Fallout 3

Imagine for a moment that the world as you know it has ended. Nuclear war between nations has rendered the planet into a dead and barren wasteland. In order to survive, the last remaining humans in the world lock themselves down in underground shelters called vaults while all kinds of mutants and monstrosities roam on the surface. Welcome back to the world of the Fallout series.

While the original Fallout games were developed by the now defunct Interplay Entertainment, Fallout 3 is being developed by the very capable hands over at Bethesda, whom you may know from a little game franchise called The Elder Scrolls (More specifically Morrowind and Oblivion). Bethesda was kind enough to invite us to their E3 meeting where they walked us through an hour long demo of Fallout 3.

Fallout 3 takes place 30 years after the events of Fallout 2, but this time the action is centralized in the shattered remains of Washington DC, or as it is now called, the Capital Wasteland. While the vast majority of humans in the area have been long dead, a handful managed to find refuge in the underground shelter known as Vault 101. However, for some reason, the doors that lead in and out of Vault 101 have been shut ever since the world ending disaster that took place 200 years ago. It’s here in Vault 101 where our demo begins.

The first thing that we noticed and the first thing that was pointed out to us by our guide, Todd Howard, is that Fallout 3 is primarily played from the first person perspective. However, much like Oblivion, a simple press of the button will cause the camera to zoom back and present you with a third person camera that appears over the shoulder ala Resident Evil 4. The option to go into a third person camera isn’t just for showing off how your character looks either, as Bethesda assured us that the game would be entirely playable in both third person and first person modes. It’s simply a matter of preference.

After taking some time to explain what was just mentioned above, we moved out of the medical clinic and spoke with the main character’s father. Conversing with NPCs is entirely reminiscent of Oblivion right down to the camera zooming in on the character’s face and the various responses that you can choose to reply with. What response you choose can actually play a huge role in what direction the story will go and what quests you receive, but we’ll get into that a little later. Another interesting point to make about your character’s father is that his appearance will be based on what you make your character look like when you create him.