Is the Fallout series, beloved by its fans, still good in the hands of Bethesda? Fire up your pip-boy, open up a glass of Nuke-a-Cola and read on to find out.
| Character Models | Rating  |
Since Fallout 3 is a Bethesda game that is built much like Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, it is easiest to base it off of that. The faces are definitely a step up from the dreadful looking Oblivion models; however, it would be nice to see a little more expression. Also, on occasion, when you bump into a movable object it will endlessly rock back and forth, creating a rattle that becomes an endless loop of background noise.
| Background | Rating  |
If you are one of those people that just loves your 1080p HDTV and scoffs at some game that only runs at 720p because you can "totally tell the difference", then one of the first things that you will notice about this game is the slight grainy effect. It does not matter why it is in there, because it actually helps set the mood on this post apocalyptic adventure.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that you really can see for a long ways once you get outside. I noticed myself pointing to places that I could see in the distance and wanting to explore there. I did find it a little disconcerting, however, that when it gets dark, you see it from the center of the sky. It isn't too big of a deal though since I would guess that most people will not be spending their time looking directly upward.
| Music | Rating |
Game music comes mainly in the form of radio stations that you pick up on your Pip-Boy. When you first exit the vault, you get your pick between the Enclave propaganda station and the staple oldies station. The oldies station brings back memories from previous versions of Fallout, since that type of music was used in the intro movies. It does a great job setting the mood. The Enclave radio station is not exactly music, but it still adds something to the overall feeling of the game.
| Sound Effects | Rating |
There is nothing more pleasing than whipping out your baseball bat and hearing that deep whacking noise when you put it upside someone's head. Once outside the vault, the sweeping wind conveys a sense of vastness and loneliness. The limited amount of stations get a little annoying, however, after listening to the dialog loop multiple times.
| Voice Acting | Rating |
The voice acting in this game is well done. I have to say that there is nothing more annoying than to have some overdone, choppy or poorly inflected dialog. Fallout 3 brought in some competent voice actors and script writers to make sure gamers were actually willing to listen to the dialog.
| Overall | Rating |
The graphics and sound do their part to create the right atmosphere of the Fallout series. There are some minor glitches that most every game has some of, but Fallout 3 still does a really good job in the graphics department. The tone of the game is really set by the music and sound. It really conveys a neat experience that will get you ready for a great story.
Next up is the Gameplay and Story section of the Fallout 3 review.