This was one of the first true RPGs I played, and definitely the first isometric game I played.
Child me installed the game, booted it up and IMMEDIATELY got rocked in the "tutorial". I put that in quotes because this game really didn't explain very much, and that first area eases you into the game by beating you upside the head and telling you "You're gonna learn today!".
Despite this brutal tutorial that thoroughly shows you how devastating poison can be, I was enthralled. The game truly takes a hands off approach from the very start and tells you in no uncertain terms that you are in control, that you can take any action you'd like and that the consequences are on you. This was so up my alley and I'd never seen a game like this before, so I was all in.
I've made dozens of save files in this game and still am nowhere near seeing everything the game has to offer. In fact, I've never even beaten the game (I kept getting rocked by the last boss). I've learned the hard way about the Pariah Dog, which itself more or less forced me to start a new save. I've tried character builds that were unsuited to the game and forced me to restart. And yet here I am, rating this as a 5 star game and one of my favorites of all time. Why? It's just that good.
From main story, to side quests, to characters, to the pure unlimited freedom this game offers and the impact the player can have on the world, this game is pretty damn near perfect even all these years later.
Also that intro cinematic hits DIFFERENT. I don't know if it's nostalgia but that cinematic is perfect to me; does an excellent job setting up the world and main story while having some surprises and some Louis Armstrong over top it all.
It's hard to be objective when rating formative games from our childhood, but honestly I still think this is the best Fallout game we've had after New Vegas (It's no coincidence both were made by the same people).
Child me installed the game, booted it up and IMMEDIATELY got rocked in the "tutorial". I put that in quotes because this game really didn't explain very much, and that first area eases you into the game by beating you upside the head and telling you "You're gonna learn today!".
Despite this brutal tutorial that thoroughly shows you how devastating poison can be, I was enthralled. The game truly takes a hands off approach from the very start and tells you in no uncertain terms that you are in control, that you can take any action you'd like and that the consequences are on you. This was so up my alley and I'd never seen a game like this before, so I was all in.
I've made dozens of save files in this game and still am nowhere near seeing everything the game has to offer. In fact, I've never even beaten the game (I kept getting rocked by the last boss). I've learned the hard way about the Pariah Dog, which itself more or less forced me to start a new save. I've tried character builds that were unsuited to the game and forced me to restart. And yet here I am, rating this as a 5 star game and one of my favorites of all time. Why? It's just that good.
From main story, to side quests, to characters, to the pure unlimited freedom this game offers and the impact the player can have on the world, this game is pretty damn near perfect even all these years later.
Also that intro cinematic hits DIFFERENT. I don't know if it's nostalgia but that cinematic is perfect to me; does an excellent job setting up the world and main story while having some surprises and some Louis Armstrong over top it all.
It's hard to be objective when rating formative games from our childhood, but honestly I still think this is the best Fallout game we've had after New Vegas (It's no coincidence both were made by the same people).