The Fallout franchise has gone from strength to strength since Bethesda have gotten their grubby mitts all over it, and going on the success that was the Oblivion series it’s no surprise that Fallout turned out so well. This is a team of people who can take their time over making their games, and it really shows. The DLC that followed Fallout’s main event was inspiring and brought more than was expected to the followers of Fallout. Yes indeed, we have come a long way since ‘horse armour’, have we not.

I TOLD you we should have made a sand-powered car!

So what can we expect for the next instalment of Fallout? Well, what Bethesda have created so far has been anything but mediocre, and makes me wonder what they could possibly do to improve upon an already fantastic gaming experience. One of the first things that springs to mind are vehicles. Much like the salvation of parts to build custom weapons, could we see a similar system put in place for building your own car, truck, dune buggy or even tank? The weight ratio for salvaging parts for this reason would play a big factor in your inventory for sure, but wouldn’t it be cool to be able to tear up the wastes in your own custom built set of wheels? Getting from A to B would certainly be easier, and after you’ve got a working vehicle it could be used for transporting more parts more easily. If you fancy a hulking great gun-turreted monster truck for splatting Deathclaws like hedgehogs all you have to do is find the bits and the instructions. Likewise, a nimble, zippy quad-bike could get you out of harm’s reach and home faster than a speeding Yow-gui in situations fast travel just wouldn’t allow. An almost Mad-Max atmosphere could be born from this, whereby meeting similarly equipped Raiders or Enclave forces would result in high-speed, wasteland car chases. Teaming up with a friend online, where one could drive and the other ride shot-gun could see some intense co-op gameplay too. Again, taking this idea online could see the rise of Destruction Derby style, Thunderdrome type battles where the last machine with a running motor wins. Different fuel types could be used to make a pro-con system as well, where something like solar power would be slow, steady but plentiful. Or petrol and diesel (available as a pick-up) would give more power and speed. This could lead to you having different vehicles for different purposes, going out for a hunt would require something quick yet robust but going for a salvage mission would demand a more solid machine that could cope with carrying large loads.

A Raider's day at the beach

We know that the Fable universe allows for greater interaction with NPCs. Marriage, gay lovers and children are all by-products from this idea and probably wouldn’t be suited to the world of Fallout. However, being able to pick a ‘follower’ that we really like would be a nice touch, where any NPC could be recruited with either persuasion or money; or continued interaction with a particular person to build up trust or a ‘friendship’. These people could then be asked to do particular tasks on their own, whether it be scouting for new locations, finding particular items, or use their skills to achieve a goal you currently could not do on your own (win speech challenges, pick locks etc.). Being able to concentrate on one objective while your acquaintance focuses on another would allow you to do two things at once, while you search for scrap to build up your new car, they could be out finding new places for you to explore later on.

Live, online worlds are becoming more and more manageable as we march ever more confidently into our digital era, but I honestly feel that a multiplayer mode in Fallout would be the wrong way to go. In the vein of Halo or MAG at least, due to the V.A.T.S system that Fallout has this would be nearly impossible for fair play, though a co-op mode could be beneficial to Fallout’s world I think. You could meet up with friends and tackle super mutant behemoths together, storm raider camps for a good old looting or even do point-by-point sweeps of large, decrepit buildings. This would allow you to search for specific items together, or even just meet up to barter with each other for stuff. Which brings me neatly onto my next idea; A marketplace.

Does my gun look big in this?

Imagine a city in the Fallout world that’s dominated by people online, where you could acquire a stall to set up shop and sell your custom made weaponry or spare parts. I don’t know about you, but I’m a hoarder! My Megaton house is stuffed full of junk, and the only reason I don’t sell it for caps is because I have too many caps already! So, a place to buy and sell could be good for those just starting out, those who need quick-fix armour or a decent weapon would benefit from this as well. Veterans could off-load their ‘junk’ for caps to buy rarer weapons, items or even aesthetics for their house or armour. As PSN Home expands with different locations for people to meet and chat, you could effectively cut out the middle man and have this marketplace for socialising too. If you end up in a conversation about something you spotted in the wastelands, instead of just talking about it you could both jump into one of your rides and go there instead. A seamless, co-op game-play/socialising affair is far more palatable than going through umpteen loading screens or switching servers.

