Fallout 3

 PC
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 5318 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3,751 out of 5318
  2. Mixed: 987 out of 5318
  3. Negative: 580 out of 5318
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  1. anarki2k3
    Aug 15, 2010
    6
    I don't know how so many people reviewed this so highly. Fallout 3, as a game, is directionless and vague in all it does, poorly structured (you can skip out half the story if you're not careful), caters for gaming idiots and worst of all is anything but true to the Fallout name.

    Ok so I shall start with the positives, it's a good looking game as long as you remain in first person,    I don't know how so many people reviewed this so highly. Fallout 3, as a game, is directionless and vague in all it does, poorly structured (you can skip out half the story if you're not careful), caters for gaming idiots and worst of all is anything but true to the Fallout name.

    Ok so I shall start with the positives, it's a good looking game as long as you remain in first person, apparently no one in Bethesda has ever seen a real person walking as evidenced by switching to third person. There are some truly great scripted moments that are only really effective because of the level of the graphics, anyone who's played it should know what moments I'm talking about. Moving onto the world itself, it is big and there are a lot of places to go and visit, a lot of people to meet and a lot of items to collect (if you're a hoarder like me). The ambient sound is ok in most places and good in a few, it never gets annoying so I can't really fault it. Weapons sound as they should or probably should, the music sort of sets the scene but is relatively forgettable. That just about wraps up the good things.

    Ok so first of all this game suffers from all the faults Oblivion had and some. "Dungeons" or "Vaults" as Bethesda would have you believe all have that same rehashed feeling they had in Oblivion, as do buildings. As I already mentioned, third person character movement is appalling, though this is not too much of a problem as most people, as I did, for a bulk of the game will be playing in first person. You would have thought with the budget they had and the time they had they could at least get that right however. The other thing is that it can't be played as you would play a first person shooter, you can aim your cross hair over an enemy all you want but that doesn't make it any more likely you will hit; whilst this is true to the Fallout series it doesn't translate in their first person iteration of it, except for when enemies are firing at you; they don't seem to be bound by the same constraints. Neither does VATS for that matter, in the original if you specifically targeted and hit an enemy's body part it would have a noticeable affect on that enemy's ability to fight, in Fallout 3 it doesn't seem to make a blind bit of difference, for example, blinding an enemy would make it near impossible for them to attack you. As for the storyline, what there isn't of it that is, now I know that there is much more to a game in terms of its immersive-ness than the main storyline but it does have to provided direction and motivation to finish the game. The main storyline can be completed in five hours or less if you're skipping parts of it and is not once engaging or driving enough to want to continue. Not good by any standard. It doesn't help that the story is told by an incredibly lacklustre group of NPCs. In fact nearly every character in this game has a personality roughly equal to a shade of beige. They are an incredibly boring group and there is little diversity to them, in fact you will come across many with an overwhelming sense of familiarity, even though you may not have met them yet. Also the game is incredibly buggy, even after numerous patches.

    That covers all of the issues I see with it except for, what is for me, the biggest one of them all. Now then, if you're going to take up already established IP and expand on that you have to pay attention to what that originally stood for. Now I know Fallout has diverged in the past from it's roots but never has it strayed this far. The first two of the Fallout series had some intelligent and very witty writing, a varied, interesting and soulful group of NPCs and hugely interesting world full of sleaze and humour. This variation on the Fallout theme has stripped out all of this, there is never a funny moment, the writing is appalling, NPCs are bland and the sleaze has completely gone. No more can you take a job as a porn star or engage with the post-apocalyptic mob or score drugs from a shady character to fuel your addiction. This strips most of the realism and life out of the world and the fact of the matter is that by comparison to most of the rest of the series Fallout 3 has no soul, it's been stripped out in an attempt to bring it to all out commercial success (yes I know this sounds whiny and unrealistic as these companies are there to make money, but do that with their own IP not just off the back of a recognised and fondly loved and remembered franchise).

    Anyway in conclusion Fallout 3 is, as a game, a mildly above average game. However, as an addition to the Fallout series it is an incredibly poor and disappointing addition so far removed from what Fallout was that it is barely recognisable any more. I just hope that with some of the original Fallout team working on New Vegas they can get that amazingly lively, funny world that Fallout used to be back.    … Expand
  2. JaydenPickens
    Feb 20, 2019
    7
    Must play? I don't think so Metacrtic, not in a million years. I remember playing this game 5 years ago for the first time and it was an ambivalent experience. Now after finishing New Vegas and loving it, I thought: what the hell, I should replay F3 with the add-ons. So, I did. This game suffers from lots of problems... LOTS. I was playing the GOTY edition and thought the bugs would beMust play? I don't think so Metacrtic, not in a million years. I remember playing this game 5 years ago for the first time and it was an ambivalent experience. Now after finishing New Vegas and loving it, I thought: what the hell, I should replay F3 with the add-ons. So, I did. This game suffers from lots of problems... LOTS. I was playing the GOTY edition and thought the bugs would be fixed, but nope. It's Bugthesda after all. And I don't care about bugs like glitches, people flying and so on. I'm talking about bugs, that make you unable to progress in the game. This is a joke my friends. I had to use console commands, so I could move on with the game as the cutscene that was supposed to show up in Finding the Garden of Eden never did. Had to restart the mission, then I had problems with npcs in other missions, where I would finish the mission, walk up to the npc to tell him/her that I've done the job, yet couldn't speak with them. Sometimes the npcs would disappear, so I would have to clone them. This game is a complete mess. For this alone, I can't call it a good game. It's not a good game when you need console commands to finish it. But but... I love the atmosphere and the places. Loved some missions too. Mostly side quests, because the main storyline is a joke. Fallout 3 isn't even half as good as New Vegas is. And it certainly can't touch the previous Fallout games. Still, I had fun with the game, even when the stupid bugs tried to ruin the whole experience. It's a 7/10. I don't recommend it to people, that hate when game crashes. I counted... game crashed 56 times while I was playing it. It's crazy. Pickens hardly approves!… Expand
  3. PresidentTrump
    May 27, 2018
    6
    I've always had a bit of a love-hate relationship with Fallout 3. At first, I disliked the game for its buggy and clunky gameplay. After giving the game a chance I enjoyed it, but after spoiling myself with the greatness of New Vegas, I came back not liking Fallout 3 as much. I modded it on PC to my liking and enjoyed it for a while until it started repeatedly crashing. Despite my back andI've always had a bit of a love-hate relationship with Fallout 3. At first, I disliked the game for its buggy and clunky gameplay. After giving the game a chance I enjoyed it, but after spoiling myself with the greatness of New Vegas, I came back not liking Fallout 3 as much. I modded it on PC to my liking and enjoyed it for a while until it started repeatedly crashing. Despite my back and forth feelings for this game, I believe the overall feeling is positive. Keep in mind this review is based more on personal enjoyment rather complete objectivity, which is only fair because I gave New Vegas a 10.

    First of all, as someone who was introduced to the Fallout series through this game, I was never familiar with the previous installments until much later, which is why I believe I didn't like the game for a while. The game ditches a lot of the things that make the original two games so great. It leaves out a lot of the true RPG elements. Sure you can choose what to say, you can be good or evil, you can level up and choose perks, but you never feel like you really are your character. Fallout 1 and New Vegas do a fantastic job at making your character feel realistic and relatable which is why your actions and choices are important. You feel no connection to The Lone Wanderer. Why do I want to find my Dad? He's in the game for like 20-30 minutes, the only connection I have to him is that he's voiced by Liam Neeson.

    The world of Fallout 3 is interesting on the surface, with towns full of interesting characters and long questlines, but behind this is a landfill of worthless locations with nothing of interest. Half of these locations exist only to give extra Super Mutant, Raider and Enclave camps to clear out and loot. Going out of my way to explore all of these locations showed me that each uninteresting location has the same exact formula. Kill everyone inside that is a threat. Look around and loot everything that has any worth. There is no lore. There is nothing that adds depth to the world. It's all there for you to shoot and loot.

    Speaking of shooting, the shooting mechanics in this game are pretty bad. You pretty much need VATS in order to actually be able to shoot anything. Not to mention the lack of Iron Sights. Having to aim with the inaccurate crosshairs that barely even show where your bullet is gonna go. Whats even worse is that VATS is immersion breaking and unattractive. If you're going to turn a turn-based RPG game into a modern FPS then at least to do the FPS part right!

    Oh man not to mention how TERRIBLE the optimization of this game is. First of all, its a game of roulette if the game even launches when you buy it if you play on anything later than WINDOWS XP until you go into the code of the game and fix TWO LINES. Even then the game will constantly crash until you install Third-Party Mods to fix the game. Even AFTER you fix the game with mods, it still crashes after 5-10 minutes of playing. WHAT THE ****

    While I know I've been trash talking Fallout 3 this whole review, there is something to love about it. The characters are fantastic (even if half of them are done by the same 20 voice actors) and each questline is interesting and unique. There are things to enjoy in Fallout 3, for me it's finding small details that require me to use my own imagination to fill in gaps (even though that's not really something to credit to the developers).

