Fallout 3 Game of the Year Edition Review
928456
Truly one of the best games of this generation. It's depth is absolutely amazing as far as the different choices that you can make that affect not only the ending, but the actual story as you go. The choices also affect what type of character you become. It does have a few issues, while I have not encountered them myself, it is common to encounter glitches in the game that leave you "stuck" with nothing to do forcing you to reset. They are not game breaking however simply because in this type of game, you should be saving often anyways. The AI isn't terribly dumb, but it isn't painstakingly hard either. It's a very nice in between that provides challenge, without it being back breaking to accomplish. On a scale of 1-5, with 1 being the worst and 5 being the best...I definitely give the gameplay & story a solid 5. As I've said before, this is probably one of the best games of this generation.

The Game of the Year edition comes with all of the DLC expansions that were released for it and they are absolutely fantastic and definitely add another 100 hours of gameplay to the 100 you may have already put into it.  Generally what you pay for the game of the year edition is what you would have paid simply for the DLC anyways, and this way you get the base game as well.

I highly recommend this as a purchase
377538
From the makers of Oblivion comes Fallout 3. While similar to Oblivion there really is no comparison because the science-fiction story in F3 is not only leagues ahead but is movie quality on par with anything Valve has had to offer and then some more. F3 is an extremely story driven game and while the single player campaign is maybe shorter than expected you don't have to finish the game at all. You can go about the lands, engage the enemy (or friends) as much as you like. This is a major advantage that this game has. You can play it in so many different ways, do things differently, behave another way, good or bad, and the environment/story will respond accordingly. You can also freely roam the wastelands after you leave your home in a post-apocalyptic vault to venture outside, doing whatever you want and so while the main campaign is possibly undersized, F3 is not short of ways you can play it. In that respect the game is endless.

While the game is like a first person shooter there is also the RPG feature. This essentially means you might have a headshot in your line of site but it's only statistical. There is a special VATS system though where you can let a computer take control of your shot and you see the blast in slow motion and here you can see why the game has an adult rating. Things can get quite gruesome, bloody and severed although maybe a little repetitive in the ways things explode and this is one of the games criticisms (as well as maybe a little sluggish movement and lack of binoculars [but you have a sniper rifle]) but that is where they end. Everything else about this game is magnificent, immersive and addictive.

The wasteland itself is gigantic and is simply one of the most amazing landscapes designs for any game ever. It is flawless, virtually photorealistic at times and there is nothing even remotely like it. Every detail down to a rock crack is like it would appear from a digital camera shot of the real thing. You go on multiple missions around the wasteland visiting shanty towns, mines, destroyed settlements, castles, towers, cities, mountains, deserts and even ships that people are living on. The scope of the different surroundings is without parallel as well as the amount of gadgets you can collect, perks you can achieve and weapons you can trade. It is a do anything game on the scale of grand theft auto. You can either go it alone or go missions. The choice is yours and that is really what the game makers have done. Fallout 3 is all about how you play it. Fallout 3 is all about you.

Pros:
Possible candidate for best game of 2008, maybe ever!
Immersive world
The environment and landscape is celestial
Almost real
Endless gameplay

Cons:
Single player only
Heavy system requirements
Slightly sluggish
Repetitive VAT kills
1605947
The game is great. It is in DESPERATE need of patching though so save often! Mine crashes out at least one to three times every 4-6 hours of play. Another issue you may have is certain important NPC's will randomly die. I've seen this twice so far. Other than that the game is GREAT.

