Fallout 3

 PlayStation 3
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1332 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,068 out of 1332
  2. Mixed: 119 out of 1332
  3. Negative: 145 out of 1332
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  1. Lonitx
    Dec 2, 2019
    6
    it's a solid game, just dont let your ps3 save file become too big, you will crahs.
  2. nurfedx
    Nov 19, 2021
    10
    One of the best games to the series and an All-time Classic. Also, the last Decent Fallout Game!
  3. Andy552
    Apr 4, 2020
    10
    one of my favorite post apocalyptic games. but unfortunately there are still bugs and glitches. I am very understanding because this game is made by Bethesda. especially the bug crashes that I'm annoyed about. but beyond that this game is amazing

    + Good Story
    + World Wide
    + cool post apocalyptic world design

    - some glitches and bugs, especially crashes
  4. DouchebagUncle
    Jun 16, 2020
    8
    (Feb 16, 2017)

    Being one of the highest-rated PS3 games, my expectations for Fallout 3 were high and in the end it was one of my best purchases of 2016. I never played a Fallout game before and I had a great experience despite its disastrous optimization, which led to glitches, freezes and crashes. It's probably not the best in the series but it introduced me to a great franchise.    (Feb 16, 2017)

    Being one of the highest-rated PS3 games, my expectations for Fallout 3 were high and in the end it was one of my best purchases of 2016. I never played a Fallout game before and I had a great experience despite its disastrous optimization, which led to glitches, freezes and crashes. It's probably not the best in the series but it introduced me to a great franchise.

    The story is okay but there are two major scenes that were really anti-climactic. A lot of people hate the prologue but it was fine for me. Some side-quests have actually better narrative than the main ones and Bethesda is much better at environmental storytelling. I really liked the atmosphere, the towns and the feeling of loneliness. It was something different for me, as I didn't use to play this type of games at the time. The Capital Wasteland is a great place to explore for hours. You simply don't know what location you are going to find or what is going to happen during your journey in the vast open world. It's fun and I loved its dark humor. It's not a horror game but sometimes it could easily be considered one. I like when a game has room for creepy stuff and Fallout 3 knows how to deliver those moments.

    I also liked the leveling up and the S.P.E.C.I.A.L, V.A.T.S and skills systems. I really felt that my character was getting stronger as I leveled up and I love that you can have so many different builds from a sniper to a ninja, a retard, a charismatic guy who solves conflicts without firing a gun or a maniac that destroys everything in his pass with a Fat Man that shoots mini nukes. It has replay value if you're interested in trying other builds.

    The voice acting is not that good. I loved hearing Liam Neeson as my character's father but there are a lot of NPCs with the same voice actors and you end up having a whole bunch of characters with literally the same voice. This is an issue that was also present in Oblivion. You would think that a big company like Bethesda would have the money for more actors. At least it adds to the fun aspect of the game. The music is subtle but good (unless you explore the map while listening to the radio) and the landscapes are great, as well as most locations.

    The worst thing about this game is its technical aspect and I am specifically talking about the PS3 version. It was a real shame that after surpassing 6 MB of save data the game started freezing, chrashing and glitching (similar to Skyrim but not that bad). It's impossible to beat Fallout 3 without seeing your screen freeze at least once or twice. At least seeing Deathclaws ascending to the sky was pretty hilarious, but it was really frustrating when the game kept crashing or freezing. I became paranoid and had to save every 5 minutes in case something happened and my progress was lost. At first, I couldn't start Mothership Zeta's first quest because the game froze three times in a row.

    The DLCs are fine and the most memorable for me was Point Lookout, probably because is the only open world expansion with a big new region to explore, harder enemies and a creepy atmosphere. The other four are pretty short but very different one from another. The Pitt is interestingly weird, the alien-themed Mothership Zeta is repetitive, the action-focused Operation: Anchorage is short but fun while is lasts and Broken Steel continues the base game's story (making the original ending's choices meaningless).

    It's still a great video game, though. I had a great experience with it but I can't rate it higher because of its terrible technical issues. Despite all that, I think that it's a very recommendable game but probably your best bet is to play it on PC.    … Expand
  5. Hellgates666
    Jun 24, 2020
    10
    Fallout 3 is a revolutionary masterpiece of an RPG. The storytelling in this game is of a quality rarely seen in RPG's, from the quaint life of a child growing up in vault 101 to hardened adult tasked with saving washington DC. The world is grim and dark, the stories (from both main quests and side quests) are compelling, and playing even for a little will make you crave more of this postFallout 3 is a revolutionary masterpiece of an RPG. The storytelling in this game is of a quality rarely seen in RPG's, from the quaint life of a child growing up in vault 101 to hardened adult tasked with saving washington DC. The world is grim and dark, the stories (from both main quests and side quests) are compelling, and playing even for a little will make you crave more of this post apocalyptic world. 10/10.… Expand
  6. EwokSmuggler
    Nov 10, 2020
    10
    Amazing Game, Lots of side quests, Interesting characters, fantastic dialogue and story, Good amount of different type of weapons and armor, Fun gameplay, Huge open world to explore, fight giant behemoth super mutants with mini nuke launchers, Overall amazing game.
  7. WaterDoggo
    Nov 26, 2020
    7
    I played this game alot on PS3 and i had lots of fun. At least till i did all the quests. If you do all quests you are literally OP and you cant be killed. I also have issues with exploring, when you are exploring caves and abandoned houses you are expecting to find like unique weapon or bobble head. Unfortunetly its boring for me and the only place i found interesting was DeathclawI played this game alot on PS3 and i had lots of fun. At least till i did all the quests. If you do all quests you are literally OP and you cant be killed. I also have issues with exploring, when you are exploring caves and abandoned houses you are expecting to find like unique weapon or bobble head. Unfortunetly its boring for me and the only place i found interesting was Deathclaw Sanctuary. Also i have issue with Power Armor training. When you end certain mission you visit Brotherhood of Steel HQ aka: Citadel there is a guy who will train you using power armor for doing nothing. Luckily Fallout New Vegas fixed this issue and you have to do something to obtain this Power Armor training.… Expand
  8. RedDragon09
    Jan 1, 2021
    9
    Great game. Lots to do with lots of interesting characters. Huge open world thats so much fun to explore. Few technical issues and crashes but its worth persevering with.
  9. alandrade21
    Feb 22, 2021
    3
    If you liked fallout 1 and 2, play this game is dismissible.

