It has been about ten years now since we've seen an addition to the Fallout franchise. Whether you're new to Fallout or have been playing since the 1997 release, this article will offer a detailed look at what to expect in Bethesda's upcoming Fallout 3. Also, if you had not noticed yet this is part two of our preview, where we focus on Bethesda's recent get together displaying an actual demonstration of the guts of the game.

As the demonstration starts, the opening scenes are suggestive of something you'd see in a high school health class. Although not as graphic and revealing, you understand that your character is being born, where your character meets mom, Katherine, and scientist dad, James (voiced by actor Liam Neeson). After the deed is done, it is time to fill out birth certificate forms and all of the neat stuff that comes with being born-just kidding. Basically you name the character and set the gender (sadly, only girl or boy are available). Shortly after having a look around through baby-goggles, the character realizes that mommy is no longer around. Naturally we assume she died during childbirth.

A year later, we're hanging out in the playpen and a basic movement tutorial begins. We start by making our way out of the baby-cage by means of crawling. Then, we find a book entitled "You're SPECIAL." Gaining access to S.P.E.C.I.A.L. we set our seven aptitudes: strength, perception, endurance, charisma, intelligence, agility, and luck. If you have played the previous games, then all of these should come naturally as nothing is changed on how they affect how your character utilizes each.

On your tenth birthday, you learn the basics of communication. This is first accomplished with the fine company attending your birthday party. You also receive a gift from the Vault Overseer- the Pipboy 3000. This portable wrist computer is used to manage mission specifics, character statistics such as skills and perks, managing item inventory, checking your rad (radiation) levels by means of a small gauge with a needle that bounces up and down alerting our character of possible contamination. Along with all of these amazing features, for those who hate the color green, users are able to switch the background color of the Pipboy to amber.

After familiarizing ourselves with the newly acquired wrist-computer, you have the option to take on a several primitive, mostly underdeveloped missions available- though they are limited to the confines of our birthday party. Bummer. Thankfully, if you aren't up to the simple missions, Mr. Handy, the multi-armed robot also attending your party is glad to lend some entertainment. Mr. Handy puts on a great display of destroying your cake with his buzz saw arm. *cue robot voice* Whoops! Happy Birthday!

We are then suddenly in the middle of a target/combat tutorial. Finally! Some combat. Here you learn the basics of targeting, with a hardly dangerous BB gun, but hey, you have to start somewhere, right?

Further into the demonstration, we find ourselves in a "random encounter." The situation: two raiders, an unknown victim dead and his familiar dog. After taking care of business and eliminating the raiders, we find the poor lone dog willing to lend a hand. If you recall a certain dog named "Dogmeat" from the 1997 game, he has reappeared out of the wasteland. Willing and ready, Dogmeat joins us on our journeys. We are able to give him simple errands such as finding food, supplies, weapons, and other loot. After commanding Dogmeat, he will then disappear for a while and return with his findings. Dogmeat may be scolded or praised- neither affects the K-9 morally, but can take a toll on our character's karma depending on the choices we make. Karma has always been a big part of the previous games. Based on our decisions throughout the game our character gains "karma titles" and other NPC's may also speak to you differently.

Later we find our character exploring a ruined habitation infested by ghouls. Ghouls are humans who have been exposed to caustic levels of rads and have become severely deformed physically. There are now three types (previous games had one). Feral Ghouls, who operate on the basest of instincts, making them more animal than man. Feral Ghouls have also become extremely quick and agile, making brisk movements and leaping at you with deadly attacks. Even more dangerous, Glowing Feral Ghouls, who have a greenish ambiance, are able to use radiation-based attacks, which set off your Pipboy's rad gauge, alerting our character of possible contamination. And lastly, the typical ghoul, fragile and weak, yet able to speak and converse- instead of ripping your face off and sautèing it for dinner.

The next sequence, as the combat really begins to turn up a notch, Bethesda demonstrates the use of a 9mm submachine gun, a popular choice from the previous games. Firing off bursts and switching to the turn-based V.A.T.S. or Vault-tec Assisted Targeting System (also from previous games), which allows users to target specific body parts and limbs. Even without the Bloody Mess- a perk which gives your character the ability to make as much of a mess as possible when killing someone, the animation of limbs and heads turning into mush are quite gory.

In the heart of the city, just outside of the capitol building, the surroundings are suggestive of something from an old war movie. The area also appears to be more industrial and technological. We then see a figure in a suit of power armor. Power Armor means the presence of the Brotherhood of Steel, a faction of technology worshipers who act as the wasteland's force against super mutants- Most of the soldiers, correction, paladins, wear this signature armor which gives users numerous increases in strength and other stats, but take a lot away from those who prefer stealth. Wielding a minigun and a "Fat Boy" grenade launcher, the combat ensues. And it ends. War, war never changes...

As far as we can speculate, and as Bethesda claims, Fallout 3 is right on target for its release later this year. Although no official date has been given, we await patiently in hope that this game lives up to what its predecessors were. Being big fans of the previous games with top-down views and almost full turn-based combat, Fallout 3 has become a big change. A good kind of change.

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