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{{Short description|1998 video game}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Use American English|date=July 2019}} {{Infobox video game | title = Fallout 2 | image = PC Game Fallout 2.jpg | developer = [[Black Isle Studios]] | publisher = [[Interplay Productions]]{{efn|[[MacPlay]] published the Mac OS X version.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Samhain |first1=Cynn |title=Fallout 2 For Mac |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/07/02/fallout-2-for-mac |website=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |access-date=5 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705094414/https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/07/02/fallout-2-for-mac |archive-date=5 July 2022 |date=2 July 2002}}</ref>|lead=yes}} | producer = {{Unbulleted list|Eric DeMilt|[[Feargus Urquhart]]}} | designer = {{Unbulleted list|Feargus Urquhart|Matthew J. Norton}} | programmer = Jesse Reynolds | artist = {{Unbulleted list|Gary Platner|Tramell Ray Isaac}} | writer = Mark O'Green | composer = [[Mark Morgan (composer)|Mark Morgan]]<br />Rick Jackson | series = ''[[Fallout (franchise)|Fallout]]'' | platforms = {{Unbulleted list|[[Windows]]|[[Mac OS X]]}} | released = {{Unbulleted list|'''Windows'''|October 29, 1998<ref name="NARel">{{cite web |url=http://headline.gamespot.com/news/98_10/26_fallout/index.html |title=Fallout 2 Ships |author=Mullen, Micheal |date=October 26, 1998 |website=[[GameSpot]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000610191645/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/98_10/26_fallout/index.html |archive-date=June 10, 2000 |url-status=dead |access-date=November 13, 2019}}</ref>|'''Mac OS X'''|August 23, 2002<ref>{{Cite web |date=2005-02-20 |title=MacPlay |url=http://www.macplay.com/press/pr-fallout2-ships.php |access-date=2023-03-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050220065242/http://www.macplay.com/press/pr-fallout2-ships.php |archive-date=February 20, 2005 }}</ref>}} | genre = [[Role-playing video game|Role-playing]] | modes = [[Single-player]] }} '''''Fallout 2''''' (also known as '''''Fallout 2: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game''''') is a 1998 [[role-playing video game]] developed by [[Black Isle Studios]] and published by [[Interplay Productions]]. It is a sequel to ''[[Fallout (video game)|Fallout]]'' (1997), featuring similar graphics and [[game mechanics]]. The game's story takes place in 2241, 79 years after the events of ''Fallout'' and 164 years after the atomic war which reduced the vast majority of the world to a nuclear wasteland.<ref name="FOBible0">{{cite web |first=Chris |last=Avellone |author-link=Chris Avellone |title=Fallout Bible 0 |work=Black Isle |date=March 8, 2002 |url=http://feedback.blackisle.com/downloads/fallout_bible_0_pdf.zip |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226133641/http://feedback.blackisle.com/downloads/fallout_bible_0_pdf.zip |archive-date=December 26, 2018 |access-date=April 3, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The player assumes the role of [[The Chosen One (trope)|the Chosen One]], the grandchild of the first game's protagonist, and undertakes a quest to save their small village on the [[West Coast of the United States]].<ref name="story">{{cite web |year=1998 |url=http://www.interplay.com/fallout2/story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031204121000/http://www.interplay.com/fallout2/story.html |work=Fallout 2 Website |publisher=[[Interplay Entertainment|Interplay]] |title=The Story |archive-date=December 4, 2003 |access-date=September 3, 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref> ''Fallout 2'' was well received by critics, who praised its gameplay and storyline, and considered it a worthy successor to the original ''Fallout'' and one of the [[List of video games considered the best|greatest games of all time]]. Its bugs and limited updates to the formula of the first game attracted criticism. In 2008, it was followed by a sequel, ''[[Fallout 3]]'', developed by [[Bethesda Game Studios]].<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Bradon |last2=Boyer |date=April 13, 2007 |title=Fallout IP Sold To Bethesda |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/pc/-i-fallout-i-ip-sold-to-bethesda |access-date=April 19, 2022 |website=Game Developer |language=en |archive-date=March 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220325063346/https://www.gamedeveloper.com/pc/-i-fallout-i-ip-sold-to-bethesda |url-status=live }}</ref> ==Gameplay== [[File:Fallout2Dialogue.jpg|thumb|left|An example of dialogue between characters in ''Fallout 2'']] ''Fallout 2'' is a role-playing video game. The player begins by selecting one of three pre-made [[Player character|characters]], or one with player-customized [[Attribute (role-playing games)|attributes]]. The protagonist, known as the Chosen One, has seven primary statistics that the player can set: strength, perception, endurance, charisma, intelligence, agility, and luck. Each statistic may range from one to ten, provided their sum does not exceed 40. Two other statistics set during [[character creation]] are skills and, optionally, traits. All 18 skills are learned abilities, their effectiveness determined by a percentage value. Their initial effectivenesses are determined by the primary statistics, but three can be tagged and given a 20% boost. Traits are character qualities with both a positive and negative effect; the player can pick up to two from a list of sixteen. During gameplay, the player can gather [[Experience point|experience points]] through various actions. For gathering experience points, the player will [[Experience point#Level-based progression|level up]] and may increase their skills by a set number of points. Every three (or four with the Skilled trait) levels, the player can optionally grant themselves a special ability, or perk.