Customer Reviews

Fallout 2

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I played the demo of the first Fallout game years ago off of a demo disk that a friend of mine got in the mail. Suffice it to say that I bought the original Fallout shortly thereafter and became enamoured by even the idea of a sequel. However, unlike poorly written sequels to boxoffice smash hits Fallout 2 delivered with absolutism. Not only were the game's core competencies improved, but the entire scope of the game had been expanded. The developers kept what they had done well in the first game and retooled things that had needed work. It wasn't long before Fallout 2 had taken the highest spot on my video game hierarchy.

The quality of the game though is not entirely recognized the first time through. I throughly enjoyed playing through the game the first time, but I soon realized that on my second and third times through I was still finding a vast number of differences. You see, Fallout is not like a typical game that is wholly linear. There are many different ways to reach the end, and major subplots can be avoided, skipped or completely overlooked on any single time through the game. Different paths or methods or styles can therefore be used to complete the game. I no longer judge a game on how much it challenges me or how difficult it is to finish it. I consider the whole value of the entertainment that I derive from it. Hence, the long-standing value of the game has become its replayability.

I have played many games in my life. Some of them have provided far more intense entertainment than Fallout 2 and others have challenged me more. However, none have come so close as to match the level of long-standing entertainment that I have derived from this single game. Clearly, Fallout 2 was the best video game purchase I have ever made.

Fallout 2 has everything that gamers loved in Fallout 1, and even more. This is a game for adults, as it has all sorts of sexual situations (no nudity or sex depicted onscreen, though), violence, death, and drugs. As with the first Fallout, the gamer does not have to choose one particular style of character. Diplomats, thieves, and tanks can all win the game.

The game starts off with a Quest, just as in Fallout 1. Along the way, the character encounters other people with their own problems, NPCs that will join and add their own skills to the party, and just plain Easter eggs. The NPCs can now wear armor, and the player can tell the NPCs to take off their armor, put away their weapons, try not to hit the PC while using a burst weapon, and the amount of drug use that's allowed. The NPC party members can have skills such as Science, Healing, and Repair, and will attempt to perform those tasks for the player. The PC can also shove any character aside, so that the PC won't have to wait for someone to drift out of the doorway or corridor. The game has some improvements on the original in other ways, too. For instance, when looting a body or container, the player can choose to "take all" instead of transferring the ammo, weapons, armor, and whatever else in one click. This is very handy.

There are plenty of side quests to do, and lots of areas to explore. It's possible to get a running car, and upgrade it a couple of times. The car serves as both transportation and storage area. Some weapons and one kind of armor can be upgraded, plus the character itself can have some modifications.

As a general rule, I don't particularly care for futuristic games, but Fallout 1 & 2 are so engrossing, and require such puzzle solving, that I really loved both of them.

This game is a lot of fun, and has plenty of replay value. I strongly recommend playing the first Fallout before this game, because there are a couple of spoilers in this game.

(Edited because I made a couple of typos)

I am writing this review because it seems that most people want to compare this game to Fallout 3. The similarities end at the title and setting. If you go in expecting a shoot-em-up, you are going to be disappointed.

This is, however, the single best RPG experience in gaming history, by far. I've been an avid gamer for 20 years, starting with the Atari 2600, and in those two decades, this is the purest role-playing game I've seen, and yet it melds perfectly with sandbox gameplay. The only part of the game that isn't pure sandbox is the tutorial.

The gameplay is sometimes overly complicated, but that is what makes this game wonderful - one could kill an enemy through frontal assault, stealth, deception, drug overdose, even under the guise of healing them. Missions can be accomplished through dialogue, combat, or even convincing someone else to do it. One can play a doctor, vagabond, leader, ninja, brute or genius, whatever the player wants to create. (My personal favorite run through was as a dog whisperer.)

The storyline is deep and intriguing, with lore to rival any game. Characters are unique and inspired, and the graphics have dated wonderfully - everything is still distinguishable and smooth, despite the game being over a decade old.

