GAMES: GameSpot | GameFAQs MUSIC: Last.fm | MP3.com MOVIES: Metacritic | Movietome TV: TV.com
Home | About Metacritic | About Metascores | What's New | Wireless Versions | Discussion Forums | Advertising Inquiries | Contact Us | RSS
Metacritic.com: We Deal With Criticism
     Help
> Switch to Advanced Search  
Film Video/DVD Music Games TV

Games

Playstation Reviews
PS3 | PS2 | PS One | PSP

Xbox Reviews
Xbox 360 | Xbox

Nintendo Reviews
Wii | DS | GBA | Cube | N64


PC | N-Gage | Dreamcast

How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Games In Our Forums

 

Upcoming & Recent Releases

sort by name sort by score

xx 4 Elements
xx 7 Wonders: Treasures of Seven
xx Agatha Christie: Death on the Nile
xx Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? Make the Grade
xx Astro Tripper
xx Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Path of Zuko
78 Bejeweled Twist
xx Bionic Commando
xx Bolt
xx Brain Training for Dummies
81 Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway
72 Bully: Scholarship Edition
xx Burnout Paradise
xx Call of Atlantis
84 Call of Duty: World at War
xx CellZenith
xx Chronicles of Mystery: The Scorpio Ritual
xx Chronicles of Spellborn, The
xx Combat Wings: Battle of Britain
82 Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
xx Commander: Napoleon at War
xx Crayon Physics Deluxe
84 Crysis Warhead
56 CSI: NY - The Game
56 Dark Horizon
86 Dead Space
xx Deer Hunter Tournament
81 Defense Grid: The Awakening
xx Dr. Lynch: Grave Secrets
xx Dynasty Warriors 6
xx Empire: Total War
xx Europa Universalis: Rome - Vae Victis
62 Everlight: Magic & Power
xx EverQuest II: The Shadow Odyssey
xx Exodus from the Earth
xx F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin
92 Fallout 3
86 Far Cry 2
76 FIFA Manager 09
77 FIFA Soccer 09
82 Football Manager 2009
82 Galactic Civilizations II: Endless Universe
xx Godfather II, The
43 Gothic 3: Forsaken Gods
89 Grand Theft Auto IV
49 Guild 2: Venice, The
67 Guitar Hero: Aerosmith
66 Hardy Boys: The Hidden Theft, The
xx Hell's Kitchen
xx High School Musical 3: Senior Year Dance!
65 Hinterland
xx History Channel Civil War: Secret Missions
xx Igor The Game
81 King's Bounty: The Legend
xx Kudos 2
89 Left 4 Dead
47 Legendary
80 LEGO Batman
xx Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust
72 Line Rider 2: Unbound
86 Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria, The
xx Lord of the Rings: Conquest, The
56 Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
xx Mirror's Edge
xx MLB Front Office Manager
xx Mosby's Confederacy
64 Moto GP 08
73 Mount & Blade
70 MySims
xx Nancy Drew Dossier: Lights, Camera, Curses!
84 Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy
78 NBA 2K9
66 Need for Speed Undercover
xx Neopets Puzzle Adventure
74 Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir
71 Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortals
70 Nostradamus: The Last Prophecy
xx Operation Mania
xx Orb and the Oracle, The
81 Peggle Nights
81 Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness - Episode 2
xx Perimeter 2: New Earth
xx Pet Pals: New Leash on Life
xx Pipe Mania
82 Prince of Persia
75 Project Aftermath
81 Pure
xx Puzzlegeddon
70 Quantum of Solace
70 Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches
62 Rise of the Argonauts
75 S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky
71 Sacred 2: Fallen Angel
75 Saints Row 2
xx Samantha Swift and the Hidden Roses of Athena
53 SAS: Secure Tomorrow
xx SCORE International Baja 1000
xx Secret Service
xx Shaun White Snowboarding
xx Shrek's Carnival Craze
83 Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization
62 Silent Hill: Homecoming
xx Sims 2: Mansion & Garden Stuff, The
60 Space Trader: Merchant Marine
51 Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
xx Spore: Creepy & Cute Parts Pack
xx Steel Fury : Kharkov 1942
81 Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Episode 2: Strong Badia the Free
79 Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Episode 3: Baddest of the Bands
81 Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Episode 4: Dangeresque 3: The Criminal Projective
82 Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Episode 5: 8-Bit is Enough
xx Sword of the Stars: A Murder of Crows
xx Tale of Despereaux, The
xx Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction
80 Tomb Raider Underworld
xx Top Chef: The Game
73 Vampyre Story, A
xx War Leaders: Clash of Nations
xx War Plan Pacific
86 Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
86 Witcher: Enhanced Edition, The
90 World of Goo
91 World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
71 WorldShift
74 X3: Terran Conflict
xx X-Blades

