Gave it a second chance and i'm getting engaged with the mechanics and the environment. Turns out that's a good game after all. Complete review after completion.

The most immersive game I have ever played. The Wasteland has an authentically wasted atmosphere, the characters are fun and memorable (Three Dog, Moira, Amata etc). The locations are detailed and interesting, often including minor stories hidden away. The story is very well written and every time I play I look forward to the treks across the landscape as I bump into new people and discover new places. The quirky humour also complements the game.… Expand

too many freezes during the game. It's an absolute shame. Each time i play, at one point, my console stop working, only with this damn game. One advice to Bethesda: learn to program games.

This is a great game with plenty of things to keep you busy for hours. That being said it does have some serious drawbacks in the way of game breaking bugs, continuous freezing and mediocre gun mechanics. It also allows you to go into third person where the game does not shine. All that being said it does everything else to an exceptional degree, great story, interesting characters, exciting missions. Even though it has its negatives, its positives make you want to push through them and keep playing.… Expand

You can do a lot, but this is easily holds the most instances freezing up I've ever had on a PS3 game. The combat is pretty clumsy too. I applaud the scope and premise, but wish it played smoother.

This is the Fallout 3 that I came to know and love but on PS3! The only downside is how it runs on PS3. If you can get past occasional lag, then this will be an unforgettable experience. Disregard the naysayers and pick this up!

Love fallout, a simply great game, if you love open mapped games and plenty of missions (inclusing main ones) then this is the game for you :) Loved it!

This game deserve 9.5 but i can't give it more than 9 since it's plagued with game freeze, slowdown and other bugs. The game plays well for a while but if you're a completionist like me, you'll start having problem much later in the game. For me, the last of the 5 expansions (brotherhood of steel) was almost unplayable. Don't worry though, it will happen only if you try to discover every location and do every quests in every expansions, things that most people won't do anyway. Still a great game !… Expand

Utterly amazing. Long hours of game-play, amazing story line, many side quests, large map, and amazing DLC. This is my favorite game, my previous being Fallout: New Vegas.

One of the best RPG's ever made and with a huge open world you will have hours upon hours of fun exploring the ruins of DC. I would recommend the Game of the Year Edition if you can, due to all the excellent expansion packs that it has. A truly great game that i deeply recommend to anyone who enjoys action, exploring and an great storyline.

Never before roles and action game were merged as skillfully as in this dark tale of a desolate future. Splendid graphics with lots of detail, unfortunately, very long dialogue sequences

This game is great the problem is though the ps3 version is the weakest version of this game so i would recommend getting the pc version because this version has a few technical problems but not game breaking.

A great game, a change of perspective in RPG, amazing story-line a must buy and play, like all other Bethesda games had some problems in the launch, but like always they fixed with the patches, game is amazing, suck you in, game play difficulty can be changed on the run, like the other Bethesda titles and everything else that makes a perfect game.

Still one of the best games on PS3 if you liked Skyrim its the same makers open world RPG if you took Call of Duty and Skyrim put them in a pot throw in a nuke thats FALLOUT 3 you will love it or hate it there not much between tho it would have been a 10 if it all could have been online...offline only sux !

If there were ever a time to call a video game art this would be it..
This game is nothing short of a master piece, unique and interesting characters, fantastic dialogue and story, an unbelievable amount of things to do without out it ever feeling repetitive or bland..

Definitely worthy of the hype!

What a great game with such a deep world to explore. Fallout 3's combat system works and goes along with the whole RPG element of the game. Fallout 3 has a great story and the game allows you to pretty much have the freedom of how you want to handle the wasteland with a karma system. There are some downsides tough, things can get repetitive and after your save file gets over about 8 mb there are occasional freezes. Graphics could be a little better but the immense environment makes up for that. Other than that, you can pick up the game now for a reasonable price plus the game of the year edition has all the DLCs which is a awesome deal.… Expand

Fallout 3 is the greatest game Bethesda, or any other developer, ever made. Bethesda completely succeded in turning a great turn-based game series into an amazing RPG/FPS.

Not much to say about this game, other than that the hours I have logged playing it show me how much I thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters are realistic and interactive, and the story is very personal and well written. The one real complaint I had was that after the final mission we could not roam the wasteland afterwards, however one of the DLC fixed that.

Excellent game, brilliant storyline, beautiful map, but has many bugs that do not take the merit of an excellent jogo.A bethesda surpassed all expectations and raised the level of a game rpg bringing numerous NPC, various quests, a dangerous world with gangs the rider and mutants and creatures, a giant arsenal of weapons. All these elements make the game fallout 3 a score of 10

Bethesda does it again. If you are a RPG fan you cannot go wrong. Great story, great humor, a must buy. Free open world games are Bethesda back yard, and they really know how to make a game world come alive.

This is a game that feels like a real step forward. An intense, fascinating, and fun game that takes you on a real journey. The main story quest is compelling, as is exploring the ruins of Washington D.C. And the surrounding towns. For all the well-documented glitches, Fallout 3 is as perfect a gaming experience as you will find.

An engaging and rewarding roleplaying/first person shooter set in post apocalyptic Washington DC. There is excellent storytelling combined with deep and thoughtful choices that are made that impact the game. Bethesda makes gamers drool with the perks system, point allocation, and the all-mighty and all-satisfying VATS system, which allows you to enjoy torching a mutant, blowing the head off of someone, or nuking an entire town. Fallout 3 is worth playing and is a classic already.… Expand

I really did hate everything about this game. It just wasn't for me at all. Especially the control setup.. But pretty much everything was hot garbage in my opinion.

