[h3]One of the best RPGs ever made if you can get through a little bit of jank.[/h3]
Fallout is one of the games that really captivated me throughout the years. The way I can describe it is a friend that was once extremely cold and indifferent towards you, yet has become one of the closest buddies of yours for years to come. They're extremely honest about everything, yet will be there for you any time.
What do I exactly mean by that? Fallout isn't exactly the easiest game to play, though not execution wise. In fact, the game requires [b]zero[/b] execution, but it doesn't hold your hand at all. It gives you all of the tools it has from the start and just lets you use them immediately. It is one of those games where reading a manual is something the devs expect you to do, just like the makers of your washing machine do. However, we don't read manuals. Who does that? Are you insane?
And I haven't talked about the character creator yet. Honestly, when you play Fallout for the first time without any hindsight, you might as well throw a dice on whether a stat, trait or a skill will be useful for you and/or your playstyle. The only guideline I suggest having as a first timer is trying to make a character that will be able to defend themselves in combat, since a big chunk of the game is easier (and arguably more fun) when combat is involved. It's obviously not required, as I explain that a little further down in the review, but, in my opinion, it eliminates a lot of headaches a first time player may have (especially if they are not reading any manuals) and makes it easier for them to lean into the game controls and mechanics.
Fallout leans into "role playing" aspect a [b]LOT[/b], and that's where it truly shines, in my opinion. You're a nobody thrown into a world, a world trying to survive a nuclear apocalypse, you're no better than anyone else. This idea is shaping the game down to its core, which makes every combat encounter, every interaction, every action, every choice feel meaningful, even if nerve racking and frustrating at times. You're practically off the leash the moment you step outside the vault, free to complete the objective however you see fit, the game lets you experiment, even if those experiments end up in a disaster, for whoever or whatever was in your path, or for your character.
That is further reflected in the fact that practically every quest, major or minor, has variety of options to complete them. Wanna help the mayor stop the illegal casino owner and his goons? You can record yourself talking to them or sneak into his office and plant a bug under his table... Actually, you know what, let's just take them out by ourse... [b]You've been banned from the town because collecting evidence was actually important.[/b] FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF... Alright, let's just take down the mayor for the payout from the casino owner himself. That choice will be acknowledged by Fallout to the fullest, from the payout of the mission, to the town's residents, the people in other locations, and the games' additional endings.
With everything that I mentioned Fallout does an incredible job of making you feel like you're playing as your own character, as yourself even. It doesn't shy away from telling you that you aren't perfect and can't do everything, so you have to improvise with what you have. You've been put into this massive world, which makes you feel insignificant and inconsequential at first, but your impact on this world and your own importance grows with the time you spend discovering it, which feels like the ultimate reward. And did I tell you that "improvising with what you have" can also mean basically never touching a weapon, sneaking around and completing the game without (at least directly in combat) hurting a fly? I can't stress enough how many possibilities there are, intended or not, in completing objectives in this game.
With this level of freedom there are drawbacks, obviously. Fallout doesn't save at all, so [b]get into the habit to save often[/b]. It will save (no pun intended) you from a lot of headaches and frustrations, especially if you like to experiment. The combat isn't safe from some random BS as well, such as critical misses, a.k.a. your character missing and them dropped their gun in the process, or their gun exploding in their hands and that being a decisive factor between life and death. Just like you, the NPC's have a tendency to get lucky, and may deal incredible amount of damage towards you, ending your game from what was seemingly a safe situation. I think the game could communicate about some things better for the first players, but, it can be both seen as a negative and a positive, which is why I suggest you consider two different approaches on how you can play the game for the first time:
- Going in completely "blind". No guides, no playthroughs, no anything. This type of playthrough will give you a lot of play time, but can become extremely repetitive. You may die a lot, you may commit "wrong" choices a lot, you may even softlock yourself. This is type of playthrough is better suited for people who are open minded, are willing to experiment and like to poke around things, by themselves or not. [b]Just, please, be sure you save often[/b].
- Playing with a small guide that avoids spoilers. Even a wiki may do. This type of playthrough is going to feel more engaging and less frustrating, because you will have pointers on where to go and what to do, for the most part, plus you'll experience most of what the game has to offer. You'll also have a smaller chance of softlocking yourself.
Fallout is overall pretty lenient and is tuned around someone who has zero prior information on the game. This doesn't mean that it can't be a bit difficult, especially for "modern gamers", to figure things out and work around the jank, but even for ones that do it can feel pretty slow at times (increase the combat speed in the options menu, thank me later!). That's just how the game is, unfortunately.
Another recommendation I can give is to try out the "Fallout 1 in 2" mod, even if it's for the first playthrough. It's a modification that allows you to run Fallout 1 inside of Fallout 2's engine, which had significant and outright mandatory improvements over the first game. It requires you to have both 1 and 2, and your time on Steam won't be tracked by default (which can be worked around), but if you have them in your library already and aren't afraid of getting your hands dirty, I can easily recommend it. As someone who got softlocked by friendly NPC's being stuck in the doorways, Fallout 2's function to push them away sounds like a no-brainer to me. Otherwise, I completed the game several times by pressing "play" button and configuring basically nothing about the game, aside from the combat speed I already mentioned before.
Fallout 1 has given birth to an enormous franchise we know and love today. "Modern" Bethesda Fallout games (since 3) to this day can't hold the candle to 1 and 2 in certain aspects, and Fallout 1 is one of the reasons why the Fallout franchise is looked at fondly. Give it a try! And if isometric CRPGs (that's how old the first game is, it's called [b]Computer[/b] Role-Playing Game because the concept was still pretty novel at the time) aren't your thing, they aren't your thing. I don't like drinking coffee every day. It makes me feel nervous, sleepy and grumpy.