Many would claim I only enjoy this game through "nostalgia goggles" - well, I didn't bother to pick this up until after all the fallout 3 hype. For the price, can you really hesitate to give it a try for yourself?

Yes, it's the 2nd entry. Yes, it's just an improved version of the original. There is a world of difference to be had in the ideas and innuendo rooted in the lore, setting the stage for some of the best the genre will ever see. If you want a dose of the origins of Fallout: New Vegas and Fallout 3, this is a must play. Granted, there are stark differences in graphic quality AND gameplay, but with technology advancements of over a decade between the entries, would you expect any less?
True fans of the series can all relate with this game, but if you're looking for something similar to the new generation of what gaming is today- be warned that the differences contained in Fallout 2 are probably not what you're looking for. Fallout 2 has turn-based combat and a plethora of options to be performed on just about everything in it's environment-regardless of whether or not these actions will be successful. That's one of the charms of not having a generic "action" button that only appears on objects that you can interact with.
On top of that, there are (were?) an abundance of mods and easy use mod programs available for free download to tweak your game and it's simplicity only embraces this even more. Fallout 2 was an absolute sleeper hit back in '99 that was shipped in bundle packs as a free sample for other games like Baldur's Gate and it's ilk. I'm very glad I stumbled upon this game and it is what has sparked the agonizing wait for (the fabled, then) Fallout 3. Whether you agree/disagree, like/dislike my review here, if you're a fan of RPG's you owe it to yourself to own this game.

If you like Fallout games, then you will be instantly addicted. While Fallout 2 is an older era RPG, it exhibits all of those little things that set the standard for RPGs of this genre that the newer games try to duplicate and usually don't. Unlike the original release, this version works well with Pentiums. The fixes are well done, and I've really stressed the parameters in ways the designers probably never anticipated:)

Overall I'm enjoying the game as a introduction to the Fallout series. Those of you waiting for Fallout 3 to come out this game would be the best past-time, and also as a training ground. Allowing the choice of the player to shape the character they use and the way other people react to you. Wethier its being a "Jet" addict or just helping a caravan with some radscorpions. Your choice matters.Oh, and how to get out of travel mode use the mouse to click inside the Triangle.

Very addicting and fun. Kind of slow paced combat, but it makes you think about strategy. Very good voice acting when there is any, only a few people actually "talk" most just have text. I did have problems with starting up the game, but I found a patch to fix this. overall great game.

I ordered this copy of Fallout2 because it pictured the US version, not the UK version which has some content removed. Upon receiving it I saw the 16+ rating instead of mature and figured they sent me the wrong one. Upon reading the readme after installing I found out it definitely was the UK version. So, do not expect to get the US version, you will be disappointed.

I grew up in the days of Balder's Gate, Morrowind, Oblivion, Diablo 1&2......
Fallout 2 is definitely my most favorite game of that time. If any of you want to take a step back in time to see the history in the Fallout series, this is the best one to take you on that journey. Fallout 1 is hard to play after you've played Fallout 2. Fallout Tactics is a game play style unlike any other Fallout so I never got in to it. The first hour is relatively boring because you're simply learning how to play the game. BUT - as soon as you come out of the cave and hit Arroyo- the game unfolds incredibly. There's plenty of new and awesome games coming out that I will no doubt play however, this one will always remain in my arsenal. I will never forget how this game shaped part of my teen years and some day I will play it again to reminisce. To this day I still view new skills I learn in real life as perks ;) + more and more things I learn in the real world... I'm just gaining experience points! hah hah!

Sure... if you've got the attention span of your average teenager you might not like it.

I think this game has held up amazingly well over the years. If you're an older mature gamer looking to experience some of the Fallout universe you may have missed way back when it's definitely worth picking up. The same goes if you're a younger mature gamer.

Honestly one of my top ten favorite games of all time.

And you can do things in this game they wanted to do in Fallout 3, but were forced to remove due to censorship. Really... you can do pretty much anything you want. The isometric gameplay is also a lot of fun.