User created content could also be a good way of expanding Fallout’s already massive world. Weapons such as the Railway Rifle are a stroke of genius in my eyes, and a brilliant way of giving people reason to loot stuff from broken homes. Imagine having more custom made weaponry available to you, built and sold by other people around the world. Customisation and personalisation is the best way to set yourself apart from the crowd in an online world, and being able to take junk from the wastes and apply it to costumes or armour seems one of the better ways of doing this. Being able to sell or buy these weapons and armour would not only bring about reputation, but would also inspire competition within the community. This kind of thinking is obvious when we look at games such as LBP. So instead of getting a schematic for a whole weapon, there could be schematics for magazine-loaders, barrels, sights, hilts, handles and other little parts that make up a weapon. Depending on condition of parts and which parts used, each schematic would mean different strengths. Putting these together any way you see fit would result in a unique weapon that could then be sold in the marketplace to strangers or friends. Just imagine what we could see; weapons that fire homing ‘drills’ that lock on to specific creature’s heads (remember the Cerebral Bore from Turok 2?). Maybe a large gun that fires wine bottles only (you could call it ‘The Connoisseur Cannon’), or a high pressure, cryogenic gun that instantly freezes foes! Okay, maybe I’m being a little over enthusiastic with the ice-ray, but improving on already fantastic weaponry couldn’t be a bad thing surely?

These are just a few ideas that could be incorporated into the Fallout world, whether they ever become a reality remains to be seen. If it’s one thing that’s true of games such as Fallout though, it’s that these kinds of games can always be expanded on. Failing that, we can always dream…

• Format: PS3 (version reviewed)
• Unleashed: Out Now
• Publisher: Bethesda
• Developer: Bethesda
• Players: 1
• Site:http://fallout.bethsoft.com/

One of the things that scared the hell out of people not long ago was the threat of nuclear war. The knowledge of weapons so powerful they could wipe a city out in the blink of an eye had people living in real fear. In the years of the cold war children were taught to hide under school desks and housewives were told hide in cupboards, none of which could save you from an atomic blast of course. These fears were never justified as the future came around, but in the alternate world of Fallout these preparations were not in vain.

Fallout 3 is set in a world much like ours, but unlike ours, nuclear technology was embraced. A world where cars are nuclear and rocket-shaped, where robot butlers were realised and where televisions were proudly branded ‘Radiation Kings’, and a world where the bombs did drop. The technology in this world is not too far from our own, yet if we align the time-lines, seems much more advanced. The 1940′s-50′s American styling in this world is reminiscent of an age forgotten in our own history, yet is still so familiar to us. It’s this that pulls you into the world of Fallout so effortlessly; the similarity of its world and our own brings about a believability that we just allow ourselves to become part of it.

HEY! Is this an eyeball in my beer?

It all starts with you being born, and moves in segments through your life as a Vault Dweller in Vault 101. This ‘growing up’ process is by far one of the most innovative ways of teaching the player the basic controls to a game we’ve ever seen. Getting used to the dialogue menus, your Pip-Boy, shooting stuff, and moving around is a breeze but it also gets you used to living in the vault. This makes the desolation of the outside world that little bit more harrowing when you eventually leave ‘home’. As you gingerly wander from the vault for the first time, you realise that the world of Fallout is a devastated one. There are no rules out here, no law to protect you, and you’d better learn this quickly.

There are many settlements dotted around the war-torn ruins of old DC, and it’s within these places you will find your fortune. The beauty of Fallout 3 is its freedom of choice, as soon as you set foot into the wastes you can do as you wish. If you’re planning on murder and robbery to be your chosen form of funding so be it! If you’d like to become a saviour to the lost souls of the wastes, you can give that a go too. It’s all about how you want to play, and what you think is the best way around each situation you encounter.

The attention to detail in Fallout is nothing short of amazing, every building still standing holds things to find and stories to be told. From the Keller Family holo-tapes littered around that will have you chasing a family’s desperate struggle to stay alive, to the self-explanatory man-in-a-bath that didn’t see the mushroom cloud. All these things immerse you further into Fallout’s world more than any CG video ever could.

Hmm, it looked better in the estate agent's picture

Fallout’s mechanics will be recognisable to those who have played Bethesda’s Oblivion games, and those who haven’t will quickly pick it up. The levelling-up system is an intuitive one and allows for unique player growth, letting you shape your player into someone who best fits your style of play. There are also ‘perks’ that give you special abilities, from sneaking more effectively to having better aim in battles which will see you crafting your guy (or girl) into something almost hand-made throughout your adventures. Another system in the game known as V.A.T.S lets you effectively stop time and strategically pick out body parts of those nasty enemies. Say a group of raiders ambush you, you can then switch on V.A.T.S and target the first guy’s head, the grenade on the other’s belt, and the last guy’s leg. Press ‘go’ and watch as your player rips them all to bits! This may sound like cheating, but like all things in Fallout, you have the choice to use this or not, and there will be times you’ll be very thankful of it.

