Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel Review

Developer	Interplay
Publisher	Interplay
Genre	Role-Playing

Fallout began as a masterfully crafted, open-ended RPG on the PC. Instead of battling goblins and orcs, Fallout players had to deal with mutants and radscorpions. It was a nice change of pace, and the post-apocalyptic universe made for unique quests and locations. A sequel followed, and while it was pretty much just more of the same, it too was excellent. Then came a mediocre strategy game, Fallout Tactics, and now, several years later, a hack and slasher. Fallout fans who can accept this game for what it is will have fun with it, although anyone else is better off picking up Dark Alliance 2 - also from Interplay.

Gameplay - Brotherhood of Steel does a pretty good job of preserving the Fallout universe, putting the player in the shoes of one of three nearly identical Brotherhood of Steel initiates. Players will encounter ghouls, mutants, vault-dwellers and even some Death Claws. There are a handful of references made to past games, too, although playing the originals is certainly not a prerequisite. Your first task is to simply meet up with some other Brotherhood members, but eventually, the fate of the world rests on your shoulders. Anyone who has played Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance will feel some deja vu, as Fallout uses that same engine.

There are basically two ways to fight: hand-to-hand and ranged. Magic doesn’t exist in this universe. Hand-to-hand feels quite a bit like the combat of Dark Alliance, and it’s pretty enjoyable. Ranged combat works well, too, thanks to a lock-on targeting system. Weapon variety is adequate, but a few more types in each category would have been nice. The selection here is limited, especially when compared to other entries in the genre. The game is also definitely a "potion-chugger", as players will be using hundreds of health-restoring stimpaks throughout the adventure. Instead of magic potions to worry about, players need to keep track of their ammo, of which there are several different types.

Players can also crouch, in order to take cover behind objects or duck under lasers. It isn’t very practical. The dodge function, on the other hand, works pretty well, rolling your character halfway across the screen in the direction of your choosing. The biggest problem with combat is being shot from off-screen. Because the game uses a bird’s eye view, you can’t see too far ahead of you. Unfortunately, the enemy can sure see you, and will begin firing. It’s also sometimes difficult to figure out exactly where you’re being shot from. The lack of any kind of Recall function, which in Dark Alliance would the player back to town, makes for some very long treks across already cleared land. Thankfully, though, there are no weight limits, so the only time to run back to town is to visit the shop or complete a quest.

As enemies are killed and quests are completed, players gain experience. While the three characters are nearly identical at the start, they can be tweaked through skill-selection. One can focus on melee combat, improve shooting accuracy, increase armor or hit points, etc. The selection of skills is actually pretty tiny, and by the end of the adventure, players will likely find themselves putting points in something just because it’s the only useful thing left. Rarely does the player feel himself growing in power as a result of leveling up, as the only dramatic power increases come from better equipment.

Graphics - Fallout’s visuals are adequate, but won’t impress anyone. The character and enemy models are well-designed, but the camera is zoomed so far out that it’s hard to see any detail. All of the rooms within any given area tend to look the same, too. I guess if you’ve seen one laboratory corridor, you’ve seen them all. Fortunately, the frame rate stays consistent throughout, even in the most hectic firefights.

Sound - The audio is on par with the visuals. The gunfire is convincing, especially when energy weapons are involved, and what little voice acting is present is competently done. The soundtrack is mostly silent, but there are bursts of generic heavy metal during some of the bigger fights. I suppose it is fitting, given the over-the-top hack and shoot nature of this game. More stupid that annoying is the fact that one of the player characters randomly says, "Shit..." about every 30 seconds in combat.

Bottom Line - Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel is a competent game. It won’t win any awards, but it’s a fun time- assuming you’re playing through with a friend. The combat and gameplay isn’t as enjoyable or polished as Dark Alliance, but fans of the genre looking for a setting other than medieval fantasy should give this one a rental. I can’t recommend a purchase to any but the biggest Fallout fans, however. It’s a damn shame, too, considering this is probably the last product we’ll ever see with the Fallout name on it.

Review by Joe Mackie