Customer Reviews

Fallout 3: Prima Official Game Guide (Covers All Platforms)

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I really hope that the publisher of this strategy guide can provide access to digital search. Since Fallout 3 is a very open ended game, the strategy guide has 7 chapters with nearly 500 pages with no INDEX but only a Table of Contents. This makes this guide hard to search for the exact information you need because the side quests are not in sequential order so the guide has to split them into Ch4 and Ch5 in terms of zones on the map.

Chapter 1 teaches you the basics of the system, background settings of the Fallout world, and some stats. Chap 3 tells you all kinds of strategies in detail for the actual main quest including all the conversation selection and consequences after the choice, but the main quest has only less than 1/4 of the entire book pages. The rest of the chapters are side quests. This book while able to provide all the details, it does overwhelm me that i can't even search fast enough to look for a specific small quest from an Index. It's really difficult for me to go through the entire Table of Contents to look for a key term to search for a small side quest.

I really really hope that the publisher should provide us all the access to an electronic search engine so we can find the pages on the guide a lot more efficient, or add an index at the end of the book.

I recommend anyone who has purchased this book to see if you can find any electronic version of the exact book to search for the pages, then go back to this physical book and read it.

The Fallout 3 strategy guide is quite possibly the largest guide I've ever purchased or seen. It's roughly 500 pages chock full of pretty much all the info you could ever need to be successful in the game (covers all versions). The paper used seems a little cheap in that it's very thin, but the layout and design is top notch. The photos are all large and clear. The walkthrough is detailed (almost to a fault). It comes with a foldout map of the DC area (very big). Plenty of info about damage points can be found throughout the tome. I was happy to see that David Hodgson was the writer as I have several of his guides. He always does a good job. If you are looking for detailed info about this game, look no further. Between reading this guide and playing the game, don't plan on sleeping very much.

Welcome to another indepth Bethesda Softworks OFFICIAL GAME GUIDE adventure. Outstanding reference and heavily detailed explanation of the designers minds in their four year journey in the development of FALLOUT 3.

I have been a follower since MORROWIND and I must say these games get better each and every time. I must admit this guide like the game is loaded with every possible detail regarding the world of Fallout 3.

Qualifying Statement: I've played the game since October 18th and I finished the main Quest today (November 22nd) what a ride!!!! So after 128 game hours, over 500 saves, maximum level of 20 / 435 hit points / 106 action Points, with a HIGH KARMA of Very Good / The last best hope of Humanity. Completing a total of 23 side quests, discovering over 160 locations (and explored them all). Attaining a S.P.E.C.I.A.L. rating of 8+, 7+, 7, 5, 6, 8, and 6 respectively out of 6 tops, out of a max of 100 my targrted skills of LOCKPICKING, SNEAK and SMALL GUNS was 100, Medicine 86, Repair 87 and SCIENCE 76. SO WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN??????

NOTE: Your character goes from birth to this quest outside VAULT 101 with every detail of every action / decision you make during these quests is recorded and your "KARMA" is constantly adjusted on everything you do. Never is your KARMA ignored. The details and variables of this game are "SIMPLY AMAZING".

So the bottomline to this unbelievable journey and your fate (the open ended game play and the multiple ending) is all formulated. Believe me when the finale is played out for your efforts it is so personalized and gratifying that you sit their in awe. NOTE: Save the game often to replay those outstanding moments of victory!!!!

NOW my EXPLANATION of this GUIDE; This manual is designed to use as that a guide to answer specific questions. But I must admit it is clear only after you invest the time into "THE GAME". The details are very precise and cryptic if you are trying to use this as a WALK-THRU guide a quick reference to get it done the answers are ALL there but like life you must be prepared for the quest and the savage environment of the WASTELAND.

This Manual also has a great two sided map; THE CAPITAL WASTELAND a gridded map 24 x 36" with ALL points of interest with map legend & locations. On the reverse side a "DC METRO INTERIOR" divided by ZONES and Zone Links with map legend and Metro Locations. Awesome reference. This will be posted and used for constant input s to your planned quests. I love this Guide and all its details.

I was totally pleased to read this guide to see how much my focused game play all made sense in the end. This guide is a must have if only to help you enter this complex world of FALLOUT 3!!! This guide will give you a written reference to all aspects, characters, sanctions, monsters, DC Metro versus the Wasteland quests, character gender,development, skills (GOOD/BAD KARMA), weapons, V.A.T.S., PIP-BOY, Quests, BOBBLE-HEADS, and soooo much more a new kind of GAME OF LIFE!!! ENJOY!!!

