Reviews// Fallout 3

On the first point: if you love the cut and thrust of real-time combat and you don't mind not having anything to whinge about, here's my tip – don't use V.A.T.S. That's it, just don't invoke it at any time. You'll be amazed how not using it will make you happy.

On the second point: that's rubbish. The system is easy to use with either 360 or PS3. I can use it.

I also adopted the dual approach. Quite simply in some situations, auto-targeting a number of opponents makes sense and does the job. In others, you are better off simply having at your adversaries using standard FPS tactics.

When it comes down to it, however, the blowing people away (or knifing them or punching them or firing teddy bears and tin cans at them) elements of F03 are not what keep me coming back to it – even after the execrable Neeson. What keeps me coming back to it is the same thing that makes me prefer documentaries over blockbusters – I'm a boring masochist. No. Take what follows as an spoiler free example of a standard situation in FO3.

You take your character down a road in the middle of a side-quest that you hope will:

a) Make you allies.
b) Make you bottle-tops (sorry, caps) – which are currency.
c) Add to your experience.
d) Help you get closer to finding dad.
e) Get you some better weapons/armour/skills/intelligence.

You decide not to spend the entire walk crouched over in a sneak (enabling you to be made aware of whether you're being observed or you're about to be attacked). So, you stand up. Pop into first-person, pop back to third. Tuck into some molerat meat, indulge your recent addiction to whisky; generally take in the scenery and feel that all is well with the world. You don't even notice that the background music and sound effects are keeping you in a constant state of fear – you can cope with the fear now.

You can even cope with the mad dogs that are rushing you from all sides. Well, you can't. As usual your (Okay, 'my') ammo management has been chaotic and appalling leaving you with knuckledusters, a baseball bat, a sword and not much else to switch between using the D-pad (that could be more responsive in times of stress).

This means heading off – in that strangely wooden, lifeless way that the protagonist does in F03 – rapidly to the hills (or valleys or houses). While you are making your escape, occasionally turning to punch one of the hounds in its snout, you notice a structure that had not entered your world view before. This is despite the fact that you've revisited this piece of land twice, having been eaten by the dogs on previous visits.

“Bloody hell! Let's go down there!”

This decision can result in an hour or so of running for your life (sometimes in a weird, drug comedown state) desperately hoping for ammo or a bigger knife, or somewhere to hide.