    Would I recommend Fallout 3? No. The game is buggy, broken and uninspired. Despite me enjoying some of it, I would recommend Fallout: New Vegas or the first two fallout games    … Expand
  4. PaulM
    Jan 20, 2009
    7
    Fallout 3 is a wonderful but ultimately flawed game. To give some context on my views, I have not played any of the previous Fallout games, however I am a big RPG fan and have completed many great games in the genre, including Oblivion. For the first 15 hours or so Fallout 3 is a 10/10 game, great story good visuals and sound and a really immersive RPG experience. However, I maxed out at Fallout 3 is a wonderful but ultimately flawed game. To give some context on my views, I have not played any of the previous Fallout games, however I am a big RPG fan and have completed many great games in the genre, including Oblivion. For the first 15 hours or so Fallout 3 is a 10/10 game, great story good visuals and sound and a really immersive RPG experience. However, I maxed out at level 20 depressingly early, with huge amounts of cash and ammunition and there was nothing I couldn't kill with my Chinese Assault Rifle, in short the last third of the main plot was an unchallenging procession. I can't believe that Bethesda went to all this effort of making a superficially great game and got the play balance so wrong. MAJOR SPOILER - I also have major issues with the plot at the end. You are given a choice of sacrificing yourself or a character that you met all of five minutes ago for whom you have limited emotional investment. Surely it should have been choice between your own life and your father's for which your whole quest has been about.… Expand
  5. HenryT.
    Jan 5, 2009
    7
    Quite good game. The combat system is simply amazing. I think this game has one issue, bugs. Alot of players have had alot of issues with this game including me. I got the game working in about 20 minutes after installation. The game has been developed very well and for Fallout fans its like a dream come true.
  6. SimonF
    Nov 21, 2008
    7
    Evan T..How old are you? ... 7 or 8 perhaps? Listing this game and Halo 3 and Gears 2 as the best games in history, smacks of an immature infant. You obviously don't play Proper games do you?...and we don't need you to tell us what to rate a game thanks! Try adding' IMHO' after your comments, as we can make up our own minds! The game itself is not bad, but there are Evan T..How old are you? ... 7 or 8 perhaps? Listing this game and Halo 3 and Gears 2 as the best games in history, smacks of an immature infant. You obviously don't play Proper games do you?...and we don't need you to tell us what to rate a game thanks! Try adding' IMHO' after your comments, as we can make up our own minds! The game itself is not bad, but there are better games out there .… Expand
  7. PaulL.
    Nov 2, 2008
    7
    I have mixed feelings about this game. I loved both oblivion and fallout 2, but I have to agree with some of the other comments that this is more oblivion than fallout. Its a pretty good game, but it lost that strategic element that was so critical in the fallout 2 game. This is essentially a game that is impossible to loose. You could assign skills randomly and still have a playable I have mixed feelings about this game. I loved both oblivion and fallout 2, but I have to agree with some of the other comments that this is more oblivion than fallout. Its a pretty good game, but it lost that strategic element that was so critical in the fallout 2 game. This is essentially a game that is impossible to loose. You could assign skills randomly and still have a playable character. Unlike oblivion, there is no weather effects, in the PC version there is no button to holster your weapon(assuming because they ran out of buttons on the xbox controller), there is no sound when you reload, there is some serious issues with continuity, and there are some really lame bugs in the game. Not bugs that crash the game, just bugs that make you say "that's dumb". I've played it for about 20hrs now, and its becoming a little repetitive, there is no creature or situation that I can get knocked down below 1/2 health. This is a game that is better than most games on the market currently, but it really is not much of an RPG, it belongs with in the basket with Bioshock and half-life 2. So if you like those FPS, you'll love this, it will be a challenge and a change. This may become an more intensive RPG game in the future, IF the release the editor so modders can get a hold of it and make some improvements/corrections. I'd like to congratulate Bethesda for making the transition from 2D to 3D, that had to happen. But it would have been nice if more effort had been made to retrain the strategic elements that made the previous fallouts famous, and not simply modded Oblivion.… Expand
  8. BradB.
    Nov 2, 2008
    7
    While the graphics/environment are amazing as a gamer who loved Fallout/Fallout 2 I was semi disappointed in Fallout 3. As many previous raters have said this is a great game for oblivion followers. "Oblivion, with guns" is a perfect description of the game. Storyline was too flimsy, leaving me sometimes confused, "what next"? The new VATS addition was great while the pipboy took obvious While the graphics/environment are amazing as a gamer who loved Fallout/Fallout 2 I was semi disappointed in Fallout 3. As many previous raters have said this is a great game for oblivion followers. "Oblivion, with guns" is a perfect description of the game. Storyline was too flimsy, leaving me sometimes confused, "what next"? The new VATS addition was great while the pipboy took obvious hits. Skills were very limited compared to fallout 3. The new condition/repair could have been left out of the game as it didn't add any substance. Overall, great game for oblivion lovers, not for fallout followers. Can we get a release date for D3 please?!?… Expand
  9. DereckK.
    Nov 27, 2008
    7
    Too many bugs, sometimes boring, but also immersive and intense. A very good rpg with an interesting storyline and scenario. It could be better but it is good enough to have some fun.
  10. RichC
    Nov 29, 2008
    7
    plot is great and the game takes some getting used to (bieng different from oblivion) but the reason why this game got a 7 was because of the fact once you finish the main plot you either A.) load back to your last spot which doesnt help cuz it auto saves you at the part the game ends or B.) start over. the games definatly worth a buy but if your reading this and didnt get the game yet. plot is great and the game takes some getting used to (bieng different from oblivion) but the reason why this game got a 7 was because of the fact once you finish the main plot you either A.) load back to your last spot which doesnt help cuz it auto saves you at the part the game ends or B.) start over. the games definatly worth a buy but if your reading this and didnt get the game yet. get and do everything else but the quest first.… Expand
  11. MarcA.
    Nov 5, 2008
    7
    The people who played Fallout don't recognize their beloved game, and people who only played Oblivion also think it's very close to it. So, why did they call it Fallout 3? Oblivion: fallout would have been an honest tittle. The ultimate question will anyone remember Fallout 3's extraordinary characters in ten years from now, like we can remember Set the ghoul? will it still The people who played Fallout don't recognize their beloved game, and people who only played Oblivion also think it's very close to it. So, why did they call it Fallout 3? Oblivion: fallout would have been an honest tittle. The ultimate question will anyone remember Fallout 3's extraordinary characters in ten years from now, like we can remember Set the ghoul? will it still be one of the best game ever in ten years from now, a game which like Fallout can be played again, and again, and again? No.… Expand
  12. KevinZ.
    Dec 6, 2008
    7
    This game is decent, but doesn't live up to the first two. Other reviews cover the pros pretty well, I will focus on cons. Combat is fun enough, but not very challenging. I wish there were more actual cities- Unlike the original Fallouts which had plenty of interesting places, this world feels somewhat empty. It is, however, fun to explore. The biggest problem is definitely the main This game is decent, but doesn't live up to the first two. Other reviews cover the pros pretty well, I will focus on cons. Combat is fun enough, but not very challenging. I wish there were more actual cities- Unlike the original Fallouts which had plenty of interesting places, this world feels somewhat empty. It is, however, fun to explore. The biggest problem is definitely the main storyline. I was honestly amazed anyone even took this one beyond the brainstorming phase. Incredibly uninteresting. An immersive world is not enough, I want a story that makes me feel some sort of emotion and/or sparks my imagination. And don't tell me I have to make my own stories, that argument only goes so far. Oh, also plot holes do not constitute interesting developments.… Expand
  13. PeterR.
    Oct 29, 2008
    7
    It's a good game overall. Nice story, nice graphics, decent gameplay, but on the whole it is not nearly as fun as I would expect from a game with such high production values. As with Oblivion, Bethesda's last major RPG, the game is too watered-down to be truly engaging, and it is difficult to look past the ineptly designed controls and user interface, which, contrary to It's a good game overall. Nice story, nice graphics, decent gameplay, but on the whole it is not nearly as fun as I would expect from a game with such high production values. As with Oblivion, Bethesda's last major RPG, the game is too watered-down to be truly engaging, and it is difficult to look past the ineptly designed controls and user interface, which, contrary to Bethesda's statements, do not appear to be designed with the PC in mind. All things considered, it's a step up from Oblivion, and it's generally true to the Fallout franchise, though it's hard to judge that when you consider that Fallout 3 is being made with a different style of play by a different developer in a different century. I recommend this game, but only inasmuch as it is on par with the quality and enjoyment of most games these days. Compared to previous games, both by Bethesda and Black Isle, Fallout 3 has lost its charm.… Expand
  14. JasonL.
    Jul 24, 2009
    7
    I got a strong feeling of deja-vu when I first loaded this game. If you've ever played Oblivion, than you'll pretty much know what to expect with Fallout 3. Aside from the setting and story, almost everything is similar to Bethesda's fantasy RPG; from the menu system and mechanics to the graphics engine and playstyle (the VATS targeting system notwithstanding), there's I got a strong feeling of deja-vu when I first loaded this game. If you've ever played Oblivion, than you'll pretty much know what to expect with Fallout 3. Aside from the setting and story, almost everything is similar to Bethesda's fantasy RPG; from the menu system and mechanics to the graphics engine and playstyle (the VATS targeting system notwithstanding), there's nothing you haven't seen before. It seems like Bethesda took the easy road and decided "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". That's not necessarily bad, but it's not necessarily good either. The good: the main storyline is sweet, but short; tons of locations to explore along with tons of quests; VATS kicks butt; lots of weapons and items to find; unique characters and situations; good variety of NPC voices. The bad: Bethesda is still using the archaic menu system they implemented with Oblivion, which means there's no weapon cycle mapping allowed, and there's only one key to access your entire character menu; the graphics engine is starting to show its age; the many locations all start to look the same after a while (pure laziness on Bethesda's part); the main quest is waaaay too short; not enough character and creature variety; gameplay doesn't seem to change much when higher stats and new skills are added to your character. Certainly not a terrible game, but it's not "the best game of our generation" as many critics are claiming. I have a feeling that, as was the case with Oblivion, the excitement will wear off after a couple years and people will see Fallout 3 for what it really is: a fun game, but nothing groundbreaking or life changing.… Expand
  15. LarryL
    Nov 13, 2008
    7
    This game is pretty good... but when it comes to Fallout-franchise, pretty good is not enough. In general, the game feels like a mod for Oblivion...I liked Oblivion, but that was years ago. The little things that made Fallout2 so great are missing in this one; the side quests are pretty simple, your stats have little effect on yout game play and the post apocalyptic society that was This game is pretty good... but when it comes to Fallout-franchise, pretty good is not enough. In general, the game feels like a mod for Oblivion...I liked Oblivion, but that was years ago. The little things that made Fallout2 so great are missing in this one; the side quests are pretty simple, your stats have little effect on yout game play and the post apocalyptic society that was flourishing in FO2 has changed to Raiders that only want to kill you in FO3. This game is a FPS with some RPG elements.… Expand
  16. RyanB
    Nov 15, 2008
    7
    I'd like to first say that if your reading this try to ignore the 0 reviews, not that they are wrong but that 0 is no were near the rating Fallout 3 deserves. Maybe a 5 at the minimum but not 0. I just finished the game and although I'm a bit disappointed (the ending sucked bad) I did enjoy many moments in the game, I played on the good side I tried to do good things and so I'd like to first say that if your reading this try to ignore the 0 reviews, not that they are wrong but that 0 is no were near the rating Fallout 3 deserves. Maybe a 5 at the minimum but not 0. I just finished the game and although I'm a bit disappointed (the ending sucked bad) I did enjoy many moments in the game, I played on the good side I tried to do good things and so thats where my game lead me. Pros: - A truly large and expansive world - Models, textures, and overall look of the world is good - Locations are many and varied (with the exception of vaults) - Combat is fun, challenging, and engrossing when enemies die in viscous ways - Weapons have a nice 'punch' like shotguns or missile launchers - Side quests, although lacking in complexity and immersion, are somewhat interesting - Main quest is good with many unexpected (thus pleasant) surprises - The lock pick system is by far the most well done of any I've seen in a game before. - Hacking was enjoyable at the start, but gets boring later. - Has the same comedy as the original Fallout Cons: - Although early on combat is quick and fun later I found it to lack tactics. It quickly become *pew pew* *heal* and repeat - The handy radar system tells you the direction of enemies and allies when your close to them (within a hundred feet or so) This is a bad thing because it makes adventuring less exciting when all you need to do is look down to check if you in danger, no one can sneak up on you. - Its stupid how you can eat dozens of things and use dozens of stimpacks instantly to heal at anytime. - Often controls are unresponsive, such as going to your inventory or opening doors while being shot at - The conversations, quests, and A.I all have the same problems they did in Oblivion The conversations lacked any interesting dialogue, choices were limited and many times made no sense. The quests were semi interesting but could have been much much better The A.I. is horrible, both in combat and not. Ex. The sheriff of a town was killed, the sheriff was an incredibly important person in the town yet no one reacted at all to his death except for his son which only changed his dialogue choices. - Combat becomes boring and annoying later when it might take a few clips to kill one person. I had 100 small guns and It still took me multiple clips to kill someone. - The game had many errors, like leather jackets in the vault, and the errors pertaining to the Fallout universe. - Karma made no big difference. - Enclave shoots you on sight though they really have no reason to attack you. In Conclusion: It's worth playing but it isn't all that great. Graphics are good. Combat is fun at the start, stale at the end. Quests are sub-par. A.I. and immersion is horrible.… Expand
  17. DylanF
    Nov 2, 2008
    7
    Before I start, let me go ahead and clarify that I havn't played any of the Fallout games, even those considered non-canon. I'm a big fan of Bethesda. Not just for the Elder Scrolls, but also for some of the games they've published like Call of Cthulhu. When I figured out they were remaking Fallout, I thought it would be a good time to get in on the Franchise. Now, I can Before I start, let me go ahead and clarify that I havn't played any of the Fallout games, even those considered non-canon. I'm a big fan of Bethesda. Not just for the Elder Scrolls, but also for some of the games they've published like Call of Cthulhu. When I figured out they were remaking Fallout, I thought it would be a good time to get in on the Franchise. Now, I can see the comparisons with Oblivion. The MELEE combat is almost identical. The way you interact with the world is pretty spot on as well. But in my opinion, the engine is where the similarities end. For one, Fallout 3's world doesn't even have a flavor of Oblivion. It's dark. It's gritty. And in places like Downtown DC, it is pretty obvious that there's few safe havens. There's alot of scrounging early on, though I will admit that it does get easier to find mid ranged equipment and ammunition, but stuff like Mini Guns and Mini Nukes stay relatively rare. As for combat, melee, like I said, is very similar to Oblivion. However, I went with guns, more specifically energy weapons. Let me say that it operated NOTHING like Oblivion's bow and arrow, or even spells. Each weapon felt considerably different. Firing my pea shooting 10mm was far and away different than the gatling gun or missile launcher. Now, the game could have easily gotten a 9 out of 10 or even a perfect score, but I did have a few complaints: First, the characters were pretty bland. The only characters I really cared for at all were Fawkes, Butch, and Amata, but even these characters didn't have enough depth or related quests. You couldn't even ask much about their past, or how they felt about certain things. Dogmeat, one of the only announced followers. was awful. Yea, he could be sent to go get stuff, but he acted very little like a real dog, which I guess is kind of biased after playing fable ii. I mean it just followed behind me and alot of the time I had to look behind me to make sure he was following. In fable ii the dog would bark, run ahead of you, and interact with other people. Which will kind of fit into my last complaint. Second, the different factions don't really feel that alive. The Enclave felt like it had field operations going on, but you almost never saw the Brotherhood of Steel doing anything important save for a few instances. And last, in the 4 years since Oblivion, they weren't able to add any kind of dynamic content to the world. Roving bands, yea sure, people who talk to one another, ok, shops that close, alright. But come on. You never have more than 2 people talking to each other. Those roving bands are just that. Roving bands; they never interact with anything. And you can learn very little from the people themselves. You talk to them, get all the information they have initially, and then you never have to go back to them. They have nothing to reveal about current events, or the past. Still, small complaints from a game that accomplishes so much. Much more than alot of the other games that have come out. And to the people who DID play Fallout who don't believe it stays true: Despair, black humour, and violence. That's what I understand made the series. Well it's all there. If you're complaints are about leaving the turn based system, or the non isometric view: That's evolution of technology. I don't want strategy. I want immersion, story, graphics, AND strategy. All of these are in the game.… Expand
  18. JesseW.
    Nov 30, 2008
    7
    The Bugs. There were some nights playing where it would crash, I would start it up again. It was crash. I would restart. It would crash. Inconsistent Difficulty. I found myself "tweaking" the difficulty level up and down as things either became too hard or too easy. This really becomes annoying in the final act of the main quest where no mater how high you set the difficulty, you The Bugs. There were some nights playing where it would crash, I would start it up again. It was crash. I would restart. It would crash. Inconsistent Difficulty. I found myself "tweaking" the difficulty level up and down as things either became too hard or too easy. This really becomes annoying in the final act of the main quest where no mater how high you set the difficulty, you can't lose. Bad Performance on lowest setting. I have a Dell 670 with a Geforce 7800. There is no reason a game at 800x600 with AA off should chug. Ever. The story. It's quite simply underwhelming when you finish the game and ask yourself. That's it? I spend the entire game wondering when the grand, epic story was going to kick in. In the end I ended up fixing a *drumroll* water purification plat. wow. And the worst thing is, they never explained why the forces of bad didn't want it fixed and they never showed me the end results. I'm not sure why anyone in their right mind would get from the start of this game to the end of it if it were not a video game, but a story for a movie. What's my motivation, people? There really is only one character class. That's called the action hero. In Fallout 1 and 2 it was nearly possible to talk your way through the entire game. It was possible to be a melee character. Here there is one. Shoot stuff. gain levels. Shoot stuff. Unconvincely convince people of pointless things. So I hate to say it but they have put out a wonderful looking but unrepentantly boring game with a lot of bugs. In the end I don't k now why I played through the whole thing and can't quite remember what it was all about. Compare that to Fallout 1, where almost a decade later and I still rememeber.. The Master and his creepy base, or the first time i saw ghouls or when I first broke into the "Military Base" to see the mutated inhabitants. There are all of the pieces of a great game here, but unconvincely placed into an ill thought out and uninspired story. I have to admit fighting my way through the subway with ghouls popping out every corner was thrilling but I have to ask myself. WTF was I even doing down there in the first place? I think I was looking for the story for a game that has none.… Expand
  19. FreedomC.
    Dec 11, 2008
    7
    Main story line was too short and the final parts were too easy. There were a lot of side quests, but a story driven gamer will feel rushed by the main story and can easily beat the game without doing 90% of the side quests. Once every hour or two I will get a random crash with no error messages. There are holes in some of the story lines/quests, that are so big, you cold drive a truck Main story line was too short and the final parts were too easy. There were a lot of side quests, but a story driven gamer will feel rushed by the main story and can easily beat the game without doing 90% of the side quests. Once every hour or two I will get a random crash with no error messages. There are holes in some of the story lines/quests, that are so big, you cold drive a truck through them. The AI opponents run at you very fast, but not in a very intelligent manner. Great look and feel. Good implementation of several game devices. I agree that the thing that will make this game an 8 or 9 will be the Mod community as BS did not spend enough time with the plot of the vanilla box.… Expand
  20. WKT.
    Dec 23, 2008
    7
    Decent game, but a lot of space for improvements (thank you modders!). Can't see how it got 92% though. Anyway, it was pretty fun playing this game. You got all these customization you can do - facial features (but somehow you can't change your body shape - you could do it in Van Buren), skills, decisions, etc. Then you get to explore a huge world with awesome graphics, an Decent game, but a lot of space for improvements (thank you modders!). Can't see how it got 92% though. Anyway, it was pretty fun playing this game. You got all these customization you can do - facial features (but somehow you can't change your body shape - you could do it in Van Buren), skills, decisions, etc. Then you get to explore a huge world with awesome graphics, an excellent wastelandish atmosphere (ghostly abandoned vaults were good). And it's really easy to learn how to play this game too. The VATS was interesting for a while and it helps you get through tight spots. Some side quests are good, e.g. Moira's. And oh, I love the music. The radio station is a darn good concept. But as usual there are flaws. First of all, it's really easy to get stuck - so save often, or just use the console. It's really frustrating when you spent 15 minutes killing off a horde of super mutants then get stuck when you were exploring in some rubbles. Then there is the poor AI (I'm not sure if higher difficulties fixes that). For example, enemies tend to get stuck with obstacles and that gives you infinite time to finish them off. Another example is extremely aggressive allies that will attack high level enemies with bare hand. Walking around in the wasteland can be pretty tiresome. Yeah running speed is too slow - could have had a sprint button or something like that. NPCs can be a bit bland - they are not as fleshed out as in Fallout e.g. not as emotional or as sarcastic. Facial animations are really bad haha. I was playing Half-Life 2 and I was surprised with the facial animation - and that was released at the end of 2004... hm. Games too easy - you can be a jack of all trades and be the master of everything. Takes a lot of traps to kill you too. Yeah that's right, everything. Strategy and smart allocation of skill/char points/ perks doesn't seem as vital now since they don't really critically affect what you can do and poor management doesn't seem to cripple you as much as in Fallout. Main quest is not that interesting imo - in the end it seems like a chore and no better than some of the better side quests. One thing I sorely missed was the element of randomness. E.g. in Fallout, sometimes when you attack you critically miss and drop your weapon, or you hit so hard that the enemy passes out, etc. In Fallout 3 eventually everything becomes kinda routine. And one thing that baffles me is the disappearance of the ability to retrieve ammo from a gun (or maybe I missed it). Again it's a decent game. I would say it's a watered down, adapted-to-casual-gamers version of Fallout. An analogy would be those non-technical scientific books written for the mass rather than for intellectuals in that field, you get what I mean?… Expand
  21. Jargonecius
    Jan 25, 2009
    7
    Eh... I never had any problems with crashing, I ran the game with Windows XP 64 bit. The game was REALLY fun... all the way until the ending. My thought at the ending was summed up with one word: "..... What!?!" You die no matter what, even if you have the guy who's immune to radiation, they won't go in, claiming this is my destiny and they wouldn't dare rob me of it. After Eh... I never had any problems with crashing, I ran the game with Windows XP 64 bit. The game was REALLY fun... all the way until the ending. My thought at the ending was summed up with one word: "..... What!?!" You die no matter what, even if you have the guy who's immune to radiation, they won't go in, claiming this is my destiny and they wouldn't dare rob me of it. After that I just couldn't stomach to look at the game, it just seemed to me like they were so lazy or cheap they didn't want to pay the narrator a few extra bucks to do multiple endings.… Expand
  22. AnonymousMC
    Feb 11, 2009
    7
    I have lots to say but not enough ways to say it. so in short this is a good game, buy it, have fun. but don't expect a fallout game like th first 2. this game lacks depth and is mediocrity short. The combat is interesting but at times a pain. Ending is terrible, and the game is more abouting completing missions than exploring a nuked out city. needs more incentive to explore (sinceI have lots to say but not enough ways to say it. so in short this is a good game, buy it, have fun. but don't expect a fallout game like th first 2. this game lacks depth and is mediocrity short. The combat is interesting but at times a pain. Ending is terrible, and the game is more abouting completing missions than exploring a nuked out city. needs more incentive to explore (since there are very interesting things to find like the tree people or the alien)… Expand
  23. Anonymous
    Jun 16, 2009
    7
    Buggy as hell, stats are meaningless in-game, and the dialogue is average to bad, but if you enjoy dungeon crawling like I do, then it's a fun game. Definitely needed the patches and dlc to be a good experience, which should not be something that is necessary in a commercially released game. Overall, above average, but nothing spectacular.
  24. Ignatius_Reilly
    May 29, 2014
    5
    The worst Fallout in the series. While it has things like a vault, and Enclave, everything else about it is a pure watered down Bethesda hack job. As a romp around a nuclear wasteland, it's fine, but as far as feeling like your character has any choice in anything, it's far from what came before. No matter what character you build, you can do anything, so role playing is pretty muchThe worst Fallout in the series. While it has things like a vault, and Enclave, everything else about it is a pure watered down Bethesda hack job. As a romp around a nuclear wasteland, it's fine, but as far as feeling like your character has any choice in anything, it's far from what came before. No matter what character you build, you can do anything, so role playing is pretty much gutted. Though there are some interesting side areas, the main quest is terribly bland with little choice involved. Combat is dull, requiring little tactics since VATS is god mode, and so long as you're smart enough to click Target> Head, you'll win every time and never take damage. It's a cheap knock off of the series. Get New Vegas, if you want a better next gen Fallout experience. Or better yet, play the old games, to understand just how far off the mark Bethesda was when they tried to make an actual RPG. Terrible game.… Expand
  25. Demon2017
    Jun 24, 2022
    6
    Игра, ставшая классикой, но на самом деле - это стандартный дибилизм от Тодда Говарда. Клёвый большой мир, который интересно исследовать, неплохая графика для своего времени, но квесты и сюжет, как обычно на средне-нижнем уровне.Игра, ставшая классикой, но на самом деле - это стандартный дибилизм от Тодда Говарда. Клёвый большой мир, который интересно исследовать, неплохая графика для своего времени, но квесты и сюжет, как обычно на средне-нижнем уровне.
  26. Nagita
    Nov 20, 2018
    5
    Fallout 3 welcomes the Fallout franchise to the world of 3D.
    Here we had not yet seen the revival of interest in the isometric model.
    An awkward conversion, but with the promise of greatness. The classic Fallout RPG mechanics has been adjusted to suit the first person view and action model of a shooter. The step away from turn based, tactical combat too is seen clearly in this new    Fallout 3 welcomes the Fallout franchise to the world of 3D.
    Here we had not yet seen the revival of interest in the isometric model.

