Fallout Review (PC)
Released for PC in 1997 by Interplay Entertainment, Fallout is one of the most iconic RPG's to emerge for the PC during the 1990's, and many would argue has become one of the most influential RPG's ever created. Set in the post-apocalyptic American West Coast, Fallout is the story of your character’s journey from a sheltered and safe Vault to the irradiated hell scape of the Nuclear wasteland. Like many RPG’s of its day Fallout is a turn based, top down, point and click adventure game, but what makes it differ from the crowd is its dark, brutal and adult world mixed with its compelling and skilful storytelling. Although it can be quite difficult to master some of its archaic systems for gamers used to modern titles, such as its aged look and point and click gameplay thankfully absent from most modern RPG's, Fallout is well worth putting in the effort and remains one of the crowning achievements of the RPG genre.
The first, and arguably most important, thing a player will have to do in Fallout is create their character. Here the initial stats are chosen as well as their starting perks which will help shape the way in which the character will be played. Their are seven main skills that make up the 'S.P.E.C.I.A.L' system (Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility and Luck) and the player has a set amount of points to drop into each stat. This beginning character creation is one of the most important components of playing Fallout and the stats you choose here will affect your entire play through. For example, pick a low strength score and your character will struggle to deal enough damage in Melee combat. There is also the added layer of the perk system that provides a great deal of customisation for your character as well as providing a large amount of replayability. For example, picking the Jinxed perk means that everyone in the world, including your character will often spectacularly miss attacks and will significantly (and often frustratingly) change the way combat plays out. Although new perks will be available to choose as your character levels up, it is essential to make sure that your starting character build is viable to play the game effectively, as it is perfectly possible to create a broken character who will struggle to survive the wasteland if the wrong perks are chosen and skills poorly allocated.
It is not only the gameplay that Fallouts character creation affects though but also its story, and unlike many recent RPG’s, and indeed other more recent titles in the Fallout series, your beginning stats have a direct influence on the way the games story plays out. For example, with a low intelligence score your character will have far fewer (and far more hilarious) dialogue options to choose from, and even affects how other NPC’S talk to you. This is not merely a superficial change, but affects what quests and plot hints will be given to your character. Choosing a low intelligence score will even dramatically change the encounter with the games main antagonist and will leave your character unable to have any kind of meaningful dialogue with them at all.
This attention to detail is what makes Fallout really stand out and its story telling and world building remain some of the best that can be seen in an RPG title. The initial plot sees your character head out into the wasteland to find a replacement water chip for your vault, and while it seemingly begins in a linear manner, it soon branches off and gives the player the freedom to head in whatever direction they choose to continue their quest. Although this lack of direction can be initially frustrating, especially for players used to linear quest progression and objective markers that occur in most modern RPG's, the payoff is huge for the player who is willing to let themselves explore and piece together the history of Fallouts dark wasteland at their own pace
Despite showing its age through its gameplay and its graphical style, Fallout makes the player forget these factors through its excellent storytelling and compelling world. For a player who values good story telling and having a meaningful impact on the game world, Fallout is a stand out example of what a game can accomplish.