For most people, Fallout 3 will be a wonderful experience. For me... I just couldn't get my head around shooting at something like an FPS but never being able to hit it because of level stats. If you're not supposed to use the FPS aiming system, why put it in the game? If physically aiming at a guy's head with a sniper rifle counts for nothing, why bother giving us a scope? I know it's an RPG and you're supposed to use the VATS system, but the hybrid aspects of the game just totally killed it for me.… Expand

Despite the technical issues, this is still my favorite game of this generation. An interesting story, an amazing atmosphere, great music, great characters, great quests. This post-apocalyptic world will keep you hooked for hours. It has quite a few bugs, even after the many updates, and the visuals aren't anything special. You can certainly feel in every way this was made for the PC, but that shouldn't keep you from playing this.… Expand

I don't know where to startâ

This post-apocalyptic Action-RPG is huge!! It has vast non-linear landscapes with dozens of cities and towns to explore, deeply layered missions and very compelling story lines, good voice acting and a terrific retro soundtrack that helps set the moody tone from the start. Seemingly endless character types(friends and foes) to meet/kill as you scavenge the immense and ravaged terrain. All the while collecting a vast assortment of weapons(from your first BB-gun to your Mini-Nuke Warheads). Slay baddies and take their body armor/weapons/etc as well. Collect as many valuables as you can carry. They can be sold for Bottle-caps(the currency of the wasteland), which in turn can be used to purchase/repair your supplies/weapons/armor. Many misc found items can be assembled into unique and devastating specialty weapons. I have not even mentioned the very fun selective body part targeting system in addition to the traditional aim and shoot option. That system could be another paragraph.… Expand

Okay, I have owned a PS3 since the start. The Fallout series is the best for replay value I have found yet. I have probably beat the game 10 times and I still find new stuff every time I go through it. Try not to just run through the main story line, go do the side quest. You will enjoy this game, it's even better the tenth time through. I am ready for fallout 4!!!

If you are one of the few who CARE about bugs/glitches that occur please ignore this review. This game aside from the afore mentioned bugs/glitches is one of the most immersive, fun, exploratory, interesting games i have ever played. This game does the apocalypse justice.

Do not let the score fool you. It is far from being obsolete in the great category. The story and drive it relishes to you, through its dialogue, side quests and ultimately its main storyline is what sets it apart from any other 8/10 game. I recommend that you get this for the Xbox360 or PC as the glitches take away a part of the experience of the PS3 version (hence the 8) If future gaming exists with what this game has done to the gaming industry, we're in for a great ride with Fallout 4.… Expand

Game is amazing but yes it has some bugs (did not bother me) and it crashes sometimes. I 've spent over 100 hours on it and I just love it. Crashes started after 70 hours of gameplay. I had one or two crashes every 5 hours... so not so bad...

20 missions FNV infinitely better than this crap. It makes no sense even of the two time pass cw case at all, even once it does not make sense to go through. A simple shooting game where the missions and story background is just smashing everything without the slightest sense.

next to the elder scrolls series fallout is the best open world rpg on the market the storyline is actually interesting the gameplay is fun the vats system is also neat all the guns do different things so the guns are awesome in this game and the world is fun to explore the only problem is besides 2 main towns the game is very lonely i know its supposed to be a nuclear apocalypse but it gets boring being alone all the time and this game also crashes alot and the graphics are less then amazing but other then that this game is awesome… Expand

the real downside to FO3 is the crashes, bugs of varying degrees, some bland side quests, and the main story isn't amazing, but I didn't think it was too bad. This is a game with so much to do and so much character, I loved the V.A.T.S. system but what really kept the combat fresh was the tons of unique weapons and armor, probably one of the best aspects of the game. The real-world feel and actual monuments, buildings, and locations really help create an overall mood to the game. Another awesome part is Galaxy News Radio, the music along with Three Dog is freakin awesome, and is a cool way to add in the feel that what you're doing actually matters when Three Dog reports it. The game isn't perfect, and some quests are boring, some locations run-of-the-mill with nothing too special, but it's counter-balanced with some great vaults with pasts that you discover as you go through them, and hidden gems throughout the wasteland that make exploring worthwhile. This is one of my all time favorite games, and if you can deal with some boring, as well as technical problems, this is an amazing game… Expand

Its a good game, But it gets old quick. If you want a really good game cheack out Skyrim Best game out there!...........................................................................!...................................................................................................................................................................................!...................................................................................................................................................................................!...................................................................................................................................................................................!...................................................................................................................................................................................!...................................................................................................................................................................................!...................................................................................................................................................................................!...................................................................................................................................................................................!...................................................................................................................................................................................!...................................................................................................................................................................................!...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................… Expand

I was hesitant to pick up this game because I had not played the former fallout games. But when i finally took the plunge, I had no regrets. It obviously runs on the same engine as oblivion, but with major improvements. Loved this game, the moment i stepped out of the vault and into the capital wasteland. Kept me busy for around 100 plus hours. The only thing I wish it had was a buggy or some kind of bike to get you around quicker. The usual glitches appear here, as they did in oblivion. Main storyline is ridiculously short, and lackluster, but the side quests are awesome and well thought up.… Expand

I heard that this game was an amazing open world free choice game and yes there is a big open world but free choice isn't really to say. You only ever have 2 ways of really doing things right and wrong that's not really ultimate choice. It's great that there is a big open world but that's one of this games biggest downfalls. You get a quest find out that's it's somewhere on the other side of the map you haven't been and have to spend an hour getting there constantly saving every 10 minutes cause there's SO many bugs in this game. This is what let me down the most. How can a game be released with so many critical bugs. I know bugs in software happen and to fix them you usually break something else but come on. At the moment I'm trying to do The Pitt add on and the game is running at a slide show if at all. There are some many game breaking bugs that the game isn't enjoyable to play in the slightest. The only reason I'm still playing is cause I'm a completist and don't want to feel like I wasted 34 bucks. Also another terrible feature about the game is the shooting mechanics it never seems to actually go where you want to and trying to aim with the controller is nearly impossible (now you know why we have VATS the devs couldn't make a shooter engine). Even if you do opt for manual shooting the games frame rate drops to a standstill whenever a gun fight occurs. I do not understand how this is such a highly regarded game IT SUCKS DON'T BUY IT.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. for what was a very creative and fun game series, fallout NV and 3 set an all time low. Sure, fallout 3 and NV pulled the series to 3d and open, and i admit it was kind of fun, but that fun was ruined by the major bugs, freezes, glitches and crashes i experienced on my copy. it happened on my PC,ps3 and 360 copies so its not my system. This is a very crap game that does not deserve a sequel. If 4 gets made, it must not be developed by obsidian and not use that crap gamebryo engine. I cant even tell you how bad the DLC makes it. Its unplayable after 3 hours gameplay. its like it purposly freezes to tick you off!… Expand

Don't get me wrong this is a great game, and still really relevant considering its quality, at first it is hard to get into but stick with it and you will find it amazing. However don't get it on PS3, go PC. I'm usually pro console, but the modding community for Fallout 3 is extensive and the mods you can find online add so much more to the game.

