Fallout 3 is one of my favorite PC RPGs ever. I consider myself a fan of the Fallout franchise, having played the original two games, as well as Fallout: Tactics. I'm not huge on the post-apocalyptic genre, but the Fallout games did it so well that its by far the most compelling take on the theme. The mixture of comedy with the dark atmosphere of a ruined world is an interesting combination to say the least.
The changes that would be made to the third installment of the series would be pretty controversial, but still worked in its own way. I wouldn't hold it against a Fallout fan to dismiss Bethesda's direction they took Fallout in, but Fallout 3 still deserves praise, if only for bringing the Fallout franchise back into the spotlight. Its tough to see such a classic property fade away, as we've seen with series such as X-Com or Tribes.
The last major battle, running up to the shocking conclusion of the game, was one of the most action packed, suspenseful, emotional roller coasters of my gaming life. Running through a total war zone to get to my missing father sparked something in me. It underscored why I love this hobby so much, and showed how emotionally intense a game can be. It doesn't hurt that you're being backed up by a giant mech. I love giant robots, put one in a game, and I'm already halfway to liking it.
So anyway, I play so many games that my fondest memories are often blurs, quick flashes of climactic, heart stopping moments. Racing down the ruined city, lunging into the thick of battle with my friends and the Brotherhood of steel. That was such an incredible experience. It wasn't just the excitement of the conflict coming to its boiling point, but thinking back on everything I had gone through to get to that so far. Every fight, every encounter, every completed quest, culminated in this one cinematic, all out skirmish, and it was awesome. It felt like I had been dropped into a Hollywood movie or something.
One thing that sticks out in my mind particularly, is the way that I had been fighting alongside Sticky. For those that don't know, he's this annoying kid that can follow you around unless you know how to get him to leave, or stop repeating his stupid stories. My charm was high enough to get him to stay quiet, and so I kept him in my group. I had gotten used to the guy. He wasn't annoying me anymore, and he provided extra firepower. I had hoped that he would survive to the bitter end with me. I was closing in the objective when I heard this big explosion. I turned around and sadly, Sticky was dead. I couldn't believe it, it was one of the saddest things I had seen in a video game. I don't know if I was that emotionally affected since Aeris died in Final Fantasy 7.
But I had to forge ahead, I eventually managed to save Washington D.C. (or what was left of it), and watched the controversial ending, which also contributed to the memorability of the event. I hope I'll have many more moments to come in games like Dragon Age.
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