We've seen Fallout 3 twice in the last year, most recently at a private showcase in May. Both times, the game inspired a sense of awe with its innovative approach to role-playing and unique ways in which it promises to revitalize the beloved post-apocalyptic franchise. For all the time we've spent with it though, it's been difficult to gauge how all of its various elements are coming together. Is the V.A.T.S. targeting system user-friendly? How does real-time combat feel? Does the game capture the spirit of the first two games? Stripped of scripts and the watchful eyes of marketing and PR, we spent an entire half hour with Fallout 3 during E3 last week.

Not all of our questions could be answered during the brief time we spent with the game, of course, yet we charged deep into the combat mechanics to answer one of the most important questions that rest at the heart of every role-playing game: how good is the battle system? Fallout 3 features an ambitious blend of real-time and stop-action combat that bridges the original games with this new three-dimensional sequel. We've seen it in action before, but this is the first time we got our hands on it and discovered exactly how it works from a player's perspective.

Within five minutes of leaving Vault 101 and confronting a few enemies, it was crystal clear that Bethesda has crafted an amazingly intuitive, highly inventive combat system. Equipped with any weapon, you're free to engage foes in real-time. Whip out your shotgun for a quick blast or lob a few shots from a pistol--as long as you have a good eye, you're welcome to take aim at enemies. It's this twitch element that has scared Fallout fans from trusting that the game can deliver a faithful sequel; however, remnants of the earliest installments' turn-based battles are evident in the game.

The Vault Automated Targeting System (V.A.T.S.) brings the best of turn-based combat into the game without compromising the real-time action. Exploring the ruins of Springvale Elementary School situated nor far from Vault 101, we toyed with V.A.T.S. and discovered it to be incredibly flexible; in fact, we ended up using it more during combat than actually fighting enemies in real-time. Instead of taking a chance with sight-based aiming and wasting bullets, it proved much easier to hit the left bumper and activate V.A.T.S. Here, time is stopped for you to assess the situation and tactically plan your next move.

Enemies in the immediate area are highlighted, with individual body parts available for targeting. In the basement of the school we encountered resistance from two raiders and a feral dog that could be more easily targeted in V.A.T.S. Hitting the bumper and then selecting an enemy, then body part, and then a pull of the right trigger sets up an attack. Any actions taken within V.A.T.S. cost action points (AP) that regenerate whenever you're using the targeting system. As you'd expect, simple attacks on an enemy torso cost fewer AP than a pointed shot to the head; of course, tactics come into the fold when you factor in the increased lethality of a head shot. Additionally, V.A.T.S. informs you of the percentage of success each attack may have on an enemy's body part. If you only have a 13% chance of hitting a head, for instance, that might be an indication to aim for the legs instead.