Welcome to the weight-watcher's office!

The main story of this ‘episode’ of Fallout can be done in around twenty hours, though if this is all you do with this game you will be missing nearly 80% of what’s on offer. The sheer size and depth of this game will have you awe-struck, and those who enjoy adventuring through large worlds will no doubt revel in what’s on offer here. Fallout will offer you the chance to indulge yourself in a place of mystery and excitement, will give you a place to become the most evil scourge of humanity or one of saintly proportions.

This cow has a secret, but what?

Fallout 3 is a jack of all trades, but not a master of none! It manages to incorporate elements of strategy, RPG, FPS and does it all with ease. There’s even an ‘old skool’ text adventure (from the days of the BBC micro) in there if you can find it. Somehow, Bethesda has managed to ball all of these genres together and make them work seamlessly in a believable world that could suck you in for months. Whether you buy them individually or pick up the ‘game of the year’ edition, the DLC packs give you even more to sink your teeth into, and will add another thirty or so hours onto an already massive adventure.

We are bin-men, and we have a job to do.

There’s a good reason Bethesda’s calling it game of the year too, it has almost limitless possibilities. Even if you do every last little thing in this game, you could re-play it again in a totally different way and see things you didn’t the last time around. You won’t play Fallout 3, you’ll live it.

9/10

• Format: PS3 (version reviewed) 360, PC
• Unleashed: Out Now
• Publisher: Bethesda
• Developer: Bethesda
• Players: 1
• Site: http://fallout.bethsoft.com/

The mother ship announces itself in proper alien fashion by sucking you up into its guts with an abduction beam. You are then poked, prodded and probed (read: violated!) proper alien style. Mmm, that’ll get your bowels moving!

Frank's dentist assured him the medication would wear off soon

After waking up in a cell, stripped of all your stuff (and we mean all your stuff) you are introduced to a fellow abductee who tells you what happened to you, not that you’ll need much more info than what you already know. It’s not long before you find yourself running around the ship, whacking little green men with a zappy stick and randomly prodding buttons that do god-knows-what! There’s a distinct Dr.Who-ish, B-movie feel to this place that’s very different to the world you’re used to. Things are clean, new and shiny rather than old, mouldy and broken. The corridors are confined and give you a sense of claustrophobia too, but this is due to the size of your captors which makes it all seem more tangible.

Space-fridge-raiders

It’s not long before you meet other captives, all of whom are from different times in Earth’s history. One particular individual is from Anchorage, and brings with him a continuity to the DLC that fits in nicely with what’s just happened to you. Not only this, there are also recordings of conversations between people who have been abducted and their captors for you to find and collect, giving you further insight into how long ‘they’ have been watching us. These range from comical to freaky, and flesh out the experience very well. As you traverse this massive ship you’ll no doubt feel lost at times because of everything looking so alien, and without an English signpost in sight, you’ll thank God they forgot to take off your Pip-Boy!

The weapons that can be found here have great names and are fun to use, things like the deadly Disintegrator or Atomiser can be found rather quickly and there’s even a cow-dispenser to test your new toys on. Mothership Zeta has its tongue firmly in its cheek all the way through, little touches will no doubt have you thinking how alien we are to them. Things like their fascination with robot ponies built on Earth for little girls can be found up here in large quantities, and much as they have collected these, you’ll be stuffing your pockets full of alien crystals that for all you know are alien nose products!

Regardless of what your style of play is, Zeta will be suspenseful and intense most of the time, due to the sheer amount of aliens and drones that inhabit the confined ship. Getting into a fire-fight will give you little manoeuvrability for advantages and even less options for tactical retreat, while staying hidden can prove very difficult most of the time because of lighting and streamlined corridors. Much like Point Lookout, there is no chance to fix or find bodily protection either, however, there are handy ‘health tubes’ to walk through now and again that can restore you fully (if you have the skill to modify them).

Wait, this isn't NASA!

For the final DLC pack on PSN, this is a fun romp around and those into sci-fi will see quite a few inspirations from 50′s cinema here. The joy of being in such an environment has its own merits, but Bethesda has brought the abduction experience to a fun new level that should have sci-fi fans grinning all the way.

