The Fallout series revolves around post-nuclear Americana, letting players wander an apocalyptic wasteland. Starting as a series of classic isometric RPGs, more recent entries in the series have shifted to a first-person viewpoint and the franchise has grown to become one of the major money-makers in the industry.
Fallout
Genre: RPGDeveloper: Interplay
Platforms: PC, Mac
Good for: Mad Max apocalypse fans and any gaming historians looking for a classic PC RPG adventure and anyone who wants to lose themselves in a world of murky morality
Less good for: Someone looking to get into the Fallout series for the first time and anyone that is less patient when it comes to older titles.
Fallout Summary:
Fallout was almost unique at the time for being a mainstream RPG that wasn’t set in a world of swords, sorcery, elves and orcs. Whilst the interface and pacing of Fallout has dated horribly in recent years, it is still an exemplary poster-child for classic PC RPGs. The setting has a solid theme and the realised 60s US nuclear Armageddon paranoia backdrop feels deeply poignant from the second you step bleary eyed into the wasteland.
Fallout 2
Genre: RPGDeveloper: Black Isle Studios
Platforms: PC, Mac
Good for: As above, Mad Max apocalypse fans and classic PC RPG adventure fans. Tweaks on the original’s interface and general feel makes it a slightly friendlier game for modern audiences
Less good for: Anyone that is less patient when it comes to older titles.
Fallout 2 Summary:
Fallout 2 is an excellent follow up to the original and holds the top spot for several people’s favourite PC RPGs of all time. The sequel dropped a frustrating time-limit element from the original and added a huge amount of extra flavour to the wasteland.
Fallout 3
Genre: Action RPGDeveloper: Bethesda Softworks
Platforms: PC, Playstation 3, Xbox 360
Good for: Apocalypse fans, Elder Scrolls fans and anyone looking for a first-person-shooter muddled with character building
Less good for: Dedicated fans of the series and people who really like colours
Fallout 3 Summary:
A lot of people were desperate to get their hands on a first-person realisation of the Fallout world and a lot of people were disappointed by what they got. Make no mistake, Fallout 3 is a technical masterpiece and brings the wasteland to a fully fleshed out three-dimensional explorable space, but many people feel that in the process, the series lost its soul.
Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Action RPGDeveloper: Obsidian Entertainment
Platforms: PC, Playstation 3, Xbox 360
Good for: Fans of the original Fallout games that can tolerate the shift to first-person and anyone looking for a quirky post-apocalyptic adventure story
Less good for: Anyone demanding a straight-faced and serious experience
Fallout: New Vegas Summary:
The Fallout series returned to form with New Vegas as many of the quirky elements of the series made their way back in. Obsidian did a fantastic job of giving players far more options in the way of character traits that would add character and uniqueness to their game without necessarily adding any direct performance benefit, something that felt absent in Fallout 3. At launch, New Vegas proved to be a buggy mess which impacted on initial review scores for the title, but Fallout: New Vegas has examples of some of the best game-writing of recent generations.