In 1997, RPGs were dead. It was obvious to everyone that the genre was not commercially viable, that it was too cerebral and too niche compared to the blam-blam fast action of first-person shooters. So we RPG fans were dying of thirst - and then along came Fallout. I remember buying Fallout. I remember the unique sideways box with a lift-up flap to show screenshots and the game's marketing points. I bought it at lunch and took it back to work with me. Since I couldn't play it yet, I instead read the manual cover-to-cover, enjoying its contrast between quirky humor and accurate data about what exactly happens during a nuclear explosion. Then I got it home and lost myself in its post-apocalyptic world, where rats were the size of dogs and society had completely broken down and ammo was more valuable than water. I savored Fallout. I loved every second of it. Not only because it was a great game, but because the industry was assuring me I'd never get another one. The ultimate irony was when Baldur's Gate was released to HUGE sales, causing the industry to say, "Hey, of COURSE RPGs are still viable!" Plotzes.
