I have the old "Fallout Classic" edition which is way better than GoG's current release. Look for a more complete edition if you can get it. But this is a great game, and the current edition is fine. What's so great about Fallout? Inspired by a blend of Mad Max and 1950s-era propaganda, this game's atmosphere is among the greatest ever concocted. Everything is deeply satirical and haunting. You play The Vault Dweller, an enigmatic figure who grows up in an underground vault after the final nuclear holocaust has destroyed the land. A malfunctioning water chip has put your people in danger. You must go out to find a replacement part, to save your people- and perhaps the world. To be fair, there are flaws. There's a few invisible timers that will cause game over if not watched. In short, you must find the water chip at once or you could get a game over if you just enjoy the vastness of the game instead of playing the main story. Spoiler-free guides exist to rush to stop the timers, or you can mod them out entirely. Either way will improve your game. There's just too much to enjoy, it can't be rushed like that. The timer isn't that harsh, but still- you don't want a Game Over from enjoying the game too much. The systems powering the game are amazing, and equal the atmosphere and writing, which are both all-time-greats. They basically wanted to launch something powered by Steve Jackson's GURPS, and due to various issues ended up modifying it to create SPECIAL. The power of the GURPS-a-like system is flexibility. You can make radically different builds from unarmed fighters to snipers to scientists, and the game rewards almost any approach. You also get a wealth of combat options- ever wanted to punch an ant in the thorax with an exact percentage to hit? Now's you chance. Turn-based, isometric, action-point-driven, mayhem. Great setting, great characters, great systems, and so much content. You will get lost for days on your own personal story, and it will be great.
Maybe my favorite RTS ever, right up there with Red Alert. It's all here. Great combat, great story, all the modes. Everything. What's special about this one? Start with the soundtrack. The game was accompanied by a CD soundtrack where music would be queued from your disc during gameplay to suit the mood, with an original orchestral score by Jeremy Soule. I still listen to it on its own merit. Honestly good classical music. The story is totally woven into gameplay. It's a simple tale with an atmosphere that puts its among gaming's greats. In short, the galaxy has been ravaged by two armies with an ideological disagreement. Each side is ruled by a Commander, a giant mech powered by a fusion reactor. Each commander can build a whole army out of nanomachines by recycling planetary resources. Yes, that does mean you can at any time reclaim old units to get the resources back, meaning you can change battle strategies on the fly. Each side has unique units, which are well balanced while offering some unique options. Units also gain automatic upgrades with their kill count, meaning you may hobble a broken take home trying to repair it and use it to get an advantage. Short cinematics between missions establish the story and really set the mood. The gameplay has tons of possibilities. For instance, one strategy is to use mobile builder units to create a network of small bases that grow like a pox across the land- a fairly unique concept thanks to the resource system. Want to go all air, all ground, or all sea? The game has options. Want to turtle and use giant artillery to shell the enemy? That's an option. Want to rush the enemy base with your Commander and duke it out mano-a-mano? The commander has a cloak and the most powerful (but short-range) gun in the game- sneak up and let 'em have it. Such great music, so many options, honestly one of the greatest games of all time. If you love RTS, get this today.
Absolutely flawed, but a neat little romp that will be appreciated by any fan of Baldur's Gate and similar games. There's been a lot of division in the ratings- the honest truth is definitely that this game is good-but-flawed, and how much you'll enjoy it depends on you. Probably get it on sale, and keep expectations in check. You play as an ambassador of The Big Bad who is called Kyros. The Bad Guys are conquering a new land, and you help lead the charge. That's different from the usual, heroes' journey. The whole draw is that there are many factions in this world, including two armies making up the bulk of Kyros' forces. The problem is, the designers clearly have a preferred way for you to interpret the story. I'm not spoiling anything but I have to say- you can't just be in league with the Big Bad. Like you might think, okay I'm Darth Vader working for The Emperor so I'm going to lead the forces of evil to a glorious victory. That sounds amazing, right? Well, you can't do that. Just to give you a little non-spoilery insight, during the whole intro the two armies of the forces of evil bicker like spoiled children. This never ends through the whole game, and is kind of lame to me. How did they ever get this far to begin with if they're so bad at working together? So the concept is great and worth exploring, but the execution is flawed. I beat the game in three sittings, let's say 9-12 hours total? This was doing all the side quests in the first act, half in the second act, and only the main story in the third act. There's plenty more playtime to be had, but given that the game won't let me play my way I'm not eager to revisit all of it. I got the game on sale, so that's okay. Combat is dead slow, but decently balanced for most playstyles. Writing is generally solid, Lantry especially stands out as a neat character. Cool concept, plenty to explore. Great bargain game, not an all-time classic, not worried about a sequel.
