Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
Platforms: Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC
Genre: Action RPG

Rating: Mature 17+
ESRB Content Descriptors: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs

The Scoop: The end of 2008 saw many big titles being released for the Xbox 360 with one of them being the highly anticipated, post-apocalyptic Action RPG, Fallout 3.

Published by Bethesda Softworks, whom are most popular for creating The Elder Scrolls series as well as previous Fallout titles, in Fallout 3 you assume the role of a vault dweller on a quest to find his missing father throughout the Capital Wasteland. The year being 2277, we are witnessing the aftermaths of a 200 year old nuclear war.

If you’ve played any past Fallout games, then you know the drill. It’s the same song and dance with Fallout 3 but with a different story, different characters and a different look. You’ll be given the opportunity to complete different quests aside from your main quest as well as creating some pretty neat weapons and taking on the roll of either a good guy or a bad guy depending on your actions.

The Setup: Assuming the role of the vault dweller, you venture outside of the vault into the Capital Wasteland to search for your father who had escaped from the vault. You’ll be given a numerous amount of quests to complete as well as a hefty amount of side quests to get lost in.

Depending on the decisions you make, you can either assume the role of hero or villain as well as gathering vault-tech bobble heads. It’s a really neat experience and should keep you settled for at least a few weeks.

What’s Hot:

• Gameplay: The fusion of a First-Person Shooter and Role-Playing Game have never worked better then here. Everything is really easy to get used to and brilliantly put together.
• Setting: Who wouldn’t want to play in 2277’s post-apocalyptic Washington DC where everything has been demolished and resembled the 1930’s? Brilliant setting for a Fallout video game.
• Graphics: The graphics look really well on all three platforms. A worthy piece of eye candy indeed as you adventure across the Capital Wasteland.
• Audio: The first thing I noticed about this game was it’s awesome music. Who wouldn’t want to listen to The Ink Spots while blowing up Super Mutants? The voice acting is also superb with some top Hollywood actors in there such as Liam Neeson, Malcom McDowell and Ron Perlman.
• Longevity: This game can take weeks to complete depending on how you play it. Even in one straight play through, you’ll most likely be playing it for longer then a day. Really long game with lots of side-missions and tons of downloadable content that begs to be explored.

Final Verdict: A must buy for any Bethesda fan as well as a fine addition to the Fallout series. A definite rent is in order before you reach complete manhood so I highly recommend playing this game. 5 stars and a definite recommendation.