What can be said about Fallout 2 that hasn't already been said? Let's see if I
can say something new.

In the worlds of CRPGs (real CRPGs, not Diablo), few approach the perfection
of the post-apocalyptic Fallout world. Peopled with everyone from tribesman
to pimps to mutants to robots, decorated with radioactive caves, burned out
mining towns, and big time casinos, and featuring weapons as varied as spears,
machine guns, and plasma rifles, you'll find that you never get bored just exploring
the map (which is based loosely on California, after a nuclear war).

From the entertaining yet educational manual you learn about character creation
as part of the story. And character creation and maintenance is the most important
part of the game. This is a Role-Playing Game in the truest sense: you pick
a Role, and you develop your character towards that Role. Wanna be a tough talker
who gets what you want? Points in Charisma and Intelligence. Brute who relies
on muscles not brains? Strength and Endurance go a long way. Thieves are accomplished
through Perception and Agility. And they can all use some Luck.

The system gets even better, though. Based on those 7 statistics, you derive
Skills which can be improved throughout the game. To help you be a thief, you'd
want to put points in Lockpick and Steal, whereas the brute would need some
of the various weapons skills (there are 4 types of weapons). There are many
more skills to pick, from Outdoorsman to Doctor to Gambling.

But you're not done yet! You still have to pick Traits (and Perks as you level
up). Traits are just character quirks that have both good and bad connotations.
Being a Bruiser means you do more damage, although you are a bit slower. If
you choose Jinxed, everybody (including and especially you) seems to Critically
Fail more often (this is pretty funny).

As you level up you get to choose Perks, which are always good, but the list
you choose from is dependent upon your 7 base statistics. There are *many* perks
in this game, and you will hardly even get the option to pick most of them,
but they are all awesome. For example, Educated gets you bonus Skill points
every time you level up, but Flower Child makes you more resistant to addiction.
You didn't know that those Agility pills were addictive did you?

As you play the game, you may discover that you pick up Perks and Reputations
from other sources. I got the Perk of "Gigolo" after sleeping with
too many women (yes, this is an M rated game). Eventually, though, it got replace
with "Sex-pert" since I satisfied so many of those women. And I was
also a "Porn Star" after, you guessed it, starring in a porn flick.

All this talk of characters, and I haven't even talked about the game! Needless
to say, the game revolves around you and your development. Tasks you do and
tasks you don't do all affect how the story plays out. I don't want to discuss
the story, but needless to say it is excellent. Sometimes the game is so big,
though, it's hard to remember what the big picture is! One of my favorite parts
of Fallout 2 is the "in-jokes" for those who've played Fallout. If
you've played the first and not the second, don't wait for it to get any cheaper,
get it now.

My only gripe about the game is that sometimes the battles really drag on.
Since it is turn-based, there is no fast paced action in the game at all. But
since it is one turn at a time, you get to see all the "action". Critical
Hits are especially entertaining.

Needless to say, I really dug this game; the only game which has surpassed
the Fallout series in sheer entertainment for me has been Planescape: Torment.
You should definitely play all three.

Note: this review holds just as well for Fallout as it does for Fallout 2,
the games are both remarkable.