Fallout 3 Preview

One of the more surprising developments at E3 2007 was the unveiling of Fallout 3, the new sequel from Bethesda Softworks. The long-awaited third installment of the mega-popular Fallout series had been in development help for the better part of a decade (check out the Tom's Games list of The Best Games Never Published). In fact, Fallout 3 was cancelled after the original Fallout creator Interplay fell into financial troubles, and the project look like it may never see the light of day.

However, Interplay sold much of the intellectual property for Fallout to Bethesda Softworks of Elder Scrolls fame in 2004. Bethesda remained silent on Fallout 3 for a couple of years, which gave fans trepidation. The developer released a Fallout 3 poster at last year's E3, but gamers were still concerned that game might never be made. Those fears were put to rest a few months ago when Bethesda released a short trailer for Fallout 3 along with some concept art (see the Fallout 3 slideshow for more). Even better, Bethesda showed a 45-minute preview of the game, which is scheduled for a fall 2008 release, at this year's show, proving once and for all that the game is not only vaporware but is also deep in development.

View the Fallout 3 E307 Slideshow (14 images)

Bethesda Softworks treated game journalists to a tour of the new game, and after seeing it firsthand, I was stunned at how good Fallout 3 looks and how well Bethesda Game Studios has updated the RPG series for a new generation. Bethesda executive producer Todd Howard, who helmed the acclaimed Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and is now overseeing Fallout 3, fired the game up on an Xbox 360 (on a side note, there were two Xbox 360's in the demo room and one had the red ring of death, and Howard warned media members that it could happen again).

Let's start at the beginning. First, the Fallout 3 trailer released last month is actually the game's opening sequence. Actor Ron Perlman, who provided the narration for the first two games, returns in Fallout 3 and utters the memorable line "War. War never changes," as the screen pans out and shows an all-new post-apocalyptic landscape. From there, Howard started the gameplay, which begins in Vault 101 near Washington, D.C. Howard said the game actually begins with the main character's birth and allows players to customize their characters at an early age.

According to Bethesda, much of the game takes place inside Vault 101, and two things became apparent right away. First, the game can be played in a first-person point of view as well as a third-person perspective. And second, the game has amazing visuals. Fallout 3 is powered by the same engine that game us Oblivion, and the game's graphics are simply outstanding. The vault itself boasts impressive detail and texture, while the character animation looks almost as good as what we see in Oblivion. This is definitely not the old, limited pixel animation of the first two Fallout games.

The game begins in the vault, and players must familiarize themselves with the underground society and the individual NPCs, including the main character's father (voiced by Liam Neeson). Howard said the father's appearance will change to more closely resemble how each player character's appearance is customized. And no RPG game would be complete without a host of unique skills and attributes to choose from; in Fallout 3, players can select three specialty skills to shape their characters. The dialogue tree is pretty much the same as the first two games, with the same witty and humorous options that made Fallout a classic. The Pip-Boy interface also returns, and the updated version for Fallout 3 looks fantastic with all of the players' stats and skills lined up.

Howard said the first part of the game is designed to immerse players in the vault's environment and way of life. "We're very, very anal about our worlds," Howard said. "We want to make it real." That's one of the reason's that Bethesda decided to have a first-person view for the game, though Howard later demonstrated the third person perspective, which can be panned out to an overhead view for the "old school" experience.

Another returning element from the first two games is the Mr. Handy robot, which made a hilarious appearance in the demo. After giving a quick tour of the Vault, Howard provided a little back story for the game. The main character's father, a genetic scientist, mysteriously departs Vault 10, which has been sealed for 200 years since the atomic war of 2077. Players therefore must also escape the vault against orders and venture out into the post-apocalyptic world of Washington, D.C., now known as the Capitol Wasteland.

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