Better Role-Playing Through Atomic Warfare

Alright, first of all, if you've spent your entire role-playing life playing games like Final Fantasy you will be on a total alien field if you play Fallout, it should be known that this game does not cart you around and tell you what to do. You enter the game blind and need to figure out the hole world for yourself. You begin the game as a vault dweller in the Nuclear Fallout Shelter of VAULT 13 in the future, which has been protecting it's inhabitants for about eighty years after a nuclear war. Everything is fine until your water control chip "gives up the ghost" and breaks, and without it, your vault will die. You are the best chance for your vault so they send you off into the world to find the chip, if there is one. At which point you are put into a deep, engrossing plot and months of gameplay and replays.

Though at first the game is a bit confusing (especially since most people won't even fathom reading to rather large manual, though you should, because it's a fun read), I found myself back in the vault several times before I figured out the map. Character interaction is easy though, and the game quickly falls into place and your ready to go, however, you will probably create a few new characters to correct the mistakes you made in character creation. The controls are simple, and a mouse based game is refreshing, nothing requires you put much work into it and you shouldn't have any problems after a few minutes.

One of the best parts of this game is the humor, you'll find obvious jokes which will make you laugh, and little references that only you'll understand which will make you snicker, and of course you'll miss about a bunch to. Another good feature is the combat, straying from the typical "move fast or you'll die" role-playing, you use a turn based combat system which includes an action points system which are spent to day any number of things. You'll also be treated to a large selection of weapons, from 10mm pistols, to spears, and to plasma rifles, some which have their own unique ways of killing an enemy, melting their skins and meat, consuming them in flames, blowing apart their torso, etc.

The games plot is not linear like many role-playing games, but more of a move about freely and create your characters personality and choose your own actions. For example, in one town you can choose to work for the mayor and plant a bug on the local crimelord, or you can work for the crime lord and kill the mayor, and in one incident you will be faced with a hostage crisis, you can kill the hostage taker, negotiate with him, or sneak up behind him and knock him out, this way characters of various skill types can succeed (kill him-combat PC, negotiate-charisma PC, sneak up on him-stealth PC). Though your goal is the same, there are many ways of achieving it. This way you can replay the game dozens of times, sometimes just for laughs, and find something new.

One very nice thing about Fallout is that it's a very fast game, my computer is extremely slow, but Fallout runs smoothly and plays without many problems, though lag is a problem after a few hours of straight play. The graphics are also very good, the games tilted birds-eye view works perfectly with the colorful and sprites and the talking heads and cinemas are well-done. And despite what many people say, the game is not that bug infested, though it is always a good idea to save often.

In my final sayings, Fallout is an excellent game, in my opinion far better than games such as Final Fantasy, and in my opinion, Baldurs Gate. So if you're looking for a game that you can play many times over and enjoy it again and again, "Well that's a damn fine coincidence..." Fallout may be just what you're looking for.