Fallout 3

Firstly, the standard game alone will provide hours of entertainment. It's one of my all time favourite games and will probably be yours too once you get into it. To sum it up Fallout 3 is set 2277, in a post apocalyptic wasteland (US and China went to war) where mankind is struggling to survive. You have lived in a vault all your life, and its been closed for 200 years. But your dad opens the vault and mysteriously disappears -- this is when you go out into the wasteland in search for him. The rest is history is guess. Its a fantastic story with unlimited variety.

Now for the add-ons, this Game of Year edition includes the original FO3 game as well as all 5 add-on packs. Its great value and is about £20 cheaper than buying/downloading each add-on seperatley. Don't get this wrong, these aren't quick attempts to rake in some money but fully fledged stories which add hours onto the already generous storyline, best of all there is 5 of them.

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THE ADD-ONS
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Operation: Anchorage. Enter a military simulation and fight in one of the greatest battles of the Fallout universe - the liberation of Anchorage, Alaska from its Chinese Communist invaders. Gain access to unique armor, weapons, and exotic gadgets while you build and command interactive Strike Teams to win the battle and defeat the Chinese base.

The Pitt allows you to travel to the post-apocalyptic remains of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and become embroiled in a conflict between slaves and their Raider masters. Explore a sprawling settlement ravaged by time, neglect, nuclear radiation, and moral degradation. The Pitt is filled with morally grey choices, shady NPCs, new enemies, new weapons, and much mo

Continue your existing Fallout 3 game and finish the fight against the Enclave remnants alongside Liberty Prime. Broken Steel moves the level cap for your character from 20 to 30, allowing you to experience even more of the game, including new perks and achievements.

Point Lookout opens up a massive new area of the Wasteland - a, dark, murky swampland along the coast of Maryland. So hop on the ferry to the seaside town of Point Lookout, for the most mysterious and open-ended Fallout 3 DLC adventure yet.

Defy hostile alien abductors and fight your way off of the massive Mothership Zeta, orbiting Earth miles above the Capital Wasteland. Mothership Zeta takes Fallout 3 in an entirely new direction - outer space. Meet new characters and join with them in a desperate bid to escape the Aliens' clutches. To do so, you'll wield powerful new weapons, like the Alien Atomizer, Alien Disintegrator, and Drone Cannon, and deck yourself out in brand new outfits, like the Gemini-Era Spacesuit and even Samurai Armor.

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CONCLUSION
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I thoroughly enjoyed all 5 of the new add-ons, they were great in their own way. I think Mothership Zeta was the weakest though, and Broken Steel is easily the best. It raises your level ability , and continues the original story perfectly. Even so, once you have finished this you'll just want to play them all.

I'd advise you to play them in the order below (just my opinion)

1ST = FALLOUT 3 STORY - make sure you spend your sweet time doing everything you can
2nd = BROKEN STEEL
3RD = OPERATION ACNHORAGE
4TH = THE PITT
5TH = POINT LOOKOUT
6TH = MOTHERSHIP ZETA

Fallout 3 is a game about post-apocalyptic Washington D.C. You start off when you are born in Vault 101 (a place where the survivors of the Nuclear war between America and China are living) and work your way up to when you are 19 years old and your dad leaves the vault. You now decide to try and find him, but it is more complicated than it sounds, giving you many twists and turns along the way. The journey will have you fighting a huge array of monsters, from giant Super Mutants to fire breathing ants and meeting loads of new and interesting characters (Some human and some not).

When i first saw the game Fallout 3 i had mixed views. I couldn't decide if it was just another atmospheric RPG wannabe or if it would be something truly unique and reshape the face of gaming for years to come. Of course, it is the latter. This game is truly incredible. When you first play it its hard to take in just how much there is to do and find and i think i may never be completely finished with it.
After having played it for around 2 or 3 hours, i wasn't fully impressed. I found it difficult to obtain weapons and ammo and i found myself dying almost every time i met an enemy. However, once my level had begun to increase and i had better equipment then the game really began to shine. I have been playing for around 40 hours now and i am still far from finished but i cannot take my eyes away.

