Fallout

I really, really tried to like Fallout and Fallout 2. I played Fallout 1 over 30 hours and Fallout 2 nearly 12 hours. I all installed recommended mod's, patches, etc. I have no idea why these games are so highly rated. They're terrible by today's standards. They haven't aged well at all. If they could be redone using modern graphics, game mechanics & conventions, then they could be great games. As a comparison, I've played and loved the following RPG's: Ultima I thru 8, Wizardry 6, 7, 8, Baldurs Gate 1 & 2, Icewind Dale 1 & 2, Planescape Torment, Arcanum, Deus Ex 1 & 2, Jade Empire, Dragon Age, Morrowind, Oblivion, Neverwinter Nights 1 & 2, Shadowrun Returns, Shadowrun Dragonfall, Shadowrun Hong Kong, Knights of the Old Republic 1 & 2. The Good: - Music and atmosphere - Decent, but not great, stories - Post-apocalyptic setting. Nice break from fantasy / sword & sorcery RPG's. The Bad: - Clunky interface (even for a game from late 90's) - Horrible, extremely grainy graphics (even for a game from the late 90's) - No control of companions in Fallout 1 - Limited control of companions in Fallout 2 - Very poor journal/objectives. Nearly impossible to determine next steps without walkthru - EXTREMELY STEEP difficulty. Die many, many, many times before character levels up to where they can reliably hit/shoot enemies, pick locks, repair equipment, sneak or do anything remotely fun. - Faulty path finding of companions. Often go through dangerous obstacles instead of around them - Poor companion AI. You often take friendly fire in combat from companions - Still buggy. Multiple times had to restart game because quests would not trigger or complete even though all steps specified in walkthrough had been completed. - Poor journal / objectives. Nearly impossible to figure out next steps without walkthru

I bought Fallout+FO2+FO tactics during the sales a few weeks ago (good deal, 7€ or so for the bundle). I was very disappointed... People talk about a great turn-based RPG, I saw a game that has not aged very well. For example, you'd better play low res, because you need to hover over the objects to find them (no "highlight objects" key or mode, so this is a little bit a Hidden Object game). Then, you do not control your squad (hired NPCs) - that would be OK, but removes quite a lot of fun. Also planning a fight might be difficult, as you will rely on the AI to do the right thing (I did not come up to this point, but I have been friendly-fired shot once). Also, interface is clunky (OK, I did not expect more). These two would be OK, but what make drop this game after a few hours is how bad the RPG options are - I just suggested I could get some money from a rescue job : the NPC did say bad things, which is fine, but immediately attacked, along with the rest of the village (dogs included). No dialog option to save the situation, no options, no nothing. The hired NPC, which was part of the village before being hired start to shoot everyone, while I was going away (running to stop the combat). This is not what I expected, especially because my character just saved the village from red scorpions. Some bad karma points would have been enough. I could have reloaded a previous save, but what is the point of playing such a limited game (in term of RPG options). Time is the most precious resource in the era of abundance of good RPG and turn based strategy. I had the feeling continuing to play this one would be a waste of time, with very limited fun as a result. I have not even tried FO2 and Tactics. So... this is it. At full price (9€), the game is definitively not a good deal. If you are interested in this game, you should first play a demo.

I never thought the game would end if you didn't finish "whater chip". If I knew it would be like this, I wouldn't start the game.

... games I ever played: totally boring. Over the years I tried many times to get into Fallout 1 without having success. I know, it is always a matter of taste like reading enthralling philosophical doorstoppers. Of course you start as a nobody roundbased killing endless rats in a cave with a knife to save ammunition. Swing your knife and go three steps and press spacebar for the next round again and again as the principal element. When you get out of the cave you can see that Fallout 1 takes place in a wonderful desert wasteland in nice brown colours, with other grey and nice brown colours and additional different brown colours. And yes, there exist desert fans in the world, whom I commiserate. In general I could live with this artwork, it's not its weakest point. Fallout 1 includes a lot of different weapons, armours and other items to use, which makes the game interesting. I wished they had used realtime instead of roundbased for the combat, perhaps with the possibility to stop the game with pressing spacebar and giving orders. I had to use walkthroughs to be able to fulfill some of the quests. I didn't know what to do, where to go in big unclear maps, how to use items and so on. Oh, this is what old school means!? You have to find everything out on your own? Mmh, other players shall use forums or fallout coffee parties? Understood! Often special events weren't triggered. To make the game even more complicated they add a daytime management. The brilliant humour didn't really ignite. In this time era a game had to include humour like Monty Python to get rewarded with positive awards. I gave 2 stars for the atmosphere, the idea behind it and the sound recording and wished they instead would have made an action oriented game out of it to have some fun. Hmh, I am not allowed to criticise the programmers concept? Pooh!

Bought the game and the install option is disabled. Paid for a game I can't play. Fantastic.