In this edition, the bobblehead, book and lunchbox are all nice but the "clock" is a piece of junk. Don't expect this thing to work at all. Expect this thing to just sit somewhere in your house looking nifty. It would be nice if Bethesda would do something about the problems people are having but I've seen no effort of the sort. I'll probably shy away from OMGSUPERDELUXE9000!!1! editions from them in the future.
1525304
The Ultimate Edition of Fallout: New Vegas is a an unbelievable deal. Between the main game and the DLC (which is included on a separate disc, just like the Fallout 3 GOTY edition) you are looking at 150+ hours of game time if you take your time and experience all the neat stuff this game offers. And that's just one play through. You'll want to play through the game several times because their are multiple solutions to many of the quests and several different endings. As in all of Bethesda games, you can absolutely ignore the main quest in this game and still have plenty of fun if you choose to. This game is a must own for any RPG enthusiast!

I've noticed a few people complaining about bugs so I've included a few tips. I've had a relatively smooth experience  on Fallout NV and all Bethesda games but I apply all the principles below;
1. Save often and always create a new save file. The only downside to this is after awhile when you have hundreds of saves the save and load function will become very slow. At that point you need to take about 10 minutes and delete most of your old saves and start the process over. Well worth it. Also nice if you want to go back to an earlier portion of the game and try something different. Finally, this will help on the outside chance one of your save files becomes corrupted. DO NOT save over old saves as this is the easiest way to cause a save file to be corrupted.
2. Install to the hard drive if you can. I vaguely remember playing Fallout 3 from the disc and having lots of lockups but installing to the hard drive seems to stop almost all of them.
3. Clear the cache from time to time especially after a long play sessions. If you notice lockups or performance lag this usually fixes it. However, do not clear the cache through the Xbox interface as this will cause you to have to reinstall the DLC. All Bethesda games have a hidden function that allows you to clear the cache without disrupting any DLC. Hold down both bumpers and the X button upon starting the game up should do the trick.
4. Finally, be glad you don't have this on the PS3 as this and almost all Bethesda games are practically unplayable.

Hope this helps, enjoy the game!
2431539
This thing is amazing, one of a kind collector's edition that probably won't come around again for a long time. So happy i got my hands on one within the few seconds they were available haha, The design is spot on to the in-game model, and the build is a good quality. The metallic pieces are finely crafted and the sheen on the plastic is perfectly done for that new vault-tec aesthetic feel. The game is already 10/10, best storyline yet of any Bethesda game and i can't wait to explore all over!  Great collector's edition, love it!!!
4783880
Lots of bugs, but that's Bethesda for you.  Amazingly large game.  I definitely got my money's worth out of this game.  Probably have 120 hours and am not even 20% done with everything.  So much sandbox.
1922326
Don't listen to all the hateful reviews , the fact its only 15 to 20 bucks now is quite a bargain if your a true Fallout 3 fan !  It isn't as good as the previous one but I feel it is a 3 out of 5 star game its like a big dlc extention package based in VEGAS Whats not to like !
2695539
I've been playing Mass Effect since the first one popped out and it's been a blast all the way through 3. There's been complaints, I don't care these are just my thoughts on the game, not on the complaints. I don't care about who made the game, just that the game is entertaining and worth the money dumped into it.

So having played through 1-3 watching events having effected the games to 3 has been something else. The game is more focused on the story with less side quests but, it's a galactic war with giant monsters killing everyone, you're not about to go delivering groceries to someone right? The combat has been improved a lot and balanced a bit better, everything is just smoother and less clunkier with more options on how to make your class.

Some elements from 2 stand still, the way you acquire armor/weapons but you can fine tune the gun in a far better fashion from 1, the fights are similar but again just smoother. 1 was a fantastic game but a lot of the RPG elements in combat where you needed to level your gun skill to aim better was annoying. It works in straight out RPGs but when you have direct control you feel like things are just sloppy when it's not down to your ability to aim.

There's a lot more work into making the game more diverse in the sense of bigger things happening rather than copy pasted movement to tell events. (this is hard to explain for me)

The biggest let down was the ending and lack of choices given, but I'm sure with DLC much like Fallout 3 that will change. And the ending can't really damage my review because with .001% of the game being that and the rest of it being just flat out fun I can't complain about just ONE part of the game.

