GAMES: GameSpot | GameFAQs MUSIC: Last.fm | MP3.com MOVIES: Metacritic | Movietome TV: TV.com
Home | About Metacritic | About Metascores | What's New | Wireless Versions | Discussion Forums | Advertising Inquiries | Contact Us | RSS
Metacritic.com: We Deal With Criticism
     Help
> Switch to Advanced Search  
Film Video/DVD Music Games TV

Games

Playstation Reviews
PS3 | PS2 | PS One | PSP

Xbox Reviews
Xbox 360 | Xbox

Nintendo Reviews
Wii | DS | GBA | Cube | N64


PC | N-Gage | Dreamcast

How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Games In Our Forums

 

Upcoming & Recent Releases

sort by name sort by score

xx Battlefield 1943
xx Bigs 2, The
72 Bionic Commando
91 BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger
81 Bomberman Ultra
76 Burn, Zombie, Burn!
xx Burnout Paradise: Big Surf Island
62 Buzz! Brain of the UK
78 Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood
71 CellFactor: Psychokinetic Wars
81 Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, The
86 Comet Crash
75 Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 - Ultimate Edition
48 Cross Edge
34 Damnation
xx Droplitz
66 Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires
54 Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2
xx Fallout 3: Point Lookout
80 FIFA Soccer 09: Ultimate Team
89 Fight Night Round 4
71 Flock!
67 Fuel
xx G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
78 Ghostbusters: The Video Game
67 Godfather II, The
86 Guitar Hero: Metallica
76 Guitar Hero: Smash Hits
xx Gunstar Heroes
xx Hannah Montana: The Movie
66 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
67 Heavy Weapon: Atomic Tank
xx Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
84 inFAMOUS
68 Inferno Pool
68 Killzone 2: Steel and Titanium Pack
xx King of Fighters XII, The
19 Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust
xx Midnight Club: Los Angeles - South Central
66 Monsters vs. Aliens
xx NCAA Football 10
xx Numblast
78 OutRun Online Arcade
72 Overlord II
xx PAIN! Sore Spots
86 PixelJunk Eden Encore
79 Prototype
xx Punisher: No Mercy, The
79 Puzzle Quest: Galactrix
68 Rag Doll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic
xx Red Baron Arcade
85 Red Faction: Guerrilla
86 Resident Evil 5
65 Resident Evil 5: Versus
xx Rock Band Track Pack: Classic Rock
71 Sacred 2: Fallen Angel
xx Saints Row 2: Corporate Warfare
xx Saints Row 2: Ultor Exposed
73 SBK 09 Superbike World Championship
73 SingStar Pop Edition
76 SingStar Queen
52 Stormrise
69 Superstars V8 Racing
43 Terminator Salvation
62 Texas Cheat 'Em
83 Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10
67 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
70 Trash Panic
68 Trivial Pursuit
84 UFC 2009 Undisputed
xx Up
72 Virtua Tennis 2009
61 Wanted: Weapons of Fate
55 Wheel of Fortune
66 Wheelman, The
xx Wolfenstein 3D
76 Worms
62 WSC Real 09: World Snooker Championship
70 WWE Legends of Wrestlemania
73 X-Men Origins: Wolverine - Uncaged Edition
80 ZEN Pinball

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games.



Printer-Friendly Version Email This Page Discuss In Our Forums
Fallout 3 ps3 Game Reviews
Fallout 3
Critic Score
Metascore: 90 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
7.7 out of 10
based on 57 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 199 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game

Vault-Tec engineers have worked around the clock on an interactive reproduction of Wasteland life for you to enjoy from the comfort of your own vault. Included is an expansive world, unique combat, shockingly realistic visuals, tons of player choice, and an incredible cast of dynamic characters. Every minute is a fight for survival against the terrors of the outside world – radiation, Super Mutants, and hostile mutated creatures. From Vault-Tec, America's First Choice in Post Nuclear Simulation. Vault 101 - Jewel of the Wastes. For 200 years, Vault 101 has faithfully served the surviving residents of Washington DC and its environs, now known as the Capital Wasteland. Though the global atomic war of 2077 left the US all but destroyed, the residents of Vault 101 enjoy a life free from the constant stress of the outside world. Giant Insects, Raiders, Slavers, and yes, even Super Mutants are all no match for superior Vault-Tec engineering. Yet one fateful morning, you awake to find that your father has defied the Overseer and left the comfort and security afforded by Vault 101 for reasons unknown. Leaving the only home you've ever known, you emerge from the Vault into the harsh Wasteland sun to search for your father, and the truth. [Bethesda Softworks]

