Taking place 200 years after a nuclear holocaust resulting from a conflict between the United States and China has devastated humanity, the player takes control of one of the survivors from Vault 101. When your father mysteriously goes missing, you are forced to flee the Vault and risk the barren wasteland that Washington D.C. has become to find your pa. You soon learn that the wasteland is an unforgiving place: the humans who have survived arent a trustworthy bunch though theyre nowhere near as bad as the mutants who prowl the ruins of civilization. Drawing on the influence of the Interplay Entertainment and Black Isle Fallout games which preceded their own, Bethesdas stunning, detailed and sumptuously dark vision of a post-apocalyptic Washington is one of the most compelling worlds in all of gaming. Aside from this captivating setting which stays with you long after youve completed that last quest, Fallout 3s blend of stellar FPS mechanics with exceptional RPG elements means that it has the gameplay mechanics to support its excellent narrative. There may be a sizeable number of traditionalists who favour its Black Isle-developed predecessor, but there can be no denying that to the majority of gamers the absorbing blend of shooting and satisfyingly deep RPG make the 2008 game the more enjoyable, accessible experience. It may not feature the spaceships and galaxies of some of the other games on this list but Fallout 3s vision of a ruined Washington in the year 2277 is so richly realised that it would be a crime to not give it its dues by featuring it here. With moments ranging from the trivial enjoyment of annihilating a mutant with the Fat Man tactical nuclear catapult to the soul-destroying sequence where you decide the fate of Megaton, Bethesdas RPG is an unforgettable game.
Hailing from South East London, Sam Heard is an aspiring writer and recent graduate from the University of Warwick. Sam's favourite things include energy drinks, late nights spent watching the UFC with his girlfriend and annihilating his friends at FIFA.
