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Bathing in the warm glow of near universal critical acclaim, Bethesda Softworks’ new apocalyptic RPG epic Fallout 3 is also enjoying monumental retail performance as gamers flock to experience what could well be the software release of the year.
Fallout 3 on the road to success after shipping 4.7 million units since launch. Image: Bethesda.
Available on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Games for Windows since October 30 (UK), the sprawling adventure set in and around a war-ravaged Washington D.C. has already shipped some 4.7 million copies globally throughout its opening week of availability.
In terms of drawing a frame of reference to better measure the game’s apparently monumental success, developer Bethesda’s previous award-winning RPG release The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, required almost a month to ship around 1.7 million copies when it launched in 2006.
Of course, impressive shipment figures do not accurately convey the game’s true performance at the all-important cash register, which is an area Bethesda has yet to fully detail. However, various gaming sources are claiming that initial sales have already surpassed the $300 million USD mark, which places the game alongside the likes of 2007’s Halo 3 in terms of opening week impact.
That being said, with Fallout 3 topping the charts and critics falling over themselves to laud ‘Game of the Year’ praise upon its ambitious shoulders, it’s difficult to see the game’s expansive desolation and in-depth narrative not delivering on all fronts once the official sales figures have been amassed.
Currently, according to review score aggregator Metacritic, Fallout 3 has an average score of 93/100 based on a whopping 50 collated reviews (Xbox 360 version).
Respected games review publications such as Eurogamer, 1UP, and the Official Xbox Magazine have all awarded the game full marks, while leading online source IGN has scored it as 96/100, saying:
“Fallout 3 offers freedom without sacrificing a focused story. It delivers fantastic combat without forgoing a deep role-playing system. The characters you meet are engaging and oftentimes hilarious without feeling out of place in this harsh world.”
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