Fallout 3--finally!

We finally got our PS3 repaired a few weeks ago, so after many console-less months, I've gotten serious about beating a few games. The first one on my list was Fallout 3, which I had been wanting to play for a long time. I tried out the PC version but I wasn't too taken with it, so I decided to wait. So far, I am loving it. I would recommend this game to anyone who considers themselves a serious gamer.

While I have not yet "beaten" the game (with a role-playing game as big and open as Fallout 3, this term is used lightly), I have sunk many hours into it and am enjoying it emmensely. For those of you who don't know, Fallout 3 is largely an RPG in the traditional sense, meaning that you get to customize your character, explore the vast wasteland with little-to-no restrictions, choose what your character says, pick up hundreds of different items and weapons, complete quests, and pretty much have him/her do whatever you damn-well please. However, in combat, the player has the option to play the game like a first-person shooter. This makes for a very unique gameplay experience that is surprisingly satisfying. In many ways, the game is reminiscent of a Final Fantasy title, set in an apocalyptic wasteland. Despite this, FPS gamers should find plenty to like about it. In fact, players who are in search of a good game of either genre but want something that's a little different, Fallout 3 certainly delivers.

One of the things that I think makes Fallout 3 a must-play is the game's atmosphere. As someone who loves all things post-apocalyptia, I find the game's careful blend of creepiness and anxiety exhilerating. It's a rarity that a video game has a noticable psychological effect on me but Fallout 3 definitely does. Between the many mutated creatures, masochistic Raiders, and merciless Talon Company mercenaries that wander the wasteland, and the overall sorry state of mankind, the game definitely has a way of putting you on edge. If you're like me and enjoy that sort of thing, Fallout 3 should be right up your alley. Aside from all that, the game's known for its commendable replay value. Even though I have lots of quests left to complete, I look forward to starting over again with a different character and see how everything would've turned out if I did things differently. Maybe I'll pick up Fallout: New Vegas after that.