Fallout Reviews

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I'm looking for them rather than offering them.

I heard non-stop how great fallout was when it came out, but never played it. Now that #3 is coming out, I've taken an interest in the series because my friends started bragging about the first two all over again.

Some things I want to know about is:

#1 graphics.

Fallout 1 and 2 are going to have different graphics, but are they comparable to Bg1 & 2 or worse or better? Screen resolution max out at 800x600 or higher?

#2 gameplay.

Is it a cRPG in the same sense as the BG series? (I actually hear it's a better RPG, but what's the gameplay like?)

Anything else like character development? parties or solo game? etc. would be nice too!

Thanks!

 

#1 graphics: It's old and will look like iguana on a stick on anything larger than a 14" monitorbut you can get a resolution mod at No Mutants Allowed (the best Fallout fan site around, google it, you'll find it). This mod makes the game playable on larger screens without being such a sore for the eye but let's face it, if you want graphics you should play Fallout 3 which will be released any moment starting from now and depending on where you live.

#2 gameplay: Fallout 1 and 2 use an action point system for combat which means most actions will use up a certain number of points. Punching someone costs 3 points, aiming increases that by one point. Firing a gun costs 5 points, aiming 6, firing in burst mode 6, etc.

Fallout is particular in the sense that you can't make a superhero (well you can somehow) what I mean is that you can't make a character who is going to be good at everything. At character creation you can choose some traits which give you advantages but each of these advantages comes with a drawback. For instance you can be much stronger than others but slower, you can hit harder but get less critical hits, you can fire your weapons very quickly but you won't ever be able to aim... There are many possibilities.

You are limited in that respect but when you know your way around the game you can still get a good character but you can't expect that character to be the "best" in Fallout there is no such thing as the "best" character. There are many builds and some very unconventional characters can be truly enjoyable. You can play a sneaky character, a diplomat and still have some fun. I completed both games with a non violent pacifist character and it was both fun and challenging. You can of course go on killing spree and become the scourge or the saviour of the Wasteland.

If you play a dumb character with less than average intelligence, your ability to communicate with others will be severely impaired leading to a more difficult game. Having a high intelligence will ensure that dialogue options are more numerous and longer but the length of a line doesn't mean that it is always the best.

The humour is quintessential. It makes the game enjoyable and funny.

Both Fallouts are non linear. You can go anywhere, do what you want. No railroad plot for you to follow. You can accept a mission and finish it or you can turn your back on the person who hired you and betray them.

You can't compare Fallout and BG, they are in two different leagues. While I enjoy both series it's for very different reasons. IMHO Fallout has more in common with BG1 if you consider the non linearity (being able to travel anywhere on the map) but the RPing elements and dialogues have more depth in Fallout.

In Fallout you can meet and recruit a certain number of NPCs. NPC management in Fallout 1 is infamous and while it has been made better in Fallout 2 (NPCs can get experience and are better at managing their weapons) they often let you wonder about the "I" in AI. Still it's a nice change of pace from games in which you control everything. Fallout consider all the kills done by your party members or allies as being yours so you don't lose XP contrary to what happens in BG and the like.

Regarding character development, I'm not going to spoil anything for you. Make up your own mind, just remember that in the wasteland you can only trust the gun in your belt and the leather on your back. It never hurts to be poilte to a stranger. One thing you need to ask yourself is whether or not you feel lucky when somebody shoves something that looks like a hair dryer into your face. In that situation you'd better listen up to what that person has to say because it might just be some high tech weapon you've never seen before and most likely won't be seeing again.

 

Thanks. My plan was to play through the first 2 before I go buy the third, I like to be caught up/current with the games.

 

One thing I think is important to stress when comparing FO games to BG that Bioware games were always very combat-centric, you progressed through the game by killing stuff in a dungeon and then confronting a boss-like enemy, while FO is more similar to Torment, in that there's a lot more dialogue, multiple ways to handle quests and many skills not related to combat (science, repair, speech, etc). You will always be able to choose the diplomatic or stealthy path in a situation, and depending on your stats (intelligence and charisma especially matter a lot) you'll see a lot more of the game, some paths will open while others close, etc. It's very branched.
Overall they're two very different styles, I like the BG series a lot for the tactical depth, but in the roleplaying department FO is head and shoulders above.

 

Don't forget Luck as well. ;-)

I think that Fallout gets quite interesting from a tactical perspective when you increase the difficulty level (especially in combat) because you can't just expect to take down every foe with ease and criticals with some weapons will hurt your character a lot (and I mean a lot, if you've ever had a minigun at close quarters hit your character with a critical you know what I'm hinting at). Plus I don't remember ever getting a crippled limb at lower difficulty levels and when that happens you can kiss your APs good bye (I once had a character with crippled eyes reducing his PE to 1 and a crippled arm preventing him to use his two handed weapon, in that situation running away sounds like the smart thing to do -provided you still have enough APs to get away).