4/5

• Format: PS3 (version reviewed), PC, 360
• Unleashed: Out Now
• Publisher: Bethesda
• Developer: Bethesda
• Players: 1
• Site: http://fallout.bethsoft.com/

A boat has docked down near The Citadel. The boatman’s keen for you to take a trip, will you? Of course you will! Row, row, row your boat, gently down the streeeam…

Centre Parks have gone downhill

As you arrive at Point Lookout the first thing to hit you is the ominous looking weather, and when you get off it all seems a bit too quiet. A little jaunt around, regardless of which direction you head in, will instantly make you uneasy; the whole place has a very strong Chainsaw Massacre/Silent Hill feel to it and for the first time in a long time you’ll no doubt become very jumpy. In amongst the noises of the insects are odd splooping noises (yes, we can make words up at CG!) from surfacing gases in the swamplands and will give you good reason to keep your weapon out and at the ready. It’s also apparent that Bethesda have pulled a lot of their inspiration for Point Lookout’s landscape from The Shivering Isles (part of the Oblivion universe) and this is no bad thing. Some of the swamps are deep, and this makes sneaking around a lot more difficult which increases the fear factor somewhat.

The enemies you will encounter here are varied and interesting, the silhouette of large lumbering Trackers in the distance is enough to remind anybody of Leather Face’s gait. The pot-bellied locals are not very fond of tourists around here either and getting in the way of them will result in you looking down the nasty end of a double barrel shot gun, which as it turns out, is a very powerful gun. You would do well to find yourself some decent armour for your time spent here as there is very little in the way of extras to keep yourself protected.

Sloth from the Goonies wants a hug

The more friendly faces of Point Lookout can be quite odd in their manner too, and doing a bit of detective work will soon give you reasons as to why. One of Fallout’s many talents is being able to tell stories without any narrative, and PL has these stories in spades! There are all kinds of clues laying around here that tell you about forgotten science teams doing research, or Chinese spies being hunted by the American government. All of which you can follow up, and find an ending to their stories. Speaking of which, if any of you have ventured to the Dunwich Building in the Capital Wastes you’ll know about the strange obelisk that lays beneath, and that a conclusion was never made. Well, within Point Lookout dwells the answer. This seems to be the point of PL, a sinister, dark place that tells you stories if you’re brave enough to delve deep into the murky swamps and huts that contain them.

There seems to be a very upset little girl somewhere

There are a few nice new weapons to find too, the aforementioned double barrel shotgun packs one hell of a punch and those of you who never found old Abe Lincoln’s rifle can pick up a Lever-Action Rifle of similar (though less powerful) effect. There’s also a gun known as the Backwater Rifle – a devastating gun – for those with the brawn, brains and stomach to track it down.

GET OFF MY PORCH DAMNIT!

A menacing DLC indeed, Point Lookout has a vast area to explore and will make you wish you had eyes in the back of your head. Running from swamp-things, dodging axe-wielding maniacs and getting full-on doses of hallucination inducing plants will make you wonder why you came here in the first place.

4/5

• Format: PS3 (version reviewed), 360, PC
• Unleashed: Out Now
• Publisher: Bethesda
• Developer: Bethesda
• Players: 1
• Site: http://fallout.bethsoft.com

Bodies hanging from the bridge lines, check. City sky-line steeped in red cloud and smog, check. Fire belching from buildings reaching far into the night sky, check. Mass slavery and depression, yup, you’ve found The Pitt mate! And isn’t it tantalising, don’t you just want to run across that bridge and see what trouble you can get into? Well go ahead, you’ll only get your legs blown off! This is not a friendly place, and you should have worked that out before you even got here!

Toll charges still apply

Like other DLC packs, your awareness about all this is brought about from a signal on your Pip-Boy, this time it’s a hard march across a huge stretch of Capital Waste to find the source and when you get there, your suspicions would not be paranoia. The signal has been coming from an escaped slave, when you find him he tells you that he’s been searching for somebody, anybody, to help him free his enslaved brethren. After a little chat you hatch a plan to get yourself into The Pitt, how you achieve this is up to you, but it all works out the same; all your stuff is confiscated and you become a slave.

