Our second look at Fallout 3

We also toured a mall of Washington D.C., where we saw the Washington Monument. In the future, it's full of holes, but still standing, and the elevator will still goes to the top. Another thing that's different from contemporary Washington is that the area was full of lumbering Super Mutants.

To deal with the mutants Bethesda's Vault Dweller was equipped with power armor and a mini-gun that literally tear the legs out from under several of the brutes. Eventually, we ran into some Talon Mercenaries, who were fighting the mutants on their own. After watching the fight, we got too close and one of the mercenaries fired a few shots at us. Then he really surprised us by running over to a dead mutant, picking up his mini-gun and using it against us. After the mercenary was killed, we reflected on how much we want the Fallout series to continue to be awesome.

Above: A Super Mutant being targeted by V.A.T.S.

Maybe some of the younger players have no idea what Fallout is all about. While hardcore fans might be turned-off by new combat system and the switch to first-person. We might even like to see another Fallout game that totally preserves the original playing style, but seeing how Fallout 3 looks in action, we can't wait to see how this version turns out. Fallout 3 still has the desolate feel to the environments and bubblegum and shoestring looking weapons. The posters on the Vault walls advertising "Children are the future" let us know that it still has a dark sense of humor in an apocalyptic wasteland. The atmosphere of the game is thick with character, and we're looking forward to experiencing it this fall.

Apr 10, 2008