PUBLISHER: Bethesda Softworks
DEVELOPER: Bethesda Softworks
GENRE(S): Role-Playing Game
PLAYERS: 1
ESRB RATING: M (Mature)
RELEASE DATE: October 28, 2008

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100
1UP
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
100
GameSpy
Yes, Fallout 3 is a lot like "Oblivion" (with guns!), but it's a superior game in nearly every way, as it features a more engaging storyline, impeccable presentation, and hundreds of hours of addictive gameplay. While the jury is still out on whether or not hardcore Fallout enthusiasts will accept the game as part of the storied franchise, Fallout 3 is a must-have title for most RPG fans, as well as one of the finest games of this generation.
Read Full Review
100
Game Revolution
That’s the beauty of survival, and this world of fallout: It feeds on adventure and breathes in freedom, yet it dreams of order and the safety of the Vault. I can describe it, explain it, tell it in finely chosen words, but I can never make you fully understand for as long as you sit and listen. But even if I die, I do not worry. There will come a time when you will seize that lever and open that metal door, and it is then I will return.
Read Full Review
100
G4 TV
The ironically devastated world of Fallout has never been better realized than in Fallout 3, offering a vast landscape that is almost relentlessly bleak in its hopelessness. It's absorbing, immersive, paradoxically beautiful, and kind of depressing to play over long periods of time.
Read Full Review
100
GamePro
It's an instant classic and one that will occupy you for a long time to come. [Dec 2008, p.86]
100
The Onion (A.V. Club)
A massive, enthralling achievement.
Read Full Review
100
GameShark
The main quest is an enthralling tale that will thrust you into the battlefield of D.C., side-by-side with the Brotherhood of Steel, face to face with the illustrious DJ of Galaxy News Radio (my favorite station of the wastes), and aboard a reclaimed aircraft carrier. It’s an epic journey, but when it’s done, it’s done. The only option after that is to start all over again with a brand new face. No complaints here.
Read Full Review
100
Cynamite
After this game-experience negative points are hard to find. Sure, the radio program is not mind-blowing and the third-person-view is suboptimal. But this doesn’t matter, as Fallout 3 is wonderful and even a class better than Bethesda’s last title - Oblivion.
Read Full Review
100
DarkStation
Fallout 3 is a fantastic game that was well worth the hype and the wait.
Read Full Review
98
Game Chronicles
This is easily the best new role-playing game that will give you dozens of hours of additional gameplay along with the already lengthy required adventuring.
Read Full Review
97
Play UK
A stunning and emotive game, Fallout 3 is compelling, dark, funny and deep. Play it and glimpse the future of videogaming. And, possibly, of mankind.
Read Full Review
96
Gamer 2.0
So what you have here with Fallout 3 is a great addition to the series, even if you are a die-hard fan of Black Isle Studios’ work with the previous Fallout titles. It has some slight faults, but the quality of the rest of the package more than makes up for it all.
Read Full Review
96
Jolt Online Gaming UK
The game combines the strengths of two fine RPG series, which for Fallout 3 means compelling narrative in a post-apocalyptic setting and immersive gameplay in a huge, open-ended world. All of this just leaves one question to answer: is Fallout 3 a contender for Game of the Year? And the answer: undeniably, yes.
Read Full Review
96
PSX Extreme
The game boasts an adventure that is so epic in size that it can only be the product of Bethesda. The Oblivion engine is a perfect fit to create a Fallout game around, and Fallout 3 is that much better off for it. With a game world that's as large as a real world city, mechanics that are engaging and easy to use, on top of unparalleled depth...Fallout 3 is the no brainer choice for those looking to embark on an epic quest.
Read Full Review
95
Game Informer
This game is massive, and as your character’s stature in the Wasteland grows, so does the excitement. It’s not a true sequel to the Fallout series, but as a fan of the games of old, I found it to be every bit as good.
Read Full Review
95
Worth Playing
In the end, Fallout 3 feels like a Fallout game, and that is absolutely the highest compliment. Despite the changes, much of the charm and fun of the franchise remains intact, and despite the similarities to "Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion", I never felt that I was playing anything but a Fallout game.
Read Full Review
95
ZTGameDomain
Fallout 3 is among the best games I've played this year, and represents both Bethesda's legacy and the legacy of the Fallout series incredibly well. It's easy to sink hours into exploring this world, and its depth will consume you if you let it. Fallout 3 is a must buy for anyone who loves games, regardless of your preferred genre.
Read Full Review
95
GameZone
Fallout 3 is a game that hits all the right notes and excels in being a role-playing game that wishes to challenge the genre to bring something bigger and better.