Overall gameplay wise 3 is very much on top with more skills/trees/weapons, I'd say 2 was a bit better in the story department however only because 2 was able to be more open vs a galactic war.

Overall, I loved the game, crappy ending aside it's easily one of my favorite games recently. It was just a lot of action with the improved visuals/movement of the characters you got to feel the weight of what's going on more.

Multiplayer:

The multiplayer was a bit of a throw in but I wasn't expecting it to be as fun as it was. On PC the community has been 99% kind (reviving, not insulting you, generally polite) and there's not much more to say about that, except there's not many I've found with Mics.
The gameplay is basically Gears of War 2 horde mode with goals, leveling, Mass Effect powers and an unlock system where you gain credits for doing missions. You buy gear/characters with credits earned or if you're impatient (and a bit silly) you can spend actual money to gain crates.

Either way it was good overall for the buy. One other complaint is they advertized a lithograph came with it, it's literally a postcard without the lines for the address on the back. Irritating since a litograph is not just a printout like that. But that hardly effects gameplay.
1125160
A worthy sequel to Fallout 3, though I'm not as impressed by the faction alignment and the storyline as some reviewers. The atmosphere is less ominous than F3; wandering through the open Mojave tends to be less dangerous than exploring mutant filled ruins or ghoul filled subways in the Capitol wasteland. Upbeat western and Vegas themed radio stations replace Three Dog's tiresome preachyness. Gone are the dangerous albino radscorpions, feral ghoul reavers and super mutant behemoths, replaced by docile bighorners and easily defeated mantises. Even the bloatflies are less aggressive unless you get right in their faces. And with the ability to be accompanied by 2 companions, unless you have a deathclaw zeroed in on you, you just don't feel vulnerable very often.

My main criticisms of this game center around 2 things: First, I get a sense that the developers were kind of lazy on this one: The buggy game engine from F3 remains and is worse if anything; no game I've ever seen freezes as much as FNV. Locations don't have nearly the depth of those in F3, with many being nothing more than one room shacks requiring no exploration; texture flaws are common (like being able to find gaps and even being able to get stuck in them), and many of the quests involve simple repetitive tasks like ferrying messages back and forth between NPCs. Lastly, many of the items in this game were carried forward from F3 but some logic should have been applied to refining the items available. For example: There are no squirrels or iguanas to be seen, so where do squirrel on a stick and iguana bits come from? On the other hand, the radiation-free Colorado River has plenty of fish in it, but there are no fish food items. Second, it's pretty easy to create an invincible character. With 50 level-ups, maxing out your skills is no problem, and with all of the perks available including those from the add ons, plus far more powerful upgradeable weapons than F3 you become a fearless killing machine. Plus, accumulating wealth is far easier than in F3, so stockpiling ammo is easy. So the menacing feel of exploration in F3 is kind of lost and you end up looking forward to the next attack by whichever faction you are vilified by just for some action.

Playing in hardcore mode (where you have to maintain sleep, food and hydration levels) is an interesting twist but it doesn't make or break the game for me.

