I picked up Fallout because I’d always heard it was a great
RPG for adventure players to try. And is it ever, brother.

One of the off-putting
elements of RPGs to some adventure players, well, to me at least, is that
it seems they’re all set in the land of dungeons, dragons, wizards, spells, gnomes,
goblins, etc. I can only take so much of that particular fantasy milieu.

In
1997 Interplay released Fallout, the game that kisses those tired old scenarios
goodbye. The setting is a post-apocalyptic future. Your clan has been huddling
in the comparative safety of a huge underground vault while the outside world
is going to hell. After more than a generation of isolation in the vault, however,
some of the technology that keeps your clan alive is beginning to fail. Specifically,
the computer water chip needs to be replaced. Your character is elected to Leave
the Vault and venture into the scary post-war wilderness to find a new chip.

Unlike
most good pure adventure games, RPGs really do need good manuals. And Fallout
has one of the best I’ve ever encountered. It’s comprehensive, easy to use,
and very amusing to read.

The
designers also employ for the manual and certain other game elements a wonderful
retro-50s style that’s quite fun. It’s a concept that doesn’t quite fit with the
actual meat-and-potatoes portion of the game, which is a shame. I would have enjoyed
more integration of this style.

The character creation system in Fallout
is fascinatingly complex. You begin with several base characteristics, such
as Strength, Endurance, Intelligence, Perception, Luck, Agility, etc. You get
to “spend” points setting up what the balance of your characters personality
will be. Next you pick three key skills–among them Lockpicking, Talking, Barter,
Sneak, Steal, First Aid, Light Weapons, Heavy Weapons, Energy Weapons, Melee Combat,
etc. Finally you can pick up to two “traits”–such as the fact that
your character is good-natured, or a fast learner, or more or less susceptible
to drugs or radiation.

Every single choice you make has a consequence, both
positive and negative, on your character’s overall makeup. The documentation within
the game gives you very good and easy to access information on all these ramifications,
making what could be an intimidating chore a fun and fascinating project.

Once
you set up your character, you’re off into the scary world beyond the Vault.

The
format of the game is third-person, with both mouse and keyboard controls. The
graphics in the gameplay engine were a bit of a disappointment, though I guess
the post-nuclear war environments would be pretty drab and repetitive. Still,
the gameplay is so fun the drab graphics don’t do too much damage.

There
is a lot of combat in Fallout, and it is done in the “turn-based”
mode. This means that your character takes his/her turn, using a set number of
“action points.” Each possible thing you can do in your turn–shoot,
apply a medical patch, move, reload–uses up a certain number of action points.
When you’ve used your points up, your turn is over, and the bad guys get to take
their turn.

This method of combat (contrasted with “real-time”
combat) really appeals to me because it makes confrontations feel more tactical
and deliberate and less frantic.

Everything you accomplish in Fallout,
whether it’s snagging radioactive rats or helping rescue missing children
from desert raiders, gives you experience points. When your experience points
reach a certain number, you move up a “Level.” When this happens, you
get more points to spend on skills, giving you a chance to further refine (and
improve) your character’s abilities.

The subtlety in the interactions with
other characters is astounding. Here’s an example: I needed to talk a character
into helping me go rout a nest of giant scorpions. He said no, not interested.
A bit later in the game I made it to a higher level and spent some points on my
“Talking” skill. When I went back and tried again, I was able to convince
the character to join me.

Like the brilliant recent game Outcast, everything
you do in this game affects your interactions with the characters, both positive
and negative. As you move through the world you develop a reputation that either
helps you or hinders you.

The interface is full of useful tools, including
automapping and even auto-note taking, which is a huge help in a big, complex
game such as this.

The game has three uber-quests, and unfortunately the
first one (find the water chip) really put me off, because it’s timed. In
a game world as huge and fascinating as Fallout’s, I wanted to be able
to take my time and explore and try new things. Until I completed this first quest,
I couldn’t really relax. Fortunately, there’s no such time limit for the other
two main quests, and I was able to enjoy myself a lot more after delivering that
damned water chip.

This is one of those rare games that oozes quality from
every pore. You get the impression that Tim Cain, the game’s producer and lead
programmer, really likes computer games, and he made sure that every element of
the game is enjoyable. From the opening cinematic, a chilling, multilayered introduction
made more ironic by the sweet strains of the Ink Spots singing “Maybe,”
you’re hooked by this intriguing game.

The game also features terrific voice
acting performed by a cast of fairly big names, such as Richard Dean Anderson,
CCH Pounder, Richard Moll, David Warner, Tony Shaloub (a personal favorite actor
of mine), Ron Perlman, Keith David, Tony Jay, and Clancy Brown.

The music,
by Mark Morgan, is superb; it’s diverse and atmospheric.

The game also features
one of the best endings I’ve ever seen in a game. It wrapped up all the major
storylines (with variables according to how I played the game, which was cool),
and it even threw in a surprising, poignant, but very believable twist that gave
the end of the game a great deal of pathos.

I would agree wholeheartedly
with my friends to who turned me on to this game. If you are an adventure player
who’s been interested in trying an RPG, this is the game to try. Personally, I
can’t wait to play Fallout 2!

Final Grade: A

If you
liked Fallout:
Watch: The Postman
Read: The
Stand by Stephen King
Play: Sanitarium

System
Requirements: IBM or 100% compatible Pentium 60
MHz or better
Windows 95 and DirectX 3.0a or higher or DOS 5.0 or higher

1 MB VESA-compliant SVGA card
16 MB RAM when running under Win95 (32 MB RAM
when running under DOS)
2X CD-ROM drive
100% compatible Microsoft mouse
required
100% compatible SoundBlaster card recommended