System: Window 95
Title: Fallout
Publisher: Interplay
Circa: 1997

Intro
While Fallout has recently come back into the lime light, the original games were very different in game play and style then Fallout 3. Out of curiosity, I had heard a lot of good things about the original games, I decided to pick up a copy of the original game and try it out.

Story
The world has been destroyed by nuclear war. What few surviving human there are have taken refuge in massive underground shelters, the Vaults. Some people remain on the surface, some are normal, others have been twisted by the fallout radiation. With the Vaults, no one ever goes in and no one ever really goes out.

You a dweller in Vault 13. You are called aside because the elder feels you have the best chance to succeed in a vital mission. The Water Chip in the Vault's purification system has broken. The Vault now only has 150 days of water left. You are asked to leave the Vault and seek out a new Water Chip from another Vault. The Vault door opens up and you take your first steps into the world itself.

Gameplay
The game itself functions on a hex grid for moving around. A lot of the game is handled through the mouse and keyboard. It takes some time to get used to because of the odd controls. You have a time limit of 150 days which can get extended if you complete some particular side quest.

One of the things that made Fallout stand out was its open world environment and free-form quest system. You will find yourself fighting various creatures and raiders as you travel the Wastelands seeking out the Water Chip.

Another thing the game offered was a lot of character customization. You could choose your character's gender, name, give them their statistics, choose traits and choose their skills. The statistics system was very straight forward, but actively impacted your character's skills, as they will increase or decrease based on where you put your SPECIAL points. Traits give your character bonuses but usually at the expense of something. Each will give you something, so read each of them carefully so you understand what it will do to your character. Lastly, you have your skills. These impact what you can do, your chances of success with various weapons and people. Again, read each one carefully so you understand what you want to invest into to get a particular kind of character.

When you are in battle, you find yourself in a turn-based system. Your turn lets you attack, use items, change weapons etc, but each action takes a certain number of Action Points. You can also change your attack by clicking on your weapon to enter into the VATS system. That will let you attack specific locations on the enemy, which can disable your enemy's ability to attack, run away or just kill them more quickly. Once you used up all your action points, your turn ends and its your opponent's turn to attack. This goes back and forth until someone kills the other.

Multiplayer
None.

Controls
A lot of this game is controlled through the mouse and the rest is done with the keyboard. These controls are fairly awkward at first for movement and interaction. Using the right-click you can talk with other people when you cycle to the option or to interact with things. The keyboard gives you easy access to your inventory and your character statistics

Moving your character is done through a hex grid. You move by left-clicking on the ground. You are limited to just what you can get on-screen and this only extends so far from your character.

Graphics
It is hard to say the game has aged well. The graphics show this game is over 15 years old now. While they are not great by the modern standards, they were a little on the low end for that time as well. Still, everything else about the game makes up for lower end graphics.

Sound Effects & Music
The sound effects get a bit old as does the music as there is only so much to be found in the game. The music though is very good at setting the mood and helping pull you further into the world. What voice acting is there is very good though for the time and helps lend emphasis to particular conversations and helps it stick out in your mind.

Obscurity
At this point, usually it is going to be fans of the game from back then or people who will get curious about the series from Fallout 3.

Summary/Author’s Take
This is a case of me getting curious about a series and wanting to know more about it. It is also a case of that particular bit of curiosity being rewarded with a good game that will take quite a while to beat. It is very nice that it can be loaded on my netbook and it will run perfectly.

Story: 87%                Very solid and there is much more to find.
Gameplay: 88%            Good, if somewhat tedious.
Multiplayer: n/a%            None.
Controls: 72%            Hard to learn but easier once you get it.
Graphics: 71%            Lower end for the time.
SFX & Music: 82%            Good mood and alright voice acting.
Obscurity: 60%            What? From when?
Overall: 83%                A classic old game.