Once our hero leaves the vault and finds a hunting rifle he starts capping giant bugs, which made Fallout 3 look a lot like a first-person shooter. However, Bethesda has pointed out that stats play a big role in combat. This becomes more apparent when you use the Vault-tec Assisted Targeting System (or V.A.T.S.) built into your Pip-Boy Model 3000. This system pauses the game and, like in previous Fallout games, lets you target specific areas of an enemy's body as well as queue up attacks.

The amoral openness of the series appears to have made it through Bethesda's update. Even in the vault you can opt to help out a female friend who's being picked on by bullies, join in with the bullies, or just ignore the situation entirely. You'll even be presented with the opportunity of wiping out an entire town with a thermonuclear bomb left over from the war. The level of freedom is amazing so far and we can't wait to see what other devious decisions you'll have to make in the full game.


As expected, the production for Fallout 3 is top notch. The one and only Liam Neeson provides the voice of your father and everything about the game's presentation screams "triple-A" title. It was great to see this game up and running even if we only got to see the Xbox 360 version running. Our only real gripe is that we have to wait until 2008 before we can play it ourselves.