There are not many games that that are equally good in both sound and graphics. And when it comes to games getting a perfect score in both those areas is almost unheard of. Bethesda has once again managed to up the anti when it comes to video game standards.

The sound in Fallout 3 is perfect. The voice acting is great, with each conversation leading to different options, different responses and different emotions. Anger, irrelevance, fear, hate and even happiness can be detected by the tone in people’s voices. Another thing worth mentioning when it comes to the sound is its vulgarity. Keeping in mind that the game takes place in a post-apocalyptic era you can only imagine the lack in manners found in that civilization. Fallout 3, even though very vulgar, is capable to bring to life a dead world through the voice acting.

The rest of the sound is just as great, but at the same time it is noting that we haven’t heard before; I’m talking about the weapon sounds and the explosions. Boom goes boom and bang goes bang, and while the sound of machinegun fire sounds like other games or some Hollywood movies, Bethesda still did an excellent job of making the gunfire sound great. Honestly, I just think we’re at a stage of technology where replicating gunfire sounds is just about perfect. It will take a lot to raise the bar when it comes to gunfire sounds. The music in the game (while it may not be in your favorite genre) goes perfect with the game’s environment. Most of the music and a lot of random chatter can be picked up by the radio. Just tune in your Pip-Boy 3000 to the right frequency and just listen away; most of the time it’s just random chatter, but sometimes you can pick up some good information.

The game’s graphics are absolutely outstanding. Every time I play a new Bethesda game I end up moving so very slowly in the beginning, and not as much because I’m being overly careful and watching out for enemies, but because I can’t stop rotating the camera around and gazing at … well, everything. Everything looks amazing in Fallout 3.

As I’ve said earlier, every single aspect of the game looks spectacular. The characters look great. From the wide variety of clothing (armor) to the vast number of usable weapons, Fallout 3 offers a lot in its looks. But the weapons and armor are just a small part of the game. The word itself represents the majority of Fallout’s 3 visual aspects. The second you exit Vault 101 the game’s world opens up to you. It is a wasteland, The Wastelands as it is known and it is located around what once used to be Washington DC. And while nuclear devastation and work of beauty are not words that usually go together, Bethesda has managed to pull it off. Everywhere you go all you see is ruins, death and the fading memory of what once was a grand civilization. Now all there is are ruins and a great place for combat. The combat part will be covered in the gameplay and congrols section of the review, but once again, I want to say that this game has outstanding graphics from every single aspect; the characters, the world, the dungeons, the towns, the weapons and the way the fire, absolutely everything looks spectacular.