Fallout 3 product reviews

Fallout 3 starts in the year 2277, and you and your father are residents of Vault 101, one of many vaults that were built to shelter the earth's population from the dangers of post nuclear destruction. Your father ends up escaping from the Vault and you are forced to flee from the Vault as a result. As you make your way through the decaying remnants of the District and its surrounding areas you will come across a wide range of beasts and people. Play your cards right and you end up with a home etc.

The great thing about this game is that you don't have to stick to the main plot line. It is, of course, your main goal, however, there are a huge amount of side quests for you to complete. Just from completing side quests and wandering the wastelands you can level up quite a lot without touching the main storyline.

Choices are ruled only by your own sense of propriety and the impending results. For every "bad" decision you make your karma goes down; if you do something "good", your karma goes up. These situations trigger more consequences: Dialogue choices open up, others close off, and your reputation will delight some while antagonizing others. For example, a mutant with a heart of gold will join you as a party member, but only if your karma is high enough, whereas a brigand requires you to be on the heartless side.

Completing quests and levelling up different abilities can create so much change from one game to the next. A better "talking" skill can get you answers you didn't know, or can lead to finding out extra helpful tips and gossip etc. The only downfall is that once you have completed the main story, that is that. If you want to go back and not loose all your progress then you will have to reload a new game.