Product ReviewsFallout (PC: Windows, 1997)

Fallout: New Vegas (PC Games, 2010)

Great game but slow download time and slow depending on your system in comparision to Fallout 3. Third person view needs to be centered at least when when the player's character is fully scrolled out instead of the over the right shoulder view. I had to switch to first person view because of the annoying off centered view while in third person. The radio stations are a nice touch but rather limited and if you play fairly regularly certain soundtracts are too repetitive and rather annoying during stuck points or tough areas. Achievements may take days to appear on your Steam account. Great storyline, good graphics, although the intro appears to be higher quality than during the regular game. The companion system is much better and allows more options. Game control and navigation could be more realistic instead of running or walking in place due to a knee high obstruction in rocky terrain.Read full review...

A modern classic!

Scratchy black and white images of wars past flicker across the screen as a clunky transistor radio tunes in an old single by the Inkspots. "War. War never changes." With those iconic words, thus begins the best computer game I've ever played. Like the best movies, Fallout pulls you in from the beginning with an all-encompassing combination of art design, soundtrack, and storyline that makes you wish you lived in this Post-Apocalyptic retro-future. Not just for RPG fans, it really deserves to be played by anyone interested in a good story and an unforgettable game experience.

In terms of gameplay, this game was quite innovative for it's time. You'll start out with a familiar character creation screen. A few added bonuses like the selection of "perks" (special character traits that usually boost some skills at the expense of others) and specialized skills allow you to cater the gameplay to your preferred style. Would be diplomats should take note, however, that the open-endedness of this design does presuppose a certain amount of combat so don't expect to talk your way out of every situation, no matter how high you boost your negotiation skills. The real choice in gameplay is rather limited to whether you'd prefer using handguns and rocket launchers or spears, knives, and good old fashioned fists. Once this limitation is understood, however, the choices you make here really do affect the game.

Most of the game is played from an isometric overhead perspective. Breaks from this view occur only when you travel long distances on a static area map or enter conversation with key characters. The background environments you travel through are rendered in exacting detail and are absolutely gorgeous. They still hold up pretty well compared to more modern games. When the game does zoom in for a headshot during conversations with key characters, it's a real treat. The quality of animation in these sequences is the best in the game. It's not exactly photo-real, but it's very good and the quirkiness of the characters makes up for any lack of detail.

Some caveats-- the game can be very violent. There's an option to turn down the graphic violence (or turn it up, if you'd prefer) so it might be this is less of a problem, but it is something to be aware of. Wandering the wastelands, evidently, can be a pretty grissly affair. As I alluded to before, combat makes up a large portion of the game. The story points you're required to carry out will often pit you against armed adversaries with no way to win but to shoot your way out, or in. Once you get past all the combat, however, the intriguing characters you meet and the story developing around them more than makes up for any tedium. Tedium's probably not the right word, because I enjoyed the combat in the game quite a bit. By the end, you'll find yourself fighting the same sorts of armed mutants and giant scorpians a lot though. If that's not your thing, I can reassure you that the storyline is good and worth playing for.

There's not much else I can say, I think I covered all the bases. If you can get this game with the original manual and box art, do it! Print manuals and gamebox art seem to be a dying breed, which is a shame because the ones originally included with this game were gorgeous. You can hang them on your wall. Games this complete and original and fun to play don't come along all that often, it really set the bar for computer RPGs at the time it came out and remains to this day a classic.Read full review...

Fallout - Where It All Started!

Fallout was 1997’s best role-playing game. It was released in a time where people had been waiting years for something really groundbreaking to come by in an RPG, and Interplay didn’t miss the mark.r>
In order to survive a great nuclear war in this futuristic game, the survivors of humanity sought shelter in underground vaults to escape the nuclear fallout (hence the title). The character is in one such vault, but escaping the wastelands is not the only problem. This vault’s water-recycling chip has malfunctioned and the leader of the community is asking the player’s character to go to a neighboring vault for a replacement. If only a journey in the wasteland were simple.

Players find that there are communities on the surface, and they’re scraping the bottom trying to survive just like those below. Gangs that resemble something from the Mad Max series roam the wasteland preying on those struggling to make a living. Some people have undergone transformations; so have some animals. Finding a water chip or other suitable drinking water is not going to be an easy task.

The game system takes some time to get used to, but not so much that it detracts from the enjoyment of the game. Mostly a mouse-driven game, players have cursor options to select actions, conditions, and manage inventory. Taking care of said inventory isn’t a comfortable process, as players are forced to manage all loot in a single columned interface.

Fallout does some things quite well. Character creation is quite thorough, including optional traits and perks to enhance characters’ starting abilities, making him/her unique. Fallout’s creators also attempted to implement a system of “right and wrong,” and player interaction with NPCs is affected by Karma. As two more examples, sound and music both compliment the story environment without going over the top.

