Fallout was one of my first experiences with RPG genre. I remember playing it for months, years even, back in the end of 1990s. How does it feel now, some 15 years later? Surprisingly, still awesome! Combat system is well balanced, making battles difficult, but manageble and rewarding. Quests are still quite numerous, clever, and enjoyable. And the whole game is even longer than I remembered :-). Unfortunately, there are still glitches and bugs (e.g. still can't finish the Hightower burglary fo Loxley), and the game crashes occassionally, so save often. Inventory management gets pretty messy in later phases of the game, and you will find your followers constantly blocking your way... But except of these minor nuisances, FALLOUT ROCKS! Even 15 years after release!
I loved the first Cossacks game, and I loved American Conquest series even more. To my knowledge, it's one of the very few RTS where you can control over 1000 of units, and still every single soldier and peasant makes a difference. I remember holding a group of conquered buildings with only about 25 musketeers, and I remember famine killing hundereds of my people when enemy conquered one of my farms. That's the spirit of American Conquest - you seldom win a game purely by military domination, recruiting enough units and making a nice formations, ready to deal a single killing blow. No, much more often you need to be diversive, evasive, and always ready. Managing your economy, fighting small skirmishes outside your main settlement... and preparing a greater strike force. And the battles! So spectacular, yet so chaotic! American Conquest offers 15 very diverse nations, each with completely different playstyle, basically describable as NA Indians, SA Indians, and colonists. It has well-crafted historical campaings for all three "sides", fair skirmishes and random maps, and awesome multiplayer, comparable maybe to Age of Empires 2. Hopefully, GOG will provide us the last installment, Divided Nation in time....
