Reviewing something like Fallout 3 is like negotiating for peace in the middle east. It’s no fun, you can’t win, and everyone will hate you for trying. <\/p>\n
It’s impossible to distill this game into a single opinion. As I play, my attitude towards the game oscillates wildly between delighted amusement and grave outrage. The game itself is a mix of the insipid and the inspired, of brilliance and bullshit. If I reviewed it solely as a Fallout game, my review would be a long, wretched screed. If I just reviewed it as a sandbox RPG, I could show up with nice things to say about it that would leave you ignorant of the wasted potential. <\/p>\n
Just how important is<\/em> wasted potential, anyway? If you’re playing a game, and you’re having fun, but it’s clear the game could have been ten times better<\/em> for the same budget, do you celebrate the decent game you have, or lament the incredible one that might have been?<\/p>\n The game seems to have launched flame wars all over the internet as people divide themselves into the rabid love it \/ hate it factions. I can understand why. I’ve been taking notes as I play through the game, and going back and reading them later they sound like an argument. <\/p>\n I keep trying to calibrate myself against other reviewers I’m familiar with. Yahtzee gave it his coveted Branston Pickle Rating<\/a>. Alex is having a good time with it<\/a>. <\/p>\n