Fallout 3 is a unique experience of an alternative future, with near perfect gameplay and a brilliant level-up system. Fans of what was a PC exclusive turn-based rpg were suprised when the third outing of the series would be played in first-person and in real-time. The game isn't a direct sequel to the previous games of the series, but rather an expansion of the universe. The series was traditionaly set in post-apocalyptic America, mainly in what was the state of California. Fallout 3 takes place in what was Washington DC, now known as the Capital Wastland. As a local citizen of Vault 101, you wake up to find out your dad had left the vault andd thus start a long journey to find him and ask about his actions. The gameplay resolves around a Karma system, which affects how locals interact with you. Local towns will give you benefits such as jobs and opportunities to make money if you have good karma, while greedy landlords and slavers will do the same if you have bad karma. The level-up system uses the tradional XP system, but you can only distribute points to your skills at the moment you level up. You also get to choose a perk at every level, which can boost your skills or give you a special ability. The gameplay is acceptable, but not perfect. The firing machanics for ranged weaponry dosen't have an iron sight button, making aiming the weapon harder and less effective. There is the odd bug or two, but only on very rare occasions. The gameplay is challenging at first, but better weapons, armour, skills and perks make the game a bit easy in later occasions. Fallout 3 is an impressive relaunch of post-apocalyptic America with new ideas that work. With plenty to do and memorable moments to remember, it is worth getting if Oblivion feels a bit too traditional.… Expand

Awesome RPG open world game. Great, moving, immersive story, or you could just wander the Capital Wasteland! Totally up to you. Very interesting characters and enemies scattered across the Wasteland.

A bit repetitive but overall fairly fun. Biggest complaint is that the enemies don't get harder the longer you play. Also, after you get to level 4 or so there's no need to search anything (lockers, desks, etc.) other than the enemies you kill.

As with GTA,turning the series into 3D has worked phenomenally.An utter brilliant game and worthy of the many awards it received.Though not without the oddglitch or annoyance,Fallout 3 is one of the best games ever made and will steal a hundred hours of your time without trying.The DLC packs are mainly excellent with Broken Steel and Point Lookout being the better of them.Buy it and wait impatiently for Fallout 4.… Expand

fallout 3 is one of the best rpg games and ps3 games ever made the story is just fantastic the tone of the game stuck in the 50s is excellent the best on ps3 the side quests are excellent to with good stories to them the main quest is even better the world is rich in detail and there is lots of things to do and see sure it has bugs but it doesnt ruin the game this is the best ps3 game i have ever played the graphics are dated now but it is still good the dlc operation anchorage/the pitt/broken still/point lookout/ and mothership zeta are all fine no wonder fallout 3 was game of the year it rocks plus its way better than fallout new vegas well done bethesda this was my first fallout game i played i loved everything about it… Expand

Generally decent with okay graphics. Quests and NPCs are dull and repetitive, making for some very boring moments. The weapons are good, but are very overpowered, even on the Very Hard difficulty setting. The enemies aren't very varied, so you will often encounter many of the same enemies. The voice acting is okay but is ruined by horrible lip syncing in nearly every character. The 360 and PC versions run smoothly and look fine, but unfortunately the PS3 version pushes the console to its very limits and thus crashes often. The textures look washed out and the same goes for the graphics. Also very glitchy. All in all, a game that received more hype than it deserved.… Expand

i salute you! i currently have 200+ hours into this game and have not used any strategy guides for it! you can choose to be good or bad, i went with good 0:) this is more than a game people this is you creating a life with real life altering decisions! most NPCs can be killed and then they are gone forever,.. you lose the quests from them and maybe even a good vender! i love this game so much i have the dlc for it and am even getting a pipboy 'thumbs up' tattoo on my shoulder!… Expand

I wish there was a 9.9 button I could press. I do not give out 10's lightly and though Fallout 3 gets pretty damned close to earning one from me there are a few things that keep it from being a perfect experience.

I had become pretty jaded with games this decade. The shooters were gettting bland, Square wasn't making anything fun, and most of the series I'd loved on the PS2 hadn't followed me to my new system. A friend of mine told me about Fallout 3 and initially I was put off by the sheer size of the thing. I figured it'd get boring and frustrating very quickly. I was very wrong.

The story may be a tad flimsy, but the setting is great. I remember starting the game and that same friend telling me "See all those buidlings out there?", as I glanced around the destroyed cityscape after emerging from the vault. "You can go into everyone of them. If you can see it, you can get to it". This idea of size enthralled me and I soon became obsessed with just the simple idea of surviving the in the waste. Going into caves, abandoned supermarkets, old schools (most of which had their own stories told through journals and atmospherics) and scavenging for priceless items, upgrading and maintaining my weapons and trading to get better equipment. It was all simple but it was so rewarding.

The game features an amazing sense of freedom. If something lives, you can shoot it. Which means you can truly walk the line between good and evil in a world with real repercussions. You can either work, scavenge and save up for that certain item you've had your eye on, or wait until late at night, kill the shopkeep and rob his store to sell off somewhere else. But the people you kill stay dead. So everyone who plays has a bit of a different experience.

The blend of first person action and RPG elements works great thanks to a great combat system and inventory screen. This includes the V.A.T.S. targeting system, which allows you to use your attributes and skills to target certain areas for precision kills. Very useful. Or you can just run and gun and shoot from the hip if you are so inclined.

