Fallout

As someone who adores the franchise, I had to try out the original foray for the series. In my 15 hours or so I absolutely loved every blood soaked, atmospherically draining minute of this classic CRPG. This was, however, until I encountered the Cathedral. Housing the final boss of the game, I came across a game breaking bug wherein it would crash and freeze everytime I tried to enter the place, thus meaning I couldn't finish an otherwise fantastic journey. Heartbreaking really, although I played enough and explored everywhere ensuring that I can, to some extent, say I beat the original Fallout

Fallout 1 is a game that is divisive for Fallout fans, it's not the most mechanically polished, sometimes can be clunky, but what it does well is world-building. Unlike Fallout 2 and subsequent Fallout games, Fallout is much more bleak and uncomfortable, the world is still rebuilding slowly but is still desolate, what cities exist are bits of scrap tied together, you've been exiled from your home in search for a water-chip, and even once you return the water-chip, you'll find a much larger, hulking threat stands in your way. Regarding gameplay, Fallout takes the c out of crpg very seriously, you'll start by either selecting a class or building your own with skills such as small guns, doctor, big guns, speech, etc... alongside your SPECIAL skills, with your Agility dictating how many action points you can use to move around on the isometric grid, use items, access inventory, and use your weapons. Whilst this can be a little frustrating if you've come from Fallout 3 and onwards, it slowly becomes natural and you'll find the most important thing is focusing on your weapon skill of choice. Compared to Fallout 2 is where issues start to pop-up, there's not really a great inventory management system in Fallout 1, you can't loot all off enemies or containers, and things just feel clunkier and less refined. Should you play Fallout 1 today? My answer is a hard maybe, the gameplay flaws make Fallout 2 the mechanically better game to play but Fallout 1's bleak environment, iconic story, and place as the first in the Fallout series. *Note, you should definitely use the Community Edition patch if you get the chance, it'll make the game run better on modern hardware and includes some minor tweaks.

This is my first time playing any Fallout game. Even as a veteran of old CRPGs who grew up loving Baldur's Gate, I found the controls and UI janky as hell. It's very unintuitive and a newbie without perseverance might give up. Don't! It's worth it. Great setting and atmosphere with a solid enough story. It's fun walking out of the vault with nothing but a meager pistol before transforming into a power-armor-wearing, body-disintegrating badass. I'm also a sucker for conclusions that wrap up various storylines and show how your actions affected the world. There are some bugs, and many people are complaining about this being the censored version. I probably should have used the patch, but it's still quite playable and easily beatable. Without prior knowledge or nostalgia, I didn't feel I was experiencing anything game-breaking. It would mostly benefit from QoL updates, which I read the sequel implemented. There also aren't a ton of true RP opportunities as most people don't care that you came from a vault, your character's ignorance of an outside world isn't written strongly into the story, and companions are forgettable. But also...it's a really old game and that can all be forgiven. Onto Fallout 2.

I might be biased, i played it as a teenager back in the late 90s, but IMO Fallout is the best game ever created. Closely behind it (or ex aequo) is Fallout 2 (bigger, technically better, but lost a bit of it's personality), DeusEx (the original one) and Vampire the Masquarade: Bloodlines. This version is the censored one, but don't hold it against it. It's still Fallout. And it will forever be the best game ever made.

I remember when this came out. Dark humor and bleak. Absolutely classic. The one that started it all. Yes, the interface is janky. Yes, the graphics are old as h@ll. Yes, its old school. The storyline is the BOMB. Life is tough enough in the wasteland, raiders, mutant animals, dehydration, starvation, ghouls, radiation, etc. Now ready for the bad news? The level of work that went into this game is astounding. Great characters, great enemies, great quests. The background music is great in its bleakness. The world building and lore in this game are exceptional, particularly for the time-period. Combat is unforgiving, but this is part of Fallout's (FO) charm. You can get the criticals on the bad guys and they can crit you as well. Make sure you save. The inventory/purchasing system is a pain. It was improved a bit in Fallout 2. That being said, most things weigh something, so when you prep for a quest, you have to think and decide what you want to bring. Mostly in the area of what weapons and ammo to bring. From melee weapons, and conventional firearms to the hi-tech small arms, the variety is pretty good. Armor is ok as well. The power armor (T-51b) is of course the bomb. The dark humor is awesome. Loved the Soylent Green reference. The effects of certain weapons killing their targets is hilarious as well, in a dark sort of way of course. Once you get past the first bit of this game things pick up and it draws you in. So be patient. The best is yet to come. As the game approaches the end it just gets better and better. The main antagonist is of course the Master, and his background story and end goals are well done. So, in conclusion, this game is old and may not be for everyone, but once you finish it, you (probably) cannot deny that it was a great story and a good ride. Thanks GOG for keeping this one in stock!