Don't Forget Your PipBoy

Fallout is a turn-based strategy game set in the apocalyptic future of post-nuclear world war. The game starts off by allowing you to select from one of three prebuilt characters or build your own with a wide variety of options and abilities. Once the game is started, the assigned objective seems fairly simple: retrieve a replacement water chip for your vault community's water purifier. However, once you take your character outside into the desolate wasteland, a whole new adventure will soon unfold. A player will be immediately introduced to the combat sequence of the game. Being turn-based, strategy plays a key role in determining whether you will conquer your opponents, or become their dinner. The player will have to judge his predicament and determine whether he should stay and fight or run like crazy, and believe me when I say no one goes through the game and wins every battle. As the game progresses, the variety of weapons increases, ranging from simple melee weapons to a minigun. The overall detail of the game was also given great consideration. When strolling through demolished cities and fortified towns housing faint traces of human life, it gives the feeling of hopelessness that a real nuclear fallout had occurred. Also, detail was even given to the way an enemy goes down, as far as you can definitely tell the difference when something is wasted by the shotgun and when the minigun or rocket launcher touches their targets. Also, the ability to gain friends to help you in your quest is a great feature. However, once you gain an ally, you better beware of his position in combat, because a stray hit from your weapon will send your ally coming for your throat. The game has an involved storyline that increases in intensity as the plot unfolds. In addition, there are several sub adventures and tasks that can be played out along the way. I don't think anyone could get through the game in one day unless they have played it through before. Even if you could, so much of the game would be skipped that it wouldn't even be worth playing that way. The game is partly based on how the initial character is built, which means that different characters will slightly alter choices offered later in the game. I enjoyed playing the game as a tough close range brawler, but I loved replaying the game as an adept sniper. One good piece of advice for this game is to save often because you never know what will be waiting for you around the corner.