The game does, hoever suffer from some terrible glitches. Loading screen loops, key items disappearing, NPC characters seemingly forgetting their lines and cues. It's a big game, and there are a great many things going on at all times that you are always altering so I guess sometimes it gets sort of confused. All of that said; this game is not for everyone. There are long stretches of just wasteland wandering and the main story will be over before you know it, if you pursue the story missions. But this is a unique game in a unique environment. It gets as close as I've yet seen to that immersion factor people are always looking out for.… Expand

I bought the Game of the year addition with all of the five dlc created for it. It only cost me $20. Considering that this was game of the year back in 2007, it hasn't age very well. The graphics pretty dull for a Bethesda game that had put out Oblivion the year before this one. But like Oblivion, the npcs have no personality and you find yourself in a very lonely non-interactive world doing people favors. Its not suppose to be a shooter game, although you can attempt to use your controller to take shots at enemies but you'll waste rounds and get killed very quickly. Instead you need to rely on something called V.A.T.S that is an automatic targeting system that allows you to create damage against your enemies. So in essence, it's Fallout 3's way of using the RPG standard of tactical combat effected by your level and skills, just like another game that came out that same year, Mass Effect. Unlike Mass Effect though, it doesn't have a story to make you want to keep coming back to play. The whole story is that your Dad has left the security of the vault without telling you why and you leave to go find him, or not. It's an open world, so if you wish to go and collect old ashtrays, books, and bottlecaps for trade and wander the Wasteland. I never knew the Post-Apocalyptic world could be soooooo boring.… Expand

Man did I miss the boat on this one. I picked up Fallout 3 in a bargain bin recently 3 years after the hype and euphoria. As an rpg noob ( the last one I played was FF7) I have to say getting into the mindset is the hardest part. You have to walk around and probe and search and chat to people, 'yeh so what?' I hear you say , but for me I wanted to shoot and run cod style. Getting used to the VATS and the menu system was also tricky at first. I also found this game inordinately difficult. Trying to get somewhere with a frail little guy and a pistol with lumbering Giants speeding towards you can be disheartening. But Once the instant travel option has been accessed you can go back and forth easily and quickly. The difficulty setting can also be managed if your getting mauled. Overall though , hours of play rewards a truly mesmeric monster of a game. It oozes atmosphere. The option to be good or evil is also intruiging. It's an awsome journey. Ok bad points. Auto save is a silly function and before removing got me in hot water straight away ( turn it off) . There are too many wandering encounters that can kill you on a whim or at least take away ALL your energy and suck you dry. I dont care how good VATS is you cant take down a giant with a pistol. There should be a way to reduce wandering encounters ( maybe the difficulty setting does?) . Stealing stuff or doing something bad by accident is so easy to do and suddenly you lose karma and the whole of a town wants to kill you. Now thats also very annoying. All of that aside its a truly epic game which Id recommend to even RPG virgins, just make sure you have lots of saves and go in with the right attitude guys.… Expand

this game was pretty good i loved it and i have played through a couple times but i wish that it had a few more side misions or that it wasnt always the same ending and would it have killed them to do more misions i mean the map is absolutly HUGE but there is only a couple places that things actually happen in but i still loved it and will play through it many more times in the future and is a must buy especially now that it is only 15$… Expand

The VATS system is awesome. I loved playing Oblivion and Fallout 3 GOTY edition is great so far. There are technical issues as with any Bethesda game, such as glitches and graphical problems but this game is so much fun, the blemishes are minor here.

I am afraid of using the expansion packs because people have expressed problems playing certain areas but the main story has been very good. What really gets me excited are the side quests. The people you meet in Megaton and in GNR Radio Broadcast, the Brotherhood of Steel and others in Rivet City give you interesting new areas to explore.

This is an RPG game based around a shooter. Almost like Mass Effect in a way with decision trees and character development but more open and expansive. I'm playing this game in 2011 and still think the graphics hold up well to some of today's games. Not a type of game for everyone since it includes talking, story, voice acting, you know to develop a plot. Unlike alot of games, this is slow to develop but you can choose any path you want explore freely instead of being an on the rails affair like COD for once.… Expand

Looking for a fun rpg with a huge open world? Fallout 3 is for you. It has some nice graphics with long quests. The only problem is that it crashes sometimes, but its rare that it will happen.

I say this game would be a ten but the problem is that it has too many bugs and freezing issues. Other than that this game is amazing. So amazing I beat it 4 times, and there are very few games I beat more than once

It's a good game but the console version should be avoided at all costs! I have never had so many bugs and crashes in a game before. This is what could happen if you port a game meant for the PC on a console. All those bugs and crashes ruined the game for me and I heard New Vegas was the same. Play the PC version, not this.

read it if you are new to fallout series
I never played any of the fallout games. I bought it because i have some friends that love it and i decided to give it a try. I played the game for a few hours and simply couldnt understand what was going on.. or what should i do... I was completely lost.
After a few months i decided to give it another try, and it took a while but i learned to enjoy the game. It can be really exhaustive sometimes, but in a general it was good fun and in a way, a masterpiece of freedom of choices, I must confess i was really disappointed by the ending , i actually ended the game thinking I was in a side mission.. But the game is like this: most of the times you end up choosing a path without really knowing what will be the consequences. Although this is its weakest point its also the best thing about the game.… Expand

For me, there weren't any bugs, especially in the PS3 GOTY version. I had a great time playing this game and was able to get 100% and all the trophies in about 80 hours. This was a great game through and through, and deserved to be GOTY 2008. Only about 5 freezes throughout my experience with this game, and all of them were caused by trying to do glitches. Buy this game if you want something new. I wasn't disappointed at all with this game. With Oblivion getting me hyped for this release, i wasn't surprised on how good this game was. 10/10… Expand

Fallout 3 Game Review
Fallout 3 is an RPG created by Bethesda Softworks. Fallout 3 is set in post-apocalyptic Washington D.C. in the year of 2277 where nuclear war has scarred the face of human kind with various mutations of the people due to radiation. The player is able to explore this â