Upon entry to The Pitt, you have to make contact with a woman who gives you the low-down on what’s been happening and gives you tasks to get yourself associated with the city. Here, the exploration of the city is generally a free affair, just don’t overstep your boundaries and you’ll be all right. The atmosphere of the place is done brilliantly, it has the feel of a city brought to its knees by the aftermath of the war and encapsulates the feeling of being in a massive prison. This will also be the first time you’ve been in a proper built-up area. Whereas almost all of the Capital Wastes are barren, The Pitt is a working, living city that’s teeming with life. However, nearly everyone you meet is either a slaver or a slave, and neither are very keen on chit-chat. The slaves don’t want to get shot and the slavers would shoot you for looking at them the wrong way. Suffice to say, it’s best to keep your head down and only speak when you’re spoken to.

Sure, I can give you a haircut!

As a DLC pack, The Pitt brings a mass of new gear to wear, and some fancy new weaponry too. One of our favourites is the Auto-Axe, kind of a whirring blade/chainsaw that’ll make proper mincemeat out of anything dumb enough to stand in front of you for too long. Then there’s the Infiltrator, a scoped semi-automatic sub-machine gun. The clothing ranges from a simple slave’s outfit that makes you look ready for a whipping from Mistress Pain, to things like the Gamma Shield Armour, Iconoclast Armour and the Raider Ordinance Armour. However, none of this will be available to you the first time you get shoved into The Pitt’s mining area, that happens to be full of things called Troggs. Sounds like a new pair of trainers? You wish! Troggs are people who have had a similar exposure to radiation to Ghouls, unlike Ghouls though they are able to climb vertical surfaces and attack you from every angle and happen to be very fast, think ‘Aliens’ minus the acid for blood. If you can survive your visits to the mining areas you’ll eventually get the chance to fight for your freedom in The Arena, survive this and the entire city’s fate will be in your hands.

WHAT! You say there are toilets around here?

This DLC pack is atmospheric, tense, and fills out the Fallout world perfectly.

4/5

• Format: PS3 (version reviewed), 360, PC
• Unleashed: Out Now
• Publisher: Bethesda
• Developer: Bethesda
• Players: 1
• Site: http://fallout.bethsoft.com

The first DLC for Fallout 3 arrives on the PSN in the shape of Broken Steel. This is a continuation of the main game and starts you off in a make-shift hospital in the keep of the Brotherhood of Steel’s wasteland base, The Citadel. After having a chat with the big man himself, it turns out you’re not dead after all! So, a bit of a red face if you happened to chicken out and shove one of your mates into the ‘purifier of death’ at the end then. Not to worry, as Mr. Lyons is a stand-up guy and gives you the low-down on what’s been happening while you’ve been having a bit of a rest. The Enclave are on the move, and the Brotherhood’s personal Iron Giant has been tasked with chucking mini-nukes around at the opposition like an American football star.

If it’s been a while since you’ve visited the the Capital Wastes then fear not, to help you get back into the swing of things there’s a bit of a helping hand to begin with. You’ll be tagging along with the Brotherhood guys for the first few missions, which is a nice way to coax you back into the game. Regardless of what level you have your character, this DLC will have a fantastic effect on your development and can earn you 1000′s of XP each time you pass a mission from it. Given the removal of the level cap, this is more than welcome. Which moves us on to the next thing, perks. We know that some of you may have hit that level cap without being able to pick all the perks you wanted, and this DLC allows you to get the ones you left behind. There are a few new ones included in the DLC that are very helpful, but the best are saved till last (as usual) and give you something to strive for; others are more along the lines of space fillers such as ‘Puppies’ which allow you to pick up a fresh Dog Meat indefinitely, should he die in action. There are also the karmic re-balancers that allow you to completely shift from do-gooder to nasty-git in the blink of an eye or the other way around, should you feel like a change of heart.

The introduction of new types of weapons and armour is a welcome refreshment too, if anyone has played the original Fallout games the ‘Hellfire’ armour will be instantly recognisable to them. All of this lends a new lease of life to the Capital Wastes and gives a lot of replay value to an already massive playing area, while adding new locations to your ever-growing map. The missions included in this DLC can be both demanding and satisfying, walking the path of destruction with Liberty Prime is good fun (even as a by-stander) and kinda makes you feel like you have your own ‘fresh from the patriotic loony bin’ Transformer to follow around.

Make no mistake though, some of the missions in here will test you. If you’re an all guns blazing kind of person don’t expect to stay alive too long, unless you’re very handy with some of the bigger weapons. Those who are cautious may live a little longer, but the enemies that you’ll face will be of the harder variety and in close quarters. This DLC gives you a fair run for your money, and a lot of little bonuses such as the Deathclaw scrambler key-card, but will make you work for it. Those who just love to scrounge will be in heaven, and those looking for a challenge won’t be disappointed.

5/5