P.S - I almost forgot the PERKS these are some of the MUST HAVE SKILLS in FALLOUT 3. EXPLORER - Allows every location to be revealed on your PIP-BOY (you must still find/visit it first before FAST TRAVEL is allowed). SILENT RUNNING - +10 on SNEAK. THIEF - +5 on SNEAK and LOCKPICK. LEAD BELLY - minus 50% radiation poisoning from irraddiated water. ADAMANTIUM SKELETON - minus 50% skeleton damage (from attacks). And finally ACTION BOY - +25 Action Points using V.A.T.S. These are some of my favorite skill choices awarded at higher Levels.

Given that Fallout 3 was my first real RPG experience, it took me a while to learn how to play. Before I bought this game, terms like XP and Leveling up didn't make a lick of sense to me. I bought the game with little idea of what I was getting myself into. I thought it was simply a cool post-apocalyptic shooter. Boy was I wrong! When I first started playing, I lost interest fast, but I figured since I did spend the money, that maybe I should buy the guide to help learn how to play it, so I already had some hands on experience when I bought this guide. I was a little disgruntled about the size of the guide because it is huge. It's divided into 6 chapters.

The first chapter focuses on all manditory info for the game. It gives you hints on how to create a character to your liking and stats, info on the perks you earn while leveling up, and general knowledge on some things you can do in the game. I found this chapter incredibly helpful because I got a feel for how to play the game.

The second chapter basically offers information on different characters in the wasteland. You learn about factions and how strong certain enemies can be. It's a pretty short yet detailed chapter.

The third chapter is a walkthrough for the main quest, while the fourth chapter is a walkthrough for all of the side quests. The walk throughs are nice. They offer information on how certain decisions affect the gameplay. They are also enhanced with photos and you probably could use the written walkthrough for the main quest without having to refer to any of the maps in the guide. Thanks to this guide, I have finished nearly every side quest, and all but the final quest in the main quest.

The fifth chapter is a close look at each and every area in the game. This game is huge and this divides the game into a grids and goes over each and every building or area and explains what items you can find in that area. This is very helpful if you are lost in a certain area or need a specific item. The final chapter sort of coincides with this chapter by listing out all important items and where you can find them. The final chapter divides rare items such as bobbleheads or schematics for building weapons and lists where they are located. You are probably going to have to refer to the previous chapter to get an idea where these things are, and you sometimes might even have to refer to the large fold out map that is also included with the guide for some items. Though it is all relatively simple to use once you get the hang of it.

It's thanks to this guide that I have logged over 80 hours of gameplay. Right now I am so close to the Platinum Trophy that I can taste it! Keep in mind the fact that I had never played Oblivion or any RPG style game before this, but thanks to this guide, I learned a lot about how these types of games can work. I understand that the instruction manual included with the game also offers information to new players, but I felt this guide sort of stuck with me and put it in English better than the manual. I have seen guides for games that make me wonder why there ws even a guide released in the first place, but I really appreciated this guide for the way it was written and for it's simplicity. Thank you for reading!

I have been using this guide while playing through Fallout 3.

The pullout map inside is excellent if you want to just find the main areas or, like me, love to search the little nooks and crannies.

It has a section for the main quest walkthrough, side quests, and even each "grid" of the map broken down into areas, each area broken down into the places you can see and what is there.

Also, a comprehensive section on what each S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stat is for and the different Perks. This I found excellent so I could plan my character and not waste anything.

And way in the back? Where you can find things such as secrets!

I would definately recommend this guide to anyone wishing to get all they can out of Fallout 3.

I bought this strategy guide about a month ago. It was hardly helpful at all. The organization is terrible. And the fact that there's no table of contents is so frustrating. I would expect more from a guide for such a popular game.

The guide is as poorly written as the New Vegas guide written by the same guy. Apparently the art of writing useful strategy guides is long lost especially for an RPG. Prima and the author need to go back to school on why the old guides work better.

It's an awesome book for the money...If you're a serious fallout3 fan like I am, this is a must if you're going to find every little everything in the DC Ruins. This one is a must own

The Fallout 3 game guide is great for those gamers that like to know all the details or just need some additional directional help. I reccomend it to all players of this game.

This guide is amazing, it took some reading to figure it out. Most guides are appendix based. This guide is area based. Even the map that comes standard with the guide is broken down into Zones, 1,2,3,4 u....
It lists zoned areas in the first few pages, than it guides you through the main quest to find your Father. The middle and respective middle plus of the book give a more detailed look into each of the Zoned locations, as well as armor, bestiary information, weapons, and locations for such. If you look onto the map that came with your book, you may notice some areas are darkened but not shown on your map as true locations. Go towards the back end of the book to find the Zone you are looking for like Zone 20 for instance. Please be mindful not to go too far so you do not spoil the ending/s for yourself. If you find it hard to find a certain location on the Pipboy screen, use your book map and your zoned book pages to isolate where your target area is. Place a marker or move one you may be using elsewhere to help you stay on course. I hope this helps you. Definite buy because of the vastness of the Wasteland.