You heard it here first. Forget about GTA IV. Forget about Gears of War 2. Forget about Metal Gear Solid 4. All of those games are going to be awesome, yes. All of those games are going to sell millions.

But one game from Bethesda Softworks is going to rise to the top in 2008 and claim the crown for game of the year. That game is Fallout 3. As creators of the critically acclaimed Elder Scrolls series, Bethesda has firmly established itself as one of the leading RPG game designers on consoles.

Currently in development for the Xbox 360 and PS3, Fallout 3 is set in the United States after a nuclear war in the year 2077 kills almost everyone on the entire planet. After the nuclear fallout, only a handful of humans who took refuge in Vault 101 in Washington DC are thought to have survived.

For 200 years Vault 101 has remained closed... awaiting the day when it is safe to emerge into a world that is completely decimated, and where radiation has mutated those who survived outside the safety of Vault 101.

While very little has been released to the public on this game, the buzz from review editors and industry insider’s that have had the good fortune to see the game is incredibly positive. Early word on the game also indicates that there will be 200 different endings. Whether these are true endings or slight variations on few different ones remains to be seen.

The strength of the game will no doubt come from the huge impact your character has in the world, and how it affects not only the gameplay but the story as well. For example, you may be given the opportunity to nuke a town off the map. If so, it will be gone for the rest of the game. Or, you can save it. The choice will be up to you, and the consequences will play out differently depending on your actions.

I have little doubt that the next installment of Fallout 3 is in good hands with Bethesda. They have proven themselves with Morrowind and Oblivion and are working on a project that really excites them. When the nuclear winter ends, I think that Fallout 3 will be the last game left standing and claim the crown for Game of the Year in 2008. Now lets just hope it makes its scheduled 2008 release in late fall. Only time will tell.

Bonus video can be seen below: