E3 2008: Fallout 3

Every year, E3 has one game on display that's almost universally tagged as the critical favorite, despite not having the big-name pedigree of a Halo or Grand Theft Auto. Last year, it was the underwater adventure BioShock, which -- thanks to a steady drumbeat of positive press coverage--went on to sell a few million copies and become a true sleeper hit.

This year, it's Fallout 3, a post-apocalyptic RPG set in the ruins of Washington DC. The original Fallout games were PC titles from the early '90s, so the franchise can't rely on the faded memories of aging fans to sell big holiday numbers when it's released this fall. Instead, developer Bethesda has modeled the game on its previous big hit, the popular 2006 sword-and-sorcery RPG Oblivion.

That game was a hit because it offered deep, immersive gameplay that overcame the genre limitations of elves and wizards by offering a landscape dozens of square miles in size, where players could largely wander everywhere and talk to anyone. Fallout 3 follows the same path, as our protagonist steps out of a '50s-era atomic bomb shelter after a couple of decades underground and discovers a ruined world filled with feuding groups of survivors.

Our hands-on time with the game was mostly spent exploring the outskirts of Washington, D.C, and finally making our way to a settlement built inside the ruins of an unexploded atomic bomb. There, we could talk to the denizens, make deals, and get jobs, while outside, we had to fight off violent scavengers, who shot at us on sight. The appeal is that there are multiple solutions to every problem, and you can choose to handle most situations by shooting your way through, sneaking by, or even talking to people and convincing them to help (rather than fight) you.

The game is filled with quirky references to mid-century Atomic Caf? bomb-shelter culture, with amusing ads for retro products and references to classic duck-and-cover education films of the '50s, and was clearly one of the most buzzed-about games of the show.

Look for Fallout 3 for Xbox 360 and PS3, sometime this holiday season.

[umbrae]

I cannot wait. I have been replaying Fallout and Fallout 2 to prepare for the game. A little sad this is not related to Vault 13 and "The" Vault Dweller, but so far the game looks really cool.

[umbrae]

I cannot wait. I have been replaying Fallout and Fallout 2 to prepare for the game. A little sad this is not related to Vault 13 and "The" Vault Dweller, but so far the game looks really cool.

[pinellasproofer]

I guess I am one of the "aging fans" who remembers the original Fallout as one of the best RPGs when it came out back in the Dark Ages. It was one of the first games that you could play good or evil. When I say evil, I mean evil. I forget whether it was one or two, but you could actually become a slaver and raid villages for human slaves. I don't think that would fly today. Of course, it slightly affected your charisma since you had to tattoo your face. You could also fill your party with dogs and robot dogs.

It was turn-based, and you could target specific body parts of your enemies. I'm glad they kept the feature for Fallout 3. Other than the retro-future look to Fallout 3, that's the only thing that makes it different from the other 100,000 fps out there.

Oh, how I miss non-anime, turn-based rpgs, but I'm old.

[pinellasproofer]

Actually now that I think about it, I think I'm still young enough in my 30s to push your face in the toilet and flush it a few times, you little dork.

And stay off my lawn.

[Dan_Ackerman]

I dunno -- I'm 34 -- I think that counts as a "mature gamer" -- since we're old enough to remember Fallout. I'm ready for a Grim Fandango remake, myself...

[pinellasproofer]

"Mature gamer" is getting there. How about "veteran gamer" or the more cheesy "old school gamer" to give us some props? I'll accept "aging gamer" in my 40s.

Lucas should remake Maniac Mansion then Fandango. My faded memories yearn for games with senses of humor.