Every day this week, I'm counting down my five favorite gaming accomplishments over the last 12 months.
In 2008, I finally saw why some are drawn for so many hours -- in my case, more than 60 -- into open-world games.
All because of "Fallout 3."
I spent an hour during a preview session with "Fallout 3" physically agonizing over what I should be doing.
All my life, I have tended to prefer linear, driven experiences that don't place the burden of what to do next on the player.
Every step of the way, "Fallout 3" encourages you to break from the path, make your own decisions -- something I used to describe as "make your own fun." But since dropping several days into "Fallout 3," I realized that's not right. The fun is the exploration, choice and freedom not found in other games.
It's because of "Fallout 3" that I will absolutely play the next "Elder Scrolls" and "Fallout" games from Bethesda Softworks and no longer step away from other games like it. They're a wholly different kind of gaming experience, one I'm anxious to have again.
I haven't played a video game this long since the "Final Fantasy" games on the original PlayStation back in middle school. That's incredible to me.
Thanks, "Fallout 3."