression is handled using the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. system, a points based system upon which the skills and perks are also used to give you a fully customizable character. Also, as with most games in this day and age, your actions will determine your path on the road to good or evil.

Fallout 3 is slated for an October release, but is available to pre-order through various sites. The game will come with three versions – normal, Collector's Edition and Survival Edition. The Collector's Edition will come in a Vault-Tec lunchbox, with the game, Vault Boy bobble head, art book and DVD featuring "the making of" extras. The Survival Edition features one more item – a Pip-Boy 3000 replica, which is a fully functional clock.

Here is what the package looks like:



Bethesda is touting the use of Amazon.com for your orders, and more specifically the Survival Edition is exclusive to Amazon.

The original game itself can be pre-ordered here: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC.

The Collector's Edition can be pre-ordered here: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC.

The Survival Edition and be pre-ordered here: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC.

Screenshots
All 30 Fallout 3 Screenshots