Video Games Today

Fallout 3, one of this year's Triple-A RPG's (Roleplaying Game) hit shelves this past Wednesday. The game places you in post-apocalyptic Washington, D.C. The game begins with you being born "in Vault 101", an underground fallout shelter, where you can custom the appearance of your character to be. You then have segments of your childhood, at one year old and your first time walking. This fits great into the walking and movement tutorial. Then you eventually turn 10 years of age and receive your Pip-Boy 3000, which is basically a personal PDA device strapped onto your arm. At this segment you meet some of the people in the Vault like Butch, the Overseer, Amata, etc.

I am going to stop there with story details to avoid spoilers, needless to say you soon escape the vault. Note, this is just my first impressions not a review as I have not finished the game fully yet. The game controls handle well and the graphics look amazing on my HDTV. You should save before leaving the vault because the opening scene is one of the best scenes in recent video games. Stepping out from the vault, the first sunlight you ever see hits your eyes and you are blinded for a few moments before adjusting to the light and seeing the ruins of, what used to be, Washington D.C. Not only is the scene great, but once you realize, "Hey, I can go ANYWHERE I can see right now" you realize this is what "Triple-A Game" really means. From atop the hill you exit the vault from you can see famous buildings such as the Washington Monument and the Interstate Super Highway.

From there it is up to you. You can proceed with your Main Story and go to a town named "Megaton". Megaton is a city built around an atomic bomb that landed but never exploded. This transitions into what I will talk about next, the moral choices in the game. Many RPGs try to bring this into their games...but Fallout 3 really succeeds. You will soon face a hard decision in Megaton that will ultimately shape how you play the game. When you enter Megaton you can, and will, go to the local Saloon. You meet a Mr. Burke who wants help detonating the A-bomb in the city so wipe the town off the map. Now, you can agree to this and go through with it. Or you can run to the sheriff you met when you first entered Megaton. I choose to be the "goody-goody" during my first play through so I immediately run to the Sheriff. I tell him what happened and we heads to the Saloon. After telling Burke he is arrested and turns his back for a second, Burke pulls out his 10mm Silenced Pistol. This is another point in the game that sees how you react to what is happening. You can sit and let the Sheriff die, or you can kill Burke before he assassinates the Sheriff. This is what RPGs are supposed to be like, your decisions REALLY matter. This is not some Peter Molyneux "fake" moral decisions as seen in past Fable games.

I will stop there and leave you to think upon what RPG you will be picking up this holiday season. With the November rush of games this year, Fallout 3 really stands out well in the crowd.