Fallout 3: Because War Never Changes

For the last month, I have been completely obsessed with playing Fallout 3. I finished the game this past weekend and now it's time for my review. I'm not going to go into the whole back story of the Fallout series; watch the video if you want more details or go to Wikipedia. I'm here to give my take on the game.

Overall, I loved it! It has all the elements I enjoy in a game (please refer to list below). I'm not terribly familiar with DC (I've only been there once) but I think the creators nailed it with the setting. The structure was still in place but areas and some buildings were demolished from the bombs and the atmosphere was one of decay and desertion. An eerie quiet in many places; that is until a feral ghoul or super mutant attacks.

Yes, there's lots of bloodshed in this game but in the harsh world of Fallout, most of the time it's either kill or be killed. Because the game is set in an alternate future in 2277, there's quite a bit of advanced technology such as the stealth boy and plasma rifle but remnants of a retro, 1950's style society linger. Brilliant!

I chose to be a good character for this round of play. This simply means I can go back, create another character and be evil the next time. A third round of playing could allow me to have neutral karma. Each karma rating has its own advantages and disadvantages which I think will serve well to keep the game fresh after repeated play.

Fallout 3 has 30 main and miscellaneous quests, as well as free form quests and mini-encounters. You also have the option to take on one follower and a dog. If you purchase the game I highly recommend the obtaining the Official Game Guide as well to get the most out of your gaming experience. You don't want to miss out on helpful hints such as the location of every Vault Boy Bobblehead in the Wasteland!

I did experience a few glitches. Sometimes my character would get stuck in between some rocks with no way out or my follower would just disappear for a while and then return later. Mainly, I think my XBox360 is on the verge of death and the game froze quite a bit or would stop and tell me the disk was not clean. But glitches happen in any game and these were a minor inconvenience compared the hours of entertainment and enjoyment.

In my gaming experience, this one's the bomb! :)



My Fallout 3 Top Ten Favorite Things

1. Listening to songs like Civilization and Way Back Home on GNR.
2. Mysterious Stranger Perk
3. Searching for Sugar Bombs and Nuka-Cola Quantom
4. Skill books like Nikola Tesla and You and Lying, Congressional Style
5.Cultural References
6. Karma ratings
7. Law Bringer Perk
8. The subversive motives of the Enclave
9. Listening to Three Dog proclaim my heroism over GNR
10. Touring the Capital Wasteland and the DC Ruins




The Washington Monument in Post-Apocolyptia




Robots have a sense of humor even in bleak nuclear winter!




Where the White House was...




Congress is in recess. Permanently.





Just me, Fawkes and Dogmeat preparing to save humanity.





Please note my stats and the fact that a Jesus like figure symbolizes me. I'm here to combat evil and show compassion to the less fortunate!

Unleashing the Force

I picked up Star Wars: The Force Unleashed on its release date of 9/16 last week. I swung by my local Blockbuster and got the last copy that was not on reserve. The Blockbuster associate told me it was my lucky day but I prefer to think that the force was with me. ;) So I've been playing it for the last week and I'm almost finished. I'm making my way through the Death Star to the final scenario. Here's the scoop on this game.

You play as Darth Vader's secret apprentice which automatically aligns you to the dark side and your powers are tailored as such. You go through about 3 different worlds hunting and destroying Jedi masters. After you're successful in this task Vader forces you to dissociate yourself from him and the Empire so that you can gather rebels to your cause in an attempt to destroy the Emperor.

You have to go back through the same planets you just came from only this time, they're run by the Empire and you must destroy the outposts. All the while, you begin to feel "conflict" and start to have feelings for your new rebel friends. Apparently at the end of this game you must choose whether or not to save or destroy them and that choice results in unlocking either a Sith or Jedi costume. Maybe there's more but I have to say that a new outfit is kinda lame especially when you can put in a cheat code to get both costumes. (I've already done that in case you're wondering.)

The force powers and light saber techniques are pretty cool and your powers increase as you move through the game. You can blast your opponents with force lightening or impale them mid-air with your light saber. The graphics are great and objects in the environment react to your movements, mimicking real life.

What bothers me about this game is the jumping. I was never very good at jumping in any video games except for maybe Super Mario Brothers and even then it was touch and go. In The Force Unleashed you are required to make great leaps at times or else you'll fall into an abyss or some molten lava. I had to repeat these sections more times than I can count because I couldn't quite make the jump and I would die. I really hate wasting time on menial tasks like this in a game. If I'm going to die I'd rather die against a boss opponent. They need to make it worth my while. Obviously, when I kept dying during these jumps, I got frustrated and stopped playing the game for a while. I also had to get my husband to help me in a few sections. He's somehow able to magically connect with the game to make the jumps. So annoying!

This game is a decent slasher game, plenty of power, cool graphics and enemies to destroy. But I feel like it lacks some substance. I played Knights of the Old Republic II and although the graphics were not as good, it was a game centered around the history of the Republic, Jedi, Sith and Empire and required you to make choices throughout the game that would influence other characters, circumstances, your alignment to the dark or light side of the force and ultimately the game's ending. It was kind of like Choose Your Own Adventure for Star Wars geeks.

Still, The Force Unleashed is a solid game and I'm sure there will be aspects to enjoy even after I've beaten it.

Love for SW and LOTR

Why am I so obsessed with Star Wars? I have the movies in my DVD collection, I play Star Wars video games and I have even been known to occasionally read Star Wars fan fiction. Currently, Spike TV is running the Star Wars films almost every weekend. (Incidentally, Attack of the Clones was on tonight). Even though I own the movies, I am compelled to watch them on TV, no matter what I’m doing. George Lucas, what is this spell you hold over me? No matter how kooky the plots of your prequels or how many ridiculous characters you plop into your stories for absolutely no reason at all, I still love you.

Something about Star Wars just speaks to me. I don’t know why. I guess I really am just a nerd deep down. Although I’m sure most people would already agree that I’m a nerd on the outside as well. It’s taken me a long time to come to grips with my l-o-v-e for Star Wars but I can’t hide it any longer. I am probably as big a fan of Star Wars as there is, sans dressing up in crazy costumes and going to conventions. I prefer my Star Wars moments to be much more private but I do get a giggle at people making fun of certain aspects of Star Wars. Here’s what I mean, check out Chefelf for his hilarious take on the Star Wars movies. (Warning! Do not click this link unless you have a sense of humor)

On a similar note, I’m also completely obsessed with The Lord of the Rings. My mom read the Hobbit and the LOTR trilogy to me when I was a kid and I own all those movies as well. But if TBS or TNT decides to run a marathon of the trilogy over a weekend, I can hang up all other plans because my behind is parked in front of the TV. One memorable weekend, Spike and TNT were showing Star Wars and LOTR simultaneously and I did the whole picture in picture thing, courtesy of my husband, so that I would not miss a single moment of lightsaber action or Gollum screeching “my precious!” It was awesome!

I suppose one day I may take the time to fully understand my obsession with these two sagas but for now, I just enjoy. Here's to many more years of Lucas and Tolkien love. May the force be with you my precious!