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games.



Printer-Friendly Version Email This Page Discuss In Our Forums
Fallout 3 pc Game Reviews
Fallout 3
Critic Score
Metascore: 92 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
7.9 out of 10
based on 44 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 549 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game

[Metacritic's 2008 PC Game of the Year] Vault-Tec engineers have worked around the clock on an interactive reproduction of Wasteland life for you to enjoy from the comfort of your own vault. Included is an expansive world, unique combat, shockingly realistic visuals, tons of player choice, and an incredible cast of dynamic characters. Every minute is a fight for survival against the terrors of the outside world – radiation, Super Mutants, and hostile mutated creatures. From Vault-Tec, America's First Choice in Post Nuclear Simulation. Vault 101 - Jewel of the Wastes. For 200 years, Vault 101 has faithfully served the surviving residents of Washington DC and its environs, now known as the Capital Wasteland. Though the global atomic war of 2077 left the US all but destroyed, the residents of Vault 101 enjoy a life free from the constant stress of the outside world. Giant Insects, Raiders, Slavers, and yes, even Super Mutants are all no match for superior Vault-Tec engineering. Yet one fateful morning, you awake to find that your father has defied the Overseer and left the comfort and security afforded by Vault 101 for reasons unknown. Leaving the only home you've ever known, you emerge from the Vault into the harsh Wasteland sun to search for your father, and the truth. [Bethesda Softworks]

PUBLISHER: Bethesda Softworks
DEVELOPER: Bethesda Softworks
GENRE(S): Role-Playing Game
PLAYERS: 1
ESRB RATING: M (Mature)
RELEASE DATE: October 28, 2008

