A Great Game, Especially If You've Played Fallout 1

You will better understand the plot of Fallout 2 if I first briefly explain Fallout 1. In the original Fallout, you and a number of other people live in an underground vault that protected you from the radiation of a nuclear war. The chip that purifies your water supply has stopped working, and you are sent to find a new one. In the end, you save your fellow vault members' lives by finding the necessary chip and bringing it back to them, but the outside elements (mainly radiation) have scarred you and they are frightened of and consider you an outcast. After you beat the game, your character leaves the vault and starts his own village. In Fallout 2, you are one of the "Vault Dweller's" direct descendents, who lives a simple village life. Your tribe has survived a long drought, but cannot live any longer without your help. You must find them the GECK, or Garden of Eden Creation Kit, said to turn the desert wasteland into a livable environment. The elders appoint you as the Chosen One, and after proving yourself you take the Vault Dweller's suit and equipment and set off to save your people.

The way the game is set up, you have different traits, perks, and skills that you can enhance. The kind of person you are is based on these. People will react differently toward you depending on the kind of person you are. You can enhance your skills using the experience points you earn, and earn different perks based on specific experiences. There are negative as well as positive perks.

What I liked a lot about this game is the complexity of it. You can do whatever you like and go wherever you want; there is more than one way to win. There are many different towns and people to talk to. People will look at you differently depending on the kind of people you are usually involved with. You can become a member in different groups, such as gangs or families. If you know the right people, you can get good weapons and equipment, and even a car. You can also talk people into traveling with you and helping you.

In order to accomplish your goal (finding the GECK and bringing it back to your tribe) you will have to complete many missions given to you by people. There are many options here; you can reach your goal through many different people. You might do a mission for information, or a piece of equipment, or to earn the trust of a person or group of people.

The graphics are pretty good for the type of game. It has a 2-d 3/4 view, which I actually prefer over a first-person view. When you talk to important people, a 3-d view of their head will appear when you talk to them. When you reach an important point in the game, a video of the situation will play that has very nice graphics (very realistic).

The sound is good. Each place you travel through will have background music that really goes along with the general "mood" of the area. The sound effects are good too.