    SUMMARY: Plot: Shallow. Game Design: Bad. Tech. Implementation: Terrible. PLOT: Shallow - It is true that this game brings a new view of the fallout universe, and broads the understanding we had of various wastelands life aspects, but it do it with mediocrity. Basically, they picked the bombastically revelations of    If you liked fallout 1 and 2, play this game is dismissible.

    SUMMARY:
    Plot: Shallow.
    Game Design: Bad.
    Tech. Implementation: Terrible.

    PLOT: Shallow - It is true that this game brings a new view of the fallout universe, and broads the understanding we had of various wastelands life aspects, but it do it with mediocrity. Basically, they picked the bombastically revelations of fallout 2 endings and built an entire new game without adding nothing new to the history.

    This game's plot can be summed ap as the John Doe wastelands journal.

    If you, like me, appreciated fallout 1 and 2 history, you will reach this game's ending disappointed.

    In terms of DLC, all DLCs plots are not connected with the main plot, except the Broken Steel DLC, that has a plot as shallow as the main plot.

    GAME DESIGN: Bad - I played the GOTY edition, and reached the topmost 30 th level before mid game... O__O

    Ok, there are interesting ideas implemented in this game. The combat mechanics is fun, the weapons are great, but from the mid game forward you simple does not have any sensation of character progression...

    And, as the plot is so shallow, the game became a sequence of go to a place, kill the enemies while exploring, get stuff, go to next place.

    TECH. IMPLEMENTATIONS: Terrible - Lots of freezing and frame hate dropping when the save file is about 10 MB in size. The DLCs picks this reality and elevates it to another order of magnitude. So, as there is no plot, no sensation of character progression, you simply go to DLCs to take trophies, and get out of there as fast as possible. Sad...

    Conclusion? go choose another game to play.    … Expand
  10. Lucas_Dancs
    Feb 7, 2022
    9
    Simply one of the best games I have ever played. The atmosphere is one of the greatest ever made and the world, the exploration and the quest system are fantastic. The only thing that it's keeping it away from a 10 is the annoying amount of crashes and freezes on the ps3 (especially the goty edition and the dlcs). Other than that incredible game.
  11. vonimaster
    Mar 9, 2023
    9
    I have 300+ hours on this game and i still haven't discovered everithing, this game is awesome. I got platinum trophy on it.
  12. Elii0955
    Jul 27, 2022
    10
    RPG classic that is one of the greatest rpgs of all time. Wow what a classic.
  13. Bocru987
    Jul 27, 2022
    10
    Great Fallout game, and definitely good for its time. Nothing else to really say.
  14. Sdtahtcer9143
    Jul 27, 2022
    10
    You can play over and over and still have seemingly endless possibilities. Soo good.
  15. Whatmommylikes1
    Jul 27, 2022
    10
    One of the best games of all time in my opinion, When i was young and this game came out, it was huge. I feel like it opened up the door for games of this nature, Would highly recommend, even in 2022.
  16. Bigturd12
    Sep 2, 2022
    10
    One of the top RPG's of all time highly recommend. My favorite game of all time.
  17. JesseDillinger
    Feb 1, 2023
    9
    Not really sure how to say what I think of the game. I love the gameplay, the world, the discovery, the creatures, the weapons. It's just such a great game. Though I prefer New Vegas, I'd say they're about on the same level for me. Love them both.
  18. KPS5
    Apr 29, 2023
    10
    I enjoyed this game. This game is underrated. I haven't completed fallout 4 but I think this game is better than fallout 4.
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Awards & Rankings

6
#6 Best PS3 Game of 2008
5
#5 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2008
4
#4 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2008

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 57 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 55 out of 57
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 57
  3. Negative: 0 out of 57
  1. Digital Chumps
    Oct 27, 2010
    76
    Until you can play the game without unpredictable crashing and quirky issues surprising you it's going to be tough to find the maximum amount of fun I know this title can offer.
    Read full review
  2. 1UP
    100
    This is the kind of hugely ambitious game that doesn't come around very often, and when it does, you'd be a fool not to play it and enjoy the hell out of it and look forward to the day (next-next-gen?) when the fidelity of open-world RPGs takes another big step closer to the uncanny valley's far side.
    Read full review
  3. IGN
    94
    It's rare that a game can hit the mark in so many different and often conflicting areas. Fallout 3 offers freedom without sacrificing a focused story. It delivers fantastic combat without forgoing a deep role-playing system. The characters you meet are engaging and oftentimes hilarious without feeling out of place in this harsh world.
    Read full review
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