Fallout 3: Is the Game Still Fun? Should You Play It?

Fallout 3 is an action role-playing game that was released in 2008. Since then Fallout franchise has introduced us to more great games, but Fallout 3 seems like a game that needs more mentioning when discussing the history of Fallout games. The first game in the franchise that introduced 3D graphics and real-time combat, Fallout 3 was universally acclaimed by fans and critics, which brought it the Game of the Year awards. When it came out, Fallout 3 was unique and appealing to fans, and fans still love to discuss the game even fourteen years later. This article will discuss if Fallout 3 is fun and if one should take time and play it.
Overview of Fallout 3 fourteen years after its release
The more time passes, the need to remember the past and its good things is overpowering. Especially gamers, who love to reminisce about games that introduced them to other projects and made them part of game lovers. Fallout 3 is among them, for a good reason. First released in 2008, Fallout 3 had a rough beginning since the game was full of bugs and other technical issues. Today, fans will tell you that’s typical Bethesda, who already found success with another popular franchise of that time, Elder Scrolls.
After fans and critics got over the game’s technical issues, Fallout 3 became an instant success.
The immersive setting of Capital Wasteland
One of the best aspects of Fallout 3 is its impeccable attention to detail, especially regarding the state of Capital Wasteland 200 years after the Great War. The nuclear war devastated the whole continent and left the survivors grasping for supplies, shelter, and anything to help them preserve their lives.
Once the capital of the United States of America, Washington DC is now devastated by nuclear weaponry and polluted by poisonous radiation. Two hundred years later, once a great city became known as Capital Wasteland, The Lone Wanderer starts his journey in Vault 101 and continues after his father escapes their sanctuary. Enter the Capital Wasteland environment, and boy, is it cool. Some players disliked the dominant green color of the game, but that was present because developers wanted to emphasize the radiation-polluted area on the East Coast of the United States of America.
As someone who recently played the game, I don’t mind the “greenery” of Fallout 3 – indeed, it makes it cooler. Of course, with radiation and pollution comes affected wild animals, which are now mutated into “monsters.” Debris, fallen buildings, and a devastated Wasteland will bring players the ultimate post-apocalyptic atmosphere and bleak reality.
The satisfactory main story has a “head and tail.”
Now, Fallout always had solid storylines or, even better, magnificent storytelling that made it so popular. Besides elite storytelling in Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 3 is an excellent example of the game that set the foundations and ultimately paid off the story in a solid way. The story of Lone Wanderer is reminiscent of other story-heavy games, but it never really fails towards the end of it.
Bethesda’s games were famously criticized for their side quests and DLCs being better than main stories, which is mostly true for Fallout 3. Only New Vegas did a magnificent job with the main storyline, and Fallout 3 lacks a bit in the potential endings of the game because it is a fairly easy pick for players to choose.
Random encounters make Fallout 3 extremely fun and unique.
Easter eggs, secret endings, and random happenings are some of the best aspects of every game. Fallout 3’s Capital Wasteland and surrounding areas of Virginia State are full of random encounters that will make any player experience entertaining. Of course, Fallout 3 is firstly an RPG, a genre of games that rely heavily on other characters and stories.
From Super Mutant Uncle Leo, violent Enclave soldiers, and angry Ghouls to lone Rangers, random encounters in Fallout 3 will affect your player character’s Karma, determining their reputation across the Wasteland. Of course, The Lone Wanderer will get awarded, depending on the situation, and those awards will be determining factors for the rest of Fallout 3. These mentioned encounters are only a few across many that are available in the game, which should be a great reason to jump into Fallout 3 immediately.
DLCs and addons make Fallout 3 much better.
One of the most prominent characteristics of Bethesda games is additional content. There are DLCs or added content for Fallout 3 developed by Bethesda:
- Operation: Anchorage
- The Pitt
- Broken Steel
- Point Lookout
- Mothership Zeta
These DLCs brought a new storyline, weapons, and other cool features to the already rich Fallout 3 game. Fans of the game are still discussing which is the best DLC released to date, and most of them agree it’s Broken Steel. This DLC brings two important features to the game: post-story gameplay and raising the bottlecap level from 20 to 30.
The Pitt is also popular, where Lone Wanderer goes to the post-apocalyptic city of Pittsburgh and gets themselves in the middle of enslaved people and their raider enslavers’ conflict. Overall, Fallout 3 DLCs are extremely fun and helpful in fixing some main game issues, so check them out when you acquire a game.
Fallout 3 has one of the best mod communities available.
Lastly, we have the biggest factor why people are still playing old Bethesda games – mods. Modding was and still is huge in the gaming community; consequently, Bethesda games are the most modded games in the business. Amongst titles like Fallout: New Vegas, Skyrim, Oblivion, and other games, Fallout 3 is in that group as well.
The best possible mods the community developed for Fallout 3 is the technical issues fix, which prevents the game from crashing and keeps most of the gameplay clean and perfect. Anytime you decide to play older Fallout games, consider mods – they are amazing and enhance the gameplay in the best possible ways.
Is Fallout 3 fun?
There is a reason why Fallout 3 won numerous Game of the Year awards in 2008, despite the really hard competition that year. With a great and unique story that immerses a player immediately, great characters and NPC dialogues that only a few games can replicate, and additional content that enhances the gaming experience in the best possible way – Fallout 3 truly is one of the best RP games of all time.
Despite being behind Fallout: New Vegas in almost every aspect, Fallout 3 set the foundation for future Fallout projects and propelled the RP game genre into the sky. Fallout 3 has its problems, especially with the combat part of the gameplay and technical aspects, but it is still an incredibly fun and great game one can fully enjoy.
If you haven’t played any Fallout games before, try Fallout 3 before Fallout: New Vegas – it will leave you satisfied after the end but “make you” yearn for more.
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