    An awkward conversion, but with the promise of greatness.
    The classic Fallout RPG mechanics has been adjusted to suit the first person view and action model of a shooter. The step away from turn based, tactical combat too is seen clearly in this new iteration.

    We see a shift in storytelling, where the scope of choice is narrowed down though still present. And the general atmosphere of the game is lighter, with jolly music to keep you company as you run or jump across the wasteland to save the world.

    Still, it is Fallout. If a bit bland.
    Bethesda will take what they learned in this game, and make for us a better RPG in the next, surely.    … Expand
  27. PaulKorsky
    May 13, 2021
    5
    Благодаря этой игре я понял за что обожаю новый Вегас. Он понимает что его движок ну совсем не прельщяет стрельбой, и там могут пройти часы без единого выстрела. Здесь экшена так много, что на третий час от него тошнит, и я уверен что моя блевотина будет как раз в тон цветовой гаммы этой игры. Этот эпизод серии не самое худшее что было с фоллом, есть же 76. Нооо, есть первая, есть вторая иБлагодаря этой игре я понял за что обожаю новый Вегас. Он понимает что его движок ну совсем не прельщяет стрельбой, и там могут пройти часы без единого выстрела. Здесь экшена так много, что на третий час от него тошнит, и я уверен что моя блевотина будет как раз в тон цветовой гаммы этой игры. Этот эпизод серии не самое худшее что было с фоллом, есть же 76. Нооо, есть первая, есть вторая и есть Вегас, который во всех аспектах лучше, даже стрелять там не так отвратительно. А если рассматривать третью часть как шутан, то лучше уж в чётвертую пойти.… Expand
  28. Xeculiar
    Dec 23, 2021
    7
    decent game just i really hate having to install mods just to make the game work properly but bethesda is too dumb to realize people still enjoy this game after many years new vegas still better though
  29. Vittle
    Mar 11, 2022
    6
    Fallout New Vegas is 100 times better!
    Its not a bad game but it dose not have that fallout Oh Yea thing.
  30. Tromble
    Jun 28, 2021
    6
    Fallout 3 is okay, the series hasn't been totally flandarized by this point but you can totally feel that it is on its way.

