I’m a bit of a busy bumble these days. Having committed myself to a full-time college course, an at-home games design course, editing for a website and contributing to two more, it’s hard to find some time to sit down and get a blog written.

As a result, this blog is more of a stopgap to keep you satiated until I can find the time to get a new blog post written up.

‘Prepare For The Future’ was a piece I wrote for the soon-to-be-defunct Blogs section of Square Go. I had completed the main storyline of the epic Fallout 3 and wanted to share my feelings on the masterpiece.

I hope it reads as well as I thought it did almost a year ago.

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Preapare For The Future

It’s over.

It’s done.

I’ve completed Fallout 3.

Ever since coming home, swinging my lunchbox through town, and then chatting with someone from the train who was swinging his as well, I’ve been addicted. Garnering around forty hours since the games release, I’ve played every moment I could capture. Essays for college and articles for other publications had been put on hold to make time for this triumph.  From the unique opening sequence to the end of the main story, I have sat enthralled through the entire journey.

And that’s what this game is: a journey. You choose your path, and play the game as you see fit. Will you be a bastard, or will you be a saint? Will you do good deeds out of the goodness of your heart, or will you make everyone pay for your services, no matter how destitute they may be? The choice is up to you, but no matter what moral bent you take, the game caters for them. Whether you decide to be good, evil, or attempt to stay neutral on a neutral allignment, you’ll stay engaged in the post-apocalyptic Capitol Wasteland.

But how did Bethesda manage such a feat? Was it the deeply emotional and engaging storyline, with every event and action you make feeling personal to you? Was it the wonderous visuals, the wasteland looking bleak and depressing, yet hauntingly serene and inviting? Or is it the fact that the combat is simply fantastic (blowing every limb off someone’s torso in ridiculously explosive slow-mo never gets boring)? God bless you, Bloody Mess.

It’s a mixture of all these features, plus many, many more, that make this one of the greatest games to be released in a long, long time. I can’t remember the last time I was so eager to get home from college or work to play a game, but Fallout 3 managed it.

But what now? I suppose I could explore every last area in the massive wastleland (amazingly, I’ve still not visited the White House), complete any unfinished sidequests,and also replay the game as an evil character. But the magic from playing the story through for the first time, with no idea what’s coming next, will never be recaptured. Fable 2 was relegated to the bottom of the pile when the Vault-Tec branded box of wonders entered the house, so I’ll probably end up getting that out again…

But you know what? All that put-off work, all those sacrificed hours of sleep, it was worth it. Fallout 3 is simply one of the greatest and most entertaining games ever developed, created from one of the most intriguing franchises ever. If you picked this up, then you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. If you didn’t, then that’s a shame, because you’ll genuinely be missing out on what can only be described as a milestone in modern gaming.

I prepared for the future. So should you.

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