It is a brilliant game, with a good story (which feels very "sequel-esque" sometimes, which it is), good freedom of action, and a varied world to explore. The world is way larger than in FO1, so be prepared for a longer adventure if you want to see it all. Structurally it is a series of small adventures - solve x and y in each location, move on to the next (or just let it burn). The writing and characters are often witty, much more light-hearted than the bleak style of FO1. I wish the devs had more time to polish the gameplay, it is quite ridden with bugs (the official version at least), many of the assets are reused from FO1, there are less cinematics... It's still worth seeing it through. 36 hours clocked into the latest playthrough, it was quite a ride.
If you are an adult without 100s of hours to spare on massive RPGs, but want an epic story with some mindbending twists and good amount of player agency, Fallout 1 is great. I spent 22 hours with my current playthrough, but it could be done in much less, even if you don't push it. The story has a beginning and an end, some freedom to it, and in my view the time pressure you have to finish everything makes all the sense. You have to discover some archaic game design solutions - for me, they were actually a breath of fresh air. It felt like a mix of classic adventure gaming and RPGs. Enjoy it slow cooked.
TLDR: for the pricetag, you can have a couple of hours of fun, don't let the reviews hold you back. It would be unfair to compare it to it's more successful Miami brother, it doesn't aim to be as deep and versatile of a package. Don't expect Hotline level of anything, and you might as well have a good time - feels more like a polished hobby project than a full-fledged game. Pros: - Graphics are fine, the effects are pretty good; - Weapon action has some impact and is generally fine; - The overall feel that you are a killing robot is well executed; - The soundtrack overall works, there are some great parts; - There is a really fun execution animation at the end of the office level:) Cons: - Story is uninspired and a slog to read through; I wish I could just smash the babblemouths in the conversations Doom-style and head back to the action. Would fit a killer robot better. There are a few tasteless executions without much impact too, that don't carry any dramatic weight. - The door kicking and execution mechanics are aweful. Slow, locking you in place, lacking impact, more annoying than fun. Anytime I had to execute an enemy I rather waited until they stand up, it is that annoying. - AI is dumb, they cannot even open a door. Sometimes they immediatly shoot you from the edge of a door; other times they choose a staring contest instead. - Apart from a few standout levels, most of them are quite repetitive and look stale. The dark level was the most annoying thing I have seen in a while. - GUI doesn't communicate information well. How many ammo cartridges do I have for my weapon? For some it's more, for some it's less, it's not clearly shown when you will run out of ammo completely.
