When someone poses the question of naming most popular video game franchise currently being released, there are a few that come to mind such as Mass effect, Elder Scrolls or Assassins Creed. Another one that always gets mentioned is the Fallout franchise. When Fallout 3 was released on consoles it was a tremendous success. The releases after were also huge hits and now it’s one of the most anticipated titles as far as new releases go.
Fallout however has some very humble origins. The first Fallout game was released in 1997 and was only available on PC. The character you play is the resident of an underground Vault which is experiencing a shortage of water because of a broken water chip. The water chip is what helps a machine produce and filter water for the Vault dwellers. You are nominated to go out into the unknown world and track one down.
The year is 2161 and the world outside the Vault is the post apocalyptic wasteland of Southern California. The U.S. is trying to rebuild but the land is still full of terrors that will kill you in a heartbeat. Expect to have run-ins with mutants, zombies, wild animals and criminals. Just like all Fallout games you start with virtually nothing and must build your arsenal, skills and allies.
Wide Open World
Fallout is an open world game where you are free to do whatever you want to do. Your character can interact with almost any object or person in the game. You are free to choose your path however you want. You can attack and kill any other character despite the consequences that might entail. You can steal, pickpocket and decide the relationship you have with others through dialogue choices. Entering combat is the only time the game changes to turn based where you are allotted a certain amount of “Action Points” otherwise you are free to roam.
The real strength of the game are the systems that have carried over to the console versions. The first is the barter system. In Fallout it’s necessary to search and steal every object that you can. You can barter with mostly any characters in the game. It’s most advantageous to stock up on ammunition as you will burn through it at a rapid pace in combat.
Another system is of course the V.A.T.S. system which in the first Fallout is called the “Aimed Shot”. The aimed shot costs more action points but of course allows the player to target specific body parts like eyes, head, legs, arms, torso and groin. The aimed shot becomes important in the early games because some very strong creatures have to be targeted in their weak spots in order to cause more damage or cause critical hits.
Side Missions and Glitches
Aside from the main mission, the side missions are abundant. Every new town you travel to or new person you meet always has multiple tasks for you to accomplish. You can always choose to do none or all of them. There are so many that you may not be able to do them all.
Just like the console versions, there are a lot of glitches in Fallout 1. In Fallout your character can get stuck in doorways or corners. Sometimes random characters will turn hostile and attack or will have no dialogue option that will avoid combat. Oddly enough the glitches seem to add to the overall feel of the game and are still common place in later versions along with the long list of "Easter eggs."
Final Words
Even with all the glitches and sometimes crashing to the desktop Fallout 1 is absolutely fantastic. Even after playing the console version and then going back to the original it still stands the test of time. It is such an entertaining and engaging game with such strong story-lines that they will continue to be classics for a very long time to come.
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