[twillight]

As the designers said, this is a "tactic based combat game", and not an RPG.

The look of the game is similar to the original Fallout games, but slightly advanced and the necessary changes implemented (like the overwatch mode).
The new things are easy to learn, especially with the tutorial missions introduced - too bad you can't bring there your own character. You'll get a character (or team) designed to the missions, what introduces the feeling of the game too, not just the controlls.

There is a multiplayer option included, but that is only PvP, no story-mode avaiable.

The story-mode is for the oneplayer option - but here comes a mistake from the creators: no race-choice for the protagonist is possible. Ok, it is reasoned with the story, and your partymembers will come from all kind of mutants (including Deathclaws!), but you still feel they missed the oportunity. Forunatelly a home-made patch is around, what allows you to come from different races (even play as a dog!).

Let's move onto the stats: you are part of a military organisation, and this is a combat-oriented game, so you'll always be able to hire 5 NPCs to the protagonist. So although charisma and related things are left in the game, they're main purpose turns into perk-requirements. Oh well, I think we can sacrifise that much for the change.

The biggest intruducement was the cars. Sadly all the driving-skills are ... not that useful. You get them as moving containers and metal shields, but there is not too much possibility for playing Mad Max-like car races. Still, they have their use.

There are also some point where you can change the flow of things. Most of the times it'll mean at the end of a mission you'll either get a promotion, or the ability to hire from a bigger pool of characters, and the biggest result is based on your karma - the ending of the game depends upon that. There are more then one ending, and they worth watching. Maybe not worth the replaying, but there is a way to circumgo that problem.

Well, the replayability: many things depend on random, mostly wether you can sneak well enough or you're discovered; can you finish the fight soon enugh or not (there are hostage-missions). As there are alternate solutions for some quests, and there are different endings, and there is the patch - it might worth replaying this game once or twice. But the size of the game is hugh, there are some hard points, and it notoriously crashes during missions. So you better save.
It IS possible to finish the game in "tough guy mode", but that'll require a hardcore player.
It is even possible to finish the entire game with only one character (slightly better exp that way), and THAT is actually fun if you have the race-patch. What anyway gives a lot to replayability.

Now about the differences between the unpatched version, and the official patch:
In the official patch the whole character-pool was redrawn. It isn't a problem, as they now fit more to the changes the patch introduces.
Actually playing with the patch makes the game a totally new game. Without the patch you'll fight in turnbased mode, hide behind covers after each shot. It has a feeling like playing Fallout 1-2, but only the battles.
Now the patch changes everything. It makes the AP-related perks (like Flexible) useless, the use of the APs change entirely, as you'll play in realtime mode. It is fun to stand on the road in your armor, shooting entire barels of buletts on the enemy spreading rockets on you. Now this time you won't be able to crouch or that kind of things, as those eat AP. And if you don't shoot, the AI is intelligent enough to close on you. And suicidal enough to throw that plasma-grenade on you from 1 meter distance!

Character-interactions are limited, but almost all text has voice-acting, so it is fine.
The background-music is Fallout-like: repetitive after some minutes, but sufficient and not annoying.

Cash is limited (you WANT power armors, right?), but at least a wild variety of weapons and other equipments are avaiable, even drugs (what would be Fallout without a large scale of drugs?). And ammo is not rare (except for the best guns).
All weapon-skill is useable, although small guns again are a little left-behind, but not much. And finally, throwing weapons have real use, even to the level where you want a throwing-specialist!

There are a wilde variety of enemies, and different type of quests. There are even some side-quests if you want. And a hidden level. The random encounters are still present, although at fixed locations (this is both a good and a bad thing).


This game has its qualities, and revived the Fallout-theme. It was not groundshaking, but I give it 7/10 for being a good, honest game.