Fallout 3 is an adventurous re-think of the classic RPG game Fallout, rendered in fully-fledged 3D glory and containing one of the most vast and unrestricted landscapes ever committed to pixellated form. Despite a few minor niggles and a wholly unfulfilling ending(/s), I found playing this game to be a real visceral treat. Moments of genuine terror and tension are aplenty, especially if trolling through abandoned subway stations while sitting in a darkened room, wondering where that scuttling sound is coming from and whether you have enough V.A.T.S points to stop it. One of the finest games of recent times.… Expand

Fallout 3 is a massive game and to this day I still haven't even scratched the surface, but I've played for about 10 hours on my current character and it manages to at least nearly equal Oblivion. It's not quite as amazing as Oblivion was when it released, but it comes close. The combat is great and the quests dynamic. There's little to complain about, except for the bugs which are common in every Bethesda game.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Often touted as "Oblivion with guns", Fallout 3 is certainly very similar to the fantasy-world RPG. It is just as immersive as TES IV, with a great soundtrack and world to explore. While many become bored with the dreary landscape and green-and-brown graphics, they don't realize that Fallout 3 takes place in a post-apocalyptic wasteland-not the colourful forests and piercing mountains of fantasy RPGs. Bethesda pulled off the post-apocalyptic theme perfectly, and one really feels as if they are fighting to survive in this devastated world. Fallout 3's gameplay is excellent. Certain skills like persuasion, thieving, sneaking, and ranged attacks (V.A.T.S in particular is excellent) have all been improved on, and the game is a blast to just explore through and interact with the world around you. Sadly, however, Bethesda has still made some of the mistakes that it has with other games in the past. The animations, albeit slightly better than in Oblivion, are still dreadful, and the game's also still full of glitches (sometimes the game becomes completely unplayable, whether it be because of lag or a an NPC randomly dying/glitching in behaviour). While Bethesda hired some top-notch voice actors for Fallout 3, they still didn't hire ENOUGH. Many of the sub-characters' voices are completely recycled. The story also follows the patterns of past games: great-but-not-excellent; and tremendously anti-climatic. However, just as these problems didn't (and shouldn't) stop people from playing Oblivion, the same applies here. Despite all these minor annoyances, Fallout 3 is still a must-buy, featuring a completely immersive, interesting world with excellent gameplay to boot. Delve into the wasteland and forge your own path, Lone Wanderer.… Expand

This is a great enjoyable game which i have completed several times. Although it freezes quite often and is very annoying to play on the ps3. also the add-ons for this game add plenty more hours of game play and unique items,weapons and armour.

I once read someone calling Fallout 3, 'Oblivion with guns'. Well, to an extent, that's true. It shares the same quest mechanic as Oblivion, the conversations with NPCs are formatted the same, the map is of a similar size, and the inventory management is also similar. Fallout 3 also is also buggy as hell, perhaps even more so than Oblivion (tread carefully with the GOTY edition).

However, Fallout 3 is far more detailed than Oblivion, which for a game set in a barren wasteland is some achievement. Never has death and destruction felt so alive. The character development via attributes, skills and feats (or 'perks', as they are known) is much more RPG-like with its familiar 'earn stats and allocate them as you see fit' rule, as opposed to Oblivion's 'increase stats by doing' principle. The main story is a little on the weak side, but Fallout 3 is a game that allows you to create your own story. The combination of its side-quests and its open-world platform provide a tabula rasa for the player to carve out his or her own narrative through their decisions and experiences. â… Expand

This game is decent, for an RPG lover it will be a fun experience from start to end. The atmosphere and is well crafted and you will immerse yourself in the setting. The main problem I had with this game was the combat, it's super simple and after a while it gets repetitive and boring. This game would have been a classic if it wasn't for the silly combat.

Wow. Only 5,000 character reviews allowed? That's not nearly enough to describe the beauty of this game. But anyways, guess what? This game is one of the best games ever. Bioshock and Fallout 3 are the best FPS-RPG hybrids in the world. And guess what? They both came out for the PS3 at roughly the same date. Bioshock came a week earlier on the PS3, and I say the PS3 because Bioshock didn't come out on the PS3 until about a year after every other version. Anyways, what can I say? You're born, and you make your gender, name, looks, etc. Then you're suddenly 1 year old, and you're introduced to the actual mechanics. Then you're 10, and you're given your Pip-Boy, along with a BB-Gun for your birthday. Then you're 16, and you have to take a test to see where you fit into in the world. Then you're 19, and for some reason, your dad is gone. He disappeared and escaped from your home, vault 101. Vaults are underground shelters, and were created because of the ongoing Nuclear War. Everyone is looking for you since they apparently think you know where he is, which you really don't. After a few tasks, you get out into the real world. Now, this is all the reason why this game got a 9 instead of a 10. The intro, and that's really my only grudge, other then a few glitches. The real world is nothing like you're used to. It's a barren wasteland that you don't even recognize. You go to a nearby town to find more about your father and where the hell he went, and that's about the point that I got to. Now, the great thing about this game is the amount of options. You can choose to shoot the head, the torso, the right arm, the left arm, the weapon, the right leg, and the left leg in the brilliant system known as V.A.T.S. You can choose side quests. You can choose to save people. You can choose to kill people. Even the conversations have options. No matter what, you always have a say in what you do. The combat is the weakest part, though. Even though that's not saying much. That's like saying that 1 YouTube video is worse then the best YouTube video. The combat doesn't feel like how combat in a FPS should be. Bioshock did combat better. But other then that, this is one of the greatest games in existence. And this is where I draw the line.… Expand

Bah, Fallout 3. When I bought it, I thought it was going to be interesting, but I was horribly mistaken. The world is HUGE! A little bit too huge, I f you ask me. I couldn't get very far without getting lost. The map doesn't help very much, and during the time when I was lost, I was pwned by around 4 big monster deals with miniguns.I'm not afraid to say that me and Dogmeat didn't last long, especially with the crappy weapon life. Why didn't they make the weapon health system like Oblivion?… Expand

I picked up this game late in 2008, and only because of pressure from friends. I had never played a Fallout game previously, but had enjoyed The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, Bethesda's las major effort. I really didn't have much expectation. What I got was a game that ranks squarely in my all-time top 5 (perhaps even 2), and I've been a hardcore gamer for the better part of 25 years.