Having said all that, I like this game a lot. Exploring the Mojave is every bit as fun as the Capitol Wasteland, I love using the scoped weapons and I have way too many hours spent in a couple of playthroughs of this game. Like I said at the beginning, what are you waiting for? Buy this game!
2913441
Many have raised issues with the graphics and performance of Fallout 4 on PC and as a longtime fan I share their concerns- not crazy about the armor, not crazy about the weapons, not crazy about the landscape-- however I know from past experience that the user community fixes this stuff almost at launch, and no matter what Bethesda put out the modders would offer alternatives, usually better ones- so Bethesda has focused on delivering a compelling visual style, which I expect the user community to perfect.  Moving past those issues:  THIS. GAME. IS. BIG.  I mean BIG.  I'm one of those guys who insists on doing every side quest and uncovering every secret- I've been at this almost nonstop since launch and I still found new content last night.  This is the most bang/buck I have ever seen, and with this year's massive flops and failures Bethesda has certainly delivered.
376395
Positives: Great game. Hundreds of hours of fun. Negatives: Bethesda makes it, so it's buggy, crashes often, and is generally an extremely poorly coded game that should not have been released before it was ready. It runs slightly better than Fallout 3, but that's not saying much since Fallout 3 is almost unplayable.
2657460
The immense world of Fallout is absolutely phenomenal! This game and it's dlc make it the best title Bethesda has created to date! On normal mode this adventure is a beast but those challenges are hours worth of fun.
118253
I've been playing this game for about 4 hours total. It's fun, but there's nothing new. It's Fallout 3 set in Vegas. But that's fine, it's what I expected and it's great when it works. Unfortunately, the bugs, glitches, and freezes are there too. To give you some idea of how bad this is, I just had to hard reset my PS3 three times in 20 minutes due to complete freezing of the game. Bethesda had so many chances to fix these glitches with Fallout 3 and didn't. Fallout 3 GOTY? Nope. I'm STUNNED that New Vegas is suffering from the exact same problems.
3667727
My rating is based solely on the game- not the shipping, not the packaging, not how the weather was like when I received the game, or other silly things.

The graphics in "Fallout 4" looks great regardless which console you're using, but based on graphical comparisons I've made, the game looks just a teenee itsy bitsy bit better on the Xbox One than it does on the PlayStation 4. I've gotta say though, Bethesda Games really did a great job making sure "Fallout 4" looks great on all systems. You'll notice that you might be a little disappointed in the character graphics, but the games surroundings makes it all worth it.

The game itself is filled with fun (taking into consideration their 'rad' situation ;) ) and multi-dimensional characters, stories, and adventures. There's no prerequisite of playing past Fallout games to follow the story (but if you have played, you might enjoy a few funny nods to the past games). My favorite part is all the mystery and surprises you'll encounter rummaging through the 'Wasteland.' My husband makes fun of me, because I always like to stop and take forever to smell the flowers and LOOT IT ALLLLL in games we play, but I appreciate that in Fallout it's highly advised and beneficial. Make sure you look everywhere, because there are useful items no matter where you go!

Lastly, I loved that I didn't feel like I had to rush through the game so I don't get it spoiled by my husband or friends talking about plot points since everyone has a different experience! So go, take your time and smell the Fallouwers! Okay that was lame....there are no flowers in Fallout..
3120957
Not as good as Fallout 3 (which is more of an RPG) but I appreciate who streamlined everything has become in the game. It's pretty, wonderful atmosphere and lore, and the combat is finally decent. I just wish role playing was more of an option in this edition.
1629088
Quick Background:
I have quite a bit of technical knowledge and have played the Fallout series from the first game.
The computer that I am using is not state of the art, but it has some pretty good hardware capabilities.

FALLOUT 3 PROS:
-Extremely addicting game
-High Re-playability
-Very Violent
-Nice graphics and ambiance

FALLOUT 3 CONS:
-Lots of bugs, crashes, and the like, definitely needs a good patch
-Loss of humor from original games

The game was very well made. I had a lot of fun playing it, well still playing it. It isn't exactly like the old games, but that is why you have sequels, to make new games. If you want a game that is almost exactly the same as a prequel, that is called an expansion pack. The game shows a lot of the same scripts and looks as TES Oblivion. This is good, but it can be distracting.

Overall good game, but it needs a patch soon.

*I've since patched the game. Runs a lot better, however the time it takes for VATS to figure out your accuracy % has significantly increased.
655726
I love this game.  It's very addictive and looks great, even though it's cartoony.  Only thing I didn't like was the fact that the game of the year edition is not complete.  There is still an "Ultimate Vault Hunter Pack 2," all of the Headhunter Packs, and a bunch of skins that you'll have to buy separately if you want absolutely everything.  Maybe they'll make a "Complete Edition" or something?