Fallout 3 (2008)

This Fallout entry is a landmark post-apocalyptic RPG that blends deep role-playing mechanics with an open-world, first-person perspective, while being the first 3D iteration up until that point. Developed by Bethesda, it is set in the ruins of Washington DC, after a nuclear war, offering immense freedom to explore, make moral choices, and shape your character through the iconic SPECIAL system, similar to other Bethesda entries, where you decide the basic stats of your characters from the start.

This mechanic was re-used in other titles and I appreciate it very much, it helps you a lot at the beginning since all Bethesda RPGs have a rough start, no exceptions. The atmospheric world-building, branching quests, and dark humor are standout elements, though its dated combat and occasional bugs can frustrate, which is a Bethesda trademark at this point. I think this one is a standout when it comes to bugs though, since it is the first 3D Fallout the company made.

Despite that, it remains a genre-defining experience for fans of immersive storytelling and exploration, this is a gritty, ambitious RPG classic that helped redefine open-world gaming. Just keep in mind this particular Fallout is heavy on decision-making, from the absolute very first start of the game, almost everything you do will impact the rest of your run, this one should definitely be replayed a bunch of times in order to see a lot of it's contents. Even though I'm not really a fan of this one compared to New Vegas and 4, I still recommend this to RPG fans in general because it is definitely one that sets standards for the this genre.

War never changes...

10/10 - My favourite game

Pros:

Amazing atmosphere and world, the wasteland truly feels desolate and dead, but with plenty of post-apocalyptic chaos and random encounters to keep it from being boring

Huge replayability, and player choice impacts the game massively. Within the first hour of the game, you can earn a town's trust and respect by helping them out or annihilate everybody with nuclear bomb as you watch the mushroom cloud from a tower

Cons:

The main story is quite weak and sometimes illogical in some places, and some side quests are underwhelming

A few bugs & outdated graphics and controls - VATS can feel odd at first, and it's strange how much a sprint feature changes how a game plays

Maybe it's not totally objective but I spent hours exploring the wide map of Fallout 3, finding every secrets, every unique weapon in the wasteland of the capital. Graphics are quite outdated now and you can find that the story is a classical "choose between good and bad" but even despite the classical Bethesda ugly faces I enjoyed this title even more than Fallout New Vegas (some say it is the better, dunno and don't care). However the DLC are kinda bad (with battle for Anchorage first) even if they are significaly improving the life of the game.