THE GOOD:

-The game and the 5 add-ons will probably take you <120 hours to complete (100 hours to fully complete the main game and 20-25 for the add-ons).
-Doesn't glitch anywhere near as much as some reviews say it does (after playing the game for 40 hours i have had to restart my system 3 times)
-A unique combat system (V.A.T.S. is where you can slow down time and target separate areas of an enemies body for deadly attacks)
-Incredibly atmospheric. The soundtrack and voice acting are all top notch, allowing for you to really become a part of the Fallout world.
-The landscapes and the attention to detail is wonderful, every building is a joy to look at
-An in depth RPG system. There are skills to upgrade, S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats to choose, karma level to consider, guns to maintain, side quests, multiple types of armor, a now (after the Brotherhood of Steel add-on) level 30 level cap, etc etc.

THE BAD

-Character faces and animations seem limited at times
-Game can crash occasionally (but rarely) and bugs tend to occur
-Takes a few hours to get going
-May be over complicated for some (if so i recommend buying the guide which tells you everything you will ever need to know)
-No sort of multiplayer. If you are looking for a game to play with your friends then this is not one for you
-Not recommended for younger/ Novice gamers. The game has a lot of depth and can be daunting if you are new to RPGs.
OVERALL

Graphics- 9/10. Nothing special but the way Bethesda have managed to fit it into such a huge area is incredible
Gameplay- 10/10. A near flawless experience which is hard to be challenged by other games
Presentation- 10/10. The Game is hugely atmospheric and charming in every way.
Longevity- 10/10. The game was long enough as standard, but with the added expansion packs it will take you quite a while to become bored of Fallout 3

Fallout 3 is definitely one of my favorite games of all time. It is stylish and charming and there is a huge amount of things to do. This game goes highly recommended to any gamer who is looking for an easy pass time and although it may not be to the liking of more casual gamers, it is certainly a game that will take a long time to forget.

This game is a masterpiece. Totally engrossing and utterly beautiful.

This Game of the Year edition is my first venture into the Fallout world, and I was a tiny bit nervous about the negative reports concerning the freezing issues. Well, i've played the game all the way through, including the extra content, and I have not experienced any such effects. No freezing, no skips, nothing.
Now, I take care of my ps3. I keep it cool, I keep it on a raised surface, I regularly clean the dust from the vents at the back, and I never run it for more than 4 hours at a time.
Now i'm not saying that all the people who report problems with their games don't look after their consoles, but I certainly believe that looking after your console helps games run at their optimum level.
Anyways, make of that what you will.

The game itself though, is a joy to behold. The storyline is genuinely affecting. It will play with your emotions, and on many occasions you will find yourself in the midst of realistic moral decisions. The outcome of which will certainly effect which path the story takes.
The control system and experience/level-up system appears very complex on the surface, and if you are relatively inexperienced with role-play games, then the learning curve may seem a little steep. But persevere, and it will all slot into place.

Some people will be put off by the First person perespective. I nearly was. But after only a short time, it becomes clear as to why this setting was employed as the game's default. It sucks you in more, it makes you feel part of the action, rather than simply controlling it from above.

A unique selling point that needs mentioning is the VATS system. It basically allows you to slow-motion time, and target specific parts of enemies' bodies. At worst, this is hugely comical, and at best it is absolutely essential for defeating certain foes.

It's pointless for me to go into the plot. Doing that would ruin the experience, and wouldn't lend anything to this review.
This game is of such high quality that the setting is almost irrelevant when deciding whether to buy it or not.
Suffice to say that the game is set in a post-nuclear war era of Earth's history, populated by groups of human settlers, and sporadic bands of various monsters/creatures. You don't need to know any more than that.

In my view, if you're after a game that will suck you into another world, this is it.
If you want a game that effects you emotionally, and makes you think, this is it.
If you want a game that will take you months to complete fully (elite), this is it.

If however you want a game that requires zero intelligence to play, and where you just simply shoot stuff, then move on. This is a game for people with a brain.

Buy this game, it'll be the best thing you play all year, and it'll remind you why you got into gaming in the first place.