The graphics are very good, but you won't be blown away by them. The visual palette is very subdued, with the environment painted in washed out greens, browns, blues and grays. This isn't by mistake, though. Character models are good, though not on par with games like Mass Effect. However, they are a big step up from those in Oblivion, as they don't appear facially deformed.

The sound design is great, especially if you have a 5.1 setup.

Combat is a bit clunky, especially if you are used to true FPS games, which Fallout 3 is not. For what it is, it is more than sufficient. The VATS system slows battles down, and lets you map out each strike/shot. It also lets you end confrontations with a variety of satisfying, bloody (or gooey) flourishes. Weapon customizations allow you to create cool and sometimes ridiculous and amusing armaments.

How the game plays out is really up to you. If you stick to the main narrative, you can polish of the game in short order (maybe under 10 hours). But that would be bypassing the bulk of the game, and much of what makes it great, which are the enormous variety of sidequests. The Capitol Wasteland is a vast place, and nearly everywhere you turn, you will find people to help or harm, errands to be run, or things destroyed. Your actions will have consequences, as you accrue karma, both bad and good, that affects how you are regarded by others, and options that are open to you. These quests vary from the silly to the serious and thought provoking. Moral dilemmas abound. You can easily log 100 hours without feeling as if the game is spread too thin.

What really made this game great (in my opinion) was the atmosphere. Bethesda did a spectacular job of crafting a desolate yet relate-able world that is truly emotionally evocative. The bleak palette I mentioned earlier is juxtaposed against cheery, 50's style billboards with colorful ads and sunny catchphrases. You will be wait deep in combat against horrible mutations while listening to happy 40's-50's tunes. You are faced with a desolate, depressing post-apocalyptic waste, yet the ghosts of the pre-war world are always present. It is a decidedly melancholy world, which I thought was very fitting.

Now for some of the bad, which id pretty PS3-specific. You may have heard that the PS3 version is vastly inferior, which isn't entirely true. Greatly exaggerated, in fact. The graphical differences are minimal, at most. Sometimes the PS3 version actually looks better, depending of the place and time. The only noticeable difference is that the PS3 version freezes with some frequency, particularly late in the game. You can combat this to a degree by deleting the data cache for the game (not the game save file) occasionally. The only time this became a headache for me was in one of the DLC missions, Operation Anchorage, where I saw the worst frame rate drop I had ever seen (which was remedied by saving, deleting the data cache, and reloading).

But this is absolutely not a deal breaker by any means. This is an immensely enjoyable game that any serious gamer needs. It is, in my opinion, a true benchmark game. By far my favorite of the current generation. If you have a 360 or PS3, you need to play Fallout 3.… Expand

The most stunning thing about Fallout 3 is not the size of the gameworld but the amout of stuff thats been packed into it and the attention to detail. I remember having played the game for close to a year and i was still discovering surprises and twists. No other game comes close to not only giving you the freedom to go where you want and do what you want but also a sense that you just have to search every nook and cranny to see what you can find. Fallout 3 is more an experience then a game.… Expand

Ironic that the game takes place in 2077, yet I feel nothing will surpass this glorious piece of emotion evoking digital art for perhaps 8 decades. Fallout 3 is open, yet constricted. Enormous but precise. It's simplified complexity. This game boils everything beautiful about playing an action adventure game into some of the most simple pleasures. It's as if I'm watching an over the top action movie and fast forwarding to all of the action packed sequences and replaying them in slow motion over and over. The character development is unmatched for anything in it's genre, along with some of the most convincing voice acting I've ever come by. Fallout 3 is, was, and always will be, the future.… Expand

now if you are a fan of games like oblivion and morrowind . fallout 3 is your game with guns instead of swords and a nuclear waste land instead of a medevil setting. Fallout 3 improves alot of what the prevous games did . the first much faster load times , alot less buggy and glitchy then the others , the combat system is the most fun of the 3. now i never played the prevous fall out games i know i heard a few people saying they liked the older way better and didnt care of the elder scrolls style update they did . i really cant comment since i hadnt played the originals but i know what i like and i really like this game. there are a Ton of things to do in this game , a story that not amazing is entertaining enough to keep you moving foward , lots of places to explore , going good or evil makes for a fun replay . i dont know how Grand Theft Auto 4 beat this out for game of the year .… Expand

This game was superb. Only comparable game I have played was Metal Gear Solid. The vast selection of things to do. The wide diversity of characters and items. And when you think you might have beat it. Theres still more, trust me, from add-ons to random encounters. The game never ends.

Fallout 3 has so many things going for it. A large open world, crazy mutants, diverse characters and some of the greatest fun known in videogaming. It looks rough around the edges but Fallout 3 has a classy retro style that makes its appeal so much more focused. Those who play it thinking it's an FPS will be disappointed but those who want an awesome RPG experience may look no further. As far as immersive worlds go, this is right up here with Bioshock in terms of scope and depth to the beautifully wrecked environments. Simply put this is better than Oblivion.… Expand

this game like oblivion has a lot of things available for the user to do and gives the user a lot of free will in the way you go about doing missions. it creates a very realistic feel of a post apocalyptic world. this goes to far after a few hours you begin to feel depressed at that there is no hope for this world(mainly the music on the radio). thankfully the story has strong impact on the waste. giving hope to a place where there was none. despite it being kind of depressing the game was well done and well told giving the player a lot of choice of what happens.… Expand

I have been a long time action adventure fan and shooter fan. But this is the most complete revolution in gaming since GTA3. The branching story, weapons, DLC, just keep this game going. This is probably my favorite game of all time. I loved the retro sci fi elements right down to the retro soundtrack that I didn't expect to like. The conversations are interesting, the combat is deep, it allows a semi turn based or real time shooter combat. Keeping an eye on loot is never boring, collecting the rare guns in this game is fun. This is one of the few games I haven't stopped playing after beating it.… Expand

