Fallout 3 - Xbox 360 Game of the Year Edition

I'm not going to go in depth about the gameplay, visuals, sound, etc., because a lot of people before me have written extensive and thoughtful assessments of those features, I'll just illustrate my experience with this game. When it comes to Bethesda, I've played (in order) Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim and finally this, so I didn't play it in the order it came to the market. There are some similarities between this and Skyrim. The cutscenes that were included in FO3 were added in Skyrim which was a good look, commendation to Bethesda for that. Also, one of the music numbers in FO3 was included in Skyrim, I don't know whether it was to save money or time, but I welcomed it because it bought me back to the Elder Scrolls series and the numerous beautiful sceneries of Skyrim. My expectations for this game were dismal and I didn't expect much because I get disappointed easily, but everything from the original V.A.T.S. shooting system to the clever and practical decisions in dialogue when conversing with NPCs in the game to the refreshing contemporary setting in which the plot takes place (as opposed to the medieval time period with Bethesda's Elder Scrolls franchise) made FO3 more interesting and enjoyable. I picked up this Game of the Year edition for $20 and it included the five expansion packs/downloadable contents. "The Pitt" and "Operation Anchorage" are fun to play, especially the latter. And Broken Steel is cool for two reasons: 1) it allows you to level up from level 20 to level 30 with some new exciting "perks" and 2) it'll permit you to continue playing the game even when you've completed it (which wasn't the case previously and received a lot of criticism for). The other two-Point Lookout and Mothership Zeta-were generally a little too mundane and tame for me. I have to point out though, in Point Lookout, the quests surrounding the Calvert Mansion and Desmond are some of the most thrilling quests, not only in the expansions packs, but in the totality of the game. If you're looking for a game that will give you hundreds of hours of pleasurable content, but don't want to spend a lot of money, this has to be it. I hesitated and waited for about four years until I broke the seal and popped this into my console. I put in around 200 hours-easily-and I'm still planning to put more in to collect the various Vault Boy Bobbleheads and also to discover the rest of the map.Tip: Save often, don't rely on auto saves. And when you do save, spread them out as opposed to overwriting them. That way, if you're dissatisfied with your choices or the path your character is taking in the storyline or whatever the case may be, you can chronologically go back and pick up where you've left off. Also, I haven't had a lot of problems with the game freezing up early on, but more recently, it has occurred. Some of this "freezing" up occurs in V.A.T.S. mode when you're in the middle of a cut scene. Also, it's very rare, but it's happened with me where my character was stuck between two objects rendering him immobile. So, again, save often.

Fallout 3 Game of the Year Edition Xbox 360I'm writing this review several years (about 3-4 years) after the first release of Fallout 3, so I am probably not making any new ground with this review. I did enjoy Oblivion, so I thought I'd share my thoughts on Fallout 3 GOTY after playing it on the Xbox 360.The GOTY comes with several expansion packs. Operation Anchorage is worth playing because it gives you a special Winterized T-51b power armor and helmet that never needs to be repaired (and it is about the most powerful armor in the game), along with a Gauss Rifle that wears out but can't be repaired to 100% since there doesn't seem to be any other Gauss Rifles in the game. However, that is where Mothership Zeta comes into play. There is plenty of Alien Epoxy throughout the ship which can be used to repair the Gauss Rifle if you like that weapon. The Pitt and Point Lookout weren't that great and quite frankly I thought they were a waste of time. Some of the perks are worth earning from the expansion packs. Broken Steel is essentially a continuation of the original story, with a level cap of 30 and new perks.There are several features of this game that stand out. The stats are sectioned and can be confusing at first. The SPECIAL attributes are important. Intelligence and Strength are very important at first, followed by Perception and Endurance. Don't max out any of these to 10, but try to stay above 6-7. Skills are modified after each level increase, make sure you get the Swift Learner perks (3 ranks available) to get a max of 23 skill points each time you level up. Perks are available after each level increase and give you special bonuses.Bobbleheads are available to boost your SPECIAL stats and skills, so it is important to not max out your SPECIAL stats or skills early. Skill books are also available to increase your skills, so get the Comprehension perk early on.The game was extremely frustrating at first, until I got to about level 7. Then with some strategy, it was easier to survive and somewhat fun. At level 15, my character was able to kill enemies with ease. At level 20, my character is an absolute machine. I can lay waste to enemies with the greatest of ease, and my perks from the expansion packs almost makes him impervious to radiation poisoning and damage. The unique weapons are the items that you should try to find and use. They are special variants of common weapons with more damage, but can be repaired using the common weapons. The A3-21 Plasma Rifle, Xualon Assault Rifle, and Vengeance are just a few of these examples.This game is very very time consuming. There are a lot of mini quests to complete, and a lot of things to do. Most of the time is spent going from location to location, exploring, and role-playing game activities in general. Remember to save and save often, because I've had the game lock up on me about half a dozen times on Xbox 360.Overall: 5/5 stars, the best way to enjoy Fallout 3 is with the GOTY edition. Operation Anchorage, and Mothership Zeta have some very useful items.