War leads to the fall of America and nuclear apocalypse. Washington, D.C. is rubble. Americans who survive become murderous or go bonkers.
That is the future of Fallout 3, one of the most anticipated videogames of 2008. Does its fortunetelling adventure live up to the hype? Mostly, yes. It's a giant and storied creation. But the action is a little slooow at times.
A teenage guy or girl, you grow up in a bunker, an insular underground town of scientists and bullies. Once you make your way to the surface, you start finding stray American survivors.
Some are looney tunes, praying to unexploded bombs. Others want you to help them. If you choose to help, you are rewarded with a somewhat lighter journey.
This is a quirky role-playing action-adventure, so you have to talk to these villagers about bizarre things constantly. But then, you also kill many of them because they shoot at you.
There's a little too much slack in Fallout 3. You run and run, sort of slowly, around villages and vast terrains of debris. That can be a drag. But it is a big, creative game. I respect and am entertained by it, but it could use a little more fun.