Fallout 3 Preview

The editors at TVG have cranked out a preview of Fallout 3, presumably based on the same demo shown at the Leipzig Games Convention.

We also had a chance to see the unique VATS combat system Bethesda are employing for Fallout 3, which is sure to add oodles of depth to the combat systems we’ve seen from Bethesda in the past. Initiating the VATS system moves you into a snapshot of the enemy where each one of its body segments is ascribed two statistics: how damaged it is and your chances of hitting that body part from that angle and with the selected weapon. If you get a successful shot then you’re treated to a satisfying bullet-time death, which is pretty cool.

The weapons throughout Fallout 3 are rated with certain attributes: how much damage per second (that’s a new one on us to!) they can inflict and what condition they’re in. You can then salvage weapon parts throughout the game world to fix an ailing sidearm. Health, on the other hand, can be replenished by consuming clean water which, as you might expect in a post-nuclear war environment, isn’t as straightforward as it might seem. All water sources have a RAD (radiation) level and the cleaner the water is, the more likely it is to replenish your health.