Like games of the time, there are some things that greatly under-perform. Most roaming NPCs are fairly useless for more than a grunt, snide remark, or comic relief. While players can recruit companions, they have no control over them, allowing for situations where the recruits will shoot players (and other NPC companions) in the back or block the path. They do not target what the player targets most of the time, and players will notice when trying to do something nefarious that combat will provoke NPCs to target other people, including children, which just cause one’s Karma to bust. Also, players’re forced to trade with them to provide them any resources. They don’t wear armor or gain levels making them weak and pathetic in the end-game.

ook out for bugs. Remember, the patches that are released for this game are supported by Windows 95 only, since there was no other workstation OS out at the time. Heed my advice and save the game often, both to dodge the bugs and NPC accidental assassination attempts.

The presentation of the story is both humorous and enlightening. The previously touched-on story is set in the future, but most everything looks like it came out not long after World War II. What’s left of civilization is surviving under the tow of two-headed cows while rusting autos and modern technologies similar to our era are strune about. Bottle caps are the currency of choice and iguana sticks are to die for.

All things being said, Fallout is still one of the best RPGs ever made for the PC and sparked a great trend. It is true that it came out around the same time Blizzard released Diablo, but Fallout breaks the moRead full review...

Fallout: New Vegas review

I purchased Fallout: New Vegas because some of the original designers of the first Fallout games basically took Bethesda's Fallout 3 and made a new game out of it. Actually my main reason for buying was due to the Hardcore mode. You must eat, sleep, and drink water to survive.

Complaints:
The game is perfect in many ways, but I would still like to see more improvements on the technical aspects. I wish you could take weapons apart and use the parts to craft new ones. I wish you could pick up anything that wouldn't be too heavy for your character to carry. And I also wish you could have all the crafting tools available at the various player homes. I would also like to see an optional censor for all the dialogue in the game. This game has more profanity and obscenity than Fallout 1, 2, and 3 combined.. and double that for good measure.

Oh, one more negative. VATS will seriously cripple you. New Vegas is the opposite of Fallout 3 when it comes to VATS. Whereas in Fallout 3 you could quickly fire off a few shots and kill several enemies before they have time to react, in New Vegas you slow to a crawl and take massive damage while the "slow-mo" scene plays out. If you're dealing with a melee enemy then you should expect a brutal beating by the time you exit VATS. Use VATS to pause and survey the situation, but by all means do NOT fire off a shot with it. New Vegas is a pure RPG / FPS. Leave VATS in the trash where it belongs.

The positive things:
The gameplay, crafting, and PC elements are all top notch. I especially like the quests and the quest system. If you like RPG elements and don't mind playing a FPS style game then you will probably enjoy Fallout: New Vegas. Just don't let any kids hear the dialogue.. Actually you might want to keep teens away too.. and your grandparents. xPRead full review...

It's a classic, but...

This game was revolutionary back in the day.
The whole concept is pretty cool. Post apocalyptic world, mad max kind of feel to it.
The combat system is pretty unique. Target different body parts and all that.
Character creation is really unique, really interesting features and traits.

The only issue I had was that the whole game moved at a snails pace. The story development was the slowest (especially since it is so open-ended) the combat and general movement mad tears run from my eyes they were so slow.

But, I am a classic gamer who has been corrupted by the fast-paced, attention getting modern games.Read full review...

Great game.

Only got into the Fallout franchise after 3 but always wanted to go back and play the original games. I honestly can't complain about it because for the time it was released its fantastic.

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: new | Sold by: knightdiscounts

post apocoliptic roleplaying goodness

This is one of my favorite games of all times, it has been stated that the fallout games had a huge impact on the role playing genre. Although you don't see many elements from this game in many others, this and its sequel are truly unique gaming experiences. I would recommend this title to any one who likes rpg/turn based/strategy style of play, and who is not easily offended by graphical violence and mature themes.Read full review...

Excellent Game - Highly Recommended

Pros:
Excellent plot. Neat Characters with-in the game are amazing. If you'd loved fallout 3, then you will defiantly want to buy this game. I would highly recommend buying this PC video game.
<br>Cons:
None that I can think of, other than make sure you have fairly powerful computer. My personal minimum requirements for this game to run are: 12GB of Ram, I7 860 2.8GHZ quad core or later, Two Nvidia GTX 460 in SLI mode or higher, 20GB of storage and about 1200 watt PSURead full review...

A MUST BUY, GAME IS AN INSTANT CLASSIC AND ONE OF THE BEST RPG'S EVER!!

In my personal opinion this is one of the best RPG's they ever made. Terrific plot, tons of choices for player alignment, great graphics for year of production and an overall gameplay factor of 10 out of 10. Would definatly recommend this for anyone who wants many hours worth of fun entertainment. I can play this game multiple times without getting tired of it.Read full review...

Fallout is an excellent game and owning the original CD is crucial.

Fallout started it all. I bought this because I've always loved it but never owned the original CD. I love the classic RPG elements and turn-based combat, as well as the humor and cameos. It stands above the rest.Read full review...