Once again we are hopping into the time machine and going back. "How back are we going?" Way back. Well, maybe not that far back, but it sure feels like it. ๐
Before it became the modern Fallout everyone recognizes, Fallout was once a very different type of game. From the atmosphere to the gameplay to the story. Very few elements carried over to the new games which means very few elements of the old games are actually recognizable.
So let's talk about them! ๐ค Fallout 1 & 2 were amazing games, and there's a reason why the franchise has remained relevant to this day.
And soโ๏ธ In this edition of Through the Lens ๐, we'll be taking a look at Interplay Entertainment's isometric, post-appocalyptic, RPG from 1997: Fallout 1, Roll it! ๐ฝ
๐ถ UP TOP ๐ถ
The soundtracks of the first two games can be described in one word: atmospheric. Fallout 2 def has more variety in its sounds than 1, while 1 sticks more to the desperate and unforgiving nature of the post-apocalypse. ๐พ
At any rate, give this one a listen and you'll immediately be transported into this dreary and dark world. ๐ฝ
Not sure when it concretely was, but I played the first Fallouts a looooong time ago. I think it was at a friend's house. And I was amazed by this game in a perspective I've never seen before - that had all of these mechanics that were jaw-dropping to me. ๐ฎ โโ
Most of all it felt like you were really there. The dialogue and choices you get to do brought the game to life like very few games managed at the time. It truly felt like you were playing a story. Later on the CRPG genre will have plenty of this 'playable stories at their disposal. But Fallout def paved the way for a lot of these franchises.
Let's see why shallll weeeee...
๐ถ DARK & DANK ๐ถ
This game was bleak. As the post-apocalypse should, ever. Nowadays Fallout's image is very different than what it once was. Sure, it always had these quirky elements that Bethesda would one day ramp up to 11, but at the time, Fallout was a very serious, very dark game.
The desperation the player felt was not only because of the environment, or NPC dialogue but also the mechanics. This game was hard. ๐ช And with no proper tutorial the only way to actually learn the game was with what the old gamers used to call "manuals". // I know, these are an enigma to modern gaming audiences
The graphics, the sound effects of you trudging through this desolate wasteland, it all contributed to feeling like absolute $#!@ ๐. Not to mention the fact that you're constantly dying cuz you have no idea what you're doing. It all sounds miserable now, but it added to the allure of the game. You were immersed in the world completely.
๐ถ AS HARD AS IT GETS ๐ถ
For me personally, very few games are as difficult as this original Fallout game. ๐ nowadays especially.
The control for one is unplayable if you've been born after the year of our lord: 2000. But if you can get passed the technical difficulties, you're still thrust into a merciless world, where the slightest look from a scary monster kills you. ๐
One of the primary reasons why the original Fallout was so unforgiving is the skill checks. These are vast. And they are what give the game its trademark charm. ยฉ๏ธ
You can roleplay in this game like no other. Maybe to a fault. You can ruin your entire playthrough because you've stated wrong. Now, that usually doesn't happen because of the many different ways you can solve problems in this game. Which is a testament to its design.
You can be a complete simpleton (not just outside the game, but inside as well ๐ฑ). You can have your intelligence stat so low that you bumble and say one-word sentences as responses. This sort of attention o detail is virtually non-existent these days,b because of the whole ' every consumer must experience every line of dialogue!'
This is understandable since people don't want their hard work to be ignored because of a certain playstyle the player has chosen. But it definitely leaves some of the charms of these older, more daring games, behind.
๐ถ THE APPOCALYPSE ๐ถ
The characters in this game are what give the game.... character. ๐ YAAAAAAA
Apart from the last boss which is a complete letdown (cookie cutter, the evil bad guy is evil blah!) on the story department, it is still an achievement in the overall quality department (since you can defeat the boss through convincing it that it is wrong in what it is doing). This in itself saves the boss completely and makes their intentions bearable and even good. This is a testament to how game mechanics, and game stories/dialogue, are linked. More developers should take note of this. ๐ฏ
And because of the radioactive nature of the environment, you meet all sorts of cooky and wacky characters on your journey. ๐
It all serves to put you in a place where you didn't think you would ever be. Combined with the free-flowing skill system the game has, you truly feel like you are inside Fallout's world. This single factor is what made the game such a classic, and what inspired such dedicated fans that are there to this very day.
Speaking of which:
๐ถ LEGACY ๐ถ
Fallout 1 is one of the greatest CRPGs of all time. Easily. It came out at a time when CRPGS are still getting established, and it served as a benchmark for what good design in RPGs should be.
Fondly remembered to this day, it will live on as the first game in one of gaming's biggest franchises. Fallout is gonna be a TV show soon, and with that, it will introduce a new wave of fans that have never even heard of the games. It's always like that with these things.
The fallout series is a unique animal, and this first entry def stands out in a sea of mediocrity (hars? I don't think so!). The later games aside, this game is unique even compared to its sequel. And if you can bear the old-school mechanics and aged design, you are def in for a treat with this one. ๐
Thank you for reading, you rock! (and maybe roll) ๐๐๐
Shout-out to the ๐PIZZA๐ gang, ๐ค gang. ๐ค
A Fallout series of articles? Why not?? Will see though. ๐ I'm still not sure, but I think I have enough Fallout words in my body to sustain ana article for each game. Will see how I feel tomorrow. ๐
Hope you folks enjoyed it! ๐
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I hope that everyone is having an amazing week! We got this! ๐๐๐
Wow, amazing that you still have so much to talk about a game, it hasn't happened to me yet with a game, whenever I talk about a game I always talk about it concretely and end topic, but, I find your ability incredible.
Awww, thank you!!
Have a hot hive !PIZZA from me
It's delicious!!!
It is entertaining ๐๐
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