Read Full Review
95
Game Positive
There's no doubt that many people already know that they will love Fallout 3: it offers the epic world that many yearn for.
Read Full Review
95
Vandal Online
Definitely, no videogame fan should let Fallout 3 escape. There are so many things you can do, places you can explore and situations to experiment, that regardless the many times we could say this is a superb title, an instant classic, there is no better way to understand the reason for such praise than to get lost in the ruinous Washington D.C. region.
Read Full Review
94
GamingTrend
It is no surprise to anyone that has played a Bethesda game that they have come through on a beloved franchise, well worth several hundred hours of your life!
Read Full Review
94
IGN
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
94
GamingExcellence
Fallout 3 is an experience in itself, and while it may not offer as much replay value as Oblivion, it’s so much more then an “Oblivion with guns”.
Read Full Review
93
DailyGame
Different from Oblivion but bound to be compared to it, Fallout 3 is deep, rewarding and as open-world as you get, with only a few issues that warrant a sight raise of the eyebrow.
Read Full Review
90
ImpulseGamer
Gorgeous graphics, great RPG customisation and an interesting yet fun combat system, there’s little to complain about Fallout 3, except for the odd slowdown or buggy camera angle. Be warned though, once you start playing, you will find it difficult to turn off.
Read Full Review
90
Game Over Online
In Fallout 3 Bethesda has made a very good thing, though it is somewhat hampered by the lack of variable scenery and a VATS that plays less than perfectly.
Read Full Review
90
DarkZero
It’s a game that provides action, adventure, exploration, interaction and excitement in a beautifully realised Armageddon that provides so many unexpected moments, but somehow manages to remain consistent and believable.
Read Full Review
90
Eurogamer Portugal
More than reinventing a game, Bethesda could assure a desirable evolution. In a world devastated by the war, the beauty of the entire environment is the greatest step in Fallout 3.
Read Full Review
90
Playstation Official Magazine UK
The map is smaller than Oblivion's but it's more tightly packed with action and rounded characters. [Christmas 2008, p.90]
90
Playstation Official Magazine Australia
A flawed masterpice for the ages. [Summer 2009, p.76]
90
Gaming Target
Kids, Fallout 3 is Oblivion with guns hands down. Again, that's not a bad thing, but it feels like Bethesda missed an opportunity here by playing things safe and that's fine.
Read Full Review
90
Total Video Games
There's no denying Fallout 3 is little more than Oblivion in a post-apocalyptic setting. However that's more a compliment than complaint.
Read Full Review
90
TotalPlayStation
Fallout 3 represents one of the most ridiculously packed gaming experiences you're going to find this year.
Read Full Review
90
PTGamers
Fallout 3 is filled to the brim with quality, worth every cent and pays us with dozens of hours of rich exploration, combat and enjoyable – if not exactly deep – role-play elements.
Read Full Review
90
VideoGamer
This is a massive game: in a month that's seen the release of five or six of the year's best titles, I reckon this is the absolute peach. It's packed with interesting places, with choices to make, with that nebulous sense of adventure you only find in the best RPGs.
Read Full Review
90
PS3bloggen.se
Old fans of the series may not be expecting a game like this, but Fallout 3 is ambitious and more than lives up to the high standard it sets, and will be enjoyed by both newcomers and veteran Fallout players. Bethesda have managed to create a sturdy strategic element to the first person perspecitve but have ultimately failed in creating believable characters, which may disappoint some.
Read Full Review
90
Hardcore Gamer Magazine
Fallout 3 is the biggest accomplishment in adventure gaming since Oblivion.
Read Full Review
90
PALGN
Immersive, expansive and funny to boot, Fallout 3 makes the end of the world something to look forward to, indeed.
Read Full Review
90
Playstation: The Official Magazine (US)
And that's the draw of the game: interacting with a living, breathing world that centers on you as the star. [Holiday 2008, p.60]
90
TheSixthAxis
Fallout 3 is a wonderful game for fans of the genre. It’s humourous when it wants to be, yet also deep and worryingly tragic when required to be.
Read Full Review
90
Extreme Gamer
Fallout is back and dare I say, better than ever.
Read Full Review
90
Destructoid
The overall experience of Fallout 3 is unmatched, and the amount of game Bethesda has packed into this $60 title can’t be ignored. Flaws aside, taken as a whole, Fallout 3 is an astounding effort and easily one this year’s best gaming experiences.
Read Full Review
90
PSM3 Magazine UK
Imaginative, epic and brilliant, but not for instant fix gamers. [Dec 2008, p.26]
90
Playstation Universe
Fallout 3 is an outstanding title that sets a new standard for action role-playing games, and will appeal to fans of either genre.