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
LEVEL (Czech Republic)
A vast and open world of unimaginable possibilities opens in front of you in Fallout 3. Great story, flawless combat system, and the option to choose your own way makes it a hot candidate for game of the year. [Nov 2008]
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
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
100
Game Revolution
That’s the beauty of survival, and this world of fallout: It feeds on adventure and breathes in freedom, yet it dreams of order and the safety of the Vault. I can describe it, explain it, tell it in finely chosen words, but I can never make you fully understand for as long as you sit and listen. But even if I die, I do not worry. There will come a time when you will seize that lever and open that metal door, and it is then I will return.
Read Full Review
100
G4 TV
The ironically devastated world of Fallout has never been better realized than in Fallout 3, offering a vast landscape that is almost relentlessly bleak in its hopelessness. It's absorbing, immersive, paradoxically beautiful, and kind of depressing to play over long periods of time.
Read Full Review
100
Thunderbolt
I hesitate to say, at this early stage, that this is actually a better game than either Fallout 1 or 2, but it very well may be; at the least, it is game-of-the-year material.
Read Full Review
100
The Onion (A.V. Club)
A massive, enthralling achievement.
Read Full Review
100
Cynamite
After this game-experience negative points are hard to find. Sure, the radio program is not mind-blowing and the third-person-view is suboptimal. But this doesn’t matter, as Fallout 3 is wonderful and even a class better than Bethesda’s last title - Oblivion.
Read Full Review
100
Total PC Gaming
Vast, visceral and every inch of it is worthy of the highest acclaim. Pure genius. [Issue#14, p.48]
97
MEGamers
Combining 1950s art style with a sci-fi mix, gives the game a unique heartbeat. Fallout 3 is a game that will last in your mind long after you’re done playing it, thanks to its memorable characters and adrenaline filled combat. We can finally derive at a conclusion that Fallout 3 is NOT Oblivion with guns!
Read Full Review
96
IGN
It's rare that a game can hit the mark in so many different and often conflicting areas. 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
96
Gamer 2.0
So what you have here with Fallout 3 is a great addition to the series, even if you are a die-hard fan of Black Isle Studios’ work with the previous Fallout titles. It has some slight faults, but the quality of the rest of the package more than makes up for it all.
Read Full Review
96
Worth Playing
Fallout 3 isn't perfect, and some longtime fans may focus more on what it isn't rather than what it has become in Bethesda's hands, but its shortcomings pale before the fun that kept pushing me ahead to find out what was over the next hill of rubble.
Read Full Review
96
AtomicGamer
The PC version's controls are certainly sharp and I found myself pulling off many more headshots and quick kills with a mouse and keyboard than I could on the console counterparts, but if you really do want to play with a gamepad, Fallout 3 does fully support the 360 controller on the PC as well.
Read Full Review
95
Gameplanet
The sequel we've been waiting for. It more than lives up to years of expectation, as Bethesda has seamlessly transitioned the franchise from RPG to tactical FPS without skipping a beat. Game of the year? Quite possibly.
Read Full Review
95
Meristation
Fallout 3 is one of this year's best games. It's an unforgettable journey that lives up to the series. You are an ex-vault 101 inhabitant, and you discover a whole new world, full of zombies, mutants, raiders, aliens and all kinds of creatures. Welcome to this post-apocaliptic reality, where you are going to spend hundreds of hours.
Read Full Review
95
GamingExcellence
Fallout 3 is an experience in itself, and while it may not offer as much replay value as Oblivion, it’s so much more then an “Oblivion with guns”.
Read Full Review
93
GameStar
Fallout 3, a successful reanimation of a classic role-playing game, is one of the best modern RPGs and one of the greatest games of 2008. With up to date 3D graphics, good game design and adequate playing time, it's one of those rare pleasant surprises one doesn't dare to hope for anymore. For some it's almost video game art, but it's definitely very good entertainment.
Read Full Review
93
DailyGame
Different from Oblivion but bound to be compared to it, Fallout 3 is deep, rewarding and as open-world as you get, with only a few issues that warrant a sight raise of the eyebrow.
Read Full Review
93
GamingXP
Fallout 3 is an outstanding game. The main story claims a small part of the whole post-apocalyptic world, which can be explored totally free.
Read Full Review
92
GameZone
Fallout 3 is the best PC game I have played all year, the developers did a bang up job of making the series come alive once more and I for one couldn't be happier.
