Bethesda Softworks treated game journalists to a tour of the new game, and after seeing it firsthand, I was stunned at how good Fallout 3 looks and how well Bethesda Game Studios has updated the RPG series for a new generation.
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According to Bethesda, much of the game takes place inside Vault 101, and two things became apparent right away. First, the game can be played in a first-person point of view as well as a third-person perspective. And second, the game has amazing visuals.
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The main character's father, a genetic scientist, mysteriously departs...
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After showing off the environments, Howard then demonstrated Fallout 3's new combat gameplay system. If there was one flaw with the original Fallout, it was the somewhat clunky combat system, which could slow down gameplay. The new combat system blends a first-person shooter style with elements of the original attack mode.
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There was even a boss battle; Howard fought against a large Super Mutant Behemoth with a delicious weapon called the Fat Man, which acts like an RPG but shoots mini-nukes.
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There was a quite a big of action in the demo, but it's not as if Bethesda has dumbed down Fallout for FPS fans.
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In summary, Fallout 3 looks like it has the makings of both an RPG hit and a worthy addition to the Fallout series. The snappy dialogue, black humor, juicy RPG capabilities and unique vision of the future are all back for the new sequel. And Bethesda has added a keen new combat system, first-person shooter quality action, stunning graphics and advanced character/environment interaction features to the mix. While some of the new additions may turn off fans of the original game, I for one am glad to see Bethesda is trying something different and updating the franchise for next-generation platforms.

We already have Fallout and Fallout 2, so why not go in a different direction?​

And that's exactly what Bethesda is doing, and I can't wait for more.​