Rating: Summary: The Fallout series is the greates RPG series ever. Review: It's a shame that all of a sudden prices have risen to nearly $80. More people should be able to experience these games, but I don't recommend buying them from here. I got my copy of Fo1 from a neighbor, and Fo2 from a good friend. At the time I was maybe 12, and even before that, watching my neighbor/friend (who was older than me) play the first, it was enthralling.
These are two of the last, somewhat modern games, I think, to have a rich story line and an involving plot. You start out thinking that it will be very linear (looking in your first city for the water chip, hah), but soon you begin to realize that the game was designed to let you call the shots. Instead of immediately being immersed in homogenous villains defending a larger version of themselves, who in turn is coveting, for some reason, the last water chip on the face of... Californea... you start out doing a little sleuthing, a small side mission here, and then you become entirely involved.
I enjoyed the second game in the series as well. It follows the same principle, and is pretty much an extension of the first one, but thats not really a bad aspect. I feel that if these games had been made using more modern tools, they would be the most popular games ever.
That said, you should get this if your pockets are brimming with cash and you dont know how to spend it. I wouldn't consider them to be rare, and the company is dying. Get it whatever way you can think of (ahem ahem... time to be hitting the ol' dusty trail).
Rating: Summary: The Best RPG ever made Review: First a little warning, this game is not for children, it uses adult themes and language. I played the first title of this saga years ago, at the time I bought it because the title won "RPG of the year" award by popular PC magazines. It was merely out of curiosity that I stumbled on the game that has changed my view of RPG standards. These games can justly be called the "mother of all RPGs" its creators have made the titles of Bauldur's gate, Archanum, Torment and many other games (it is sad that they cannot get along long enough to make a third Fallout). Till now, whenever I play an RPG title, I think back to Fallout and compare it. To be honest, I have yet to see one that can match it. Let me explain:The secret of the success of both titles was not in the graphics, game play or the fighting sequences, the secret to its success was mainly due to the rich storyline. This game played very much like a movie or a novel except you are in the driver seat. There is nothing linear about this game, it does not play like a normal RPG where doing certain missions propel you forward. This game engulfs the player in its quests and provides an endless spider web of opportunities to change the story. It was essentially the only game I have ever played that possessed a true "open ended" game engine. You can, literally, become a sharif, a drug dealer, a slaver, a ranger, a mob made-man fighting against other mob families, a prostitute, a porn star, a mercenary, a thief, a person with a bounty on their heads, a child murderer, a bandit, a cattle driver and even lead a small army... Every city you enter provides you with endless opportunities and jobs. It will take 40-50 hours each game and you will appreciate every minute of it. The storyline of the first fallout is that you are chosen among the vault dwellers (humans cooped up in Vaults for long periods of time to escape the nuclear holocaust) to search for a new "water chip" essential for the survival of the vault. You spend some time searching for it in the begining but the story does not end there. The second game involves the descendants of the original vault dweller (hero of the first game) 80 years later and their quest to find the "Holy GECK" which is a device that turns the scorched wasteland into the Garden of Eden. The game designers have very cleverly linked both games together in away that it makes you feel you are playing one single game. Characters from Fallout 1 are old and crusting on Fallout 2 and will happily tell you the tale of the original vault dweller in which you are his/her descendant. A wonderful aspect about this game is that the designers are a crowd of dorks, who happen to be big fans of movies like "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" and "Star Trek", there is a bit of subtle humor hidden in the game in the form of "special encounters" which are randomized events occurring while you travel. Their purpose is to make you smile and even laugh at the imagination of the Fallout designers in their quest to pay homage to their favorite shows, something I miss dearly from new RPGs. The system used for character development is the same as the system used for other RPG with 'perks' thrown in every few levels that give the character extra abilities. You can choose the direction of your character from the beginning but there is no limitation as you can change it later on in the game unlike most other RPG engines. You can choose to have companions (depending on your charisma rating) which is one of the interesting aspect about this game is that they are totally independent in their actions and sometimes even fight among each other, dialogue can be very funny. The combat sequences can be melee or gun power, energy weapons and rocket launchers are my favorite. It is turn-based which means that you have to use a bit of brain with your tactics, unlike hack and slash RPGs. Bottom line, buy this game and you will find yourself to be one of many who have joined in a cult-like admiration for these titles. How many RPGs do you know of that have Fan-based fiction writing sites lasting for years? Many fans are even making their own storylines based on Fallout Tactics engine now like Fallout Awaken. You will feel sad after beating it once and you will play it again and again as I have. It is simply the best, the king of all RPG's and none who played it can contest that statement.
Rating: Summary: Fallout and Fallout two are my favorite role playing games Review: Fallout is almost perfect. It is set in an almost barren wasteland. The graphics are a bit dated but the games are not. You can play almost any type of game character, you set the environmental options, and you have fun. They are quite replayable and interesting. You get a large area to explore, you fight and learn(they have books in the game to read), and you fight the good fight or the bad fight. Your reputation counts. It is not very difficult to learn while the puzzles fit into the game and can be figured out.
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