Fallout 3

Who’s your daddy? Liam Neeson. No, really – he is. And he’s gone missing, so you have to go find him. I know, I know, it will mean hardship and danger and tangling with unspeakable monsters, but dude, it’s Liam Neeson, and therefore totally worth it.

So, the voice acting might not be the biggest draw card for Fallout 3, but if you’re a fan of the originals (or the spin-offs, although, ha, that’s unlikely) then get ready for a release that ought to blow your three-day old socks off. Bethesda have picked up where Interplay left off and bring an RPG packed with nuclear waste, deformed horrors and big, big guns.

Some background: the Chinese and the Americans had a dispute that erupted into nuclear war and the world is damaged beyond repair. Mutants stalk among the ruined buildings, being all, you know, mutantish. You’re born in a pod underground, and grow up in relative safety. What’s going on in other pods (there are a number of these safe-havens, although not nearly enough) and in the world above is scarcely your concern until your old man vanishes.

Stepping topside you’ll be in a world of carnage. You’ll battle from area to area, earning experience points, and exploring and learning as you go. The battle system will be a kind of FPS/RPG hybrid, which we’re seeing more and more of, but because the developers are sticking close to the RPG label a good deal of emphasis will be on how experienced your character is, how well he can use his weapons, etc. All of this takes place in some pretty spectacular environments, built so that you never quite know when enemies might appear or things might go otherwise pear-shaped.

The Fallout series is well known and loved, but pundits seem happy enough with what they’ve seen online and at expos so far. RPG fans thinking about giving this one a try might want to do some research, because Fallout takes place in a pretty intricate and well developed space already. Coming in fresh might be a struggle. Those of you who know the series should be watching out for more news, because this won’t be one you want to let slip by.