Robert Oliver

If you liked Fallout 1 + 2, this is a great return to form, a little dated looking, however the story and dialogue is spot on. Gameplay is a little repetitive, but there’s enough variation in weaponry and enemies to keep you on your toes. Basically squad based fallout. So combat has a more tactical feel, albeit, less polished than XCOM by firaxis. Weapons range from wood with a nail in it to rocket launchers and everything in between. Though shotguns are advise against due to their very situational usage. Game perhaps needs a little balancing, ammo/money is a precious resource at the start, but after 10 levels you’re drowning in both (except .50 cal by the end). Game is pretty easy if you read a guide on character building, as there is no tutorial on stats at the beginning and what they mean. Some knowledge skills, like mechanical repair, are so little used that not picking it up means missing out on very little (2 ‘required’ situations with little reward throughout the entire game), whereas certain dialogue skill checks are a requirement to the outcome you want to engineer. Such as avoiding hostilities and a slew of quests, What I really like about this game is that everything isn’t spelled out for you, you’re required to pay attention and use your intuition to successfully progress, however, for those of us with <4 intelligence, you can grunt and shoot your way successfully through the game if needed. It’s advisable that if someone tells you a password/a handy piece of info, you should write it down. This is a PC first and foremost, the controls and dialogue aren’t well suited to consoles, they should’ve made the text size more accessible for couch gamers for sure. 8/10 for me on PC, and given its on gamepass, a great pickup if you use that service already. My first blundering play through clocked up 70 hours. While I don’t have it on switch, the port is perhaps worth avoiding unless you have great eyesight and a tolerance for poorly optimized controls.