    I would not recommend Fallout 3.
  31. Nekrips
    Jul 29, 2022
    5
    An interesting attempt to transfer the legendary world of Fallout into a fully 3D space. The game has its own interesting moments and some atmosphere. And also good additions that reveal more of the lore of the world. But for the most part, it is empty, boring, poor in content, very interesting to explore, and with a rather poor history. Locations are gray and empty. Most travel passesAn interesting attempt to transfer the legendary world of Fallout into a fully 3D space. The game has its own interesting moments and some atmosphere. And also good additions that reveal more of the lore of the world. But for the most part, it is empty, boring, poor in content, very interesting to explore, and with a rather poor history. Locations are gray and empty. Most travel passes through the same type of tunnels (Hi, Skyrim). Cities look corridor-like and limited. Bethesda's idiotic auto-leveling system makes gameplay annoying. The character creation system looks pointless and has almost no effect on anything. Locations are no longer so interesting to explore, there are no interesting descriptions of various items and the possibility of their use. Now it's just trash.
    For me, this is the weakest game in the Fallout series so far.    … Expand
  32. laxleonidas
    Sep 16, 2011
    7
    I'm dissapointed by this game. It has to be continued of legendary games like F1 and F2? What's good abut this game, is the open world. As a sandbox - F3 make a good work. Here's many secrets, quests and NPC's.
  33. Sindow
    Jan 7, 2009
    7
    Ultimately for a Fallout game this was mediocre at best. For Bethesda however, this is a very good start. I was going to give it a lower score however the GECK (the SDK) was actually released. I'm sure by using the GECK the Fallout 3 community will be able to fix Bethesda's mistakes and turn this into a true Fallout sequel instead of Oblivion with guns.
  34. Mark
    Jul 22, 2009
    6
    What a mixed bag this game is. Pros: Interesting premise, good graphics, expansive world, (some) interesting characters, unique soundtrack, nice retrospective about your character at the end of the game. Cons: Crashes way too much (PC), really annoying repetitive dialogue, awkward control scheme, odd ending, and you need to use the craptastic Games for Windows Live systems for getting What a mixed bag this game is. Pros: Interesting premise, good graphics, expansive world, (some) interesting characters, unique soundtrack, nice retrospective about your character at the end of the game. Cons: Crashes way too much (PC), really annoying repetitive dialogue, awkward control scheme, odd ending, and you need to use the craptastic Games for Windows Live systems for getting expansions. If it didn't crash and require GFWL for expansions, it probably would have rated an 8.… Expand
  35. TestECull
    Sep 26, 2010
    7
    Fallout 3 is the best game I've played. Ever. I have a feeling only it's successor, New Vegas, will dethrone it. It's horribly buggy, though, and I hate buggy software. So I knocked three points off for that. Still, you should buy this.
  36. Morring
    Apr 7, 2013
    7
    This would have been a 10/10 BUT: Game for windows live is as painful as always, and lack of support for win 7. It behaves weirdly with some graphic cards, I keep having to reinstall the same drivers each time I want to play this game. Also some times you can feel the influence of the console version. Apart from these aspects the game is plain awesome: from the general atmosphere to eachThis would have been a 10/10 BUT: Game for windows live is as painful as always, and lack of support for win 7. It behaves weirdly with some graphic cards, I keep having to reinstall the same drivers each time I want to play this game. Also some times you can feel the influence of the console version. Apart from these aspects the game is plain awesome: from the general atmosphere to each single weapon, everything is how it should be. Don't expect an important main story tough: as with many bethesta titles this game is more about freeroaming. While the main campaing is still better than, say, oblivion, it is quite short.… Expand
  37. BlueRose
    Dec 26, 2011
    5
    The game is ok, graphics are pretty good. The detail and story line is so and so and can be messy. However, the game is very strung out, not much to do, characters have little to no facial expression or show of emotion and the game can be very melancholy. Its not the worst game I've played, it does have its good moments, but its not the best and can be a little depressing. But that's justThe game is ok, graphics are pretty good. The detail and story line is so and so and can be messy. However, the game is very strung out, not much to do, characters have little to no facial expression or show of emotion and the game can be very melancholy. Its not the worst game I've played, it does have its good moments, but its not the best and can be a little depressing. But that's just my opinion.… Expand
  38. Amig
    Jun 18, 2012
    5
    While Fallout 3 isn't a bad game overall, as a sequel to Fallout 2 it just fails tragically. It's inconsistent with lore, primitive and illogical in many places. Overall, for a long time Fallout veteran such as myself, this game was a huge disappointment. If you haven't played the previous installments or are just looking for some cheap entertainment, you can go ahead and give it a spin.While Fallout 3 isn't a bad game overall, as a sequel to Fallout 2 it just fails tragically. It's inconsistent with lore, primitive and illogical in many places. Overall, for a long time Fallout veteran such as myself, this game was a huge disappointment. If you haven't played the previous installments or are just looking for some cheap entertainment, you can go ahead and give it a spin. Otherwise, you'll be better off with New Vegas. Actually, scratch that. You'll be better off with New Vegas either way.… Expand
  39. VoodoojedizinZ.
    Jan 5, 2009
    5
    My opinion, it's a ok game that has some severe technical problems a very lame plot but that's OK. The Ai are no smarter than the ones used in oblivion. There are some path finding issues for npc's. The dialog is very childlike but tries to be adult. Obviously there trying to appeal to all ages. Story is not very well presented. Low on believability. They overdo the go My opinion, it's a ok game that has some severe technical problems a very lame plot but that's OK. The Ai are no smarter than the ones used in oblivion. There are some path finding issues for npc's. The dialog is very childlike but tries to be adult. Obviously there trying to appeal to all ages. Story is not very well presented. Low on believability. They overdo the go fetch that item as usual. Some of the quest were very lame. The entire time line there trying to present seemed a bit off 200 years my eye! There's nothing to make me believe that. Graphics are good but not that good, low resolution textures. Typical Bethesda they don't give a damn about the PC. This game was made for Xbox. Sadly Bethesda seems to offer no technical support or any kind of contact at all. Once again everyone is left wondering when is the patch coming out and what will be in it.… Expand
  40. JanJ.
    Nov 4, 2008
    5
    Unfortunately, a big disappointment to many. This game is a GOOD example of BAD design. Graphics and sounds are poor, which doesn't help much. Everything is dumbed-down. This game has more common with Bethesda's other game - TES: Oblivion, than with previous Fallout games. Story is nice. Some of the quest ideas and some of the dialogue humor is OK. An average game with a lot of Unfortunately, a big disappointment to many. This game is a GOOD example of BAD design. Graphics and sounds are poor, which doesn't help much. Everything is dumbed-down. This game has more common with Bethesda's other game - TES: Oblivion, than with previous Fallout games. Story is nice. Some of the quest ideas and some of the dialogue humor is OK. An average game with a lot of hype. It's not worth the money, believe me.… Expand
  41. SteveS
    Jan 23, 2009
    6
    This game is like any of the last three Star Wars films: Flashy? Yes. True to the original? No. The simple fact that you can hit the level cap barely halfway though the game is insight into just how little the forethought of play atmosphere went into design. The ending is one of the worst I have seen in a long, long time. Any thought that this is the game of the year means that the This game is like any of the last three Star Wars films: Flashy? Yes. True to the original? No. The simple fact that you can hit the level cap barely halfway though the game is insight into just how little the forethought of play atmosphere went into design. The ending is one of the worst I have seen in a long, long time. Any thought that this is the game of the year means that the industry is at such a low and disgusting level of ingenuity that I'm better off replaying my old games than buying anything new. Anyone who thinks this is role-playing must also worship at the alter of World of Warcraft, king of all RPG's ever. Better yet, just go play the first Fallout, still the best.… Expand
  42. JF
    Aug 9, 2009
    6
    I played this game for a while on the 360, got bored and annoyed. Bought it again on special for the pc. I thought mouse and keyboard would make this game's UI easier to handle, but I think it's actually worse. Having loved 1 and 2, I can't help but feel that 3 is a 3d skin over the same gameplay mechanic. I actually hate the realtime combat and the VATS system. I loved it I played this game for a while on the 360, got bored and annoyed. Bought it again on special for the pc. I thought mouse and keyboard would make this game's UI easier to handle, but I think it's actually worse. Having loved 1 and 2, I can't help but feel that 3 is a 3d skin over the same gameplay mechanic. I actually hate the realtime combat and the VATS system. I loved it when the combat was all turned based. Now it makes for a frustrating mix. Not quite an action shooter and not quite a tactical rpg. Frustrated and bored is my overall reaction to the game, even more so on this second try (and I'm sorry I bought it...).… Expand
  43. DanielD
    Mar 29, 2010
    7
    A shame to the fallout franchise. Plastered by fancy graphics, the most idiotic dialog I have ever seen in a fallout game, horrible voice acting(though a step up from oblivion), idiotic main quest that basically copied fallout 1 and 2, idiotic oblivion-escque physics that will have your legs flying off after being headshotted, a ridiculously easy shoot-em-up(even on hard difficulty, I had A shame to the fallout franchise. Plastered by fancy graphics, the most idiotic dialog I have ever seen in a fallout game, horrible voice acting(though a step up from oblivion), idiotic main quest that basically copied fallout 1 and 2, idiotic oblivion-escque physics that will have your legs flying off after being headshotted, a ridiculously easy shoot-em-up(even on hard difficulty, I had to download the zombie craze and more enemies/enemy rebalancing mods to even break a sweat) FPS style combat system combined with an ill-executed turn based combat novelty(VATS is effectively useless if you look at it from what it was implemented for. Shooting a super mutant in the eyes does nothing to stop it from pummeling you, it just stops for a split second and puts its hands over it eyes). Stopping here, enough headaches caused from playing this chore of a game, let alone thinking about it. … Expand
  44. kylebg
    Jan 11, 2009
    5
    I wonder how many of these glowing reviews were written after less than 5 hours of playing the game. I would've given it a 10 too at that point since the world you're presented with is initially overwhelming and beautiful. But it's the quests that suck. So mundane and uninspiring. They could've done such cooler stuff without even more effort--just better ideas. And I wonder how many of these glowing reviews were written after less than 5 hours of playing the game. I would've given it a 10 too at that point since the world you're presented with is initially overwhelming and beautiful. But it's the quests that suck. So mundane and uninspiring. They could've done such cooler stuff without even more effort--just better ideas. And there are HUGE areas of fighting with no payoff at the end and no option but to backtrack all the way back through the area to get out. And where is the sense of horror at billions of people having died? The fact that this game needs an auto-walk feature because it knows you'll be trudging in a straight line for 5 minute stints while meeting nothing of interest is telling. Fallout 3 is a gorgeous landscape looking for a game.… Expand
  45. AlexD.
    Nov 2, 2008
    5
    Only played this one for about 6 hours and all I can say is that it's more than enough. The fighting system is at least ineffective, the bullet times showing how you've missed are boring and unnecessary; also, I can't understand why they've chosen this game mechanic - for example, there are times I score headshots (from outside VATS) and the actual hit is a miss (lol) Only played this one for about 6 hours and all I can say is that it's more than enough. The fighting system is at least ineffective, the bullet times showing how you've missed are boring and unnecessary; also, I can't understand why they've chosen this game mechanic - for example, there are times I score headshots (from outside VATS) and the actual hit is a miss (lol) due to chance modifiers, despite the bullet being clearly traced through the opponent's eye for example. The dialogue is dull, and the NPCs lack any AI in regard to speech (with AI I'm referring to the logic behind the NPCs from Vampire Bloodlines for example), while the minimap is plain stupid (clue: here, on PC's, we have enough keys in order to put as many markers we'd want onto a minimap; we could also give them names, since we have keyboards, or write whole journal entries about them). The atmosphere is very good, and the Oblivion engine looks quite nice even in 2008, in this second installment of TES: Oblivion.… Expand
  46. Gerard
    Nov 7, 2008
    6
    I'm reading a lot of nerd comments about how this didn't follow to the 'T' of what Fallout used to be......well as a avid game player who just never happened to get his hands on either the Fallout series or Oblivion, I'm not biased. ----Graphics:9 ------- Great graphics that you can tone up or down and great draw distances. Despite there being much better looking I'm reading a lot of nerd comments about how this didn't follow to the 'T' of what Fallout used to be......well as a avid game player who just never happened to get his hands on either the Fallout series or Oblivion, I'm not biased. ----Graphics:9 ------- Great graphics that you can tone up or down and great draw distances. Despite there being much better looking games, the sheer size of this game gives it a thumb up for me-------Gameplay:8-------somewhat repetitive but enjoyable at the same time. Turn on the pipboy radio and you really get a good wasteland soundtrack to kill to or turn it off and let the atmospheric music take over. I love the balance Bethesda tries to take in making this game realistic, but not annoyingly so. -------Storyline:8--------- I like the depth that you can question people and talk to them about their issues and the land and everything around you, i hate how nothing you do in this game seems to make much difference. When it comes down to it, this game only gives the illusion of a non-linear game, in that it has a bunch of side-quests. The main storyline is a wee bit on the weak side and it seems like much more in the way of exotic tech or sidequests was just passed over with the satalite relay stations-------Misc:3--------Make no mistake, this game was released as a Beta version and was buggy as hell. It took me 2 hrs just to get my game to RUN the first time. I get crashing to desktop anywhere from 5 min to 5 hrs into the game with the average being about 1.5 hrs. The pipboy's music ( not during the talking, just the music ) is horribly distorted.… Expand
  47. RogerS
    Nov 8, 2008
    5
    Be aware this game is unplayable for some people. Not a true review of the game, it may be great, but if you are planning on purchasing I suggest you read the Fallout 3 message boards. There is no fix at this time and the game will crash when you start the game. It is not related to system requirements. I love Bethesda and their games, but sadly I suggest you hold on to your $50 till a Be aware this game is unplayable for some people. Not a true review of the game, it may be great, but if you are planning on purchasing I suggest you read the Fallout 3 message boards. There is no fix at this time and the game will crash when you start the game. It is not related to system requirements. I love Bethesda and their games, but sadly I suggest you hold on to your $50 till a patch is released to address this.… Expand
  48. AdamC.
    Jan 11, 2009
    6
    Mediocre for a Fallout and not nearly as versatile (in terms of the number of builds that will work) as earlier games. I gave it a 6 because I can see the potential, but I don't seem to be able to play for more than an hour without losing interest. This is not a game to buy at full-price. It's also too violent and grotesque. I admit that fits the wasteland theme, but Mediocre for a Fallout and not nearly as versatile (in terms of the number of builds that will work) as earlier games. I gave it a 6 because I can see the potential, but I don't seem to be able to play for more than an hour without losing interest. This is not a game to buy at full-price. It's also too violent and grotesque. I admit that fits the wasteland theme, but there's nothing like the charm of Weird Harold in this game.… Expand
  49. justinscustoms
    Aug 27, 2010
    7
    On the level the game itself is far more satisfying than Bethesda's previous entries into sandbox titles. The PC version offer the same expansive environments but the more claustrophobic feel of a wasteland city gives a less mundane feel to the environment and a clear and concise story line gives the game a clear sense of direction. On PC platform with relatively powerful hardware theOn the level the game itself is far more satisfying than Bethesda's previous entries into sandbox titles. The PC version offer the same expansive environments but the more claustrophobic feel of a wasteland city gives a less mundane feel to the environment and a clear and concise story line gives the game a clear sense of direction. On PC platform with relatively powerful hardware the game produces clear crisp textures and matched with the relatively huge dialogue giving it a relatively immersed feel.

