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Fallout Collection (Fallout, Fallout Tactics, Fallout A Post Nuclear RPG)
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Large Photo
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Amazon.com Sales Rank: 948
Average Customer Rating: 
UPC: 040421011018
List price: $19.99
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Showing page 1 of 7
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Reviews
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It is what it says, January 6, 2009
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Color problems with the first Fallout, but they were off and on. I understand it's running an old game on a new system. It is fun though.
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Debasing bargain-bin treatment of a revered classic of PC RPGs, January 3, 2009
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To stray away from the topic of the games themselves and look over the actual presentation given in this re-issuing for a moment, this is about as insulting a fate as could be visited on Black Isle's flagship titles. The re-issue here has apparently fallen into the hands of "Global Software Publishing", a company apparently staked in grinding old IP from defunct companies into disposable budget shovelware. If you're after any notion of what kind of treatment they've lent to republishing these games, you could get a fair impression by noting the front cover description of the package of "3 ACTION PACKED FALLOUT GAMES IN 1 COLLECTION", with the apparent intention of misleading passers-by through glossing over the games' thoughtful RPG elements and presenting the meticulous dialogue trees, player character development, exploration, intentionally lethargic dark ambience and sandboxed wandering as being, above all else, "packed with action". The absense of any tangible amenities beyond a plastic DVD case with the inside plastered with ads imploring me to log onto GSP's website "to claim [my] FREE* game now" and similar hackneyed advertising from the DVD's autoplay menu left me to momentarily question my guilt for having originally pirated Fallout 2. This is a poor stand-in for full packaging, comparable boxart and hard copy manuals, the latter of course being cheaply crammed away in some subdirectory on the DVD itself in PDF form. I'd seek out an older copy or another legitmate channel of distribution if only to deny any profit for such a shoddy, disparaging cash-in.
As for the titles themselves, it's more than a little futile to throw the weight of my opinion against established public opinion as the Fallout series has been well-received for over a decade now. Candidly I'd rank both 1 and 2 pretty low in terms of combat mechanics as for all the game's grittiness and superficial concentration in gunplay and modern and Sci-fi weaponry it seems all hostile encounters effectively reduce to characters standing around taking turns shooting each other in the face and shooting up drugs or stimpacks, with most immediate strategy restrained within these parameters and the bulk of the game's complexity oriented toward character leveling and skill and stat selection. Even the vaunted "SPECIAL" system governing character stats is relatively unrewarding, allowing you to select base character stats at the game's outset and then reducing further character design to raising percent values in various weapon,thievery,and utility skills in order to realise some underwhelming mathematical advantange in later gameplay. I compare this with the likes of Troika's "Arcanum: Of Steamworks & Magick Obscura" which leaves players after every level to invest in character stats, combat and social skills and vast array of novel special abilities. Fallout's leveling is, by comparison, a little mundane, although this at least is slightly alleviated by "perks" every three levels to bring about additional nuances to the game such as stronger modifications to combat speeds, movement, social skills, etc.
The greatest achievement however, lies in the design of the world itself. The desperation and hopelessness of of post-nuclear world pervades both games, but fares better in Fallout 2 due to the first game's slightly comic-ish preoccupation with somewhat campy hulking scaly green mutants and outlandish monsters. In the second of the series, that sort of thing is relegated to filler while traveling between towns; the real atmospheric pretense of Fallout 2 is the spiraling anomie and ruthless moral degeneracy spilling over from blast zones. The game begins in a dark future primitive in which the player character rises out of a tribal society that has apparently reset itself to the stone age. The rest of the game is a crushing march through a world overpowered by slavers, mobsters, drug pushers and murderers, carried by excellent dialogue, artwork and inhuman, pitch black world-ending ambient droning in an open wasteland of ruined cities, abject misery and casual atrocities. The severity of the ambience was strong enough that it swayed my behavior during the game, an excellent quality of any RPG or adventure game.
...I ramble. In short, a sorry presentation of an imperfect but still spectacular game. Consider looking for another version.
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 Not what I expected, December 22, 2008
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Not a very good game. I don;t recommend it. Plays slow and not enjoyable.
Do waste your money.
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Great game, Bad Edition, December 15, 2008
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I love Fallout, and own it way too many forms, but this one is not good. The extra features, while nice but trivial, don't make up for the worst thing about this edition: It's censored. Most European versions were, and while most of the stuff is not that big of a deal, it's still not the full game.
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 Still a fun potentially anarchic classic, after all these years, November 30, 2008
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So...you've taken the nth run-through of Oblivion and are thinking how wonderful it is to play in a sandbox? Black Isle originally perfected this style of gaming many years ago in Fallout.
What made the Fallout games unique were not just its post-apocalyptic setting, but its character creation scheme - called S.P.E.C.I.A.L (Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Ability and Luck). You get some totally hilarious perks - my favourite is Bloody Mess. I have many fond memories of scoring a critical hit with my sniper rifle and watching my target's head disintegrate in a glorious explosion of blood and gore.
My favourite aspect of the game (IMHO) were the incredibly strong storylines. "War...war never changes...". It's a powerful and evocative opening line. Junktown and Necropolis in Fallout 1. San Franciso in Fallout 2. Each and every city in both games had unique identities, and the stories, quests and characters developed naturally from those environments.
So if you see these wonderful games on your local game store shelf - for goodness sake, do yourself a favour and buy it now. They really don't make 'em like this anymore, and you'll be rewarded with a great gaming experience for a great price. You won't regret it.
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Reviews
