Now here’s a scary post-election season game. Bethesda Softworks presents a frightening view of the planet if it became completely engulfed in war in Fallout 3. Specifically, the game takes place in Washington, D.C., about 200 years after it’s destroyed by nuclear wars.

The game is a first- or third-person role-playing game, and you begin as a child living in one of society’s safe havens, called “Vault 101.” You first customize your character by choosing skills through the “S.P.E.C.I.A.L.” system and by obtaining attributes in Vault 101. The plot begins when your father mysteriously disappears and ventures outside into the deadly wasteland of D.C.

You must now go to find your father in a world abandoned by civilization and destroyed by nuclear radiation. You must also learn the reason for his escape from Vault 101.

Some cool features of Fallout 3 include an array of settings, monsters and of course, weapons. One particularly helpful feature is the Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System (V.A.T.S.). This system allows gamers to stop time and target specific parts of monsters, inflicting various degrees of damage based upon where they’re hit. The game also lets gamers choose their own path, and it comes with multiple endings depending on what they decided to do to get by throughout the game.

Fallout 3 utilizes many of today’s consoles’ best abilities. For one, the environment seems infinite, as you can spend most of your time wandering the map and exploring a world that’s been ruined by nuclear war. The scenes are so realistic that the game has already stirred up both acclaim and controversy.

Additionally, characters are very interactive, and your ability to choose how you treat others makes Fallout 3 seem eerily real. In any case, it’s definitely a cool game and worth a try. If the game gets too scary, just remember that none of it could ever really happen…right?

By Joe Legato