    After setting all of the positive aside, I have a very difficult time ignoring all of the bugs and technical shortcomings the game experiences in what seems like a very random manner. Certain graphics settings cause direct crashes almost predictably during play, and it would seem under almost perfectly stable conditions you can experience random hardware driver crashes, even more frustrating is how the game handles the DLC expansion material, once installed properly every endeavor into a previously saved game pauses the game to remind the user that a new radio station has been discovered, this not only breaks the experience altogether it does so on a fairly random basis assuring that no matter how into the game you become you can be assured that it will be ruined for you without any warning.    … Expand
  50. cambria
    Nov 16, 2011
    5
    I enjoy the premise and design for this game, but that's about where it ends. The game crashes on almost ANY pc close to several times an hour. Tried on 3 different PCs, all high end nvidia or ati beasts, vista/7/xp doesn't matter. Clicking an NPC twice shouldn't freeze ANY game.

    That being said I really wanted to enjoy this game, bought the GOTY including all DLC and haven't been able    I enjoy the premise and design for this game, but that's about where it ends. The game crashes on almost ANY pc close to several times an hour. Tried on 3 different PCs, all high end nvidia or ati beasts, vista/7/xp doesn't matter. Clicking an NPC twice shouldn't freeze ANY game.

    That being said I really wanted to enjoy this game, bought the GOTY including all DLC and haven't been able to get more than an hour out of the story. It simply crashes too much in the open world. Play this game on a console, sad to say, but it looks amazing when it works.    … Expand
  51. SpizyChicken
    Jan 8, 2011
    6
    To correct my last review. There is definitely a story and lots of missions. I just didn't take the time to learn the map system and realize where my missions were. It takes TIME! So sit back, and relax on this one.
  52. Miley03
    Aug 6, 2011
    7
    Fallout 3 is an interesting game, with an extremely unique setting. The setting is the games biggest advantage (or disadvantage). If you like a post-apocalyptic setting with extremely high realism and details. But for people like me, who get easily swept up in games will find this game very pessimistic and not that fun. The other problem this game has is the landscapes. They are just TOOFallout 3 is an interesting game, with an extremely unique setting. The setting is the games biggest advantage (or disadvantage). If you like a post-apocalyptic setting with extremely high realism and details. But for people like me, who get easily swept up in games will find this game very pessimistic and not that fun. The other problem this game has is the landscapes. They are just TOO large. Who wants to walk for 10 MINUTES to find something! And this wouldn't even matter if the locations were interesting, but it's mostly a desert. But there are loads of people who love this, and for those people this game is a gem.… Expand
  53. Notsatanokay
    Aug 7, 2011
    6
    The idea of 'Fallout 3' was an intriguing one when I first heard of it, however after playing the game in its entirety I found it to be; interesting at times and yet lacking something. The story was quite difficult to follow much the same as a previous game from the same developer. I understand it is supposed to be a free roam game however everything felt a little too loose. Events in theThe idea of 'Fallout 3' was an intriguing one when I first heard of it, however after playing the game in its entirety I found it to be; interesting at times and yet lacking something. The story was quite difficult to follow much the same as a previous game from the same developer. I understand it is supposed to be a free roam game however everything felt a little too loose. Events in the story seemed to quite weakly follow each other, and the combat system left something to be desired. However the graphics for the year of release were incredibly impressive and there was a sense of atmosphere. Overall I think this game is not linear enough , in other words it does not have a strong enough sense of direction.… Expand
  54. Klarcius
    Dec 14, 2011
    6
    Like; atmosphere of the wasteland, landscapes, soundtrack, mod availability.
    Dislike; horrible combat system, bland sound effects, plasticky guns without any significant recoil (am I shooting toy guns?), sub par character animations. Overall it's a good game, but definitely not excellent.
  55. lexe
    Dec 17, 2011
    7
    Pro:
    + Free to explore a huge apocalyptic world
    + the missions drag you deep into the world, as you keep decending into the underground. + good storyline + alot of gore + good powerfull gunsounds. + awesome cinematic effects. + sweet graphics in general. + weapons and power-ups left, right and centre + fiddling with locks to gain extra loot con: - you need to use the interface, everytime    Pro:
    + Free to explore a huge apocalyptic world
    + the missions drag you deep into the world, as you keep decending into the underground.
    + good storyline
    + alot of gore
    + good powerfull gunsounds.
    + awesome cinematic effects.
    + sweet graphics in general.
    + weapons and power-ups left, right and centre
    + fiddling with locks to gain extra loot

    con:
    - you need to use the interface, everytime you want a different weapon, including switchign for grenades
    - aim is horrible, if the enemy is 2 feet away u'll be likely to miss the shot still.
    - AI is retarded, most things just run towards you, a bit like the mobs in serioussam.
    - some ppl cant handle all the freedom and get lost and cant find the next mission.

    Conclusion: If the AI and weaponswitching were better i would have to give it a 10, but they aren't. And you will find yourself running backwards 90% of the time.    … Expand
  56. bosnian
    Apr 6, 2012
    5
    I really wanted to like this game, and for the first 15-20 hours I did. I ignored the numerous bugs I encountered, from getting stuck over and over until I had to restart (until I got the mod), to being shot randomly by a monster far far out of the range of his shotgun, to falling through walls that just were not there. After a while I just became to powerful and the game was little toI really wanted to like this game, and for the first 15-20 hours I did. I ignored the numerous bugs I encountered, from getting stuck over and over until I had to restart (until I got the mod), to being shot randomly by a monster far far out of the range of his shotgun, to falling through walls that just were not there. After a while I just became to powerful and the game was little to easy. But the game itself was fun, the post apocalyptic DC was executed well and I was immersed into the story. I deliberately didn't do main story line trying to complete all the sidequests first, but constantly sidequests would lead me to people who would just assume I am on a certain step of another quest and basically allow me to keep that going/complete the quests I didn't even know existed. When finally a side quest took me to a place where the game only gave me options for a conversation that referred to me wanting to talk to a person I never heard of, and that caused the a jump that turned out to be 6 steps in the main story line, I quit, uninstalled and walked away.… Expand
  57. tron_paul
    May 23, 2012
    6
    All of the reasons I have for not enjoying this game are dwarfed by one giant, black monolith of death: THIS GAME WILL SHOVE "GAMES FOR WINDOWS LIVE" DOWN YOUR THROAT. Maybe if we stop going along with Microsoft's evil, ill-conceived monstrosity, then developers will remember how to keep saves on the local machine.
  58. Havocs
    May 13, 2012
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm going to keep this short. I'm not going to talk about graphics and such since good games are determined by story and game play, not graphics. The game play is nothing new what so ever. Anyways. The main quest (MQ) could use some improvements. All you really do is run around looking for your character's father. Once you do the MQ is almost done. However, the DLC Broken Steel saved the game, somewhat.… Expand
  59. Yashime
    Jun 2, 2012
    7
    I love the story, the landscape, and the end of days atmosphere. It´s also the reason why i play it always in ego-shooter perspective, because if not the game loose all the magic. The animation of the character is so ridicoulous. And there are a plenty of game who manage to give realistic movement, but not Bethesda Programmers. I think a good investment were a Motion CaptureI love the story, the landscape, and the end of days atmosphere. It´s also the reason why i play it always in ego-shooter perspective, because if not the game loose all the magic. The animation of the character is so ridicoulous. And there are a plenty of game who manage to give realistic movement, but not Bethesda Programmers. I think a good investment were a Motion Capture System! Please do it. Like Dark Souls, were the animations and gravity of the character are almost perfect!!! And then Fallout 3 will be the best game ever :-)… Expand
  60. hellcat5
    Jul 25, 2012
    6
    I was very anxious, coming from skyrim, to play this game. Awaiting the download, when I clicked "play" through steam, I had an error for .NET install while installing. After that, I spent at least a good 24 hours reading and trying different things to get this older game to work on my windows 7 system. I've gotten to the point where xp service pack 3 compatibility gives the gameI was very anxious, coming from skyrim, to play this game. Awaiting the download, when I clicked "play" through steam, I had an error for .NET install while installing. After that, I spent at least a good 24 hours reading and trying different things to get this older game to work on my windows 7 system. I've gotten to the point where xp service pack 3 compatibility gives the game anywhere to a few minutes to a couple hours gameplay till it crashes. So many other games of this time period I can play without any issues, or system customizations. I'm very disappointed with it, and if I could get the $5 back for it, I think I would. Better then spending all that time restarting the game because it has random crashes. I know now why Skyrim had crashing issues when it first came out. Bethesda needs to fix that engine.… Expand
  61. TheHumbleCritic
    Sep 17, 2012
    7
    Compared to Fallout:New Vegas, this game just didn't really appeal to me, it's boring atmosphere and bland characters made the experience somewhat less than entertaining..
  62. trollololololol
    Sep 7, 2013
    7
    Take the Elder Scrolls, reskin it to look like Fallout, give it really terrible shooting gameplay, give it a pretty weak story, mediocre voice acting, mediocre writing, enemies that are way too easy to kill, a ridiculous amount of bugs and a lame system to try to hide the fact that the gameplay is crap, and you get Fallout 3. It may not be bad, but it certainly isn't good. This game isTake the Elder Scrolls, reskin it to look like Fallout, give it really terrible shooting gameplay, give it a pretty weak story, mediocre voice acting, mediocre writing, enemies that are way too easy to kill, a ridiculous amount of bugs and a lame system to try to hide the fact that the gameplay is crap, and you get Fallout 3. It may not be bad, but it certainly isn't good. This game is just average.… Expand
  63. askewreviews
    Sep 10, 2013
    7
    Muddy textures made uglier by the game's green colour filter. The story is pretty basic and full of really gaping plotholes culminating in one of the most illogical endings in video game history. The gunplay is basic and due to the lack of iron sights and accuracy penalties when firing from the hip, VATS is incredibly overpowered. In Fallout 1 and 2, you could target specific points on anMuddy textures made uglier by the game's green colour filter. The story is pretty basic and full of really gaping plotholes culminating in one of the most illogical endings in video game history. The gunplay is basic and due to the lack of iron sights and accuracy penalties when firing from the hip, VATS is incredibly overpowered. In Fallout 1 and 2, you could target specific points on an enemy but it wasn't a gamebreaking mechanic because those titles were turn-based. Here you can just spam the VATS button, aim for the head because nothing else is worth shooting at and repeat.… Expand
  64. Gamespro
    Aug 7, 2013
    7
    This game is a very fun first person rpg and I reccomend this game to anyone who can play through with bugs.The bugs really deduct the experience as some may even be game breaking, that's why i'm deducting 3 points from this but overall good game
  65. Voyou
    Aug 19, 2016
    7
    A good RPG ? No.
    A good game ? Absolutely.
    The 3rd installment in the parodical post-apocalyptic franchise is fun and addictive. The stage is still one of the best maps to explore today (2016.) Dialogues and quests are often mediocre, but the environmental narrative is a thing of beauty, with terrific details. The gameplay has much improved since its predecessors. In particular the    A good RPG ? No.
    A good game ? Absolutely.

