by Ryan Henson

Created on: March 03, 2009

"War never changes." That is the tagline from Fallout 3's ad campaign, promising a game laden with post apocalyptic chaos. It's soon into the game that you understand this isn't just a tagline. Everything in the game revolves around war and its place in human nature. Its plot is a mash-up of countless sci-fi movies that have explored this theme. Start with a thick base of Mad Max-style anarchists in studded leather, add a dash of machines-gone-wild flavor(ala the Terminator or Matrix series) and finish off with some totalitarian baddies that look like Storm Trooper rejects, and you've got yourself a veritable cornucopia of futuristic dystopia. And the developers earn kudos for being able to incorporate these elements with a sly wink and a nod, and not seem too derivative.

The game is set in an alternative future, in which the cold war was never defused and the arms race led on into the 21st century, eventually ending in nuclear war. You find yourself born in a huge underground bomb-shelter society, led by a cult-like leader who bans access to the outside world. Needless to say, when your father mysteriously disappears, your fortunes lead you to venture out into said outside world - bleak, sandy and desolate populated by graveyards of gutted buildings, mutated rodents, and occasional roving robots that look like B9 from Lost in Space. Resources are scarce, and factions still wage war over scrap electronic parts and clean water. Your goal is to find your father, but it's no spoiler to say that you eventually end up helping to save the world.

At its nuts and bolts, this is a pretty standard RPG. The game engine is very similar to that of Oblivion, the developers' hit RPG from a few years back, and though it's taken out of the high fantasy world, most of the elements translate pretty directly. Instead of magical potions, you have performance enhancing steroids and super-caffeinated "Nuka Cola". Instead of enchanted plate armor and magic wands, you have laser pistols and electrically powered metal suits. And many of the chores are the same, such as quests that require you to kill X amount of giant rats.

What really carries this game, however, is the storyline. Your role begins literally as your character begins. You open your eyes as a baby, and your character learns to crawl as you learn the controls. The message is clear that this game is aimed toward immersion. You're not role playing as the main character, you ARE the main character. Though the game might

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