Fallout 2 (PC, 1998)
Graphics-7.5 Sound-8.5 Control-8 Challenge-7 Story-8
Level Design-8.5 Frustration-7 Fun-9 Originality-6
Overall Score-9
+
There's usually more than one way to beat a quest/get past an obstacle
Great customization
Lots of fun to use weapons
Awesome character creator
Excellent dialogue and great VA overall
Great cutscenes
Long quest with multiple outcomes
Decent AI (you can set ally battle tactics and the system is pretty advanced for the time)
Great humour (some 4th wall stuff)
Special encounters (sometimes funny or bizarre)
Get a car (speeds up world map travel)
Mistakes in character creation usually aren't fatal since you can gain stats and change traits later on
Open ended without lacking focus
Huge and immersive post apocalyptic world
Keep playing after game completion (not much point, people act the same)
+/-
No time limit for the main quest here (it's just an illusion this time). There is a global timer of 13 years but it takes a loong time to reach
Save anywhere (many nameable slots)
Unofficial patch fixes 800+ bugs and speeds up healing skills
Easily exploitable game mechanics (getting more skill points, acquiring quests/exp through drugs etc)
Level cap at 99 (21 in Fallout 1)
-
Slow start (unless you go for a Melee build)
No wall transparency when inside buildings
The interface takes some getting used to (using some items can be clunky)
Slow paced (some animations can't be sped up)
The pathfinding isn't the best
Unbalanced perks/skills/traits (many are near useless)
The game clearly favours the "good guy sniper" type of char (melee isn't nearly as efficient as ranged fighting and evil characters will miss lots of quest exp)
Graphics and interface are pretty much lifted from the prequel
Strange and slow knockback mechanic in melee
Can't rest in VC even as a Citizen (or get quests from Stark)
Can't walk through party members outside combat
Can't tell party to retreat from battle
Not much interaction between NPCs (or between them and the game world)
All mutants look pretty much the same (despite being Super Duper)
Pretty easy end boss (especially for a diplomat)
Nobody mentions the brotherhood (and their explanation is rather lacking to say the least)
You don't get to know what happened to every named NPC after the ending - only Myron
Bugs:
-Lots of minor bugs (the game not displaying gained exp from quests, must do Torr quest immediately if you talk to him or he'll get mad (also can't bust the 'bugmen'), walk out on the robot in Klamath and it becomes peaceful, guard in Redding casino, NPCs run through wall in Wanamingo mine, Modoc turns hostile if you save and load in combat mode (killaps patch?, sharpshooter does nothing?, lenny ends conversation after healing you when you want to ask something else, doctor in NCR says you're crippled when you're not (and you can't ask him to help?) but switches to normal conversation afterwards, weird jeremy dialogue in gecko reactor?, offer to help Westin kill Bishop instead and say you want 1000 and he'll say "1500 it is", one of the bald khans in Vault 15 next to Darion attacks you if you try to talk to him, can't read the fourth Holodisk if you didn't read the third one in Military Base, you can keep getting booze from the bartender inside NCR after winning the fight in the bar, invisible wall in SF (southwest of entrance to China Town), can't give vertibird plans to Shi/Hub if delivered to the Brotherhood?, can't use super stims on President via inventory menu, unreachable desks in level 3 of Enclave base, etc.) - over 800 in total
-One major bug causes NPC party members to stop following you
Level Design-8.5 Frustration-7 Fun-9 Originality-6
Overall Score-9
+
There's usually more than one way to beat a quest/get past an obstacle
Great customization
Lots of fun to use weapons
Awesome character creator
Excellent dialogue and great VA overall
Great cutscenes
Long quest with multiple outcomes
Decent AI (you can set ally battle tactics and the system is pretty advanced for the time)
Great humour (some 4th wall stuff)
Special encounters (sometimes funny or bizarre)
Get a car (speeds up world map travel)
Mistakes in character creation usually aren't fatal since you can gain stats and change traits later on
Open ended without lacking focus
Huge and immersive post apocalyptic world
Keep playing after game completion (not much point, people act the same)
+/-
No time limit for the main quest here (it's just an illusion this time). There is a global timer of 13 years but it takes a loong time to reach
Save anywhere (many nameable slots)
Unofficial patch fixes 800+ bugs and speeds up healing skills
Easily exploitable game mechanics (getting more skill points, acquiring quests/exp through drugs etc)
Level cap at 99 (21 in Fallout 1)
-
Slow start (unless you go for a Melee build)
No wall transparency when inside buildings
The interface takes some getting used to (using some items can be clunky)
Slow paced (some animations can't be sped up)
The pathfinding isn't the best
Unbalanced perks/skills/traits (many are near useless)
The game clearly favours the "good guy sniper" type of char (melee isn't nearly as efficient as ranged fighting and evil characters will miss lots of quest exp)
Graphics and interface are pretty much lifted from the prequel
Strange and slow knockback mechanic in melee
Can't rest in VC even as a Citizen (or get quests from Stark)
Can't walk through party members outside combat
Can't tell party to retreat from battle
Not much interaction between NPCs (or between them and the game world)
All mutants look pretty much the same (despite being Super Duper)
Pretty easy end boss (especially for a diplomat)
Nobody mentions the brotherhood (and their explanation is rather lacking to say the least)
You don't get to know what happened to every named NPC after the ending - only Myron
Bugs:
-Lots of minor bugs (the game not displaying gained exp from quests, must do Torr quest immediately if you talk to him or he'll get mad (also can't bust the 'bugmen'), walk out on the robot in Klamath and it becomes peaceful, guard in Redding casino, NPCs run through wall in Wanamingo mine, Modoc turns hostile if you save and load in combat mode (killaps patch?, sharpshooter does nothing?, lenny ends conversation after healing you when you want to ask something else, doctor in NCR says you're crippled when you're not (and you can't ask him to help?) but switches to normal conversation afterwards, weird jeremy dialogue in gecko reactor?, offer to help Westin kill Bishop instead and say you want 1000 and he'll say "1500 it is", one of the bald khans in Vault 15 next to Darion attacks you if you try to talk to him, can't read the fourth Holodisk if you didn't read the third one in Military Base, you can keep getting booze from the bartender inside NCR after winning the fight in the bar, invisible wall in SF (southwest of entrance to China Town), can't give vertibird plans to Shi/Hub if delivered to the Brotherhood?, can't use super stims on President via inventory menu, unreachable desks in level 3 of Enclave base, etc.) - over 800 in total
-One major bug causes NPC party members to stop following you