    The 3rd installment in the parodical post-apocalyptic franchise is fun and addictive. The stage is still one of the best maps to explore today (2016.) Dialogues and quests are often mediocre, but the environmental narrative is a thing of beauty, with terrific details.

    The gameplay has much improved since its predecessors. In particular the interface, which makes playing not a chore anymore.

    There still are obvious flaws though, including some old classics which I thought had been banned years ago. For instance:

    - The insufferable level cap. Here a record offender: I reached it at about 20% of map exploration. Sure, you need one, since you made the mistake of capping your stats and skills, but what about balancing the progression then ? Oh, right, you can't because...

    - Respawn. I've been hating those for decades. It's one of them games where you have to kill constantly to get a piece of quiet, then redo it every time you pass by the same place. Because repetition is fun ? Nope, because more "content" for cheap. A secondary issue here is that spawns' levels are related to mine. And since I reach the XP cap very early, my fellow humans start dying very early as well. Bye caravans.

    - There is a karma system so, of course, strange things will happen, like moral biases and a karma display on your forehead for everyone to see. My favorite ? Pickpocketing is evil: better kill the mark and loot his body. My least favorite: Tranquility Lane; it's so bad, I heard Buddha is coming back to sue.

    - Two skills use both a threshold and a mini-game. The designer couldn't make up his mind. The lock-pick game is a particularly annoying time waster, probably spitted out by the same sadistic bureaucrat who designed the worst lock-picking of all time in Oblivion.

    - I sometimes resent that I am the only person in the world who needs spare parts to repair my equipment.

    - Not for everybody, but important for low perception players: the RPG is bad at visual clues. Many things happen, and often end, before I even realise. Noticing anything but a Quantum soda is hard, even a corpse I just sniped. I had to replay every scene in the rotunda, as each time the story decided to develop out of my reach. Talking about visuals, the map itself is a disaster, useless inside buildings, clumsy outside with no colours, no filters, and with 1 miserable personal marker.

