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Game Informer Exclusive Bonanza Part 1: Fallout 3

We knew Game Informer's July issue would be ridiculous as soon as they flaunted the cover a week and a half ago. Fallout 3 and Rock Band exclusive first-looks? In the same issue? Seriously?

The issue is starting to show up in mailboxes around the country (and, of course, not in mine yet), so summaries of both articles have materialized at NeoGAF, as things like this tend to do.

So here's what we know now about Fallout 3.

• Engine: Updated version of the Oblivion Engine. Expect new pretties plus an overhauled third-person camera.
• Platforms / Release Date: Still slated for simultaneous PC/360/PS3 release, some time in Fall 2008.
• Skills & Stats: S.P.E.C.I.A.L is totally back. Skills seem to have been cut down a bit, but with a total of 14 skills, most of the classic Fallout skills should be expected to be back. Perks should also be assumed to be back, even though the article doesn't specifically mention them, because what would Fallout be without perks?
• Other core stuff: Character growth will still be based on XP, which will largely be gained from quests. There's presently a level cap of 20 (20!?) and there will still be a Karma system to worry about.
• Combat System: New system is called "V.A.T.S." or "Vault-tec Assisted Targeting System". Apparently you'll be able to do real-time first-person combat, or a quasi-turn-based mode that sounds like combat in something like Knights of the Old Republic. Except unlike KOTOR, there seems to be an extra level of depth, where if you want you can choose to not just target a guy, but target specific bits of them. So if you want to specifically blast a guy in the face, it sounds like you'll be able to.
• Gratuitous Violence: Definitely in. Exploding heads, arterial sprays, etc, and if you cap some guy in a spectacular fashion the death animation will play out in slow motion. Classy. Slow-mo kills were one of the best parts of Jedi Outcast / Jedi Academy. Very few things make you feel like more of a complete badass than killing some dude in an incredibly stylish fashion, and then being rewarded with a few seconds to admire your handiwork as it plays out in slow motion.
• Replayability / Freedom: Fallout games have always been characterized by allowing the player a ton of freedom in how you play the game, leading to a lot of replayability. You could make all kinds of different gimmick builds, or just straight up customize your character to play the game how you wanted to play. If you wanted to run around as a retard and kick people in half, you could. If you wanted to sneak around, and talk your way out of situations, you could. If you wanted to charge in everywhere with guns blazing, well, you could do that too. All of this is back in Fallout 3.

Additionally, as of right now they're predicting a vast number of different ways the plot can play out, leading to 9-12 distinct endings. Who knows how many of these will actually make the final cut of the game, but one would assume we'll [i]at least[/i] be getting more than Oblivion's amazing ending count of "1".

Are you sufficiently hyped? I certainly am. And this is all from just an hour long demo session. It's going to be a very very very long year.

Source: The ever-present NeoGAF Forums.

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