The first Fallout game that I ever played was simply called Fallout.
Most people refer to it now as Fallout 1.
En.wikipedia.com
The year was 1997. We used to collect PC Gamer magazines. They always came with a disk containing the latest demos.
Back then you couldn't just go online to download a demo. You pretty much had to rely on a magazine like PC Gamer. The CD edition was more expensive than the standard edition, but it was always worth it to get those demos.
The first moment I laid my eyes on Fallout I knew that I was going to be in love with it. The actual demo was only about 10 minutes long, although you could extend that to about an hour if you were a completionist like I was.
When the game came out I jumped on it right away, finding the demo to be an accurate representation, but also feeling as though the game was much too short.
In the first Fallout game you had to find the water chip in a certain amount of time.
That gave a real sense of urgency which made you feel as though you needed to complete the game pretty quickly. I did completed quickly also. I probably finished it within a week, putting in a total of maybe 15 hours.
Fallout.wikia.com
I played the game a couple of more times to try to complete everything there was to do, but all told there wasn't nearly as much as I would have liked in the game. However, what there was.... was awesome.
In those days you could read the occasional review online, but you weren't going to be inundated by a plethora of different articles about games. In fact, sometimes a game would just appear on the store shelves without any Fanfare or news at all.
I was living with my friend, and we were both huge fans of the Fallout game. Once in a while we would sigh to each other and say I sure do wish they would release a Fallout 2. We hadn't heard anything about it though.
One day while walking through Best Buy I happened to come across a box that said Fallout 2 on it and my mind was completely blown.
I hadn't known at all that this game was going to come out. It was $40.
En.wikipedia.com
I plunked that down right away, brought it home, and installed it on my computer.
Piracy was not a huge concern back then, so you were simply able to install the entire game then put the CD away never to use it again, or to save it for a later use. It wasn't needed for any kind of Digital Rights Management.
Fallout 2 is one of the best games that I've ever played. Unlike the first game, which I was able to beat in less than a week, Fallout 2 seemed to have an endless variety of quests to go on.
No matter what I did, I did not seem to get any closer to beating the game.
I think it took me nearly two months to beat it....playing it everyday after work. It's true that I am a completionist but I probably put over 50 or 60 hours into this one. I also restarted my character several times, which increased my play time.
Fallout 2 had multiple different endings. You could literally restart the game and have a different gameplay experience each time. I probably played through that game 10 more times.
I don't think I've ever played any other game as much as I played Fallout 2.
Fallout.wikia.com
We waited patiently for Fallout 3. We waited for more than 10 years. Some people may think about the game Duke Nukem Forever. Well I can tell you this was very much like that, except that it wasn't as well advertised.
There was a website called No mutants allowed that I visited every single day waiting for more news about Fallout 3 which was called Van Buren. We waited for Van Buren, we waited for Van Buren, we waited for Van Buren. Unfortunately it never did come.
Eventually it was announced that Bethesda had taken over the Fallout franchise and would be releasing a first-person shooter.
Fallout 3.
A first person shooter instead of an isometric game. I was really upset because the idea of a first person shooter simply did not encompass my idea of the Fallout world.
I can't begin to tell you how many people I complained to about that decision. A first person shooter is going to absolutely suck!. What does it have to do with Fallout! Nothing.
When it finally did come out, I found I had to upgrade my computer.
Gamerant.com
Ultimately I really did love Fallout 3. It was dark and drab and barren, and felt exactly like the world of Fallout that I was used to. It was truly a great game. It did have a lot of flaws in that it crashed a lot.
To tell you the truth there were several areas that I was never able to get past simply because my game would not stop crashing in them. I was able to beat it though, and I found it a completely pleasurable experience.
I think it took me something like 32 hours. Not too bad.
Some of my friends complained about the darkness of Fallout 3. They were very impressed when Fallout New Vegas came out.
I liked that game but I thought it was a little bit too bright for a post-apocalyptic Wasteland. Also, there were way too many people in it. How is that post-apocalyptic?
Still, I did enjoy playing it even though I beat it a little quicker than I would have liked.
My friend that I lived with played that game over and over again and never seem to tire of it, but for me the original Fallout 3 was the real winner.
En.wikipedia.com
At least until Fallout 4 came out. Fallout 4 was kind of a disappointment because instead of being a role playing game it really was a first-person shooter.
Sure it had some role-playing elements but it was mostly about shooting people. I liked that game but I got bored of it pretty quickly. One of my workmates put something like 400 hours into it.
I never actually beat it, but I think I put something like 80 hours in. That's more than I put in any other Fallout game, except for part 2, but I still wouldn't say that I was in love with Fallout 4.
Fallout 76 is on the horizon and we're hearing a lot of mixed reviews about it. The most important thing I'm hearing is that the frame rate is absolutely terrible.
Most people that I know don't even have computers that are capable of running it. I myself am still working with an FX processor, and the minimum requirements are a Ryzen 1300X.
Express.co.uk
That seems pretty weird considering that it is based on a modified version of The Fallout 4 engine.
My original intention was to pre-order Fallout 76 right away. I just don't know about that anymore though.
It's $65 with tax, and I'm just worried that it is going to be too similar to Elder Scrolls Online which I did not enjoy despite loving all of the other Elder Scroll games.
The problem with Elder Scrolls Online was that no matter what you had to do, you could be rest assured that you would have wave after wave of enemy get in your way.
I like to explore. I do not like bullet hell.
I like to see what's inside the cavern. I do not need 50 different ghouls to jump in my face constantly, especially when they're just going to respawn after you kill them.
Destructoid.com
You want to know what one of the most creepy experiences in gaming I've ever had was? I was playing Resident Evil. Crawling down a dark corrider with my character crouching as she walked past some moonlit windows.
Just at that moment a vicious dog jumps through a window and chases after me. I was running. It was only a single enemy. I turned around to shoot. Was I going to miss?
That is what makes gaming fun. If there had been 50 dogs I would not have enjoyed that much.
Exploration.
Finding new things.
For that reason I'm not entirely sure if I will purchase Fallout 76. I'm kind of hoping that the game comes down to $30 during the Christmas season even though that is unlikely.
Goldeverprospecting.com
I'm not one of those naysayers who thinks that it's not going to work out. I think that they will iron out all of the bugs and it will become a game that everyone likes to play.
Everyone that doesn't mind wave after wave of enemy getting in their way while following scripted events, that is.
Now the only thing that we are lacking is Fallout 5. However, the advent of Fallout 76 means that any plans for Fallout 5 are most likely on the back burner.
Bethesda has already stated that they will be supporting Fallout 76 for an indefinite future of at least a few years.
My guess is that any Fallout 5 game coming out would be on the horizon in something like 2022 with an entirely new engine.
Will I purchase Fallout 5 when it finally comes out? Most definitely.
Will I purchase Fallout 76 in the few months? Probably, despite all of the issues.
Fallout 2 is still my very favorite game. I've been there since the beginning, and I plan to be a fan of Fallout as long as they keep putting out games. Will I be playing Fallout 20 when I'm an old man? I kind of hope so.
Wouldn't that be cool?