Read Full Review
89
3DJuegos
Fallout 3 brings back a legendary saga to the foreground of video games and it does it with remarkable successes. Graphically it is a very powerful title, the ambience is carefully planned, and its size, freedom and scope are its principal highlights. It is as captivating a game in the beginning as easy to forget in the mid term; despite this, we can say that it is a title that is worth trying.
Read Full Review
89
GamingXP
The only disadvantage of the PS3-version of the game compared to the PC-version concerns the handling. The aiming via stick is very difficult and if you want to crack a lock, you have to be very skilled too.
Read Full Review
88
IGN UK
It’s the big Christmas action game with brains and choices, and with an interest in constructing a refreshingly different world from all those austere near-future manshoots that clog up the shelves. In many respects, it’s a far better game than Bioshock, most of all because you get the endless choice that promised but didn’t deliver. So it’s tragic that the often awful production values make a fool of it so regularly.
Read Full Review
88
NZGamer
The options presented to you in Fallout 3 are so numerous and complex that you are likely to want to replay the game just to experience them.
Read Full Review
85
Gameplanet
Despite being unable to match the PC in terms of graphical splendour, there's plenty here to keep you occupied, and fans won't be disappointed with what the developers have crafted.
Read Full Review
85
GameSpot
In fact, Fallout 3 is leaner and meaner than Bethesda's previous efforts, less expansive but more intense, while still offering immense replay value and quite a few thrills along the way.
Read Full Review
80
GameDaily
Anyone who played Bethesda's Oblivion, 2006's 'Game of the year,' will find the mission structure familiar, save for the game's auto-targeting system, called V.A.T.S., which is sometimes more of a hindrance than help. Even so, gamers with a taste for detailed storylines and Mad Max style visuals, will find that Fallout 3 delivers a solid, entertaining role-playing experience that will keep you glued to the couch for hours.
Read Full Review
80
Cheat Code Central
For lovers of the genre, it's tough to go wrong with Fallout 3. However, if you're strictly a shooter fan or enjoy free-flowing combat, the plodding pace, vast amount of content, and RPG hallmarks (such as heavy inventory management, non-essential quests, and character leveling) may bore you. It's a good game, but certainly not without its faults. A new game engine and better controls would have served this title well.
Read Full Review
80
Giant Bomb
It's unfortunate that Fallout 3 is saddled with so many little- and medium-sized issues, because they get in the way of what's an otherwise fantastic experience. The world is well-realized and full of options. It'll be a struggle in spots, but I'm willing to guess that most people will be able to overlook a lot of the game's problems and still have a very good time exploring the irradiated wasteland formerly known as Washington DC.
Read Full Review
80
GameCritics
Presenting a compelling vision of an alternate future history, Fallout 3 is a memorable experience.
Read Full Review
75
Gaming Age
My issues with the game lie within the fact that whilst playing it, I wished I were playing something else. I wanted to play Bioshock for its heavy atmosphere and compelling story, or Mass Effect because I finally appreciate the dialog trees and voice acting. In Fallout 3, most of my decisions could be argued for the inconsequential feeling I associated with them. That's never a good thing, so it either means Fallout 3 wasn't my particular cup of tea or that it is actually that boring at times.
Read Full Review
70
Edge Magazine
It’s a game that rewards the long-haul with deep, inventive missions which eschew the usual fetch and kill structure, ensuring that the many hours spent in Fallout 3’s wasteland aren’t wasted. [Christmas 2008, p.88]
70
Gamestyle
Yet the final product has been injured by this ambition, by having too many options and locations, the quality is spread thin and the lack of restrictions can daze some players.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 7.7 (out of 10) based on 199 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Jimmi M gave it a10:
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!).

Vamsi V gave it a9:
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.

Rob S gave it a10:
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.

Sammy gave it an8:
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.

d lord gave it a6:
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!

Ryan Brighton gave it a10:
The best game i've played in years

candido cabrera gave it a10:
The Besto Rol in Ps3

Read more user comments...

Discuss this game in our forums

Return to top of page
Home | FILM | DVD/VIDEO | MUSIC | GAMES | TV | Forums | About Metacritic metacritic.com

Popular on CBS sites: iPhone 3G | Fantasy Football | Moneywatch | Antivirus Software | Recipes | E3 2009

About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use