Fallout 3 (PC, 2008)

My first introduction to the Fallout universe. An incredible ride.

Nostalgia Factor: Medium. This game had a big impact on me years ago.
Difficulty: Medium. Certain areas on the map can be difficult without the right gear and skills.

(Mild story spoilers ahead) I’ll never forget the feeling of walking out of Vault 101 for the first time. It’s one of the most terrifying and awe-inducing gaming moments in my gaming memory banks. Not only was Fallout 3 my first Fallout game, it was really my first ever post-apocalyptic game. I was SO cautious during that first hour of gameplay. I was on high alert. Every creature terrified me. I nearly had a panic attack when I first encountered a giant ant in Grayditch.

Fallout 3 just hit me at a perfect time in my gaming journey. I was still relatively young and relatively fresh to immersive 3D adventure games. Morrowind was my first Bethesda RPG experience, but Oblivion and Fallout 3 are the games that really sold me on the Bethesda RPG formula. You know a game is great when the game world just sucks you in and feels so real. It’s all about immersion, and even in spite of it’s age, Fallout 3 does a great job of pulling you in.

The gameplay loop of Fallout 3 is not everyone’s cup of tea, but if you’re a fan of the open world Bethesda RPG formula like me, you’ll feel right at home in the Capital Wasteland – story rich quests, shooting, looting, lockpicking, terminal hacking, repairing weapons and armor, skills, perks, well developed dialogue options, and eight interesting companions to adventure with. A core strength of Fallout 3 is the huge 3D world you get to explore, a depressing but fascinating post-apocalyptic version of Washington D.C. Everything is distressed, rusty, dirty, old, and either long forgotten or inhabited by some kind bizarre post-nuclear gang or faction.

I do miss the simple karma system of Fallout 3. Nearly everything you do as you interact with the inhabitants of the Capital Wasteland affects your karma as the Lone Wanderer. If you choose to help people, save people, offer resources to those in need, you gain positive karma. If you harm the innocent, or steal, or if you just choose to be an obnoxious presence in the game, you gain negative karma. As you progress in the game, depending on the actions you’ve taken, you’ll receive karma levels describing your status. Defender, Peacekeeper, Protector, and Hero of the wastes are some good karma levels. Vault Outlaw, Plunderer, Capital Crimelord, and Wasteland Destroyer are negative karma levels. Three Dog, the host of Galaxy News Radio, periodically updates his listeners on your latest ventures, and your karma level directly affects what he says about you.

Many Fallout fans prefer the more nuanced reputation system introduced in Fallout New Vegas, so I’m probably alone in preferring the simplicity of Fallout 3’s good or bad karma system. There’s pros and cons for sure. Fallout 3’s karma system makes it much easier to be a squeaky clean lawful good hero archetype, which is how I typically like to roleplay in RPGs. You don’t really get this level of good-guy-ery in Fallout New Vegas or Fallout 4. Those games tend to leave you with some measure of moral grey discomfort, even if you’re trying to play the hero. You can easily be a complete slimeball in any Fallout game if you so desire, but Fallout 3’s karma system seems to provide much clearer feedback about your accumulating goodness or evilness.

The gunplay in Fallout 3 isn’t spectacular by any means. Most players rely more on the clever V.A.T.S system instead. If you’re primarily a first person shooter gamer looking for a smooth RPG shooter, Fallout 3 may be a frustrating experience for you. Thankfully, Fallout 3’s great story and strong RPG elements help to carry the game along.

Visually, Fallout 3 is… just OK for a game released in 2008. Compared to graphical juggernauts from that time like Crysis Warhead and Metal Gear Solid 4, Fallout 3 is a bit pale in comparison. Thankfully, there are loads of mods that can improve your experience. Also, the well designed creatures, characters, and environments keep the game interesting, in spite of the middling graphical fidelity. Exploring the devastated and super mutant infested National Mall of Washington D.C. alone is worth this game’s price of admission. By the way, the Fallout 3 GOTY edition will occasional go on sale for only $5 on Steam. The Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, the Museum of History, and of course the Capital Building are some of my favorite locations in the Mall to explore.

The vast majority of Fallout 3’s original score is oppressive and stressful, which is very effective at adding to that feeling of tension as you explore. There are a few musical moments of relief in some of the atmospheric tracks you hear when wandering the surface, but by and large, the vibe remains dark and heavy. Of course, you can always turn on your Pip-Boy’s radio and enjoy some chipper 40s and 50s retro classics when the brutality of the wastes gets to you. I found myself turning on my radio for some relief when exploring the maze-like underground metro transit tunnels.

Fallout 3 was Inon Zur’s first major score for the Fallout series, unless you count often forgotten Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel. I much prefer the more balanced sound that Inon offers in his Fallout 4 soundtrack, which is one of my favorite video game soundtracks of all time, but there are still some great moments in the Fallout 3 score. The now iconic main theme music is especially epic and worth a listen even if you don’t play the game.

Other than the excellent retrofuturistic Americana style that Fallout has become so well known for, I believe the biggest strength of Fallout 3 is its incredible story content. In the great debate among Fallout fans about which entry in the series is best, one of the arguments I’ve heard against Fallout 3, is that its writing and story is inferior to the more complex narrative of Fallout New Vegas. I do agree that New Vegas added a lot more complexity and nuance to the storytelling, but I don’t agree that one story is necessarily better than the other. I think it just comes down to preference. I think the writing and story in all three of the major Fallout releases is worthy of high marks. The excellent writing is one of the reasons I continue to obsess over every major Bethesda Studios release (except Starfield, I haven’t played that one yet).

I’m committed to avoiding spoilers, so I won’t go into detail about some of my favorite quests or story beats, but there are many many great moments in this game. Time and time again, I found myself in awe of what I was experiencing. There’s so much ingenuity, cleverness, and humor for you to discover and experience for yourself. There are raw emotional turns in the story that will live in your memory for years.

There was some trepidation among Fallout fans when Bethesda purchased the Fallout IP from Interplay. Oblivion was wildly successful, but some fans still weren’t sure if Bethesda would be good stewards of the franchise. To this day, there are still some hardcore holdouts that prefer the originals over the modern Fallout games, but I think the sales data and the GOTY awards speak loud and clear. I know for me personally, Fallout 3 improved and corrected just about everything I didn’t like about the classic Fallout games. I strongly prefer Bethesda’s touch on the franchise, and at this point, it’s rare to meet a Fallout fan that has even tried playing Fallout 1 or Fallout 2.

Because of Fallout 3’s age, some may be waiting for the inevitable remaster. Oblivion just received a gorgeous looking graphical face-lift, and I can’t imagine that it will take long for Fallout 3 to receive the same treatment. But, if you don’t mind dealing with some unexceptional 2008 graphics, get yourself a copy of Fallout 3 GOTY edition on sale, and you’re in for a great time.