In a large chunk of my online life (and occasionally real life when people would listen/tolerate) circa 2008-2012, I made it quite clear I had no love for Fallout 3, rolled my eyes at it’s dreary look, despised the V.A.T.S. system, and consigned it to the fire pits of disappointment that had been comfortably fuelled by the atrocity that was Devil May Cry 2 for years.
The first time I heard about Fallout 3 I was super-hyped for it. It was a post-apocalyptic open world RPG with the same engine as Oblivion—which I’d not long since devoured—and I enjoyed the start in the vault, did a few Megaton bits and went to go to the Radio Station, and died a few times. I felt a bit apathetic towards it; none of the pure unadulterated joy I’d got from Oblivion was present. With no spark, I left the game at the back of the pile before hesitantly sold it a week later to fund more games. I’d keep hearing wonderful stories about it from other gamers however, and so I got this nagging feeling of regret and ultimately felt compelled to give it another shot. I bought Fallout 3 again at the start of 2009 (cheaper this time) and this time I got a bit further in, started to make some real progress, and then I just hit a point where it just frustrated and bored me. I was failing to see exactly how anyone was having fun with it. There was something about it, an allure that I couldn’t quite pin down, but I wasn’t having these fabled ‘moments’ and it felt like I never would. Fallout had became a curse word to me, and so, with far less hesitation this time, it got sold again.
The years went by, I avoided New Vegas (probably a good thing in hindsight), but got the looting/exploring bug again thanks to games like Borderlands and Skyrim. That tiny voice saying “You should give Fallout 3 another go” grew louder, yet I relented, until two years ago.
Whilst emptying my wallet one day at a particular overpriced gaming store, I found Fallout 3 GOTY Edition for a measly £5. That did it, I picked it up and vowed this would be the last chance it got. So, with a few hours of free time to hand, I began to wade into the murky wastes one more time. And within an hour, I actually started enjoying it. I understood it better, it looked better (not brilliant but you know…. good) and I quickly felt more involved in its gloomy world than I ever had before. I found joy in popping heads off Feral Ghouls, felt panic and fear after stumbling upon a bunch of Super Mutants whilst poorly equipped, and generally getting that satisfying sense of wonder at each new discovery I made. The DLC added fresh variety that kept me sweet even longer. Yes, even the UFO nonsense.The deeper into the search for Liam Neeson I got, the more I began to wonder what my problem had been. This was a game worthy of being in the top twenty of the generation and I’d dismissed it twice! I’d never been more happy to be so wrong about something.
The adulation and apologies continued right up until the sixty hour mark. That’s when Fallout 3 started having a meltdown. The frame rate began to dip so low, so frequently, that I could have been watching a lost Ray Harryhausen project. Then, it would stutter so badly that it just froze. Everything grinding to a halt to appear like a stunningly accurate diorama of life in present day Boscombe. I tried again and again to breathe life back into Fallout 3, but it was not to be. Fallout 3 had taken its revenge on my repeated dismissals of its quality, and turned the tables to prevent me seeing the rest of it.
I don’t regret buying Fallout 3 three times, and despite that cruel blow I became a fan of the series again. That I still am after having an absolute disaster with New Vegas (Textures entirely missing repeatedly, seven hours played, froze and crashed more than twenty times) is testament to the quality of the world and mythos they inhabit. Here’s hoping that Fallout 4 forgives me and allows me to review it properly, eh?