"A great RPG"

Fallout is a RPG, but is very unlike Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy, or other conventional RPG's. This computer RPG is a game that is well worth the purchase. WHY? Let's go through it.

Graphics: Graphics are good, and add to the atmosphere of the game. There is a very believable use of darkness and it alters your ability to see things realistically. The weapons and armor all look spectacular. Another good point is you can actually see your character wearing the armor. All armors look different in the main screen while you are wearing them. With knowledge of the looks of armor, you can even identify the armor your enemies are wearing.

Combat: In a fight, there is a lot of challenge and various ways to fight. You can shoot with guns, use hand-to-hand weapons, or fight unarmed with your fists. There is a system of Action Points (hereafter called AP). You get a number of action points each turn (based on agility) and with AP, you can move, attack or access your inventory. Each action requires a certain number of AP. When you attack, there are various modes. Targeted shots allow you to aim at a certain part of your opponent's body. Some locations like the eyes and head are harder to hit, but give a greater chance at a critical hit. Weapons do various things to enemies. Killing with a plasma rifle will melt the opponent, killing with a flamethrower leaves a burnt corpse, or normal handguns just leave a corpse. If violence offends you, you may turn off these effects. Your enemies will shout threats and taunt you (you can also disable threats and taunts). The difficulty of combat can be set to Hard, Normal, or Easy.

Controls: Controlling your character is very easy once you understand it. Basically can move, shoot, use items, or use skills with the mouse. You can place two items in active item slots. These slots keep the item ready to use at a moment's notice. In combat, the game's control really shines. With simple clicks of the mouse, you can look at an enemy to see his relative amount of hit points left, reload your gun, walk while keeping enough AP to shoot or many other things.

Story: The story is excellent in this game. Fallout has tons of missions to do to further the story. The main story is based on underground Vaults. You are a member of Vault-13 and you have to find a water purification chip. It allows Vaults to produce and purify water, but unfortunately the chip in Vault-13 is broken. You need to find a new water chip. There is a 150 day time limit for finding the chip, but there are ways to extend the limit if you have to. There are a lot of smaller missions you can complete for rewards of experience and money. The story is further developed and there is an incredible ending.

Sound: The music is average. Most of the music is almost unnoticable. The rest of the sounds are great. The best part of the sounds are the characters you meet. Some characters actually talk. The voices are well-done and the words are also on the screen for you to read. The characters sound different and overall are very good. The sounds of combat and movement are immersive and draw you into the game.

Gameplay: Of course, the gameplay is the most important part of the game. The gameplay is well balanced and challenging. The difficulty can be adjusted to your tastes. You can customize your character at the beginning of the game, or if you wish, use a preset character. Even with two identical characters, the game can be very different every time you play. Do you want to be a nice, ethical player or do you want to be a mercenary, killing for money? You can go through the game killing many people, or you can kill only for the 'right' purposes. What you do affects your karma. If karma is positive, you are considered a protector of the innocent. If it is above 15, you are a well known hero. But if you have negative karma, you are evil. If below -15, you are an evil lord. Sadly, the karma system doesn't make as big of difference as you would think. People won't refuse to talk to you, because you're evil and the evil characters will still talk to a good hero. More importantly, you can easily repair a bad reputation by doing certain missions. I think the reputation system should have made a bigger difference in the game. Other than the irrelevance of reputation, everything else in the gameplay is excellent. There is a lot of replay value simply because there is no way you can do everything the first time through. This game will keep you coming back even after you've mastered it because playing the game is so fun.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Fallout is a game that I highly recommend for any fan of RPG's. It is worth the cost and this is a game you will play repeatedly.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 12/16/00, Updated 12/16/00