When it comes to gameplay, I think they hit it out of the park. Fallout 3 offers a little something for every kind of gamer. Fallout 3 blends FPS and RPG game types masterfully. It takes an RPG game and hides it in somewhat of a FPS skin. It allows a veteran COD player to run and gun their way through the game. It also allows a newcomer to shooters a chance to feel like a badass. It allows the rest of us to do a little of both and enjoy the hell out of it.

Specifically, it’s the V.A.T.S. system that freshens up the Fallout 3 experience. The V.A.T.S. system lets you slow time to aim for a specific body part before taking your shot or your swing, if you’re using a melee weapon.  Once you’ve picked your spot, you get to see your attack play out in glorious cinematic fashion. The first time you send a Super Mutant hurtling through the air after a well placed grenade is highlight in video gaming.

The leveling system is simple and accessible to users, giving you the choice of what kind of character you want to be. The quests are relatively straight forward, while they don’t hold your hand like in Fable 2, they always point you in the right direction, which allows you to play at your pace and gives you the feeling of discovering things for yourself.  It’s this feeling of discovery that will keep you wandering into the wastes for more.

The next aspect of Fallout 3 that makes it GOTY worthy is it’s story telling. The story is simply Epic. The game opens with you being born, from your perspective. From that moment on, I felt completely connected to my character. The story felt very believable, un-like other Fantasy RPG’s. From the Vault to the end of the game, I found myself entrenched in the story and the decisions I was making. Fallout 3 is a game where every action you take can have serious consequences for the whole world. Will you be the Savior of the Wasteland, or a Cold-hearted bastard who only cares for him/herself. Although I played this game totally evil to the core. I found myself second guessing myself at times, which is a good thing. Unlike other RPG’s that were released this year, being good or bad aren’t peripheral to the game, but an integral part of your experience in Fallout 3.

Without spoiling things, I was also impressed by how events later in the game left me completely reevaluating my past actions. I experienced regret for being bad.  That regret is something I wont forget.  It was a good regret. An emotional, visceral reaction to the video game world.

Fallout 3 is not just a video game to me. It is story of humanity at it’s core. It allows you to shape the world you play in and make your own way in it. While there is no multiplayer, it provided me with over 75 hours of gameplay on my first time through. This is truely a game everyone should experence, because it will be different for everyone. And with the promise of future DLC on the 360 and PC, that only sweetens the deal for me. Thats why Fallout 3 is the Third Nominee for Sarcastic Gamer GOTY.

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