War...War Never Changes...

The year was 2077. No one knows who fired the first nuclear bomb. But what ensued was not the end of days, but a new beginning.

Humanity, almost a century later, began to emerge from the pre-war, underground vaults that had protected them from the blasts and radiation. 200 years after the war, the first member of Vault 101 left the safety of their steel chasm, and what did he see?

Behold the future of our world...

...according to video game developer Bethesda in its addition to the Fallout series; Fallout 3.

Originally being a brain-child of game developer Black Isle Studios, until their parent company Interplay closed them down, the first two games of the Fallout franchise were bleak looks into the future of humanity, with a bit of silly pop culture references - ranging from everyday things like Coca Cola, called "Nuka-Cola" in the game, to the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch; an item that - yes - you can actually get in Fallout 2.

And, for the first time, Fallout leaves California, and instead takes to the barren wastes of Washington D.C., showcasing the remains of places like the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial and even the White House - which looks like a battered shell of the former government that once took refuge within it.

The terrain for this game seems to be almost neverending and you can put a footprint on every inch of its possibly radiated goodness; coming across everything from ferrel dogs to super mutants - massive, disformed human beings who were made mishapen by the Forced Evolutionary Virus, referred to as F.E.V. in the game - while you travel.

And behind every great hero is a great weapon. So what's your protagonist packing?

There are three general statistics that can boost your proficiency with certain types of guns: small guns (which include pistols, rifles, and assault rifles), big guns (miniguns, missile launchers, flame throwers, and a very fun weapon that deserves its own paragraph), and energy weapons (lazors that can literally disintegrate your foes). Of course, there are genades of all types and shapes and - for the first time in the Fallout franchise -mines; which use the explosives statistic. But nevermind all of that weak sauce.

Why?

Because I've got a portable nuclear bomb shooter.

And yes, you did read that sentence correctly:

They Call It The "Fat Man"

Sure, it's not the most subtle weapon out there. But look at it this way: if you use it, there probably won't be anyone left to see you sneaking around anyway.

For those of us who like using the sneak skill, and not just nuking everything in our path, will need some way to aim our guns. And Bethesda offers two methods for that: you can free-hand shoot, where you point your crosshairs at a target and press the trigger button, or there is V.A.T.S. (pictured to the left, being used on a Super Mutant) - which stands for: Vault-Assisted Targeting System.

Every limb is targetable - although, unlike in the first two installments, Bethesda has removed the ability to target anyone's eyes or groin area. Even their weapon can be shot, which is usually done to disarm your enemies. If you aim at a grenade they're holding - or a missile they're firing - and you hit, it actually explodes mid-flight; possibly causing some extra damage to the holder.

But combat is just a small portion of the hours-upon-hours of gameplay that Fallout 3 packs. And while there is a fairly linear main-storyline that - I have heard - is fairly short, in the 24 or 25 hours or that I've spent playing it, I haven't bothered even touching it.

Between side-quests and just roaming around the D.C. area - admiring how Bethesda was able to so perfectly capture the sheer decimation and aftermath of our nuclear war - playing the game, I feel not just content, but invigorated and inspired to give in to my post-apocalyptic wanderlust.

That is, before my friend's Xbox 360 broke from the overexertion of sleepless nights at his house.

Yes, it is that good. Easily the best $65 dollars (which is including the California sales tax rate) I and my brother have spent in years.

Best of all, if you buy the Collector's Edition, it comes with a book full of the developer's artwork for the game, a "making-of" DVD for the game, a metal Vault-Tec lunchbox, and a bobble-head figure of Fallout's mascot, the PIPBoy (the colorful character on the right):

I Can't Wait For The Future