hey
well i'm going to tell you a story , when fallout 3 first came out i rented it and did'nt like it then i saw it for sale half price and thought i may aswell then it took over my life and people say that fallout 1 and 2 are just as good and the screenshots and video's are a little bit dissapointing but i will trust the people and will build a pc next month but what should i play fallout 1 or 2 or possibly both

I want to, I found my old F1 and I never knew I had it.

Go ahead an play both. I could never really get into them, but maybe you will.

As long as you don't walk in and expect to play a game like FO3, but rather a classic 3rd person RPG, then I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun.

It has kind of a learning curve though. Might be a bit like driving 'Stick' for the people that are used to 'automatics'; meaning this game puts you in an unfamiliar setting with an unfamiliar user interface, and makes assumptions about what's obvious and what's expected of you.
One really must stress that you read the manual and not try to just "wing it" on your first (serious) play through. For instance... Those games are 2d, but you can walk behind stuff in the game; so things are sometimes hidden, and the only way to see them at all is to walk your PC behind what's hiding it. Also... Stats and skills matter ~a lot.You might try for a combat "tank" type character first, to give you a little edge, while learning the combat system. Another thing to watch is the text box on the lower left.... If it prints something, that should be read while you can.

It'd be good to have played them both before playing New Vegas (just for the mindset and backstory alone; though the games are great games
(and possibly to catch any references or in-jokes in NV).

Something else too... In Fallout 1 many of the NPC's that you can talk (in depth) to, have a "Tell me about" button. You press this and it wants you to ask a question (and to type it in). Many of the NPC's will respond with unique dialog if what you type "interests them". A good place to start is typing nouns from whatever their last statement was and/or the names of places and things that you've seen mention of. All of it is optional, and you do not have to ask them anything, but the only way you get those responses is to ask.

As mention, don't view this as a FPS. Also, don't let the graphic fool you; you are bout to play one of the most non-linear rpg ever played. If ya get both, play the First one BEFORE the Second one. I cannot empathize this enough. The learning curve for the Second depends on playing the first one.

i think so if you wanna know the full potential of the game. because it has so many similarity. and your understand so much more. but you dont have to cause i think that you will still love the game..

I'd suggest just reading up at the wiki. The graphics are a bit dated to put it kindly, and while I am usually not worried about it with games something about the original fallouts just... seems bland in the setting. At the time it was awesome and the lore and all is top notch but the games themselves haven't aged well save for the newest progressions.

I cannot agree to that, any more than to say... that Willow (the film) hasn't aged well, or Tron even. Many players, both (veteran and new arrivals) play Fallout 1 & 2 without that being an issue.

I do agree with you though on the Wiki. It is a great resource, but I would say that initially (if you've not played the games), that it's the option of last resort...
The Wiki cannot give you a proper feel for the setting and a sense of the game's attitude. Relying on it is akin to reading "Cliff notes" for 1984,
and/ or skimming through the "Rocky Horror" DVD, without being in a theater audience. :shrug:

Play'em if you got 'em, I say.

Yes, Play 1 and 2. Try Tactics as well.

How very true ... I'm lucky in a sense to have experienced both games before I had internet -

no walkthroughs, no editors or patches. Hmmm well ... nothing actually ... just my pc, my game and me.

Back then I had to rely on computer magazines and books. But I never bought the fallout bible oddly enough. Looking back I certainly don't regret it.

I believe even the most disciplined player gets an overwhelming urge sometimes to peek inside wiki or cheat a bit even if they do not intend to do so in the first place.

Happens to me all the time when I think to myself: lets look up this puny issue right here and before I realize it, I've read the whole darn page! :banghead:

Yep I remember Fallout 1 was like those feelings you'll get when reading a book and got svcked right into or not perhaps.

I became hooked as soon I'd figured out the basic controls and explorered almost every nook and cranny I could find.

When I got stuck I had to come up with some insane crackpot ideas to get over that hurdle. That's what I truly miss a bit in FO3.


So my advice is take your pc, rip out your wlan card, lock yourselfs up in the attic or somewhere else far away from an internet connection with enough food & water for a couple of weeks.

And just play! A little warning is in order here: family members might start to think you're developing a strange kind of mental illness. :laugh:

I started Fallout 1 and right when I got out of the vault it was swarming with rats and there seems no way out lol I'm pathetic

Ehhh. I'd say it wasn't really designed to be played in order. But if you play 2 without 1, you may be a little confused on some of the lore. But ultimately, its optional, however, if you want to bridge your lore gaps and get a better handle on the general plot of Fallout, I'd say get both.

Just about any PC can handle Fallout 1 and 2. They did re-release the old games and those are now compatible with Windows XP and Vista (possibly Windows 7) so you shouldn't have to build one if you already have one.

But as far as the question, 1 or 2 I think it really depends on if you want to see how the series has evolved. If you wanna see the differences between all three, then play 1 than 2 and I believe the re-release pack came with Fallout: Tactics. Tactics I've heard is really good, assuming you like tactical turn based gameplay. But be warned the old Fallout games ARE NOT like Fallout 3. The combat is turn based so don't expect to be running around shooting everything like in Fallout 3. They're still fun. Honestly, I don't care for turn based combat, it gets repetitive and boring after a short while. You might find it impossible or extremely hard to get into the old Fallout's if you're used to combat in real time. And the exploration isn't as good, it's not as personal since the old games use a top-down view versus 1st or 3rd person.

Youtube can solve that lol. It's actually really easy to get out of there.

Most of the time I'll fight the rats to build up a little exp.

I would play them all. Play 1, then 2, then even BoS, 3, etc. I wouldn't go in reverse order though.

I can't think of a good reason not to play them all... or not to play them in order. What's the debate?

Yes play them all! The order only matters story-wise imo. You can play Fallout 2 first, grasping the concept & game-play just as easily.

Fallout 1 may feel a bit awkward if you did that... however it totally depends on your perception I believe. Maybe both games will feel a bit off because you're used to FO3.

As for Fallout Tactics you can dive straight into this game... It is a totally different game than the first two and also a lot of fun, especially if you prefer less story and more combat.

Hehe that's something I can't do with my diplomatic or science guys, since I rarely tag a weapon skill.
So I run as fast as I can, but I come back as soon as I have Ian to burst protect my back with his smg.

lol! Yes indeed ...

My favorite character (in fallout 2 especially) is an intelligent lonely sniper (traits: gifted & finesse. Tags: small guns, lock pick and speech)

Initial stats: ST 5, PE 8, EN 4, CH 2, IN 9, AG 10, LK 9. Sometimes I'll reduce LK to 7 because of the Zeta-scan in a later stage and put it elsewhere.

Okay, the temple of trials is hell! My melee and unarmed skills svck big time! The advantage i'll have over my opponents is high AG: hit and run ... hit and run ... baby!

As soon as I get my hands on a ranged weapon however ... Hehe! Woohoo! Let's party!

Plus my science, repair, speech and lockpick skills will be pretty good each level up! It takes a few exp though.

*Edit* Give Sulik a smg for some hysterical situations.