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Fallout 3 (Xbox, PS3 & PC)

X360 RRP: £49.99 buy for £39.98
PS3 RRP: £49.99 buy for £39.98
Release date: 31 October

Just a week after our Fable II review we find ourselves yet again making critical choices between the good and evil path to completing a game. Like Fable, Fallout 3 is an RPG but the similarities end there. Your plethora of choices will be made here in a '50s–style post-apocalyptic nightmare of a world where heads will be ripped off, towns nuked and cannibalism might even become an option. Not exactly a fairytale, is it?

Fallout 3 is as awe-inspiring as it is gruesome, bringing you a massive, explorable world, an engaging story, brilliant characters, beautiful graphics and incredible customisation options. With the ability to play in first or third person (we recommend first), there’s plenty of action and combat to be had and you could easily play through the game blowing everything in your path away in about 15 hours. The ‘VATS’ pause and aim system is brilliant fun giving you the chance to pull off really satisfying hits on your enemy. You’d be missing most of the game though. The joy is in exploration and character development.

Because the post-apocalyptic world you inhabit is so vast, you could easily miss many of the brilliant side quests and collectables if you don’t take the time to look around. As you move though the world you’ll build up your skills in areas such as speech, sneaking, lock picking, as well as combat-based abilities. There are some excellent special abilities to choose between but you’ll have to play the game more than once to try them all.

Bringing together excellent combat, complex role playing, a strong story, realistic and compelling characters, humour, fascinating environments, strong atmosphere, graphics and sound, as well as a truly memorable plot and ending is no mean feat. Fallout 3 is a masterwork. You simply must buy this game!

10/10

Review by Kirsten Kearney