Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel

The Good
(see bellow)

The Bad
(See bellow)

The Bottom Line
Fallout tactics is a good game, let me just say that first.

Now, to the actual review.

Fallout tactics is NOT fallout 3. It is not a RPG. it is a tactics game, based in the fallout universe.

The storyline goes, that at one stage, in order to find other civilisations, stop the eastward-headed mutants, and get rid of some brotherhood members with radically different idealogical ideas, the brotherhood sent a few airships east.

As always, nothing went to plan, and a few went off course, landing near what was once Chicargo.

Cut off from HQ, this allowed the survivors to do what they always wanted to do, radically overhaul the brotherhood into more of a police/defence force, getting fresh recruits in exchange for protection, and trading more strongly, as well as the usual mutant and vault hunting.

If you've played fallout before, the idea of Continous-turned-based may totaly turn you off the game, luckily you can switch to totaly turn-based, as each PC, or Player taking turns. I recomend Individual-turned-based just to start with, and changing modes for special occasions (switch to CTB when you arent in a battle (like when 2 computer opponents are duking it out, and squad when you are only using a couple of your entire squad. to change modes in battle, press "O", change the mode, return to the game, then end-combat if you are in TB, or press "O", change to either squad or individual, return to the gane, then press enter if you are in CTB)

So, is it any good? the answer is, yes and no.

like Fallout 2, Tatics does try and poke fun at the fallout universe, and sci-fi in general, but not nearly as strong as in fo2. Nuka-Cola has branched out into new flavors (Nuka Cola, Classic Nuka Cola, Cherry Nuka Cola, and a yellow one are all that I have found so far).

The Entire Item list has been redone. Instead of running out on a random chance, First aid kits, and Doctors bags now have a set number of uses before they run out. most food heals hitpoints (although some will take away a few attributes temporarily), the list of chems has been expanded, as have the types of stimpacks and books (including "Murdocks Tricks and Traps", and "Zen and the art of Driving").

Weapons are totaly redone. Hunting rifles now use 7.something mm ammo, .303 is now in the game (instead of all .303 weapons being "rechambered" in the other FO games), more guns, hth-weapons (including a HTH weapon that uses shotgun shells, and a whole range of gloves).

It also runs in higher resolutions (either 800x600, or 1024xwhatever), with more colours. Towns now only have one map (for better or worse), with most having many levels.

But, I dunno, it just doesnt have that fallout-rpg style feel.

The Good
If I'd picked up Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel off the shelf having never heard about the Fallout series, I would have enjoyed it immensely. The game is fast-paced, with smooth, attractive graphics, great sound effects and ambient background audio, a huge range of weapons, armors, and items, and of course the endlessly configurable Fallout SPECIAL game system, which is so involved that it makes AD&D character generation look like a third grade multiple choice math test in comparison. I could have had a great time blasting away muties and evil robots if I didn't have preset expectations. However....

The Bad
... that wasn't the case for me. I, like most people who have played this game, was an avid Fallout addict long prior to the release of Tactics, and, like most Fallout fans, was seriously let down by this sequel. The heavy emphasis on pure all-out combat, the distinct lack of RPG interaction or dialog, the paper-thin storyline and the shift away from Fallout's traditional turn-based combat leaves Tactics a real let-down for Fallout addicts and RPG fans alike. Furthermore, there seems little serious emphasis on "Tactics" whatsoever - "Fallout Assault" might have been a more apt title, since most missions are significantly easier accomplished by charging in miniguns blazing than actually utilizing any type of combat strategy.

The Bottom Line
When I bought this game, I played it for an hour or so, then put it aside in disgust. It seemed like a betrayal to the Fallout name. Months later, I dusted it off and played it again, this time trying to appreciate it on its own merits, not as a sequel to Fallout 1 & 2. And you know what? I loved it. Fallout Tactics really is an enjoyable, playable game for what it is. So long as you remember that it's not supposed to be Fallout 3, or even an RPG at all for that matter, you can have some really good fun with this one.

The Good
Fallout Tactics is easy to learn, especially if you're already familiar with the combat system (which is a slightly expanded version of the one used in Fallout and Fallout 2). The learning curve is balanced just right, just steep enough that you have to work to complete each mission, but not so difficult that you have to constantly restore and try again. The emphasis on tactical combat, while retaining the RPG elements from the first two games, keeps the play fresh.

Where the game really shines is in the area of intangibles: the ability to thoroughly immerse the player in a post-nuclear Midwestern world, to the extent that you merge yourself with the game. I found myself making up little back-stories and personality quirks for all my squad members. The AI is random enough that you don't get the same behavior every time, which can give your heroes all kinds of cool stories to tell their buds back at the base: Like the time Stein, my sniper, was really badly wounded, and probably would have died if the raider'd gotten off another shot, but then Keith my medic (who's normally a miserable shot) hit dead-on, saving his life. Or the time Farsight ducked just in time and the rocket went over her head and hit a group of enemies behind her. It has the same open-endedness as the original Fallout RPGs. There are no "right" or "wrong" choices. THAT'S immersion done right. Fallout Tactics OOZES with intangibles.

Using vehicles in combat is particularly fun, especially if you try to run down enemy raiders.

The Bad
The bugs. 1.25 is the minimum acceptable version for playing. Anything less, you'll want to download the patch Interplay has at their site. Even so, it's still prone to occasional screen glitches, random crashes, and long delays that make you wonder why it's pounding the disk so hard. I thoroughly agree with the previous reviewer who said Interplay shoved the game out the door about a month too early. It shows, and it hurts my overall impression. Game publishers, are you listening?

Also, the AI is a bit uneven. Most of the time it's good, but the enemies usually behave the same way (blindly attacking). Only rarely will they use any sort of strategy, such as trying to sneak up on you. Sometimes the AI exhibits outright stupidity, like the raider who blows himself to pieces with his own grenade. Also, enemies only react when you're close enough that they can see or hear you. They don't really patrol the area actively looking for intruders, which mars the realism a bit.

I also had some trouble getting used to the continuous turn-based mode, and found my characters dying before I had much of a chance to react. Unless you're a keyboard god and can master switching between six characters while keeping track of what they're all doing, you may prefer the individual turn-based mode, which is more like the RPGs. CTB is great fun with the vehicles, though.

The Bottom Line
Fallout Tactics is overall a very good real-time strategy / combat game with some nice RPG elements, and a welcome departure from all the fantasy and historical titles out there. It's a great game for people who like to really get into their games, but be prepared to have the illusion shattered every now and then with a GPF message.