Most people struggle to get out of bed in the morning. Bethesda's Fallout 3, on the other hand, asks them to leave an underground vault after 19 years of seclusion and explore a post apocalyptic wasteland filled with shady characters and horrible mutants, not exactly the sort of morning exercise made better with coffee. Especially when encountering giant ants, unsafe levels of radiation and a shady character that asks them to vaporize a small town. Unless the developers screw up, this could be Bethesda's greatest achievement.

Fallout 3, based on the PC series that garnered a cult following in the '90s, takes place in the 23rd century, hundreds of years after a nuculear war between the United States and China. The bombs annihilated cities and killed millions of people, save the lucky few who thought ahead and constructed vaults, safe havens that protect them from radiation. Much like Willy Wonka's chocolate factory (pre-golden tickets), nobody ever goes in, and nobody ever comes out. It stays that way for 200 years, until the player's dad goes for a walk and never returns, prompting a daring rescue attempt that involves numerous pitfalls, the aforementioned ants being the least of one's worries.

For the most part, the game plays like The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, a first- or third-person adventure in which players explore a vast land, encountering monsters and non-player characters (both friendly and hostile) along the way.

It all begins in Vault 101, with the main character's birth. To add depth to the experience, Bethesda lets players watch them grow up. It only lasts an hour, but this draws the player into the highly detailed world, supplying them with background info that gives meaning to the purpose of the adventure.

As soon as players exit the birth canal, they select their character's features, pouring through various traits to mold their appearance by choosing gender, body type, eye and hair color, typical characteristics in Bethesda's Elder Scrolls games. From there, they meet their father (voiced by Liam Neeson), who before this customization wears a mask. Once the gamer sets the character's features, however, he removes the mask and players will notice that he bears a resemblance to their creation, not a direct copy, but enough to suggest he's related.

After this sequence, gamers watch their character grow up in the vault. As a toddler they learn to walk (a way for the game to familiarize players with the control scheme). At age 10, they score a BB gun (Bethesda won't elaborate on what it may be used for ... to shoot things, presumably) as well as the Pip-Boy 3000, a crude, electronic device (strapped to one's arm) with numerous functions. Not only does it display the character's stats -- Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility and Luck -- but also the inventory and a data screen which contains an area map, info on various objectives and useful items. It even functions as a radio, picking up distress signals and playing the 20-plus 1940s and '50s songs Bethesda licensed. It's a sweet piece of tech, old and battered by essential to the player's survival, as important as Batman's utility belt.

When the character turns 16, they must take the G.O.A.T. (Generalized Occupational Aptitude Test), which asks them questions that, depending on the answers, determines his or her skills, and age 19, their world changes forever. After their father's mysterious disappearance, gamers leave the vault, popping the locks on the giant door and exiting Vault 101 for the first time.

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