Read Full Review
91
PC Gamer
But Fallout 3 has fidelity to its predecessors in more important ways, such as offering an incredible depth of role-playing opportunities. [Holiday 2008, p.54]
91
Gamers.at
The unique Fallout-Atmosphere has survived the changes in the gameplay without a scratch! Players can easily overlook the shortcomings of the German synchronization – and maybe it is even because the game provides such a high level of quality that it seems as if true highlights are missing. Unrivalled in freedom of choice and complexity it has become a worthy heir to the great line of previous Fallout games. [Issue # 16]
91
PC Zone UK
For a pure-hearted escapist adventure, and what I consider the meatiest and most satisfying combat system around, you can't go wrong with Fallout 3. It's been a rocky road, but we got there in the end. [Dec 2008, p.50]
90
PC Gamer UK
Thrillingly dark, gruesomely adult and one of the most atmospheric games ever. [Dec 2008, p.66]
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
90
Total Video Games
There's no denying Fallout 3 is little more than Oblivion in a post-apocalyptic setting. However that's more a compliment than complaint.
Read Full Review
90
PC PowerPlay
Minor niggles aside, Fallout 3 is almost entirely spectacular. Everything from the graphics, to the sound, to the plot is first-rate. The VATS system worlds like a charm, and it’s so easy to get the hang of, you’ll be cracking skulls like there’s no tomorrow. [Dec 2008, p.55]
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
YouGamers
Great game and definitely worthy of being called Fallout, easily beating my modest expectations. Not perfect, but the flaws are mostly inconsequential when you consider the big picture. Excellent storyline, interesting game world and plenty of gratuitous violence.
Read Full Review
90
Hardcore Gamer Magazine
Fallout 3 is the biggest accomplishment in adventure gaming since Oblivion.
Read Full Review
90
PC Format
It couldn't possibly satisfy all of our hopes, but Fallout 3 is still a glorious experience that will utterly nuke your social life. [Christmas 2008, p.86]
90
PC Games (Germany)
Not only is Bethesda's masterpiece a worthy successor to the precious Fallout franchise, but it is also, simply put, one of the best action-roleplaying games in years.
Read Full Review
90
AceGamez
Undoubtedly a worthy title in its own right and has enough character and charm, coupled with solid gameplay, to make this one day after tomorrow that you shouldn't miss.
Read Full Review
90
Game Over Online
In Fallout 3 Bethesda has made a very good thing, though it is somewhat hampered by the lack of variable scenery and a VATS that plays less than perfectly.
Read Full Review
90
DarkZero
Regardless of the sometimes-weak combat, this is role-playing at its finest.
Read Full Review
89
3DJuegos
Fallout 3 brings back a legendary saga to the foreground of video games and it does it with remarkable successes. Graphically it is a very powerful title, the ambience is carefully planned, and its size, freedom and scope are its principal highlights. It is as captivating a game in the beginning as easy to forget in the mid term; despite this, we can say that it is a title that is worth trying.
Read Full Review
83
GameShark
This is a good game. It’s a really good game. It’s only failing is that it has a mark of greatness upon it and, ever so cruelly, fails to completely achieve it.
Read Full Review
80
Giant Bomb
Across the three platforms, the PC version of Fallout 3 is the best, provided you have hardware that can handle it. The PC version has better lighting, a bit more graphical detail, and just looks better, overall. It's a Games For Windows Live game, too, so if you're dead set on playing the game with an Xbox 360 controller, you can do that on the PC, as well. Additionally, it has achievements, just like the 360 version, though they're kept separately--this means you could technically double up, play the game to completion on both the 360 and the PC, and have double the points as a result.
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
80
Boomtown
Bethesda has done the Fallout series justice and should be proud of the game they made, unfortunately, the scope of the project was too much for them and the PC game felt unfinished in places, but simply outstanding in other areas.
Read Full Review
72
Computer Games Online RO
The main quest is pretty short and unimpressive, but this was never the “backbone” of a Fallout game. I’d estimate that an uninterrupted run through the main story could take around 3-4 hours, while not being particularly juicy.
Read Full Review
70
2404.org
Fallout 3 is just mediocre. It’s bogged down by too many problems, engine issues, and poor writing to really wrestle its way into classic status.
Read Full Review
70
Edge Magazine
It’s a game that rewards the long-haul with deep, inventive missions which eschew the usual fetch and kill structure, ensuring that the many hours spent in Fallout 3’s wasteland aren’t wasted. [Christmas 2008, p.88]

