Last week saw the release of the latest in the Fallout series of RPGs.
I’ve got Fallout 1 & 2 in the house, but I’d never really played them much (should really dig them out), however when I saw the hype for Fallout 3, I was very excited. I’m a huge Oblivion fan, so the idea of an Oblivion-style, post-apocalyptic future-set RPG was very interesting.
And so far, the game is living up to expectations. I’m not far in, having just completed the introductory level where you define your character, and run a couple of quick quests for the first town, but its off to a promising start. Starting your character from birth and then jumping to various events in your childhood (10th birthday party for example) is quite a nice way to break you into the game, and build a bond with your character.
The feel of the game is very similar to Oblivion so far. Graphically, its obvious this is a souped up version of the same engine (or at least, that’s what it looks like), and the introductory level being used to define your character and establish the main plot reminded me a lot of the prison break sequence at the start of Oblivion.
Visually however, the landscape is very different. Whereas Oblivion was lush landscapes, woods and mountains, this is the world after an atomic war. Outside of the vault you are greeted by what’s left of the town where the vault was located, only most of it has been reclaimed by the desert, with only a few shells of buildings remaining. The main feature you quickly find is the town of Megaton, recognisable by its town walls, welded together from various bits of sheet metal. The whole town has the feel of something thrown together from scavenged materials (which it is), which is in sharp contrast to Oblivion’s towns, which felt like great care had gone into their construction and layout (especially the likes of the Imperial City).
Atmosphere is also added via the radio stations your wrist computer (Pip-Boy) can pick up. From the start, the main radio station setup by survivors is only static (there’ll be a quest there I imagine), however you can listen to the Enclave Station and have the sound of President Eden (Malcolm McDowall) to keep you company as you explore the wastes.
So far the feel of this game is spot on for me. The immersion and everything I loved about Oblivion, but the post-apocalyptic setting is a sharp contrast and well-realised. I’m looking forward to exploring this game properly over the next few weeks and getting to grips with it.
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