Since this game was released, I have been unable to stop playing except to eat and sleep, with the occasional surf thrown in to make sure I wasn't missing important things like nuclear war or famine.
Anyone else playing it? I grabbed a copy for my PS3 on release day. For anyone who does not know what I'm talking about, it's the new release from Bethesda (makers of Oblivion). It plays fairly similar to Oblivion in the manner of the other characters, dialogs, and movements in the game so it is something I am familiar with. What makes this game awe inspiring is the setting.

Post-nuclear Washington D.C. - the world went to war 200 years ago, dessimated the planet with nukes. For someone my age who lived through the Cuban Missile Crisis, Bay of Pigs, Vietnam, the Cold War with Russian and our Gulf Wars - to see the landmark city of D.C. in ruins stirs sensational emotions of "what if?" As I walk the landscape, it is hauntingly prophetic of what could still become humanities future if we, as a people, don't get our shit together.

Aside from the startling reality check, the game plays so smoothly, even those not so good at "shooters" can get a kick out of this game - thanks to the "V.A.T.S." system Bethesda worked into this game. Roughly, it's nothing more than stopping time to take aim at specific body parts with a percentage chance to hit or crit... making the shooter aspect a LOT more fun for the casual gamer. Even my g/f, who hates shooters like Halo, Doom3, or Gears of War, sat and played this game obsessively for nearly 2 straight days. That is unheard of! (of course, I think she more enjoyed the 'bloody mess' perk your character can get that blows bodies into smithereens on crit )

Anyway, if you haven't checked it out, and are a fan of quest-based shooters set in a dark, horrifying future of mankind setting, this is the game for you.

Fallout 3 - on PS3 and XBox 360. Dunno if it's out for PC, since I no longer buy PC games.

Yes it is available for the PC. My son got it almost same day as release, and he has already beat it, lol.

Ok. He must play lots more than me, which is bad. HAH. I have played daily, maybe 4-6 hours a shot, and am barely 1/2 way through.

Yeah, if he wasn't sleeping or going to classes, he was playing that damn game.

I liked it all the way up until the ending.
In the middle of the game when you get to the water purifier I ran into the control room before the door shut and locked. Obviously you're not suppose to be able to make it in time which meant I had to load up a save.

Yeah Fallout 3 was good. I clocked about 36 hours of gameplay (when i finished) but that didn't stop me from going back to a previous save. There are a few things wrong with Bethesda's attempt at Fallout (I played the original Fallout's, and frankly I stick with the opinion "Bethesda! You did it wrong! What the crap is this?! You call this fallout?!") the world wasn't decimated (for certain) as only The Great War is ever spoken about, which was your run of the mill war, and it is only ever confirmed that USA (now whats left of it) was bombed. Oh, and Dogmeat (if any one has found him, Minefield or Scrapheap, he is generally fighting something) is approximately 500 years old. I know, tell me about it... I could go on about my unhappiness in Fallout 3, but it was a good game and i shall leave it at that.

Meh, semantics. Fallout 3 by Bethesda was never meant to fall into "Fallout Canon" as they say. Every interview you watch or read is Bethesda saying No this is not fallout 1 or 2, this is fallout 3 - our version on a similar context. Granted, the die-hards of the original would be offended - but for those of us Bethesda fans (Elder Scrolls / Oblivion), this game could not be more perfect. Finally, a sci-fi, post-nuclear holocaust game that doesn't suck balls. Finally, an RPG that is not 95% running around, 4% questing, and 1% fun. Finally, a "shooter" that even the most hateful of shooter games can play with minimal effort, and get a kick out of exploding body parts.

A beautiful terrain, frightening atmospheres, and a foreboding realization that this is man's final destiny - no matter how civilized we pretend to be, if we do not reign in our differences and control our hatred for things we do not understand or agree with. For those of you not alive in the 60's, 70's and 80's, there was this thing called the Cold War... and believe me, to see even a fictional adaptation of what that could have ended like, is as horrifying and amazing as we all thought it would be 25 years ago.

So yes, I think Bethesda put out "a good game". Not necessarily Fallout 1 & 2 redeux. But what I have now will keep me entertained for 100's of hours into the future - the mark of a high quality game.

As contradictory as this next statement may be. I agree, it was an awesome addition to Bethesda's work, an awesome Post Apocalyptic RPG with a healthy mix of a bloody mess. I just don't think they should've called it Fallout at all.

That I can agree with - though it is laced with Fallout trivia. I still don't know the history of the Super Mutants and all that... I thought about scouring the torrents for the original 2 fallouts - but after seeing the "Ultima Online"-looking layout, I was not sure I'd enjoy that. heh.

Of course, I loved Diablo... so if it was more like that, I'd be ok.

