Windows Vista Update

July 11, 2007 - We'd already written about the Fallout 3 demo a little over a week ago but that was no reason to pass up another chance to see the game in action again. The demo hadn't changed and neither has our high impressions of the work that Bethesda was putting into reviving the Fallout franchise.

While some opinions have been divided with regard to the game's new perspective and some of the game mechanics, we're still convinced that Bethesda is on the right track to bring Fallout to a new generation of gamers while also staying true to the spirit of the franchise.

Bethesda's executive producer Todd Howard and designer Emil Pagliarulo were both on hand once again to take us through the demo and answer our questions about the new game. Having seen it once before, we were impressed this time with some of the details we missed the first time around.

To begin with, the faces look much more realistic and varied. Where the faces in Oblivion sometimes looked a bit mushed and repetitive, those in Fallout 3 have much more lifelike detail. You can see that for yourself in the screens posted in our original preview.

We had the chance to revisit some of the content in the Vault and discover some of the new story elements there that we hadn't heard about the first time. To begin with, we learned a bit more about the Tunnel Snakes, the gang of bullies who inhabit the Vault, and the object of their attention, the young girl with whom you've had a lifelong friendship. We won't spoil the details of the story, but the connections definitely add some weight to the story.

Journeying on to Megaton and the DC Metro, we found things very much the way we left them on our last visit. This time around however, Todd flubbed his hacking attempts to get the Protectron up and running so he had to search out the key code to gain access again. Fortunately, whoever made the demo happened to place it conveniently on the desk in front of him.

The final chapters of the demo, as the character joins up with Sentinel Lyons' platoon and meets Mr. Burke atop the Galaxy News Building played out exactly as they had during our previous viewing but they were no less dramatic or thrilling even though we knew what to expect.

In all, Fallout 3 looks to be a great if somewhat modernized take on the franchise that's sure to please those who are new to the franchise as well as those old timers who don't mind the shift in perspective. We'll definitely be keeping a close eye on this one in the coming months.