Fallout

Finally a good old school RPG that has all the right elements: Plot, gameplay, graphics, and the full immersion factor. Dubbedas the spiritual successor to the 1987 hit Wasteland, I am praying to God that we will see more games in this vein instead of the usual medival sword and magic drivel that has been spewed out at us lately.

GRAPHICS... Now keep in mind while buying this title that it has no "3-d acceleration" and it is over a year old. That way when you start played you will be in for a big surprise! The game is played from a 3/4 overhead perspective much like the Crusader series or Twinnsen's Odysee(or even Meat Puppet but who wants to remember that). The graphics are very crisp clean and detailed and fit the whole post apocalyptic theme very nicely. The environements are very large and varied, and the towns and cities that you can enter are very different and never become repetitive. There are a ton of differnet enemies that you can fight, from raiders(who look different based on their armor and weapons) to Deathclaws and mutants. Once in combat, the weapons are very fun to use, each with a different animation and effect. The combat is very realistic and bloody, with limbs flying everywhere once you get the good weapons! Just try not to laugh evilly when using the flamer or plasma rifle. The gripe I have is the explosions,which can appear pixelated and very cheesey.

SOUND....The sound here is okay, nothing too impressive, except for the weapons. Once in combat, you can easily tell each weapon apart just based on the sound.Turn up the volume when you get the minigun and you will be in for and auditory treat.

CONTROL...The control here is almost entirely mouse based and it is very intuitive. The pointer changes depending on whether you need to move shoot or examine and object, so there are never any control hangups.

GAMEPLAY... I can say that this is one of the best RPGS I have ever played on any system.(The only competition I can think of is Daggerfall) The plot here is engrosing and the game just sucks you right in. I'll start with character generation. You can take the 3 preset characters, the warrior diplomat or thief, or you can make your own, which I highly recomend. You can vary your strenght luck perception and many other attributes using a truly versatile editor. Once you get your character go out and explore. A large portion of the game is combat based, which is wickedly fun. In combat you can target various body parts and organs in search of the elusive critical shot. Always aim for the head or groin if you are good, the results are quite humorous. In combat there is no set ultimate weapon in my opinion. There are energy weapons machine guns, rocket launchers, etc. Just pick whatever you like, and make it work for you. One tip I have is create a character that is just a violent killer. You have the ability to depopulate entire cities if you are good. Try it, its good clean fun. Out of combat, there is plenty of character interaction and exploring to satisfy anyone, and there are always multiple ways out of a given situation. Use your brain or your 12 gauge, either works. But your reputation is based on your actions, so be careful. For the price that I got it at, 29 dollars, it is a steal. I highly recomend this to any player, as you will not be dissapointed. One last thing, let me know if you can kill the overseer at the end of the game. You will know why when you play.

GRAPHICS...9

Sound......8

Control....10

Gameplay...10

Overall....9.5 Just watch out for Ian.....

-Madgraduate