GameCritics’ 2008: The Year in Review

GameCritics.com is next in line to produce a list of 2008’s best games, with Fallout 3 and World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King both scoring mentions.

To the slave traders of Paradise Falls, I was a hero. It turns out they were short on children, and I just happened to have a quest to a city filled with nothing but children. What an opportunity to increase my reputation even further! When I arrived, I was greeted by a little girl who resented being treated like a baby by the older kids. I used my speech skills to coerce her into leaving town, with the promise of showing her the adventure of a lifetime. I introduced the girl to my “friend from the big city,” a slave trader, and they left arm-in-arm. As I watched them head off into the sunset, it occurred to me that these were the tactics of a child molester. I was disgusted with myself, horrified that even in the name of role-playing, I could commit such an act. Such is the power of Fallout 3, and it’s packed with moments like this. It’s perhaps the first game of its scope where consequences of your choices impact equally the character and the gamer. An absolute triumph.

The first game of its scope? Consequences of your choices? Apparently the guy just stumbled upon the RPG genre last year.