Amazing game. The Developers went to great lengths to fill D.C. with interesting characters and millions of things to do. Gives the player a lot of freedom to play however he/she desires. When you talk about a game that is worth every dollar money, Fallout is it. The only reason it gave it a 9 was because it crashed on me 20% of the time that I was playing it...but it's such a great game that I just kept resetting and saving often...make sure to get the Game of the Year Edition.… Expand

Fallout 3 in it's pure form is a game that is overall lacking and unpolished. The developers did a horrible job of making sure the game shipped without bugs and failed to provide the players with a ton of content like oblivion had. The only saving grace for this game is the fact that it has a large community of mod makers who make the game better than the original developers did. I have tried my hardest to enjoy this game countless times but, I am always overwhelmed by the constant crashes and other errors. At this point, I've gone through around 4 characters that have been unable to pass through the game due to the various bugs that the game contains. The quest in the game lack variety and the enemies are easy once you have the right weapons, overall the game is dull and gets boring when you're a high level. I would defiantly pass this one up and get TES4 instead, unless you're getting this game for under ten dollars, leave it alone because, you don't want the headaches it brings.… Expand

This is the only game i have completed and then restarted straight away. I have completed it a few times and I loaded it up again as there are still bits I failed to do. You can be good or evil depending on your actions. The level of freedom and the scope of the game is immense. In my opinion this should be regarded as one of the greatest games ever made. If you don't own this for the PS3, than you are missing out on an experience like no other. Words alone cannot describe how good this game is.… Expand

I was really really looking forward to this , and had to wait ages before coming under 15 quid. So one day I snapped it up for 11 , I was over the moon , then I got home , and sadness washed over me . After all the acclaim it got , I thought it'd be amazing , but oh no , it was just horrible , from the wierd start to when you escape the vault , it just was such a mess.Terrible graphics , stupid talking and quests that have you just running round doing bugger all , and since the world is so huge , there should be lots to do , that is fun , but it just wasn't. It was like taking a massive cool world and then filling it with 1960s ish rubbishness (if that's a word), the only good thing is the title , because me and the game had a massive Fallout.… Expand

This personally in my opinion is the best game ever. I love how broad it is as soon as you leave vault 101. This is a problem, though because the first time I played it I accidentally got lost and went to the school and totally got my @#s whooped by the raiders. But when I went back I realized thats when you're supposed to go to Megaton. For instance Final Fantasy X, for the most part you walk in a straight line until you come to the airship for the second time but by then the game is pretty much over, i mean like wtf Seriously. However in Fallout 3 when you leave the vault you can go straight to Rivet City and nothing will stop you (except for maybe the raiders and super mutants) Bethesda just gives you a wide range of motion to go and fufil your hearts desire, but in doing so, you might get towns to hate you or Talon company workers attack you. If you decide to help and save whats left of the capital wasteland, then wastelanders wil reward you with fabulous prizes. If you decide to destroy it then you will still be rewarded by the slavers. Seriously, if you have any taste in RPG's then this is like a to die for must have game. Even though reaching level 20 can come by real fast, with Broken Steel coming out for the PS3 be sure to save those bobbleheads so can have max S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats and skills as well, so that way you have a chance to level up even more. The only problem I have with this game though, and this is the biggie is that it will have you playing for hours and hours and eventually will eat up your life away (trust me I've seen it happen before with Fallout and Warcraft not a pretty sight) but if you play this game for a couple hours a week then you'll be fine as long as you just don't get carried away. The addiction of this game is like the effects of a drug its so highly addictive that it can turn people into Fallout zombies. You do not want to be like that. So those of you waiting for my review, I think the FPS/RPG combo is phenominal it makes it seem like a Sci-Fi FPS mix along with that RPG formula that just makes it so awesome. I love this game, but I stopped playing because I just go too hooked into it and decided to quit before I lost my life. Even the fact that the monsters don't have stupid AI makes the fact that Bethesda actually put effort into this game. I am disappointed that Bethesda decided to end the Fallout series with Mothership Zeta (which sucked!) I do believe Bethesda has made one that will surely stay in the books for a long long time. It's amazing how they added the fact of taking drugs and alcohol to increase your stats (which in real life actually decrease your stats if you know what I mean) and visiting random places to interact and kill random people. Since the game is so big, there is a lot of room for errors, but not all of these errors are necessarily bad, some freeze your system, where others let you get duplicate unique weapons and multiple companions. Diablo was great and all, but we have a new king now, I present Fallout 3. Really they should come up with a real wrap to the series like instead of ending the enclave war, to return the United States back to the way it was, or like destroy the Talon Company or get rid of all creatures in the Wasteland. Or they should have you destroy China once and for all, ending all of the wars and preventing future ones from happening. Anyway my review for this game is a GOOGOLPLEX out of 10. Thank you so much Bethesda, bring on more.… Expand

I was really , really REALLY looking forward to this , i spent months looking around for it cheap and just couldn't believe when i saw it for 13 quid !
I even traded in Tomb raider underworld for 6 , taking off 6 quid for the game aswell ! Then the game loaded up , my heart swelled up , and i nearly vomited at the graphics , and the story lacked any form of dramatic oomph. It's just so buggy , it could've been a 3 out of 10 if i played for more than 2 hours . I miss you now lara...… Expand

Great game but not for everyone; Action heads may not appreciate this games finer points. But if you're willing to put in the time and effort and you're not put off by the occasional glitch you'll find Fallout 3 is one of the most engrossing, imaginative games of this generation.

An amazing game from start to finish. Tons of content and side quests. The gameplay is fun and different, and the world is enormous. A few technical issues keep it from being perfect though, including framerate drops and occasional freezing. Overall, a must have for anyone.

This game is astonishing with the amount of freedom it bestows upon you. Even if you beat the games main storyline, there is still hours and hours and hours of gameplay yet to experience.