    Anyway, there are many things that could be improved, but it's still fun the way it is. There is one true disappointment though: in many if not most locations, you have two options and two options only, either do nothing, or kill everyone/destroy the place, directly or indirectly. That's true for the vaults, 2 major towns, villages, every raider camp (raiders aren't even considered humans,) and much, much more !    … Expand
  66. Gor1945
    Apr 8, 2017
    7
    Обливион с пушками и нечего больше - банальный, пустой унылый - не разу не Фаллаут, Бесезда со времен Морровинда нечего толкового в жанре РПГ не выпустила - очень жаль что великая серия Фаллаут попала к ним в руки.
  67. JimS
    Jul 17, 2009
    6
    I loved the fun, immersive environment, sandbox-style gameplay, and challenging, strategic combat. I hated the bugs, lousy ending, low-end level cap, and junky UI. This game should have spent another ten months easy in testing before being released. This is not to say it isn't a good game, it is, it was just half-baked on all fronts at release.
  68. qoobah
    Nov 28, 2008
    6
    It all looks nice at the beginning. Then things (plot, repetitive world and tasks, so much to do but nothing I really WANT to do, or seems relevant to the story) go downhill so much, that after investing 30 hours into it I just couldnt bring myself to still be immersed or care about what I'm doing. I guess the keyword to this game is "repetitivness" in almost every aspect. The game It all looks nice at the beginning. Then things (plot, repetitive world and tasks, so much to do but nothing I really WANT to do, or seems relevant to the story) go downhill so much, that after investing 30 hours into it I just couldnt bring myself to still be immersed or care about what I'm doing. I guess the keyword to this game is "repetitivness" in almost every aspect. The game was far too long and samey without any sign of overarching plot, or any incentive for me to care about it in the long run.… Expand
  69. BryanT.
    Nov 11, 2008
    6
    This game did not live up to my expectations. I played Bethesda's TES: Oblivion and loved it, beating it multiple times. It is true that Fallout 3 is basically Oblivion with guns, but its a very bad oblivion with guns. Very bad voice acting- the characters dont match up with what they are saying. The character could be saying that the world is about to blow up while nonchalantly This game did not live up to my expectations. I played Bethesda's TES: Oblivion and loved it, beating it multiple times. It is true that Fallout 3 is basically Oblivion with guns, but its a very bad oblivion with guns. Very bad voice acting- the characters dont match up with what they are saying. The character could be saying that the world is about to blow up while nonchalantly standing there with a minor arm movement. There are also many bugs including invisible items, problems with the targeting system, and AI problems. I have no idea why so many reviewers gave this game a 100. Really? This game is so perfect that you could play for ten hours straight while having 0 problems, glitches, or otherwise unwanted actions? No, that's not the case. This is a B- game, not an A++ game. It does have an interesting storyline, if a little predictable. My suggestion: Play a friends game for a while, or the whole thing (story line takes just a few days to beat), or wait until this game is under 30 or even 20 dollars. If other gamers have noticed all the things wrong with this game too then that shouldn't take too long.… Expand
  70. Fever
    Jan 28, 2009
    6
    Does not entirely live up to its hype. The shooting part of the game doesn't work - it is very bad in comparison to other shooters and it is not fun. The dialogue system has its flaws and sometimes feels very cheap. Fallout 3 has a lot of boring and long quest "dungeons" with lots of repetitive fights and dull backtracking. There are not many types of enemies. The difficulty is not Does not entirely live up to its hype. The shooting part of the game doesn't work - it is very bad in comparison to other shooters and it is not fun. The dialogue system has its flaws and sometimes feels very cheap. Fallout 3 has a lot of boring and long quest "dungeons" with lots of repetitive fights and dull backtracking. There are not many types of enemies. The difficulty is not balanced and the fact that you can adjust difficulty at any time means that Bethesda just did not bother nor care. Also, the main story is not very good and certainly not satisfying for an RPG. The third-person view is a joke. Inventory management is not very user-friendly and I was mad from constant switching between all the menus and sub-menus on PIPboy. About its tone, sometimes I had a feeling that the game can't decide whether it is serious or a dark comedy. It can't be both and it shows. But to summarise Fallout 3 like this would be unfair. It has also many positive aspects, for example its beautifully looking (graphically and aesthetically) post-apocalyptic world for you to explore, with sometimes mind-blowing attention to detail. Wandering around the Capital Wasteland is an experience itself. Peaceful music during exploring and action music during, well, action is also very well composed and deserves a mention - it greatly adds to the atmosphere. Other thing that deserves attention are side quests - the game hides some very powerful stories, which you may or may not uncover and resolve, whether by helping people or hurting them. It's up to you to choose, but you will be immersed and intrigued by the stories either way. Listening to the radio with music from the fifties and a funny DJ while shooting mutants is also great. Also, shooting off heads and limbs of enemies in slow motion almost never stops being fun thanks to its intentional, gory exaggeration. Another positive thing is the beginning itself, which is very original and fun. Next several hours of gameplay are also fun and a satisfying experience. The bad thing is that it doesn't last till the end.… Expand
  71. openworldlol
    Nov 1, 2008
    7
    How this game has an average score in the mid 90s is beyond me. Fallout 3 isn't bad, just mediocre. The gameplay is incredibly weak. To give Bethesda credit, the RPG elements are done well, and they feel like Fallout. However, if you took out the RPG elements, you'd be left with a clunky feeling FPS. Gameplay just doesn't feel polished enough. The story is simple and How this game has an average score in the mid 90s is beyond me. Fallout 3 isn't bad, just mediocre. The gameplay is incredibly weak. To give Bethesda credit, the RPG elements are done well, and they feel like Fallout. However, if you took out the RPG elements, you'd be left with a clunky feeling FPS. Gameplay just doesn't feel polished enough. The story is simple and uninspiring compared to the stories of either Fallout 1 or 2. The visuals are mostly unimpressive. Weapon effects are nice and flashy, but character models are stiff and awkward looking, with noticeable seams at the neck and hands where the textures don't match up. Yes, the terrain is vast, and many of the issues that Bethesda's previous game, Oblivion, have either been fixed or reduced, such as the distant terrain mesh noticeably rearranging itself and objects jarringly popping in. However, the terrain is also very dull. I don't necessarily mean the small range of colors you'll see. What I mean is that few locations feel truly unique. Voiceovers have been substantially improved over Oblivion, with surprisingly few characters sounding alike. Unfortnately, this comes at the cost of every "town" having roughly in between 3-10 citizens. These towns feel sparse compared to the towns of Fallout 1 or 2. The traditional Fallout atmosphere is there, but it feels watered down. I can't really blame Bethesda for this, because they obviously tried very hard to get the atmosphere spot on. I think it may be due to the fact that everything is rendered in 3d this time around, and every character has a voice. It leaves less to the imagination. Is it better than an unmodded Oblivion? Yes! Is it better than Fallout 1 and/or 2? Unfortunately, no.… Expand
  72. LD9000
    May 2, 2011
    7
    I waited for Fallout 3 for years, and this game was disappointing. It is an ok game, just so much is missing from it. The original level cap of 20 killed all fun in exploration after hitting it. I hear it has been raised, but by then the game has been already finished. Bethesda redeemed itself with Fallout: NV, but not this title
  73. snowshreder
    Jul 5, 2011
    7
    I have to say i really enjoyed this game though the score doesn't deserve a 10 i think they should have put more thought into some o the mechanics, weapons, story, the whole shebang. The game was real buggy and not polished therefore it was released to early and/or had bad support for resolving the bug issues.
  74. Kurisumasu
    Jan 28, 2012
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game does a lot of things right, but just as much bad. Basically, it starts off like the first two Fallout games - character creation is nearly identical even though there are slightly fewer options. The story goes like this: you're living in a vault during a post-apocalyptic era when one day your father mysteriously escapes and you decide to go after him in the barren wasteland. The game handles exploration well, especially because you get rewarded some experience points when you discover a new landmark. As for what you can do in those landmarks? Unfortunately, not always will you be so delighted to find a new town or whatever, since chances are there won't be anything to actually do there. There is, in fact, only one major town with plenty of inhabitants, called Megaton. And it's really, really ugly. In addition, pathfinding is a pain sometimes. I found myself often being stuck walking against walls a lot of the time because I wasn't taking the right path towards my destination. Did I mention the invisible walls (which don't act as a useful design feature, unlike in Borderlands, where invisible walls have a meaning so as to not break the game. Here, they're a true hindrance.)?
    The actual combat in Fallout 3 is all right. It's simple and there are plenty of weapons to choose from. The ability to target separate body parts is a nice touch, although aiming is annoying because there are no iron sights. Graphically, the game isn't so impressive. Animations are what you'd expect from the Gamebryo engine. Characters' faces look deformed and the dialogue interface is kind of retarded. On the other hand, the actual wasteland is well crafted and it really sets the mood.
    But what irk me most are the RPG mechanics in this game. Your stats don't have that much influence on your character and gameplay. It usually comes down to how well you use your weapon and its damage rating. There are also far too few side quests - just about 15 or so. And some of the choices you can make in this game are plain stupid. Even if you do -spoilers- blow up Megaton, you wouldb;t actually feel any remorse because the town feels so lifeless anyway. Overall, Fallout 3 is an average game and it's not as good as it's made out to be. People might enjoy its sandbox-style gameplay, but I came expecting far deeper RPG elements. If you want to play a better RPG check out Fallout: New Vegas. It may seem rehashed at the start and the world may not be as immersive, but as an RPG it succeeds so much more.    … Expand
  75. Annoymous1
    Oct 5, 2015
    7
    As much as I like this game, it felt pretty sub-par compared to New Vegas. The environment and story felt so much more like a post-apocalyptic game, however, it just felt pretty...dull. I enjoyed FNV more than this, for the sake of the environment and the liveliness.
  76. Kunrya
    Jun 27, 2013
    7
    If it wouldn't be for all the glitches, Fallout 3 would be one of the best games ever. It's exactly what an open-world should be; looks great, handles great and keeps you coming back for more exploration. Unfortunately, exploring becomes difficult when load screens take up 10 minute blocks of time and your character and frame rate lag.
  77. debigman
    May 15, 2014
    7
    This is one of the greatest games ever made, but it has a lot of bugs that never got fixed. Also, it has GFWL which makes it always-online. If you are looking to play this game, try to get a DRM-free (but legal please) version.
  78. dem87
    Nov 11, 2015
    7
    Fallout 4 has potential. but overall it is mediocre Bethesda game. You have to forgot about dull game play, stupid characters, bugs and wait for mods. If you are looking for a story you might pick another game. If you are looking for something that can keep you occupied for long so that you entertain yourself this is the game. Just don't expect much of this game. I regret buying it nowFallout 4 has potential. but overall it is mediocre Bethesda game. You have to forgot about dull game play, stupid characters, bugs and wait for mods. If you are looking for a story you might pick another game. If you are looking for something that can keep you occupied for long so that you entertain yourself this is the game. Just don't expect much of this game. I regret buying it now and not on sale.… Expand
  79. Odogreviews
    Dec 3, 2014
    7
    Fallout 3 is a great game overall but it has a few flaws. The game is extremely "glitchy" and has crashed on me a few times. The graphics are dated. This game has the best video game intro ever. I also loved the storytelling in the game. I would buy this game with caution though because of its glitches.
  80. MadnessisRising
    May 17, 2019
    6
    Great game, but for me it got very boring after a few hours ingame. .
  81. Jacer200
    May 10, 2014
    7
    I played a fully modded version from Nexus mods. This is a good RPG to play if you are itching for a classic western game to play. Fully modded the game looked really good for being so old. The story did not grip me that much but it was still fun to play. I found playing with a 360 controller to be far superior than keyboard and mouse. I am playing this right after Dark Souls. And the 29I played a fully modded version from Nexus mods. This is a good RPG to play if you are itching for a classic western game to play. Fully modded the game looked really good for being so old. The story did not grip me that much but it was still fun to play. I found playing with a 360 controller to be far superior than keyboard and mouse. I am playing this right after Dark Souls. And the 29 hours it took me to play this game took me by surprise after playing a 65 hour game. But overall a good game on sale. This is a must play because Fallout 4 is in the chamber.… Expand
  82. [ANONYMOUS]
    Nov 4, 2009
    5
    As someone who loves the main quest more than any side quest, this game was a huge disappointment. I had the game (not counting downloadable content) done in 13 hours; I never felt compelled to explore the world outside the main quest. Maybe I'm the only one who feels this way, but I really, really wish I'd saved my money for Dragon Age.
  83. FrankF
    Feb 7, 2009
    6
    Very very over rated. It's Oblivion with a coat of paint and a few allusions to a classic series of games. I regret buying the lunchbox edition. When I first started the game it was very promising, the first town is great and the missions in it fairly original. As the game progressed, however, the missions became drab, the towns too. Rivet City is utterly insipid - I never made it Very very over rated. It's Oblivion with a coat of paint and a few allusions to a classic series of games. I regret buying the lunchbox edition. When I first started the game it was very promising, the first town is great and the missions in it fairly original. As the game progressed, however, the missions became drab, the towns too. Rivet City is utterly insipid - I never made it past that. Could have been great, a promising start, but ultimately drab.… Expand
  84. TomB
    Nov 2, 2008
    6
    Fallout 3 is definitely better than its predecessor. However after playing for just hours I feel that it was released to early, as it crashes for no apparent reason (cant actually attribute every crash to one exact thing). The graphics are disappointing considering the technology available today, even when set to high. The gameplay is exciting and the V.A.T.S. system a very nice addition. Fallout 3 is definitely better than its predecessor. However after playing for just hours I feel that it was released to early, as it crashes for no apparent reason (cant actually attribute every crash to one exact thing). The graphics are disappointing considering the technology available today, even when set to high. The gameplay is exciting and the V.A.T.S. system a very nice addition. The story so far flows very nicely and the amount of choices is overwhelming (thats good, makes it less linear).… Expand
  85. PeterBaltzerH.
    Feb 22, 2009
    5
    Poor RPG poor FPS pretty damm horrible story and writing fun for 5 secs super overexagerated gore and violence which is gratified in the extreme thoughout this game horrible pc conversion, huge fonts makes reading text pretty damm annoying and generally the game suffers from the conversion is so many ways to frustate the player with the UI being my biggest annoyance. a game aimed at the Poor RPG poor FPS pretty damm horrible story and writing fun for 5 secs super overexagerated gore and violence which is gratified in the extreme thoughout this game horrible pc conversion, huge fonts makes reading text pretty damm annoying and generally the game suffers from the conversion is so many ways to frustate the player with the UI being my biggest annoyance. a game aimed at the teen market with a mature rating.… Expand
  86. SiegfriedT
    Mar 30, 2009
    6
    Fallout 3 is essentially an action-RPG that draws much of its attraction from the immersive qualities of the first person perspective. The player is surrounded by a bleak post-apocalyptic world that is often beautiful and impressive. The engine shows its age, the animations often look bad and many sound effects are mediocre, but all these flaws can be forgiven. What truly drags this game Fallout 3 is essentially an action-RPG that draws much of its attraction from the immersive qualities of the first person perspective. The player is surrounded by a bleak post-apocalyptic world that is often beautiful and impressive. The engine shows its age, the animations often look bad and many sound effects are mediocre, but all these flaws can be forgiven. What truly drags this game down are the nonsensical plot, shallow NPCs and terrible dialogues aggravated by uneven voice acting that ultimately is worse than mediocre. Players who just want to run around a post-apocalyptic world killing mutants while collecting "phat loot" and increasing their stats may easily overlook such flaws and enjoy this game.… Expand
  87. LukaM.
    Nov 27, 2008
    6
    A decent game, but unfortunately nothing revolutionary, unlike the original Fallout games which are in many aspects more advanced than their successor. I would classify it as an average FPS with minor elements of RPG. This game simply tries to impress an audience which is too wide and diverse, which makes it an average product at best.
  88. alex
    Nov 3, 2008
    5
    I don't really understand , why people rate it 10 , but i guess they just didnt play fallout 1 & 2 , tactics. Didn't understand world and team play. For me Fallout 3 is just some game with this name that was made for only one reason - money , due that players will see Fallout 3 on xbox and ps3. But still only world looks abit same as real Fallout , but engine and all models look I don't really understand , why people rate it 10 , but i guess they just didnt play fallout 1 & 2 , tactics. Didn't understand world and team play. For me Fallout 3 is just some game with this name that was made for only one reason - money , due that players will see Fallout 3 on xbox and ps3. But still only world looks abit same as real Fallout , but engine and all models look just same as oblivion's , they even hold weapons same.They should name it Elder scroll 5 : Lazers PEW PEW or something like that. So question is why Bethesda made game , where got no real experience and failed by copy paste of oblivion ? Game not so bad , you can choose who to kill or not , help someone or ignore his problem, but definitely it should have other name, my opinion Bethesda realy failed on this project, and stoped future of great classic fallout story.… Expand