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 7.9 (out of 10) based on 549 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

[Anonymous] gave it a0:
I would have given this game a 10, IF I COULD PLAY IT!!! This game is so buggy you can breath without it crashing. See for yourself go tot he official website, forums and PC issues, You will find page, after page after page after page of glitches, bugs, hardware issues, Software issues, and all around bad programming on Bethesda's part. Seriously, Bethesda makes awesome games if you could actually play ANY of them, all of their games are so buggy and they never even bother to fix any of it, they just release one or two patches to fix small problems like a particle of dust going in the wrong direction on some obscure level you have never been to and will probably never find, and just forgets that game exists, moves on to their next horrible game and make more money. Bethesda should get off their butts and fix this game, or give it to someone who knows what the hell they are doing! They really are AWESOME games during the 10 minutes you can actually play them before it decides that you're stepping on too many cracks in the pavement and kicks you back to your desktop.

Andrew R. gave it a9:
I honestly believe that although Fallout 3 was unlike the first two of the franchise, it is in itself a very well developed and enjoyable game. What is even better is how people giving this game 0's and 2's try to enforce their beliefs using conspiracy theories and grandios vocabulary. Its a joy to read how people rate the game 0 out of 10 because they were to foolish to read the minimum reqs, and how the intellectually disinclined behave . Bloody Mess ftw.

Wilson T. gave it a4:
Boring characters, quite slow, tiring quests that don't generate enthusiam. Fallout 3 really needed to be a lot better to deserve the high marks. After hours of playing, this had not grabbed me and I left feeling rather unsatisfied, but not disgusted.

Kevin Z. gave it a7:
This game is decent, but doesn't live up to the first two. Other reviews cover the pros pretty well, I will focus on cons. Combat is fun enough, but not very challenging. I wish there were more actual cities- Unlike the original Fallouts which had plenty of interesting places, this world feels somewhat empty. It is, however, fun to explore. The biggest problem is definitely the main storyline. I was honestly amazed anyone even took this one beyond the brainstorming phase. Incredibly uninteresting. An immersive world is not enough, I want a story that makes me feel some sort of emotion and/or sparks my imagination. And don't tell me I have to make my own stories, that argument only goes so far. Oh, also plot holes do not constitute interesting developments.

Robert B. gave it an8:
The good: Immersive atmosphere, good graphics, large game world, interesting lore, good compromise between action/RPG elements. ........ The bad: Terrible AI (you can literally blow an enemy's head off while he's mid-conversation with one of his friends, and his friend will just casually walk away), mediocre stock user interface, poorly-written and implemented main story, repetitive game-play with few well-crafted encounters, unbalanced game mechanics, numerous glitches and quirks. ..... Redeeming factor: The GECK (construction kit) will be released soon, and user mods will vastly improve most facets of the game.

Chuck L. gave it a10:
Wow! This game is totally awesome! Selecting your sex, your Look, and first missions when you are a baby. Fixing guns, armor accessories and other stuff. And details of world and effects are amazing! THANK YOU FALLOUT3 team! :3

Darren M. gave it a6:
This game doesn't do it for me like Half Life 2 or even Oblivion. It's really boring. Love the 50s music though. Half Life was an extension of my being . I was inside the monitor literally. This game makes me detached because it's so dam hard. trying to find someone in one of the quests was a chore. went to the places they told me too. killed everything talked to people but couldn't find the person. Got very frustrated ,wandered around the wasteland only to be killed by monsters with a 10 mm gun which quickly run out of ammo(no key for the armoury-couldn't find it). What do I do after that? Just wander around with no ammo waiting to be killed rinse repeat. Don't like this game at all sorry. Overhyped. VATS system bores me too.

Read more user comments...

Discuss this game in our forums

Return to top of page
Home | FILM | DVD/VIDEO | MUSIC | GAMES | TV | Forums | About Metacritic metacritic.com

Popular on CBS sites: MLB | Spore | iPhone 3G | Paris Hilton | Antivirus Software | GPS | Recipes | Shwayze | NFL

About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2008 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use