Anyways, I think people view fallout 1 and 2 with rose tinted glasses, I tried playing them after I became a fan of 3 and nv. And it was a slog playing the old ones, I didn’t get far.
I also got into the series via FO3, and had a similar experience when I tried to play the first one shortly after completing 3. I couldn’t get past the dated gameplay and thought the hype must just be nostalgia. But the recent TV show inspired me to take another swing at the originals (being the only Fallout’s I didn’t play to death), and I actually am now of the opposite opinion.
Make no mistake, the game play feels clunky and dated even for '98 standards. And as such playing it can be a bit of a slog, especially the first couple hours. But the world building and quest design are honestly still better than 90% of modern games. I love Bethesda’s games, but the stark difference in quality regarding these two aspects can’t be overstated.
After running through both 1 and 2, I can fully see why fans of the originals seem to often feel like Bethesda’s entries failed to deliver on what long time fans came to know and love the series for. I will always love the Bethesda games, but it really isn’t just rose tinted glasses, there was some magic in the originals.
Thank you for more eloquently writing what I couldn’t really properly get out
There are things in Fallout 2 that stick with me since the first time I played it more than a decade ago because their are moments that feel impactful - it made me feel guilt for my actions, it made me laugh at something totally ridiculous and it has charm and subtlety that I feel Bethesda games struggle with.
spoiler
I am playing it now, fallout 2 with restoration mod, it is totally different to the modern takes but I can still appreciate it because I can remember a lot of it and therefore know that I am going to suffer through some early game difficulty but I can still gleefully remember building a character that could pop eye balls from ten paces with a BOZAR, remembering Cassidy has a medical condition, remembering to leave farm girl alone unless I can bs, don’t bother with the Wanamingo’s until I am stronger, Marcus is a bro, a mother with a her child in refugee tents outside a city, refusing people coming in without them being able to provide something, and her asking to find out about her husband, intelligent deathclaws, hubologists, Vault City Entrance exam, gecko power plant and be sure to antagonise the Enclave over the monitor, the hooded man on the bridge asking riddles, the dogmeat dimension, the unlucky dog, super mutants don’t mess with until endgame, reno, vault tec and I can go on and on.
I played and finished fallout 3 and new vegas, played a bit of 4 and besides New Vegas giving me some of that old fallout charm, it does not have as nearly as memorable moments that live rent free in my head
I also got into the series via FO3, and had a similar experience when I tried to play the first one shortly after completing 3. I couldn’t get past the dated gameplay and thought the hype must just be nostalgia. But the recent TV show inspired me to take another swing at the originals (being the only Fallout’s I didn’t play to death), and I actually am now of the opposite opinion.
Make no mistake, the game play feels clunky and dated even for '98 standards. And as such playing it can be a bit of a slog, especially the first couple hours. But the world building and quest design are honestly still better than 90% of modern games. I love Bethesda’s games, but the stark difference in quality regarding these two aspects can’t be overstated.
After running through both 1 and 2, I can fully see why fans of the originals seem to often feel like Bethesda’s entries failed to deliver on what long time fans came to know and love the series for. I will always love the Bethesda games, but it really isn’t just rose tinted glasses, there was some magic in the originals.
Thank you for more eloquently writing what I couldn’t really properly get out
There are things in Fallout 2 that stick with me since the first time I played it more than a decade ago because their are moments that feel impactful - it made me feel guilt for my actions, it made me laugh at something totally ridiculous and it has charm and subtlety that I feel Bethesda games struggle with.
spoiler
I am playing it now, fallout 2 with restoration mod, it is totally different to the modern takes but I can still appreciate it because I can remember a lot of it and therefore know that I am going to suffer through some early game difficulty but I can still gleefully remember building a character that could pop eye balls from ten paces with a BOZAR, remembering Cassidy has a medical condition, remembering to leave farm girl alone unless I can bs, don’t bother with the Wanamingo’s until I am stronger, Marcus is a bro, a mother with a her child in refugee tents outside a city, refusing people coming in without them being able to provide something, and her asking to find out about her husband, intelligent deathclaws, hubologists, Vault City Entrance exam, gecko power plant and be sure to antagonise the Enclave over the monitor, the hooded man on the bridge asking riddles, the dogmeat dimension, the unlucky dog, super mutants don’t mess with until endgame, reno, vault tec and I can go on and on.
I played and finished fallout 3 and new vegas, played a bit of 4 and besides New Vegas giving me some of that old fallout charm, it does not have as nearly as memorable moments that live rent free in my head