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Fallout
Interplay
Role-playing Game
REQUIREMENTS:
- The DOS PC version requires: Pentium-90, 32 megs of RAM, 2x CD-ROM drive, SVGA
(VESA-compliant), SoundBlaster-compatible.
- The Win95 version requires: Pentium-90,
16 megs of RAM, DirectX 3.0a or 5.0, 2x CD-ROM drive, SVGA, DirectSound
compatible sound card.
Quintin Stone
It's been so long since I've played a decent computer role playing game. Part of the reason, I think, is because I waited until Fallout 2 came out before I played Fallout I... but I digress. Fortunately, that's exactly what Fallout is: a decent computer role playing game.
Very few CRPG's take place in a futuristic setting. So few, in fact, that I can't actually name any off the top of my head. (Of course, knowing my memory...) So right off the bat, Fallout stands out from dozens (hundreds?) of fantasy CRPG's that have come and gone. A nice touch is that the game's load screen changes every time you start up the game. There are about 5 or so different shots that it cycles through, so at least you don't have to be bored staring at the same start up image every time you play the game. The manual, start up screens, and character data sheets have a very 50's "future that never was" style to them, including a happy wife and husband (in fedora and period clothes), bomb shelter marketing, and cartoons. Even though I was glad the game itself was more realistic and gritty, this unique blend of humor and history was a welcome addition that will be long remembered.
Isometric overhead views are nothing new, but the attention to graphical detail in this game is sometimes astounding. This is most evident in combat, where various means of attack (and critical hits) can produce different death sequences. Animations are smooth and realistic. You can't rotate the view, which is unfortunate, but when you stand behind walls they appear transparent in a circle around your location, and enemies hidden by structures show up as a red outline, so you can still shoot at them (as long as your character has line of sight).
The roleplaying system itself (character generation and combat rules) is pretty impressive in itself. Though obviously not as high quality as RPS2, I found it straight-forward and easy to both understand and utilize. With their skill system and interface, the game does not require every player to be a combat-oriented powerhouse. In fact, you can also choose to be a more quiet, stealthy character, more likely to pick locks and pockets than to kill, or a negotiator, relying on your ability to bluff your way through situations and talk your way out of a fight. The great thing about skill-based systems is that you can combine these abilities in any ration you want, and improve any of your talents as the game progresses. Like most RPG's, you gain experience points for skill improvement through the killing of enemies, but in Fallout, you will also progress by solving various puzzles and quests, most of which are not necessary to the completion of the game.
The characters you meet throughout the wasteland are varied and interesting. Communication consists of choosing one of a number of available lines of text, though characters with high intelligence, charisma, and negotiating skills will have more (and better) options available to them. Trade is available with almost anyone, even those folks who aren't merchants. There is a screen that lets you ask characters about any topic that you wish to type in, but I never found a use for this... it's possible it was never fully implemented in the game. I witnessed some NPC's get deadlocked in doorways. One was going in, one was going out, and I was trapped inside.
There are several NPC's you will encounter that can be convinced to join up with you. This is vital to your survival in this harsh landscape, but dealing with party NPC's can be a trying experience. You must equip them out of pocket, using the trade screen to give them weapons and tools, but to get items back from them, you have to use the Steal skill on them (is this in the manual?). NPC's will use your weapons, but not your armor. So when you're walking about in shiny metal Power Armor, your companions are still decked out in leather jackets and such. Eventually they'll die, and there's pretty much nothing you can do about it. In combat, they have minds of their own. There are combat settings that let you adjust them to some degree, but not all of the options are available for every NPC. Be wary of whom you give a burst-capable weapon to: even if you tell them to be careful, you're more than likely to get hit by stray bullets if you stray into your companion's line of sight.
The barter system of Fallout actually isn't truly barter at all. The base currency is the bottlecap, and the values of all items are translated into the bottlecap equivalency. One glaring problem was the lack of cash (bottlecaps) in this game. Merchants simply never had enough, never got rid (resold) the items I traded to them, and never received new stock. Anytime you purchase something with bottlecaps, you'll eventually need to go back to the same merchant, just so you can sell something for liquidated capital. Yes, it is supposed to be a barter economy, as is claimed in the manual, but it really gets irritating and frustrating at times. Another problem I had with the trade system is how you can't judge the worth of a weapon until after you've purchased it. Unless you've got a great barter skill, you'll lose money if you try to sell it back. If I can see all the stats for a weapon that I'm holding in my hands or viewing in my inventory, why can't I do the same for something a merchant is trying to sell me?
In the end, the only major flaw with the game is how short it is! Despite all of its bad points (including the ability to lock yourself on the other side of a door, and how you can only leave a town from specific places), it really is a solid computer roleplaying game, worthy of its place in CRPG history. And with its unique setting, there's no reason to worry about it getting lost among the crowds of CRPG's already out there.
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