Phenomenal game! Though a warning to RPG players who demand and endless game, and the reason it receives a 9 rather than a 10 from me: if you're good at this game you will max out your character in less than 60 hours of play. While it was a very satisfying play, hitting a character barrier at level 20 was very disappointing. I had to stop playing and am waiting for the fix to hit the PS3. I understand why there was a limit: at this level I was mowing through all in my path, though I'm quite familiar with previous Fallouts and had quite the powerful character. One can easily wind up at level 20 with a mediocre or weak character if you don't use your level progressions wisely. And there's plenty of adventure to be had. My second favorite aspect of this game is the turn-based gameplay incorporation into the game without slowing it down - in fact, it speeds up your combat as it's the optimal method of combat in this game. My absolute favorite thing about this game, though, is the theme. Post-nuclear apocalypse is by far my favorite setting, and the selling point that turned me onto this franchise to begin with. But it's the fantastic gameplay and adventure that keeps you hooked.… Expand

I cannot believe the amount of detail that the developers coded into this game -- it's easy to make a world that's nice and neat, but to make one that is very messy takes a lot of time. They sure did a great job -- this is by far the largest game I have played (number and size of maps and detail of each location).
The main story is too short, but the endless side missions and freedom to do whatever you want, and searching for unique and fun stuff makes this game last for months and months. I sure hope they make another one just like this.… Expand

Seriously, don't miss it! Its like all your post apocalyptic wet dreams all realized in one slick package. Fantastic pacing, creepy atmosphere. A truly massive open world to explore & conquer. One of the best games I've played in years (& I've been playing them a long time!).

Truly superb. This game sacrifices little to nothing for its in depth story line, and intriguing side quests. The game offers more freedoms and action packed combat without crippling the game.

I think this is an amazing title and has had me totally immersed for weeks. The opening stages are slow but stick with it and you will be reward exploring is a must to get the full experience of the game. The walking can be a little boring at times but as you open up more locations the jump to feature is well worth the inclusion and can save you hours of walking. All in all a must buy in my eye's stages above Bethesda other title Oblivian.… Expand

I love this game. I spent a lot of time thinking of something to put in this comments section, but I can't think of anything besides this: If you like shooters, Buy this game; If you like RPGs, buy this game; If you like open world environments, buy this game; if you love kicking mutant/ghoul/bad guy/good guy ass, buy this game. Buy this game for whatever system you have.

Fallout 3 is most definitely a terrific game, yet its far from perfect. The world Bethesda created is truly amazing. The Wasteland is huge and is definitely rewarding to explore. The story is intriguing and well written, and the amount of voice acting in the game is incredible. The biggest enhancement to gameplay comes from the VATS system. It offers a refreshing change of pace and never gets old. However, the game suffers from many of the same problems as its predecessor, Oblivion. While the environment is highly detailed, the graphics in the game are somewhat of a letdown. There are low resolution textures, character models are mediocre at best, and the animations are surprisingly horrid. The character animations are so stiff and awkward that they become a distraction in key story moments. Unlike other players of the PS3 version, I did not experience many bugs at all with the most recent patch. The framerate and draw distance can falter at times, but it's nothing deal breaking. Gameplay is generally varied and well-paced, yet objectives are often unclear and fighting super mutants does get old after a while. Also worth noting is the excruciatingly slow walking speed of the character. Oblivion had a horse to make up for this, but in Fallout the player has no choice but to take it nice and slow. Overall, Bethesda depicts a clear and disturbing vision, although it is often clouded by a storm of minor faults.… Expand

When advising people on games, its important that they understand what genres they like first. What a game gets rated is meaningless if it is not your genre. I rated this game a ten because it is well made but more importantly is the best mix of two majors genres to date: Shooter and RPG. Oblivion did a decent job of combining the two, but it had more of an RPG feel than a Shooter. This is a dead even mix. If you like both Shooter Games and Role Playing Games, this is a must buy.… Expand

This was the best game i have ever played. I have beet in three times in the last week once i start playing i can't stop, it is very addicting. This totally blows away any other games i have ever played in the past, if they ever make a sequel i can not wait to get it and hopefully it will be as awesome as Fallout 3

Generally, I did not see what the hype was about.
I thought the game was annoying when you had to save it before doing anything that could get you killed.

The third person view was terrible and out of sync with the ground in my views, and the only noteable thing I could say about the game is the VATS.

too long, too many repetitive side missions and worst of all game kept freezing!!!! did enjoy playing but too many problems and life is too short for that!

The best game i've played in years

The Besto Rol in Ps3

I've been unable to put this game down since i bought it. It's huge and totally addictive, the level up system is spot on, and theres just enough variety of weapons and enemies to keep you interested throughout, without becoming overwhelmed. The only thing to stop me giving fallout 3 top marks is the amount and severiety of the bugs found in the game. Not being able to take the GOAT test was particually annoying, as i missed out on a trophy through no fault of my own. Fallout 3 is definately worth picking up, if only for moments of pure gaming gold such as the matrix styled "tranquility lane" quest.… Expand

The game has a bad habit of crashing on a semi-regular basis (for me, about every three hours of game play), but checkpoints are so frequent that it will only account for 15 minutes of game play at the absolute worst. Minor glitches aside, the game is highly engrossing, with no shortage of exploration and side quests. My first playthough was around 80 hours, and I immediately restarted the game so I could play through again, this time being an "evil" character and making different choices in all the quests, resulting in an alternate storyline. If you're into the exploration, item collecting, and character upgrading aspect of games, you'll be completely sucked into this one.… Expand

Fallout 3 has some awesome elements to it but is very overrated. The first 5-10 hours were really impressive and engrossing - the atmosphere, the side missions, the first skill advancements, etc. But, once you get to about the halfway point, the story really deteriorates and the level cap looms on the horizon. At the end of the game, your character will probably be ridiculously dominant - to the point where the ending seems like just a normal battle. There are also a number of bugs that I ran in to - game crashes, getting stuck in rocks, etc. Relatively minor, but it's especially annoying at the end when the game's a chore anyway.… Expand