Dhruin
SasqWatch
Well, here we go - the first batch of major web reviews. Let's start with IGN, who have a lengthy 5-page article and a score of 9.6/10. A snip on the writing and dialogue, which they really liked:
GameSpy note a couple of minor issues - more so that IGN - but the score is still a hefty 5/5. Their article is shorter but also less detailed. Again, they really like the story:The conversations you'll have with the various people you meet in Fallout 3 range from disturbing to hilarious, but they all have one thing in common: fantastic writing. You'll want to hear everything every person has to say, but to do that you'll have to play the game more than once and likely more than a few times. While the dialogue system doesn't take the cinematic leap that Mass Effect did, it brings so much depth that the simple listed responses become quite powerful. Some perks, stats and skills add new conversation options. If your strength is high, you might be able to intimidate someone. If you're playing as a female character, you might be able to flirt your way through a sticky situation with some men. Or, if your speech skill is high enough, you might be able to lie your way to key information. The way you talk to the people you meet can drastically change the story you're writing.
...and then on to GameShark, who seem to take a balanced view, pointing out a number of deficits but still concluding this is an excellent game. Hardcore Fallout fans will want to take a look at this one, because they do contrast Bethesda's work against the originals. Their rating is 'B+' and here's a critical bit on plot missteps, since the other two reviews have liked the writing so much:Examples of this presentation are everywhere, from the slides that pop up on the loading screens to the posters that line the walls of the subway. Maybe we're just suckers for retro-futuristic designs, but we couldn't help smiling every time we saw (and by saw, we mean destroyed) a mechanical man that looked strikingly similar to Robbie the Robot from "Lost in Space." We also really enjoyed the engaging and entertaining storyline, which is leaps and bounds better than the run-of-the-mill sword-and-sorcery plot featured in Oblivion.
More information.It’ll surely come as no great shock that your dogged pursuit of your father has you stumble onto a much larger story that affects the entirety of the game world. Nor should it be surprising that everything you’re intended to take for granted isn’t necessarily based on reality. The ideas of fighting the “Good Fight” and sacrificing for the sake of others are prominent. But, much like Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, this intricate and compelling story too frequently gets tripped up in its implementation.
Take your aforementioned exit from the vault. Everyone in the vault was born in that vault. Everyone there has spent their lives together. Yet, we’re to believe the day dad leaves, the vault’s Overseer is so enraged that he orders everyone to be confined to quarters, has a man beaten to death, intends to have you killed and threatens to kill anyone else found in the vault’s corridors? Even if the Overseer were established as dangerously unstable, which he isn’t, we’re to believe nearly every vault security officer is willing to listen to these orders and ready to gun down the same vault civvies they’ve known their entire lives, with no questions asked? That doesn’t strain credibility—it holds it over its head and then snaps it over its knee.