Dealing with our two raider pals and their doggy was cake-simple with this information at our disposal. A couple of well-placed, high percentage head shots quickly dispatched the bandit pair. Their canine companion was a bit trickier to put down. Since we had exhausted all of our available AP, we resorted to taking aim in real-time. Weapons are rather challenging to use in real-time, as aiming is extremely imprecise. Shooting the dog's body wasn't much of a problem, but we had to drop any ideas of zooming in for a head shot--it's just too difficult outside of V.A.T.S.

While we'd like to see the accuracy of real-time fire increased a bit, it's clear that the reduced precision comes as a way of balancing use of V.A.T.S. Still, combat is full of visceral thrills. One particularly cool scene during our time with the game took place when blasting a raider at point blank range, first with a pistol and then with a baseball bat. The action slows down and shows you're kill shot in all of its bloody glory. This is without a doubt an eye popping game and is certainly M rated. The combat looks wonderfully brutal.

Fallout 3 distinguishes itself with this inventive combat system and we're pleasantly surprised at how well it works. Longtime adherents to the franchise shouldn't worry that their beloved universe has been torn to shreds in some shooter, as Bethesda looks to succeed in revitalizing it with a sequel that retains the spirit of the series while introducing interesting new element. The game should be ready to roll this fall.

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