Posted September 22, 2008
In many reviews in the modern age of buzzwords, the phrase "This game is good, but won't convince anyone who isn't already a fan of the genre to love the game" is used liberally to describe current 'AAA' games.
This is not one of those games.
Fallout is one of the rare games that is so brilliant in its execution that anyone who plays it, from fans of the genre to casual gamers, will squeeze an enormous amount of enjoyment out of it. I was never a fan of Turn based RPGs before, mainly because I assumed being a fan of Real time Strategy games and First Person Shooters, they would be too slow for my taste. This game has changed my mind completely. Although it is turn based, it is so well paced and the combat is so engrossing that the fact that it is turn based becomes an added benefit to the enjoyment of the game.
This game is a five star game in every way. The storytelling is amazing, the characters are all memorable, but most admirable among these is that every single choice you make will affect the outcome of your results in some way. For example, upon discovering a city that exists on the remains of what used to be Los Angeles, there lies corrupt guards and a psychotic mayor, and peaceful civilians to the north of the main city. The decisions that have to be made to handle situations like these are some of the best moments in the entire game.
Possibly the most brilliant aspect, and my favorite part while I was playing Fallout is its extensive use of form following function. The most notable is the opening scene where you are thrown directly into the caverns outside your vault after a short pep talk by your overseer. Just like your character, you do not know anything about the game. You do not know how to fight, you do not know how to react to things, and you do not know what to expect. Just like your character. There are very few games that can do this, and do this in such a way as to not frustrate the player, but keep the player interested and and exhilarated to understand the intricacies of the world just as if they were actually seeing it through the players eyes.
That my friends, is what Fallout manages to achieve, and is what the very definition of what every Role Playing Game should aspire to be.
This is not one of those games.
Fallout is one of the rare games that is so brilliant in its execution that anyone who plays it, from fans of the genre to casual gamers, will squeeze an enormous amount of enjoyment out of it. I was never a fan of Turn based RPGs before, mainly because I assumed being a fan of Real time Strategy games and First Person Shooters, they would be too slow for my taste. This game has changed my mind completely. Although it is turn based, it is so well paced and the combat is so engrossing that the fact that it is turn based becomes an added benefit to the enjoyment of the game.
This game is a five star game in every way. The storytelling is amazing, the characters are all memorable, but most admirable among these is that every single choice you make will affect the outcome of your results in some way. For example, upon discovering a city that exists on the remains of what used to be Los Angeles, there lies corrupt guards and a psychotic mayor, and peaceful civilians to the north of the main city. The decisions that have to be made to handle situations like these are some of the best moments in the entire game.
Possibly the most brilliant aspect, and my favorite part while I was playing Fallout is its extensive use of form following function. The most notable is the opening scene where you are thrown directly into the caverns outside your vault after a short pep talk by your overseer. Just like your character, you do not know anything about the game. You do not know how to fight, you do not know how to react to things, and you do not know what to expect. Just like your character. There are very few games that can do this, and do this in such a way as to not frustrate the player, but keep the player interested and and exhilarated to understand the intricacies of the world just as if they were actually seeing it through the players eyes.
That my friends, is what Fallout manages to achieve, and is what the very definition of what every Role Playing Game should aspire to be.