24 out of 24 people found this review helpful.
Fallout: A great post-nuclear RPG
Date of Review: Sep 27, 2001
The Bottom Line: Fallout is from the team that went on to make Baldur's Gate. Need I say more?
Note: This is a review of the original Fallout PC game. Click here for my review of Fallout 3.I became interested in Fallout when I learned that it was made by many of the same team that produced the Baldur's Gate games. I could be wrong, but I think Fallout won RPG of the year when it was released.
Fallout is set in the future, after a nuclear war that has destroyed much of the Earth. The people that were left behind lived in underground Vaults. The game takes place when the radiation is finally wearing out and people are able to reach the surface. Your character is from a Vault whose 'water chip' is going out and you must go to the surface to try and find one. The game is spent exploring all the different areas of the land and trying to find this Water Chip. You have a limited number of days to do so before your people run out of water and die.
The biggest different between Fallout and many modern RPG is that it is turn-based, rather than real time. This does help to make it easier to form certain strategies, but it also can make the game take much longer to play. When not in combat, you simply walk around and talk to whoever you wish, and the turn-based system only takes place in combat.
The combat system is simple. Your character has what are called Action Points, and certain things cost so many action points per turn. For example, you start out with 8 points. To shoot a gun costs either 5 or 6 points, and to punch somebody only costs 2 points. It goes from there. The key to the strategy is to decide how to best use these points. You may want to shoot and then try to find cover, or just flat out run away. It depends on the situation.
The graphics in Fallout are very good considering that this game is a few years old. Compared to today's new RPG, it may seem a little dated, but it doesn't take away from the fun. The sound is pretty well done and the voicework is very nice. You will hear voices from most of the major characters that you speak to.
Also, this game comes on one CD, and you can do a large install so that it all runs very quickly. So far I have only encountered one little bug while moving from one area to another, but it has never happened again.
If you like a good RPG, you may want to check out Fallout. Basically it's like a slimmed down version of Baldur's Gate, but with guns and hand grenades.
