Fallout is a Good Old Game
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Visions of Deathclaws dance in the heads of RPG fans as they anxiously snooze in anticipation of the October 28 release of Fallout 3. Will series devotees consider it too different from the classic RPGs that spawned it? The original Fallout RPGs were modest commercial successes compared to their swords and sorcery contemporaries such as Baldur's Gate; will developer/publisher Bethesda be able to replicate the blockbuster success it enjoyed with Oblivion with a game in a non-fantasy setting? Will Fallout 3 successfully meld the best attributes of the Fallout franchise and the Elder Scrolls games, or will it prove to be a Frankenstein-like hodgepodge that disappoints rather than enthralls?
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Fallout is about making real role-playing choices. It's about creating a highly customized alter-ego and making distinct decisions that meaningfully affect your character's journey. It's choosing either to aid post-apocalyptic NPCs or to punch them in head [Or groin! Ed] until you hear the lamentations of their children. It's embracing the seemingly insufferable task of keeping your Mad Max inspired hapless canine pet alive against chain-gun-wielding super-mutants, and eschewing potentially more beneficial character traits in favor of reducing foes to a (bloody mess.) The game constantly delivers a range of nuanced choices, and considerably fewer subtle alternatives, that collectively ensure players have a highly personalized experience, which is the essence of roleplaying. In terms of offering role-playing depth, Fallout has a paucity of peers, and it's still worthwhile to track it down if you never journeyed into its apocalyptic wasteland.
