Fallout 3 - Xbox 360 Game of the Year Edition

Fallout 3 Game of the Year Edition Xbox 360I'm writing this review several years (about 3-4 years) after the first release of Fallout 3, so I am probably not making any new ground with this review. I did enjoy Oblivion, so I thought I'd share my thoughts on Fallout 3 GOTY after playing it on the Xbox 360.The GOTY comes with several expansion packs. Operation Anchorage is worth playing because it gives you a special Winterized T-51b power armor and helmet that never needs to be repaired (and it is about the most powerful armor in the game), along with a Gauss Rifle that wears out but can't be repaired to 100% since there doesn't seem to be any other Gauss Rifles in the game. However, that is where Mothership Zeta comes into play. There is plenty of Alien Epoxy throughout the ship which can be used to repair the Gauss Rifle if you like that weapon. The Pitt and Point Lookout weren't that great and quite frankly I thought they were a waste of time. Some of the perks are worth earning from the expansion packs. Broken Steel is essentially a continuation of the original story, with a level cap of 30 and new perks.There are several features of this game that stand out. The stats are sectioned and can be confusing at first. The SPECIAL attributes are important. Intelligence and Strength are very important at first, followed by Perception and Endurance. Don't max out any of these to 10, but try to stay above 6-7. Skills are modified after each level increase, make sure you get the Swift Learner perks (3 ranks available) to get a max of 23 skill points each time you level up. Perks are available after each level increase and give you special bonuses.Bobbleheads are available to boost your SPECIAL stats and skills, so it is important to not max out your SPECIAL stats or skills early. Skill books are also available to increase your skills, so get the Comprehension perk early on.The game was extremely frustrating at first, until I got to about level 7. Then with some strategy, it was easier to survive and somewhat fun. At level 15, my character was able to kill enemies with ease. At level 20, my character is an absolute machine. I can lay waste to enemies with the greatest of ease, and my perks from the expansion packs almost makes him impervious to radiation poisoning and damage. The unique weapons are the items that you should try to find and use. They are special variants of common weapons with more damage, but can be repaired using the common weapons. The A3-21 Plasma Rifle, Xualon Assault Rifle, and Vengeance are just a few of these examples.This game is very very time consuming. There are a lot of mini quests to complete, and a lot of things to do. Most of the time is spent going from location to location, exploring, and role-playing game activities in general. Remember to save and save often, because I've had the game lock up on me about half a dozen times on Xbox 360.Overall: 5/5 stars, the best way to enjoy Fallout 3 is with the GOTY edition. Operation Anchorage, and Mothership Zeta have some very useful items.

As a long time gamer, when I stop and look around at the landscape of gaming, I am truly amazed.From the Atari 2600 to the XBOX 360s and PS3s it boggles the mind.I spent much of the 90s getting back into gaming after a layoff while I went to school and was busy with all the things you get tied up in, in those years. I gamed mostly on PC, and the Fallout, Fallout 2 and Fallout Tactics were replayed countless times in my house. When I heard the franchise was being revived on the current generation of platforms, I had mixed feelings. I was worried the game might become another series of yearly almost identical releases, that just melt into one another. I need not have worried.Having played the originals on PC, the post apocalypse RPG aspect is what I found most interesting, and that part translated without a hiccup to the current platforms. Some of the humor didnt make the jump. For example - you spend 50 or 100 hours in Fallout, looking for a water chip to keep your vault going - it is the whole point of the game. So in Fallout 2, while looting containers you come across a room with HUNDREDS of water chips loaded into almost every corner of the level.In a pull out your hair kind of way, that is FUNNY!There are no Dr Who phone booths or encounters with King Arthur in the wastes of Fallout 3. You will not come across a spaceship with a ray gun and velvet Elvis painting, nor will you have to recreate the Monty Python bridge keeper dialogue to save being cast into the void.On the plus side, you will also never find your Highwayman trunk randomly appearing with no sign of your car at all, or vice versa.... And when it comes to freezing up, I do not think Fallout 3 froze up in all my PC and XBOX playthroughs (15 or 20 of them) as many times as Fallout 2 did the first weekend I played it. SAVE EARLY SAVE OFTEN is a mantra for a very good reason. Although I did did "stuck" in a subway tube between a wall and train once or twice - the bugs were kept to a minimum in my experience.I am glad I stuck with it, because even as a fan, I have to admit, this game starts out SLOW while you are still in the vault, setting up the story to come. I dont know how a game and the music and radio in it can make me feel nostalgic for a time I never experienced, but this game pulls it off - all while shooting up ghouls, raiders, super mutants, and mis-guided para-militant survivor groups.And talk about a sandbox game, once you are out of the vault, you can do whatever you want.For something different you can even just wander the wastes, ignoring the story and killing every thing, and every one in sight.So, if you have a couple hundred hours of your life that you dont have any plans for, and you have never played this game - what are you waiting for?