| Fallout 2 | |
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| 200px Boxart for Fallout 2 | |
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Developer |
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Publisher |
Interplay Entertainment |
Fallout 2 was the second game in the Fallout series, it like its predeccesor was developed by Black Isle Studios and published by Interplay Entertainment. Unlike the original, Black Isle Studios was fully founded at this time and was not just a group of developers working for Interplay.
Fallout 2 game mechanics are exactly the same as the original. Its gameplay consists of traveling and interacting with local inhabitants and organizations. The player's actions dictate what future story or gameplay opportunities are available. Unlike the original, mature themes such as alcohol consumption, drug usage and sex are present.
Organized crime, prostitution and slavery are major elements of the setting. Character creation is based on the SPECIAL role-playing system. The game's plot follows the story of the Vault Dweller's grandson, the main story, however, is still on the FEV.
Mods
Restoration Project
A fan-made mod was released on January 6, 2008; entitled "Fallout 2 Restoration Project 1.0". The mod acted as an expansion for the purpose of restoring content cut from the final product and fixing numerous bugs. Adding 6 new locations and several changes to encounters and pre-existing locations. On July 25, 2010 a second version (2.1) was released that added additional changes, fixes and critters.
Censorship
Some non-US versions of the game were censored due to local regulations on violence or the portrayal of children in computer games. In particular, the UK and German versions both had children removed from the game while the German version also had some violence options disabled. This affected the gameplay for certain missions in game. This was particularly noticeable in Modoc where the mission to rescue Jonny (a child) was crippled. Since the original release of the game, fan made patches have made it possible for owners of European versions of the game to play the game as originally intended.
Plot
During 2241, Arroyo suffered the worst drought on record. Faced with the calamity, the village elders asked the direct descendant of the Vault Dweller, referred to as the Chosen One, to perform the quest of retrieving a Garden of Eden Creation Kit (GECK) for Arroyo. The GECK is a device that can create thriving communities out of the post-apocalyptic wasteland. The player, assuming the role of the Chosen One, is given nothing more than the Vault Dweller's jumpsuit, a RobCo PIPBoy 2000 handheld device, a Vault 13 water flask, a spear and some cash to start on his mission.
The player eventually finds Vault 13, the supposed location of a GECK, devoid of the majority of its former human inhabitants. The Chosen One returns to find his village captured by the remnants of the United States government known as the Enclave. The Enclave often terrorizes the inhabitants of continental United States with their supreme arsenal of advanced technology. The player, through various means, activates an ancient oil tanker and engages its autopilot, thus allowing him to reach the Enclave's main base on an offshore oil rig.
It is revealed that the dwellers of Vault 13 were captured as well, to be used as test subjects for Forced Evolutionary Virus (FEV). Vault 13 was supposed to be closed for 200 years as part of a government experiment, making them perfect test subjects. The Enclave modified the Forced Evolutionary Virus into an airborne disease, designed to attack any living creatures with mutated DNA. With all genetic impurities removed, the Enclave (who remain protected from radiation) could take over.
The player frees both his fellow villagers from Arroyo and the Vault 13 dwellers from Enclave control and subsequently destroys the Enclave's oil rig, killing the Enclave and United States President Richardson as well as a genetically-modified secret service enforcer known as Frank Horrigan. In the end, the inhabitants of Vault 13 and the Arroyo villagers create a new prosperous community with the help of the GECK.