I remember seeing the trailers for this game. As a fan of the previous two Fallout games, I could only hope for the best. And I hoped correctly. Fallout 3 is hands down one of the best games of all time for the Xbox 360. The game follows the story of a world thrown into disarray some centuries after a nuclear holocaust that threatens humanity. The player starts out as a member of Vault 101 (just one of hundreds of vaults spread across the wastelands). The vaults are a ironic sanctuary for the people of the time: they offer the only protection and boast freedom of self, only to be a prison of the mind, soul, and body, and completely unsafe (gangs, bribery, violence, etc.). However, certain events take place, and the player is set off onto an adventure across the lands, the entire world open to their imaginations. Basically, this is how the game works: If you can see it, you can go to it. The entire game is one open world environment (only incremental load times between inside and outside places). You can literally walk all the way across the Wasteland, North to South, East to West, without hitting any loading screens. You will not be unopposed on your adventure, however. There are uncountable enemies prowling every inch of the wastes, from annoying RadRoaches, to Super Mutant Behemoths and Death Claws (with a name like that, just run). The player will also encounter various communities across the world, which is where the basis of the gameplay is. Sure, this may look like a FPS/RPG, and you're D#@! right it is. But it goes so much deeper than that. The core of the game is interacting with this new world, getting the feel of the people, becoming a human fit for this new earth; everything you do affects you, everything you live for is at stake. Nothing in this game goes without consequence, as the honor system is ranked by your "Karma" (the better it is, the more good characters will interact with you on a deeper level, and vice versa). The graphics are unbelievably realistic, with the entire landscape looking as though the artists carved each rock, pixel by pixel. Skin textures could use a little tweaking for those with lower resolution televisions, but seriously, if you don't have an HDTV by now, get with the times. The voice acting is phenomenal!...well except for maybe one character you'll meet in Girdershade (trust me, you'll know when you find her). The combat is pretty decent in real-time (the physics are a bit odd, as you can shoot someone point blank with virtually no response from the occasional "AH!"); but VATS is where it's at. VATS is a Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System, where the player can focus in on any individual area of an enemy, queue up multiple attacks, and let loose a maelstrom of violence. When coupled with the Bloody Mess perk, where attacks become increasingly violent (and therefore increasingly AWESOME), there are just those moments where your jaw drops from pure, maniacal, delight. But overall the violence is only moderate compared to other games (i.e. F.E.A.R., SMOD, UT3, etc.). Parents, if you love a good adventure (over 100 hours of game-play if you're into it), and you want your child to be delighted, then delve into Fallout 3 from Bethesda Studios.