  89. DrWatson
    Dec 12, 2008
    5
    what this game did right: exploring the downtown DC area is great, and the overall atmosphere is fantastic. (especially if you've been there) what this game did poorly: the main plot is terrible and short the RPG elements of the game are numb at best - character stats are largely meaningless - character specialization is discouraged to the point of being almost not possible bottom what this game did right: exploring the downtown DC area is great, and the overall atmosphere is fantastic. (especially if you've been there) what this game did poorly: the main plot is terrible and short the RPG elements of the game are numb at best - character stats are largely meaningless - character specialization is discouraged to the point of being almost not possible bottom line: while this game is not bad, it's not good either. therefore it gets an average score of 5.… Expand
  90. NateMo
    Dec 22, 2008
    6
    It had its moments, but overall, it simply doesn't live up to the first 2 Fallout games. There are too many bugs, too many plot holes, and too many places where the changes to the wasteland, simply make no sense. The complete lack of sex, the inability to kill children, turns up the lack of realism, while the inability to turn off, or turn down the gore as you could in the original It had its moments, but overall, it simply doesn't live up to the first 2 Fallout games. There are too many bugs, too many plot holes, and too many places where the changes to the wasteland, simply make no sense. The complete lack of sex, the inability to kill children, turns up the lack of realism, while the inability to turn off, or turn down the gore as you could in the original games, makes it a bit of a chore to sit through this one. 6 out or 10 overall.… Expand
  91. DarrenM.
    Dec 5, 2008
    6
    This game doesn't do it for me like Half Life 2 or even Oblivion. It's really boring. Love the 50s music though. Half Life was an extension of my being . I was inside the monitor literally. This game makes me detached because it's so dam hard. trying to find someone in one of the quests was a chore. went to the places they told me too. killed everything talked to people but This game doesn't do it for me like Half Life 2 or even Oblivion. It's really boring. Love the 50s music though. Half Life was an extension of my being . I was inside the monitor literally. This game makes me detached because it's so dam hard. trying to find someone in one of the quests was a chore. went to the places they told me too. killed everything talked to people but couldn't find the person. Got very frustrated ,wandered around the wasteland only to be killed by monsters with a 10 mm gun which quickly run out of ammo(no key for the armoury-couldn't find it). What do I do after that? Just wander around with no ammo waiting to be killed rinse repeat. Don't like this game at all sorry. Overhyped. VATS system bores me too.… Expand
  92. KobyM
    Oct 30, 2008
    6
    The short version: Not Fallout! Definitely Oblivion 2: Guns & mini-nukes! The long version: Fallout3 is first and foremost not Fallout. If you want, think of a scale of 1 to 10, put fallout1 on 1 and put oblivion on 10. Fallout3 is 8, maybe even 8.5. At least 80% oblivion, the rest is fallout stuff. So I'm not even point to try to compare it to Fallout but to Oblivion instead. I The short version: Not Fallout! Definitely Oblivion 2: Guns & mini-nukes! The long version: Fallout3 is first and foremost not Fallout. If you want, think of a scale of 1 to 10, put fallout1 on 1 and put oblivion on 10. Fallout3 is 8, maybe even 8.5. At least 80% oblivion, the rest is fallout stuff. So I'm not even point to try to compare it to Fallout but to Oblivion instead. I actually enjoyed oblivion, but only _after_ a ton of modds and flat out ignoring any and all RPG elements, and just play it as a whack-a-lot action game. Oblivion is not Diablo/Diablo2 but it's a nice 3D diablo want to be with very little re-playability value. The reason why oblivion it very low in re-playability, al least for me, is that in oblivion you character is, _eventually_, capable of welding any and all weapon AND magic AND utilizing all thief abilities very efficiently. Different builds matter only on the early levels. Once you played it all the way through, there is nothing more. Fallout3 has that too, sadly. Not only that, but I think its even _worse_. At level 3 I basically have all the powerful weapons, and I can use it in run-and-gun mode without too much difficulty. In Fallout 1 you had a world of possibilities, every ability point mattered, skill point mattered, but in fallout 3, just like oblivion, it doesn… Expand
  93. LysanderS
    Dec 20, 2009
    7
    An incredibly dumbed down RPG (INCREDIBLY!), with a terrible physics engine, more bugs tha Oblivion, and a broken shooting system. Besides that, there's still a nice amount of fun to be had, if you can excuse the bugs.
  94. JulienC.
    Jan 5, 2009
    6
    Another overrated game, terrible user interface, a bugfest like i've never seen before (PC) - this game offers an illusion of sandbox, but if you do your homework and try all different behaviours and attitudes you'll see that it's in fact an illusion of freedom, the story is quite ridgid in fact. The lockpicking mechanism is impossible to understand etc... but what happened Another overrated game, terrible user interface, a bugfest like i've never seen before (PC) - this game offers an illusion of sandbox, but if you do your homework and try all different behaviours and attitudes you'll see that it's in fact an illusion of freedom, the story is quite ridgid in fact. The lockpicking mechanism is impossible to understand etc... but what happened is that the first 10mn are awesome and give the impression of a nicely polished game and has a half life taste and is done by the guys from oblivion and this apparently deserved a 93. this game is not at a half life standard and yet falls only 2 points short of it, it's a shame. the game sure has depth and variety when you explore but to me this only matters AFTER the main game is polished, not instead. sorry.… Expand
  95. JimH
    May 25, 2009
    6
    First walking out of the vault was an awesome experience, no doubt. The problem is the experiences from that point on. I couldn't stand how you asked every npc in sections the exact same questions and they all gave almost the exact same answers. The combat was fun at first but got repetitive towards the end. It was too easy to make a jack of all trades character. Exploring the First walking out of the vault was an awesome experience, no doubt. The problem is the experiences from that point on. I couldn't stand how you asked every npc in sections the exact same questions and they all gave almost the exact same answers. The combat was fun at first but got repetitive towards the end. It was too easy to make a jack of all trades character. Exploring the wasteland was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed some of the encounters, like a building guarded by a single sniper in the window. These moments were far and few between unfortunately. The ending was rushed and bad. For all the minuses I've noted the game was still fun in places and that is why it gets a 6. I was expecting much better.… Expand
  96. MarcoS
    Nov 13, 2008
    5
    I give the 5 for effort and because it's a game that appeals to some people. But it is NOT a RPG in the sense of Fallout 1 and 2; it is more like that shallow fantasy theme park that was Oblivion.
  97. WinstonC.
    Nov 15, 2008
    5
    Fallout 3 seems to be a very solid, old-school PC RPG tailored for the X-Box, then ported 1:1 over to PC without any attempts to make it an actual PC game. 1) Installation and Setup: The game doesn't even create shortcuts, instead expects the player to insert the DVD to auto-play the launcher program. Graphic settings can only be changed before starting the game using that launcher Fallout 3 seems to be a very solid, old-school PC RPG tailored for the X-Box, then ported 1:1 over to PC without any attempts to make it an actual PC game. 1) Installation and Setup: The game doesn't even create shortcuts, instead expects the player to insert the DVD to auto-play the launcher program. Graphic settings can only be changed before starting the game using that launcher on the DVD in a windows-98-style box. The options also wouldn't recognize the native 1920x1200 resolution of a 24" monitor until installing the first patch. 2) Everything concerning the graphics and interface in-game is a 100% console port. The mouse has some kind of brake before it starts moving at proper speed, which makes the mousepointer feel like using a clumsy joypad - this makes aiming and navigating through menus an annoying experience. All fonts and most items in-game are vastly oversized (dialogue texts probably 120 pixels high, models for small objects like cigarette boxes as large as DVD boxes, etc). Simple actions like opening the map, browsing the inventory, or even switching weapons require endless clickfests through the only in-game interface tool (pipboy) that has EVERYTHING clumped into it and requires you to click through the categories over and over again. Basically the interface lacks any kind of ergonomical features to make a PC gamer feel comfortable during play. An example is the need to pause every single fight several times to open the "pipboy" menu, select "items", select "weapons", scroll up and down to find grenades / sidearm / rifle, equip it, leave the menu, fire it, then repeat the whole procedure to switch back to the previous weapon. I just can't believe that the game doesn't even have basic weapon slots like STALKER has them, not even to speak of essential shortcuts to the various elements of the pipboy screen. 3) AI doesn't seem to exist on 3/4 difficuilty level. Once enemies spot the player, they just keep running towards him in a straight line most of the time. Sometimes they just disappear to show up again later in a random place. Also NPCs always seem to blow themselves up with grenades, example they throw grenades while charging at you. Fighting in a group with a friendly NPC is a horrible experience from the beginning to the end. Generally the fighting feels the same or even worse than Morrowind back in the days. 4) Dialoges and resulting story are often a mess. Example you kill the evil barkeeper, then his hooker takes over the bar and also recognizes his death in dialogue with you, but in the next sentence she is still afraid to help you because the (dead) barkeeper might not like that. Noone else in town recognizes his death anyway, not even after killing everyone else in there. 5) Karma system: Basically a copy of D&D alignment, but doesn't seem to work for me. I'm killing a camp of bloodthirsty vampires and murderes, and my Karma goes down? WTF? 6) Skill system / character creation: Seems really outdated in 2008. Players can only guess what might be useful and will often end up with a crappy skilled character after some time. Unless they read through guides which tell them where to put their points into etc. 7) Realism vs. Gameplay - I think from a 2008 point of view, the developers have tried to put realism into things where it's not necessary or even hinders gameplay, but didn't put any realism where it would have been essential. Example gunfights in this game are even worse than 1992's Wolfenstein 3D. You're always short on ammo (which feels realistic and makes the game interesting), but all weapons have a huge, random spray radius which make carefully aimed shots useless. Self-healing in-combat seems to be very limited and there's even a complex damage system with crippling etc. in place , but out of combat you just need to take a few sips from a nearby toilet or sleep for 1 hour which will magically heal any kind of damage. 8) Sound and Graphic Art: First of all, the graphics in general are average at best and probably wouldn't have been anything special about 4-5 years ago. All animations and models are very poorly done, things look exactly like in Morrowind too many times. Sounds vary from realistic sounds while pushing around garbage, to explosions that sound like a bag of flour dropped from a skyscraper. Weapon sounds are horrible and make the stiff gunfights even worse. Voice acting in the german version is below-average amateur level - All characters have been dubbed by probably 4 different people and none of them has an interesting voice. Generally i think they should have used one of those cartoon filters on the graphics to make it at least somehow special to look at, but right now it's just cheap mass ware without any kind of style or soul about it. 9) Sprinting - Why the hell can't you sprint in this game? No matter wether you carry 200 kilos of equipment or walk around naked, you can never sprint under any circumstances. Tactics are pretty much useless, all you can do is either frontal assault or place some landmines before doing that frontal assault. 10) Censorship in the german version: I don't know if there is any blood & violence in the original version, but in german, despite an 18+ rating, there's no blood of any kind which makes the game feel even more sterile. 11) I could go on but let's sum it up. I gave this game a 5 because there still seems to be a solid, old-school, Elder Scrolls RPG behind it where you'll spend endless hours with exploring, searching for items, doing quests - but art, interface, storytelling are so bad that you can't even call it outdated, it's just low quality. How this game can get scores of over 90 is a mystery to me. Actually i might have given this a 7 or 8 if it was some kind of isometric top-down view RPG like Fallout / Jagged Alliance, but trying to crossbreed Morrowind with hardcore shooter elements on an X-Box platform has totally failed. My advice is to wait until this game becomes low-budget in the stores, because right now the game is not worth the full price under any circumstances.… Expand
  98. MrMan
    Nov 2, 2008
    5
    This game should NOT be called fallout 3. It does not play like a fallout game, it plays more like Oblivion which is a watered down RPG aimed towards the mentally challenged, a game which only redeems itself because of its vast mod community and potential. It literally seems like Bethesda has taken oblivion and slapped on new skins and models so it looks something like what you'd This game should NOT be called fallout 3. It does not play like a fallout game, it plays more like Oblivion which is a watered down RPG aimed towards the mentally challenged, a game which only redeems itself because of its vast mod community and potential. It literally seems like Bethesda has taken oblivion and slapped on new skins and models so it looks something like what you'd expect of a post apocalyptic wasteland. There is a constant battle in this game between the two genres of FPS and RPG; they are fighting each other like two scrawny women which results in the clumsy combat mechanics and seemingly meaningless character skill progression. Bethesda have made slight modifications to oblivion and called it fallout 3 resulting in another ruined franchise which appeals only to the undying console gaming idiots which unfortunately make up most of today's gaming market. Now if this game did not proclaim itself as the definite sequel to Fallout 2 and instead was more of a spin-off then my review would be more lenient, the game does have good points but ultimately does not deserve the title of Fallout 3. If you want oblivion with a futuristic setting then this is the game for you. If you want a sequel to Fallout then tough luck, you probably won't ever get one.… Expand
  99. JeffC
    Nov 26, 2008
    6
    Pros: Looks good, minor bugs, interesting storyline, interesting, immersive start. Cons: IMO it was just incredibly boring after the first hour or so. There is plenty to do but nothing I actually wanted to do. I felt like I was playing Myst / Uru but instead of solving interesting puzzles I would have an incredibly boring conversation with someone and then kill something with a water Pros: Looks good, minor bugs, interesting storyline, interesting, immersive start. Cons: IMO it was just incredibly boring after the first hour or so. There is plenty to do but nothing I actually wanted to do. I felt like I was playing Myst / Uru but instead of solving interesting puzzles I would have an incredibly boring conversation with someone and then kill something with a water pistol. If this game is rated this high then URU - POTS also deserves game of the year. Note: Multiplayer might be ok but I was too bored with the singleplayer to want to find out. Not my shot of gin, perhaps yours.… Expand
  100. Goobah
    Nov 4, 2008
    7
    Oblivion with guns? Very much so, for better or worse. Oblivion wasn't my type of game, and I'm afraid that F3, despite having brilliant atmosphere, is't cutting it as well. My main gripe with this game is that Bethesda willingly chose to discard a lot of acknowledged achievements in cRPG design that have happened lately. Dialogue system is quite simply abysmal, in a Oblivion with guns? Very much so, for better or worse. Oblivion wasn't my type of game, and I'm afraid that F3, despite having brilliant atmosphere, is't cutting it as well. My main gripe with this game is that Bethesda willingly chose to discard a lot of acknowledged achievements in cRPG design that have happened lately. Dialogue system is quite simply abysmal, in a post-Mass Effect world. A lot of lines are too long, or too short, depending on situation. Voice acting is acceptable, but the moral system is severely lacking, and the fact that time "freezes" when you talk to someone doesn't help immersion at all. Now I don't really like sandbox games as in my opinion -too much- of free roaming puts you off the main quest, and story is what I value the most in cRPG's. Thats exactly the case with F3, as with Oblivion - in the midst of exploration I tend to loose track of why am I doing all this in the first place. It doesn't matter that the main quest is intriguing, if it gets lost in the midst of countless hours spent on exploring a beautiful and atmospheric but ultimately boring world. And having a completionist soul, focusing on just the main quest, which is maybe 10% of what the game has to offer, doesn't satisfy me. All in all it's not a game for people who don't have too much free time on their hands. Last but not least, I find it has actually very little in common with original Fallouts. Sure, times have changed, but it seems that apart from artistic direction, there is no feel, humor and atmosphere of the original games here. And I do believe that's another consequence of Bethesda not being able to get over their own game design method. I respect their choice, and obviously they are happy (too happy imo) with the results they are getting - but I'm not. All in all, Fallout 3 isn't the game I was waiting for, and instead is "only" an enjoyable experience.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Best PC Game of 2008
1
#1 Most Discussed PC Game of 2008
1
#1 Most Shared PC Game of 2008

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
91

Universal acclaim - based on 48 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 45 out of 48
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 48
  3. Negative: 0 out of 48
  1. PC PowerPlay
    90
    Minor niggles aside, Fallout 3 is almost entirely spectacular. Everything from the graphics, to the sound, to the plot is first-rate. The VATS system worlds like a charm, and it’s so easy to get the hang of, you’ll be cracking skulls like there’s no tomorrow. [Dec 2008, p.55]
  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    100
    A vast and open world of unimaginable possibilities opens in front of you in Fallout 3. Great story, flawless combat system, and the option to choose your own way makes it a hot candidate for game of the year. [Nov 2008]
  3. Meristation
    95
    Fallout 3 is one of this year's best games. It's an unforgettable journey that lives up to the series. You are an ex-vault 101 inhabitant, and you discover a whole new world, full of zombies, mutants, raiders, aliens and all kinds of creatures. Welcome to this post-apocaliptic reality, where you are going to spend hundreds of hours.
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