Endlessly replayable masterclass in world building and raw atmosphere. Still very fun to play too if you build for what you want to do, I must have 7 or 8 playthroughs to my name now, all specialising in their own way to keep the game fresh and am still finding new approaches and solutions to problems I never would've dreamed of the first time around.
The first Fallout is as desolate and oppressive as it gets, and does a surprisingly tactful job of showcasing both the resilience of the collective human spirit, and the corruption of it the second positions of power become vacant. Everybody's got a different solution to make the wasteland work for them, all have valid points, and many will commit indefensible actions to get there. And the game makes no judgments as to whether you join them, stop them, or just pass straight through. Only your fellow wastelanders can judge you, and they often will. It accomplishes this all while managing to maintain a callous black humour that never feels out of place or over exposed. The shades of grey tickle me to the complete opposite end of the pink scale.
Mark Morgan's sountrack is quite possibly one of the most immersive of all time, and arguably gets even stronger in Fallout 2. An aspect sorely missing from the modern bethesda titles but frankly, most of Fallout's original soul is.
Its not perfect, nothing is. But its a testament to what's possible when a few passionate people have unwavering commitment to a unique, and original vision. Its got its own voice that even its own successors, true or spiritual, can't truly mimic.
I truly believe every RPG fan owes it to themselves to give this a shot at least once, I bounced off it my first time around since it is such a drastic departure from how even modern turn based games play, but once you approach it on its terms and allow yourself to adapt, there is an all-time gem awaiting you in here.
(My time in game is massively under estimated because mods use their own .exes. Highly recommend 'Fallout et tu', to bring FO1 into FO2's engine to remove some of the more frustrating aspects of this game and to restore certain optional cut content)