That's what I was like John, my brother forced me to sit down and play it. Then, I finished it, then again. Then I realized that there was Fallout 2... It grows you on, just give it a fair go!

No need to scour the internet. You got me! A beaming fountain of Fallout knowledge. To save you the time of searching through the Fallout Wiki (a great place to go after the new guys join Fallout 3 with so much unanswered for them) I have all of the FEV information here.

The government/military where trying to create a Super Soldier, in the forms of an injection. After years of research prior to The Great War, and much more research into The Great War with efforts redoubled for obvious reasons. They managed to make a Serum what you had to "dunk" the host into, and pull him out. It cause an insane amount of muscle and bone growth, hardened the skin, made them almost immune to all forms of poisons and radiations. The only downside is, the Host's brain were reduced to slag! well, an IQ of about 35 is slag to me. The Government took the project, and called it The FEV, (Forced Evolutionary Virus) and locked it away for good keeping. The Government tried to kill the project, and began to destabilize the FEV vats at the Military base, but only managed to create an Airborne version, which doesn't affect the host, just makes them a horrible candidate for "dipping". The government stopped attempting to neutralize the FEV and just went on their merry way.

When the bombs fell, the military base was annihilated. The FEV Vats and the underground Catacombs weren't...

As you Venture out in Fallout 1 (one of the best Post Apocalyptic RPG's of all time!) you stumble across The Cathedral, and eventually the Military base (North West coast). Living in the Cathedral are 2 bosses, one very high up who owns the cathedral, and one in the pristine "Demonstration" Vault under the cathedral guarded by our friends. The super mutants. In the base of the Cathedral you find the Master, a Part Human Part Machine, fused within his Overseer Seat. (you haven't seen it in Fallout 3, which is a shame it is a throne of power! Try google imaging it, I had no luck). Who controls all the Super mutants. In the Military base you fight through insane amounts of super mutants and finally get to the lower levels where you find these VATS and of course. BLOW THEM UP! or join the Master eh... either way is good. Either way, the Super Mutant threat my greats South. Far south, through the setting of Fallout 2 and all the way to Fallout 3.. District Columbia.

The Enclave are also studying the FEV, so at the Beginning of Fallout 2 (You where exiled as a monstrosity, and a sadistic killer but loved as a Hero. happened in Fallout 3 if you all remember, not too original on Bethesda's Behalf, But i got a chance to split the overseer in two at the end of fallout 1. Tehe) The Enclave capture the Vault Dwellers of Vault 13. As you find out the prime candidates for above 35 IQ or hell, even successful transformation are people who haven't been exposed to the Airborne version. I.e. Vault Dwellers. Form there you find out the Enclave is doing that, they kidnap your tribes people (decedents of the Original Vault 13 Dweller), and take them to a Poseidon Oil Rig. One of the many Enclave Shelters. You obviously free your people and blow up the Oil Rig. No one likes 'G-men'. How they got in Fallout 3, (if explained in the game I can't remember) is a mix of the experiments at Vault 87, or Immigrants! from the North-west. The Behemoths are brand spanking new in Fallout 3. Well their size is, you encounter one in Fallout 1, but he is only about 3 metres tall. That guy was huge. Do you reckon they got Michael Jordan for dipping?! (well, there are 5 of them in game)

Hope that answers all of your questions, sorry for the write up! If please ask, if you can't be bothered waiting for me to reply: http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Fallout_Wiki Enjoy!

I'm also seriously addicted to this game.

Ive seen some interviews on youtube of the developers and their main goal was total immersion. Id say they hit that head on, cause I cant stop playing

It was fantastical! I've never played the first two but I will be sure to check them out. I think it was probably the soundtrack and the graphics that got me. I tried to play it about 3 times but never got much interest beyond a little past megaton but then one day, (after moving home and having no internet as it happens), i finally cracked it out and omg it was so amazing! I have to admit I was hella-pished at the ending but I eventually found the patch and am about to work my way through the expansions so I'm looking forward to that!

Ohhhhhhh bongo bongo bongo i dont wanna leave the congo oh no no nononono

Without spoiling the ending for anyone who hasn't played... I actually thought it was awesome. Surprising, unexpected for sure. I'm not quite convinced I want the post-release expansion(s) because it kinda takes away from the whole feel of the game imo.

Out of the hundreds of locations there are to explore, I think I found 50. Long way to go, on alternate toons.

Definitely lots of replay for sure (i miss the overseer!)

The ending was an ending that I wanted. It's those kind of endings that make it all worth while, make it feel as if you have done something.

Hey, John get a character up to level 20 and take the explorer perk. Every location on your map is displayed, but not discovered. Like when someone gives you a quest to go somewhere. Makes that so much easier!