Fallout

"An engrossing and funny game that is still great 11 years after being released"

Introduction:

Fallout is computer RPG set in post-apocalyptic California that gives the player the ability to create a unique character and features turn-based combat.

Story/Plot: VERY GOOD

This is where Fallout truly shines. The background story is revealed in the title cinematic: in the mid 21st century the world is suffering from massive energy shortages, prompting Red China to invade Alaska and the United States to finally take over Little Amer- I mean Canada. Eventually someone presses the big red button and the nukes fly, destroying or mutating most of the population not taking refuge in big underground vaults. The game opens years later as you are sent on a mission to the surface find a new water chip to save your vault. Of course, the plot gets more complex when the big baddie is introduced, but it's still a generic evil scheme and nothing you wouldn't see coming from a mile away.

However, this is unimportant. Fallout has one of the most immersing atmospheres of any game I have played on any console, ever. The quests and NPC interactions draw you into the game world, and the things you do actually have an impact on other characters and the events of the region. Also, the game doesn't take itself seriously for the most part and I love the cheeky humor. Imagine yourself skipping through the wasteland singing “Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows” while mowing down raiders with an assault rifle and you'll begin to understand kind of what I'm talking about. There are also many "nudge-nudge wink-wink" references to pop culture and sci-fi films stuck in random parts of the game; I laughed with joy when I got to pretend I was Charlton Heston for five seconds (“IT'S PEOPLE!!!”) in one part.

Graphics/Audio: GOOD

Fallout is played in from a 2D isometric perspective, which is one of my favorite but may irk some players when they can't see tiny items hidden in dark corners. The graphics somewhat resemble Jagged Alliance 2, but with more detail. Each village has unique architecture and ambiance. There aren't that many character models and even fewer weapon models, but the ones that are there are well done and do the job. Fallout stands out in the character animations: giant super mutants scratch their asses in downtime, characters reload their pistols and fling empty magazines away, etc. The best however, are the variety of gruesome and awesome death animations when playing on the "maximum violence" setting: use the combat shotgun on burst mode at point blank on a giant mole rat and I dare you not to squeal in glee in reaction to what happens, you social deviant, you.

The audio is less impressive: the background music is heavily muted and mostly features moody gloom-and-doom music, but that's okay and doesn't detract from the game. The sound effects are pretty good: I don't know what melting a person with a plasma rifle sounds like, but I'd wager that Fallout got it on the money. Some of the more important characters are voice acted by Hollywood talent like Tony Shalhoub and add to the whole experience.

Gameplay: GOOD

Fallout plays as part adventure, part RPG, and part tactical combat game. If you play the game like it was meant to be played, you spend a lot your time traversing the wasteland and various settlements in real-time, talking to inhabitants to get quests, and searching/trading for weapons and items. The character interactions are some of the best I've seen in a game, and how you respond actually makes a significant difference in many situations. Kudos to Interplay on this one.

Fallout was the first game in the series to introduce the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. system of character creation, which has been used in every game in the series since, including the recent Fallout 3. Now, there are numerous options to creating a character, but in reality it's not as open-ended and versatile as some would claim. Sure, some hardcore players have completed the game as a diplomatic pacifist character who talked his way through the game, but the average gamer will not have the patience for this. Most newcomers will make a character that sounds cool (“Ooh, I'm gonna make a thief character that specializes in sneaking and stealing!”) but doesn't really work out that well in the field and makes the game harder than it needs to be. For example, sure a melee fighter is great in the early game when you're crushing the skulls of radioactive rats with a sledgehammer, but impractical in the late game when powerful energy weapons dominate the battles and super mutants can vaporize you with a shot to the eyes from 50 yards away. Also, high Intelligence in order to open up dialogue options is almost a must for every character unless you just plan to bash and shoot your way through the game.

Combat is turn-based and each character has a certain number of action points to move, fire, reload, etc. Combat somewhat resembles that of Jagged Alliance 2, but remember that Fallout is an RPG first and a tactics game second, so while cover, angles, and distance play a role, stats are far more important. Various human (and one canine) NPCs can lend a helping hand and are invaluable in the early game. However their faulty AI sometimes gets in the way: they suffer extreme tunnel vision, running through a pitched firefight to finish off a retreating enemy that first fired at them, and don't be surprised if your NPC buddies open up a long stream of Minigun bullets into your back by accident. Combat can also get a little too easy once you know where to acquire the best armor and weapon; at this point almost no one can hurt you unless they get a lucky critical hit or you get mobbed.

The world is very open-ended, which is nice, as I am accustomed to many RPGs holding your hand through a linear plot. While there is a main storyline and a definite end, how (or if) you get there is up to you. You can do all the quests and save the world, or you can simply kill everyone (and I mean everyone, from mutants to peasant children), although you will miss out on a lot of the story if you do it this way. The game keeps track of your actions through a karma system. However, there are far fewer opportunities and “evil” quests to lower your karma than there are good ones, so if you want to play a bad character you'll have to spend much of your time knee-deep in the blood of innocents.

The interface is the biggest gripe most people have with the gameplay, and I agree completely. Inventory management is cumbersome and is hampered by long scrolling lists of items, and it isn't always clear certain things are supposed to be used. Trading is also a pain, since you cannot simply sell or buy items, you have to manually drag over piles of bottle caps (money) to the trader's window.

Note: The 1.0 version has some game-crashing bugs that can sometimes make it impossible to finish the game, so make sure you patch it up to 1.2 right away.

Verdict:

Minor issues aside, Fallout is one of the best computer RPGs out there and a game that helped define the post-apocalypse genre. Even in 2008, the gameplay easily surpasses many modern games. I highly recommend adding it to your collection- there exist several websites where you can purchase and direct download a patched and XP/Vista compatible version.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/20/08

Game Release: Fallout (US, 09/30/97)