As I mentioned in my Fallout review, I became interested in the series due to the ranting and raving regarding Fallout 3. After playing the original game for awhile, I moved on in the series. This article is part two of my ongoing reviews that I like to think of as “Better understanding a Fallout game.” This review focuses on Fallout 2.
Fallout 2 takes place about 70 to 100 years after the story of the original. That character is now called “the Wanderer,” as he wandered about the wasteland looking for that elusive water chip. Now in exile, he founded a village far into the mountains in the north. Shortly after his death, the village started to experience some major difficulties. Crops are dying, and the children are having trouble maturing and are becoming sick. Their only hope is to find the possibly fictional Garden of Eden Creation Kit (also known as “GECK”). So where is this mystical GECK? Where is the location of the “sacred Vault 13?” And what other dangers are out there?
What sets Fallout 2 apart from the original is the simple fact that the universe feels more realized. It feels like an inhabited world with its own strengths and issues. The language is much coarser than the original (those of polite society and children should definitely not experience this game). The maps are larger. There are more enemies to encounter and destroy (or escape from). The quests are a bit more varied. And there are items that are “unique” to its world, such as toxic waste dumps. Best of all has to be that it is more true to its 1950s-inspired fallout designs, complete with photographs and propaganda that could easily have come from that era.
If you felt at home playing Fallout, then playing Fallout 2 will be completely natural. In fact, it is essentially the same engine. Distribute your avatar’s stats, traits, perks and ability points (including tagging) for skills just as you would in the original. Point and click to tell your avatar what to do. Sneak around and pick locked doors and chests. Use the target system during combat to your advantage to cause massive damage once your character is skilled enough. The main difference is that the gameplay and visuals are cleaner. The interface is easier on the eyes, and it moves more smoothly. And best of all, combat feels a teensy weensy bit more balanced in the action point department — even though a 100 percent skill level does not guarantee that your characters will be able to hit the enemies well.
Let me make one thing clear: Fallout 2 is a tough game just like its predecessor. It is easy to become overwhelmed as weapons are hard to come by in the first few hours of gameplay. It is easy to feel completely lost and not know where to go. More modern games usually have something along the lines of “come here to continue the main quest when you’re ready (or feel like returning) for it.” Fallout 2 does not give the player such a luxury. You have to look for it. Literally. Every little encounter and quest could arguably be considered part of the main story as it is part of looking for the GECK. However, I quickly found myself looking at walkthroughs. This was to make certain I didn’t miss out on anything but also so I wouldn’t feel like I was wandering around in the dark without a flashlight. Fallout 2 does not hold your hand — not by any stretch of the imagination. The closest it gets is placing a virtual hand on your avatar’s back. Sometimes it pats you on the back. Sometimes it pushes you into the chasms head first.
Fallout 2 looks almost identical to its predecessor. The same old hexagonal tiled world still looks organic. Characters look very similar to the first game and move around the screen well. The combat animations still look natural. The areas have their own identity this time around, so it doesn’t feel like a repeat of the first adventure.
A lot of the same sounds have been reused, such as the gunfire and the thrusts of spears. Your character’s footsteps can still be heard running around the world. The music continues the same creepy ethereal feel of the original. The best part? The same top-notch voice acting that set it apart from the rest of the games of its era returns. The elder from the village gives her detached sage advice. The witch doctor speaks in creepy riddles. And a fellow “barbarian” sounds like a tribal man.
When everything comes together, Fallout 2 is an experience like no other game. In fact, once I was able to get past its massive learning curve, I found myself absorbed into its dark world. This only occurred in the beginning of the original game as I was trying to figure out the best way for me to play. It reminded me of one of the reasons why I enjoyed Morrowind: playing my character however I wanted.
If I had to choose which of the two Fallout games to play, I could not tell you. Yes, both are rather similar and unique. Both are warnings about the future. Both play the same. But the games open up in two different manners. Fallout provides an experience of innocence, one learning about the world. It is almost like a child being born as the avatar leaves the vault for the first time. Fallout 2, on the other hand, admits its world is flawed. It doesn’t hold back as profanities spew across the screen and sells its prisoners to the highest bidder. Ultimately, Fallout 2 wins by a narrow hair because of its full actualized universe. What was promised in the first game is now actualized.
You can buy Fallout 2 for about $6 from GOG.com. They provide wallpaper, manual, The Fallout Bible, avatars, original soundtrack and the promised stability to play in Vista and XP. Or you can buy all three games for about $20 at your local Best Buy. Whichever method you prefer, just be certain to bring your radiation suit.
