Too ad to Nads post: What The Critics Said All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more... 100 Official Xbox Magazine Games this captivating do not come along often. Between its engrossing story, ginormous world, well-crafted RPG side, and white-knuckle FPS combat, Fallout 3 completely, utterly gives you your $60 worth. [Dec 2008, p.52] 100 1UP Faults be damned, though; this is the kind of hugely ambitious game that doesn't come around very often, and when it does, you'd be a fool not to play it and enjoy the hell out of it and look forward to the day (next-next-gen?) when the fidelity of open-world RPGs takes another big step closer to the uncanny valley's far side. Read Full Review 100 EuroGamer Fallout 3 almost effortlessly succeeds in its central aim of reviving a much-loved brand to appeal to the vast majority of players. It's a thrilling, all-consuming experience that will absorb you for weeks, whether you're attracted by the action, the adventure, or the role-playing, as you fall in love with the relentless excitement, incredible atmosphere, sense of place and sheer choice...Bethesda has once again delivered a game of life-affirming brilliance that will be heralded as a classic, and talked about for years to come. Read Full Review 100 GameSpy Yes, Fallout 3 is a lot like Oblivion (with guns!), but it's a superior game in nearly every way, as it features a more engaging storyline, impeccable presentation, and hundreds of hours of addictive gameplay. While the jury is still out on whether or not hardcore Fallout enthusiasts will accept the game as part of the storied franchise, Fallout 3 is a must-have title for most RPG fans, as well as one of the finest games of this generation. Read Full Review 98 Planet Xbox 360 The presentation of the game, as a whole, is what really takes Fallout 3 and boosts it into a level high above most of the other games being released this year on the Xbox 360. Read Full Review 98 GameFocus If you like role playing games, buy it. If you like first person shooters, buy it. The game is just amazing in everyway and we could not have expected a better Fallout title. Bethesda has another huge galactic hit on its hands and now we need to see some downloadable content please. Read Full Review 96 IGN Fallout 3 offers freedom without sacrificing a focused story. It delivers fantastic combat without forgoing a deep role-playing system. The characters you meet are engaging and oftentimes hilarious without feeling out of place in this harsh world. Read Full Review 95 IGN AU If you can put in the time and commit to exploring this detailed and carefully designed wasteland, then Fallout 3 can't help but satisfy and engage you in ways that very few games ever have. Read Full Review 95 Gameplayer It looks amazing, its immersion factor is second to none, and the whole experience is like a good book; addictive and impossible to put down. Packed to the gills with the incredibly deep Fallout mythos, you can play through the twenty odd hours of main quest but come back to experience the 50+ hours of side quests dotted throughout this freaky, radiated reality. Read Full Review 95 Worth Playing In the end, Fallout 3 feels like a Fallout game, and that is absolutely the highest compliment. Despite the changes, much of the charm and fun of the franchise remains intact, and despite the similarities to Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, I never felt that I was playing anything but a Fallout game. Read Full Review 95 GamingExcellence Fallout 3 is an experience in itself, and while it may not offer as much replay value as Oblivion, its so much more then an Oblivion with guns. Read Full Review 94 GameZone If the third-person perspective was better, Fallout 3 wouldve been an almost perfect RPG. Even with that said, everyone needs to spend time showing off how amazing VATS is since it is pure ecstasy. Read Full Review 94 Team Xbox When people talk about deep, immersive video games, Fallout 3 can stand as a reference. Read Full Review 93 Xbox World 360 Magazine UK In almost all respects, Fallout 3 is a staggering, genre-defining achievement - marrying an utterly immersive world, memorable characters, incredible production values, some of the most inspired RPG mechanics ever devised and so much heart. It might not steamroll the epic "Oblivion" in the manner we all hoped, but maybe that was simply asking too much. Instead, Fallout 3 stands as the perfect companion piece - a near unparalleled RPG that stands so far ahead of the majority of the games on 360 that it would be a crime against gaming not to laud this title as anything other than a masterpiece. Read Full Review 90 Official Xbox Magazine UK It's simple what Bethesda's done here - it's taken Oblivion's engine and design ethos, and applied it to a fresh franchise. The results are truly impressive, and we've no hesitation in slapping on a Must Buy badge, but you can't help but notice that for every problem it's fixed from Oblivion, a new leak's sprung. Read Full Review 90 VideoGamer This is a massive game: in a month that's seen the release of five or six of the year's best titles, I reckon this is the absolute peach. It's packed with interesting places, with choices to make, with that nebulous sense of adventure you only find in the best RPGs. Read Full Review 90 Kikizo From the hollow wind blowing down through subway tunnels, to the radioactive dust clouds swirling throughout the wasteland, up to the buzzards circling the encampment where the bodies of 30 slave traders lie; Fallout 3 is as much a game as it is a training sim for the coming apocalypse. Read Full Review 90 GameSpot In fact, Fallout 3 is leaner and meaner than Bethesda's previous efforts, less expansive but more intense, while still offering immense replay value and quite a few thrills along the way. Read Full Review 88 IGN UK Its the big Christmas action game with brains and choices, and with an interest in constructing a refreshingly different world from all those austere near-future manshoots that clog up the shelves. In many respects, its a far better game than "Bioshock," most of all because you get the endless choice that promised but didnt deliver. So its tragic that the often awful production values make a fool of it so regularly. Read Full Review 87 ActionTrip I really must say I initially expected a slightly more epic feel during certain segments of the game. Some scenes are a bit underwhelming, as is the very ending of the game. Read Full Review 80 Wired Despite the clunky menu system and nearly useless real-time combat options, the biggest complaint I can level at Fallout 3 is that it isn't by the original developer, Interplay. But since we'll never see that game, Bethesda's take on the series is a very acceptable substitute. Read Full Review 80 Giant Bomb It's unfortunate that Fallout 3 is saddled with so many little- and medium-sized issues, because they get in the way of what's an otherwise fantastic experience. The world is well-realized and full of options. It'll be a struggle in spots, but I'm willing to guess that most people will be able to overlook a lot of the game's problems and still have a very good time exploring the irradiated wasteland formerly known as Washington DC. Read Full Review 80 Cheat Code Central For lovers of the genre, it's tough to go wrong with Fallout 3. However, if you're strictly a shooter fan or enjoy free-flowing combat, the plodding pace, vast amount of content, and RPG hallmarks (such as heavy inventory management, non-essential quests, and character leveling) may bore you. It's a good game, but certainly not without its faults. A new game engine and better controls would have served this title well. Read Full Review 80 GameDaily Anyone who played Bethesda's Oblivion, 2006's 'Game of the year,' will find the mission structure familiar, save for the game's auto-targeting system, called V.A.T.S., which is sometimes more of a hindrance than help. Even so, gamers with a taste for detailed storylines and Mad Max style visuals, will find that Fallout 3 delivers a solid, entertaining role-playing experience that will keep you glued to the couch for hours. Read Full Review http://www.metacritic.com/games/platfor ... 0/fallout3