Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel

"Fallout hits the consoles."

The Fallout series has always held a spot in the hearts of many gamers. One of the few true PC RPG’s, Fallout revitalized the PC market and held the title of Best RPG of the year. A few years later, Fallout 2 received similar accolades and was also considered RPG of the year. Interplay Studios eventually followed that success with Fallout Tactics. While Tactics was not a real RPG like its predecessors, it was still one of the best games available for the PC that year. With the decline of the PC market and the rise of the console market, Interplay has brought Fallout to the X-Box and PS2. But is it a worthy successor to the Fallout legacy?

Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel is based off of the original Baulder’s Gate: Dark Alliance engine that wowed audiences a few years ago. In its time, the BG: DA was an outstanding accomplishment. It featured great effects, a simple hack-and-slash combat system, and a great story. The problem with Fallout: BoS, is that is basically the same game is a new setting. The graphic effects that won praises are now old news. A more detailed system in Baulder’s Gate: Dark Alliance 2 has supplanted the original one. The hack-and-slash combat of Fallout: BoS has long been improved upon by other games. In short, this game is not remarkable in any way.

However, it’s not terrible either. There is still plenty of cool enemies to be vanquished, and the overall story retains that Fallout ‘feel’. Co-Op play adds lots of value, and there is nothing like double teaming a giant Deathclaw. The designers went a long way towards trying to please the fans of the original PC games, and it shows. From the famous Radscorpions to the Vault Dweller himself, there are lots of references to the original games. This is not a game for kids, as the game world is filled with violent images and foul language… But it’s that setting that’s part of its appeal.

As I mentioned before, the game is not bad looking, but it’s out of date. There are no clipping issues, no framerate drops, and no other obvious graphical flaws. Still the best effect this game can produce is its water surface effect, which by now is commonplace. Weapon explosions are good, but not remarkable. Character models look good, but you can’t see any small details like freckles or wrinkles. Settings and scenery are nice, but they don’t have that ‘Wow’ factor consumers have come to expect. With the time and manpower spent working on this game, it stands to reason that the designers could have tweaked the engine a bit. In short, this game looks like nothing more than an expansion pack to the orginal game.

Fallout: BoS has outstanding sound. They abandoned the Jazz tunes of the PC versions to embrace a new Hard Rock style, and it fits the console version perfectly. Several smaller bands were hired to create background music, and professional voice talent makes up most of the characters in the game. Weapon effects and creature noises are perfect, making that sledgehammer sound satifying. My only complaint in the sound department was the narrator. Ron Pearlman has introduced every Fallout game before this, and the game is sorely lacking his voice.

The controls are good except for the Lock On function. Locking on to an enemy, in theory, offers a dodge option by tapping the (X-box: Y) button or direction. While this feature works moderately well during boss fights, during basic combat its too confusing to use properly. Your better off controlling attacks on your own as opposed to locking on anyone, as the random nature of the lock on means you can target someone off screen, as opposed to the creature doing the real damage right next to you. Aside from this glitch, the controls are laid out very well and make playing the game easy.

While not the best game I’ve played this year, it is certainly NOT the worst. Still, I can’t help thinking Interplay Studios would have been better off finishing Fallout 3 and releasing this game after that. Rent this game if you are a fan of the Fallout series, but avoid it otherwise.

Graphics – 7
+ Good frame rate, even during intense combat, no glitches.
- That’s because the game engine has been tweaked long before this.

Sound – 8
+ New music style fits console Fallout very well.
- Can’t choose playlists on X-Box, No Ron Pearlman to narrate.

Controls – 7
+ Laid out nicely, Responsive.
- Lock-On Function is hit or miss in large crowds.

Gameplay – 7
+ Hack, Slash, Level Up, and repeat. Great Setting.
- Ummm… Didn’t I play BG: DA before?

Overall – 7
- Good for a rental, not a buy.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 04/01/04