Okay, I'm going to make it really easy. If you are a fan of the Fallout franchise...go get this game. If you enjoyed Elder Scrolls IV – Oblivion...go get this game. If you like the “sandbox” open-world game play mechanic...go get this game. For everyone else, read on to see why Fallout 3 is worthy of your consideration.

Fallout 3 was developed by Bethesda, the people responsible for The Elder Scrolls IV – Oblivion. (And before you ask...no this is not Oblivion with guns.) Although this is the 3^rd installment in the Fallout franchise, you need not play any previous titles to throughly enjoy the post-apocalyptic future that is Fallout 3.

Our story opens in the year 2277. You and your father are residents of Vault 101. An underground bomb shelter equipped to support the life of its residents after nuclear devastation. The opening hour of the game serves as both exposition of the dystopia world in which you are born as well as a cleverly crafted character creation system. From birth to the infamous G.O.A.T exam, the choices you make will have a profound effect on your character's strengths and weaknesses, so give them some thought. Don't worry too much about the finality of these choices. Bethesda has a couple of built-in “do overs” during the opening act. One after the afore mentioned G.O.A.T. exam and before exiting the Vault.

As you may have guessed, the real story doesn't start until you exit the Vault. Well actually, you don't so much exit Vault 101 as you escape from it. After all, the mantra of the Vault Overseer is, “No one ever enters and no one ever leaves.” You escape the Vault in search of your father who has left the Vault ahead of you under very strange circumstances.

When you exit the Vault and go above ground, you find yourself in the Washington D.C. area. At least, what is left of the District after Nuclear Armageddon. It's right out of our worst nightmares from the 70's and 80's. Whether you are making your way through the remains of the city or in the surrounding suburban areas, the level of detail present amongst desolation and decay is present everywhere. In this incredibly well crafted world, just about everything can and will kill you. Even most of the food and water sources are irradiated. This forces you to weigh the healing benefits of food and drink with the resulting increase in radiation levels.

The charred landscape in and around Washington D.C. is known as “The Capital Wasteland”. It's within this world ,in which all things struggle to survive, that you must decide were you will fit in. Will you be the Last,Best Hope of humanity? Or will you succumb to the pressures of the world around you and be the Scourge of humanity? Throughout your journey you will interact with a wide variety of people and organizations. Hell, you'll have the chance to talk to a “Tree”. (Insert sarcastic Tolkien Ent reference here.) And with each encounter you can choose the 'high road' or the 'low road'. Believe me, there is plenty of opportunity for both of these choices. And yes, your decisions will change the outcome of the game.

Through out your journey your avatar has his/hers Pip Boy 3000. This trusty wrist mounted devise is received early on while still in Vault 101 and remains with you for the rest of the game. This handy dandy contraption contains your map, keeps track of quests, hold notes, manages inventories, repairs weapons & armor, serves as a flash light and even allows the player to administer first aid. It does all this with no annoying service contracts and you can use it in any area. Take that IPHONE.

The leveling system for Fallout is a departure from Bethesda's previous hit RPGs. Their last RPG - Oblivion employed the repetitive task approach to character development. This means if you wanted to get good at sword fighting...you fought with a sword. If you wanted to develop your sneaking ability...you sneaked. If you wanted become a master of jumping...you had to jump all over the damn kingdom. Fallout 3 uses the old school method of pooling all experience into one point total. So as you hack computers, pick locks, complete quests and kill things all experience goes toward one total. When your experience points equal or exceed “x” amount, then you level-up. It's at this point that you are free to spend skill points on those abilities that best compliment your playing style.

The game play of Fallout 3 can be done from either the 1^st person or 3^rd person perspective. The 3^rd person view does allow for a better field of view and you do get to see your avatar in that cool Combat Armor you got for saving those mercenaries trapped in D.C. However, your avatars movements in the 3^rd person look like he is floating on top of an air hockey table. Not to mention combat is much better suited to the 1^st person view. So, the ability to peek around corners not withstanding...Fallout 3 is a game best played in the 1^st person.

No description of game play would be complete without mentioning V.A.T.S. The Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System. At any point in combat you can enter VATS which pauses game play and allows the player to target specific body parts. Hitting a Super Mutant in the head will do extra damage. Hitting a Raider in the arm while he is firing a weapon and he may drop it. Hitting a ridiculously fast Death Claw in the leg may slow it down. (By the way, they are called “Death Claws” for a reason. Do yourself a favor and cripple them before they get close) You can only queue actions in VATS, if you have Action Points or 'AP' to spend. Once consumed in VATS, Action Points take some time to recharge. So you will have to spend them wisely.

The main story arc, if followed straight through with no detours (good luck with that), takes about 30-40 hours of game play. If you do all side quests, find and explore most of the map locations you will be well above 100 hours. Not to mention that you will hit the level cap of 20 well before mastering even half of the available skills. Re-playability anyone?

In closing. If you are 13 and your main goal in life is to dominate the Call of Duty leader boards by spending as much time as possible in Team Headquarters, then this game may not be for you. But if you enjoy Role Playing Games or Action and Exploration, then Fallout 3 will be one of the best games you play this year. 5 out of 5.

Review by Tim Musone