Features
The core gameplay features of Fallout 3 are the same across all three consoles but there are lots of smaller differences in the setup and options menus especially on PC.
First-off there's a top level settings menu on PC that allows for adjustment of detail. This includes settings for the Graphics Adapter, Aspect Ration, Resolution, Antialiasing, Anisotropic Filtering, and Advanced detail settings. These include texture resolution, depth of field, nine separate toggles for water detailing, shadows, and view distance sliders for seven individual items. Gamers also have the option to turn on v-sync, HDR, and Bloom effects. Here are the system requirements for PC:
Windows Vista/XP
2.4GHz Processor
1GB RAM
6GB HDD Space
Nvidia GeForce 6800, ATI x850 minimum
We did notice that when playing in 16:9 on a 16:10 monitor the game letterboxed the screen to show it in true resolution a nice touch that isn't in every game.
The online extras and functionality is where the PS3 shows a few flaws. First off, the screen blurs and freezes for a few seconds every time a friend notification pops on screen. We solved this issue by turning off friend notifications. It was also announced that downloadable content will be available for Xbox 360 and PC but not PS3. We have yet to find out what this content is so we can't say this is a definite loss for PS3, but it is handy information to have before you make your purchase.
Both the PC and 360 also have achievements. The PC is a Games for Windows Live title, so it includes all the functionality common to that platform. The PS3 version lacks trophy support.
We also ran into bugs on all three versions of the game but the PS3 seemed to have slightly more issues than the other two. There were two instances where a scripted story sequence failed to progress and it was necessary to reload a save.
Overall
1. PC
2. 360
3. PS3
Control
On the PS3 and 360 Fallout 3 controls almost identically. There is the ability to customize every action to your likings so people who have a problem with Bethesda's tendency to map jumping to the Y or Triangle button will be happy.
Control customization also exists on the PC along with the option to plug in a 360 controller if the keyboard just isn't your cup of tea. The PC also has the option to auto-run using the Q key, which isn't an option on the consoles.
Our only controller complaints have to do with the action mapping on 360. This is mapped to the d-pad, just as it is for PS3 giving players 8 slots to jump to any equipment. Unfortunately the 360 d-pad is so mushy that it's difficult to be precise using these buttons.
Overall
1. PC
2. 360, PS3
Graphics
This category is clearly dominated by the PC. Even a quick glance reveals that the PC version is cleaner, runs at a higher resolution, has more detail, better character models, and better texture clarity. Many of the little details of the ruined DC area were not immediately apparent until viewed them on our AlienWare rig. For example, buzzards circle high above the town of Megaton. They exist on all three versions of the game but they didn't catch our eye on the consoles.
If you want a great example of how the PC outperforms the other two options take a close look at any of the character models in the game. You can see all three versions running side-by-side-by-side in our Video Head-to-Head right here. For now you can see what we're talking about in screenshots.
As for the 360 and PS3, there's been much ado about the inferiority of the PlayStation in the past few weeks. In our estimation the PS3 looks slightly worse than 360 with some aliasing issues and lesser texture quality. Editors who have played the game agree that the graphical differences between 360 and PS3 seem almost insignificant when you see how much better the PC looks.
Overall
1. PC
2. 360
3. PS3
Sound
This is the one category where's there's almost nothing to differentiate the three versions. As always Bethesda has packed their game with atmostpheric dialogue and battle chatter so we recommend playing the game in surround sound to fully appreciate the dialogue that fills the world around you.
Overall
1. PC, 360, PS3
Presentation
Load times on the PC were speedy on our machine with a 10 second initial load into the world and three to four seconds to load any of the saves. The consoles are only a few seconds behind with 11-16 second initial game load times and 7-10 seconds to load up a save.
Overall
1. PC
2. 360, PS3
Overall
There's no question that the PC wins this Head-to-Head with the most fully featured, best looking, and best running version of Fallout 3. If you have both a 360 and PS3 I would recommend going with a copy of the game on Xbox but the differences aren't drastic enough to warrant the purchase of new hardware. The PS3 version is still a great buy.
Overall
1. PC
2. 360
3. PS3