<ref name="gamerev">{{cite web |date=June 5, 2004 |title=Fallout review for the MAC |url=https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/32537-fallout-review |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505044259/https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/32537-fallout-review |archive-date=May 5, 2021 |access-date=November 8, 2009 |website=[[Game Revolution]]}}</ref> There are 69 perks (plus ten "special" perks which can only be obtained through specific means), and each has prerequisites that must be met. For example, "Pickpocket", which makes it much easier to steal from people by removing the debuffs from pickpocketing them in their line of sight and from stealing larger items, requires the player to be level fifteen, have an agility of eight, and have a steal skill of 80%. === Exploration and combat === In ''Fallout 2'', the player explores the game world from a [[Axonometric projection#Three types|trimetric perspective]] and interacts with [[Non-player character|non-player characters]] (NPCs). Characters vary in their amount of dialogue; some say short messages, while others speak at length. Certain characters are illustrated with [[3D model|3D models]], known as "talking heads", during conversations. The player can barter with other characters by trading unwanted valuables or by using gold coins produced by one of the game's major factions as currency. The game has fourteen companions that the player can recruit for exploration and combat and can be configured via a menu to determine their inventory as well as their preferred weapons, armor, and combat style, except for dog characters. Unlike the previous game, it is possible to continue playing after beating the main storyline, and the player has thirteen in-game years to explore the world before the game automatically ends due to engine limits. A new mechanic is [[Reputation|reputations]], which dictates how the game's various factions and settlements view the player character. Having positive reputation with an entity will usually result in rewards from leaders of the community, as well as opening up new questlines or ways to complete certain quests that might not have been available otherwise. Negative reputation will result in many of the community's members shunning the player and refusing to work with them and may even cause them to turn hostile on sight. There are two main [[Quest (video games)|quests]] where completion is required, although the first one can be mostly skipped. The main quests have no time limit unlike the first game, but the player's reputation in their hometown will slowly decrease the longer they take to complete the first quest. Some characters give the player side quests; if the player solves them, they receive experience points and occasionally a reward in the form of money and/or goods. The player can utilize the [[Pip-Boy|PIP-Boy 2000]], a portable [[wearable computer]] that tracks these quests. Many quests feature multiple solutions; they can often be completed through diplomacy, combat, or stealth, and some allow solutions that are unconventional or contrary to the original task. Based on how they completed quests, the player can earn or lose [[karma]], which determine how others treat them. The player's actions dictate what future story or gameplay opportunities are available and the ending. Combat is [[Turn-based|turn based]] and uses an [[Action point (video gaming)|action-point]] system, the number of action points that are available depending on certain perks and the player's allocation in the agility statistic. During each turn, multiple actions may be performed by the player until they run out of action points. Different actions such as attacking, moving, reloading, interacting with objects mid-combat, and accessing the inventory consume different amounts of points. The player can rapidly switch between two equipped weapons, and may acquire a diverse range of weapons, many of which can target specific areas of enemies. Melee ([[Hand-to-hand combat|hand-to-hand]]) weapons typically have two attacks: swing or thrust. If the player has equipped no weapon, they can punch or kick. When a player uses up all of their action points, they end their turn and enemies start theirs. If the player survives, they have their action points restored. Injuries and poisons can reduce the number of action points semi-permanently until the player heals themselves with [[Power-up|stimpaks]], [[Medical bag|doctor's bags]], from an actual doctor, or by resting for a substantial period of time. Organized crime, prostitution, and slavery are major elements of the setting. ==Plot== In 2241, the primitive town of Arroyo suffers the worst drought on record. Faced with the calamity, the village elder, daughter of the Vault Dweller, tasks her child referred to as the Chosen One to retrieve a Garden of Eden Creation Kit (G.E.C.K.) for Arroyo. The G.E.C.K. is a device that can create thriving communities out of the post-apocalyptic wasteland.<ref name="story"/> The player, assuming the role of the Chosen One, is given the Vault Dweller's jumpsuit, a RobCo PIPBoy 2000, a Vault 13 water flask, a spear and some cash to start on their mission. The Chosen One finds Vault 13, the supposed location of a G.E.C.K., devoid of the majority of its former human inhabitants and instead inhabited by intelligent Deathclaws. The Chosen One returns to find their village captured by the remnants of the [[Federal government of the United States|United States government]] known as "The Enclave". The Enclave terrorizes the inhabitants of the continental United States with their supreme arsenal of advanced technology. The Chosen One, through various means, activates an ancient oil tanker and engages its [[autopilot]], thus allowing them 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 [[Human test subject|test subject]]s for the Forced Evolutionary Virus (FEV). Vault 13 was supposed to be closed for 200 years as part of a government experiment,<ref name="FOBible0"/> making them perfect test subjects. The Enclave modified the FEV 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 Chosen One frees both their fellow villagers from Arroyo and the Vault 13 dwellers from Enclave control and subsequently destroys the Enclave's oil rig, killing Dick Richardson ([[Jeffrey Jones]]), the President of the United States, and Frank Horrigan ([[Michael Dorn]]), a cybernetic Super Mutant working for the Enclave's Secret Service. In the end, the inhabitants of Vault 13 and the Arroyo villagers usher in a new era of prosperity to the dying village with the help of the G.E.C.K., turning Arroyo into a flourishing city. ==Development== [[Tim Cain]] announced ''Fallout 2'' via a [[Usenet]] posting in December 1997, and wrote that it "should take 11 months".<ref name=announcement>{{cite web | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19990506061401/http://www.gamecenter.com/News/Item/0,3,0-1347,00.html | url=http://www.gamecenter.com/News/Item/0,3,0-1347,00.html | title=''Fallout 2'' Under Way | author=Asher, Mark | date=December 4, 1997 | work=[[CNET Gamecenter]] | archivedate=May 6, 1999 | url-status=dead }}</ref> Cain later clarified that the sequel entered development before the launch of ''Fallout'', as the previous game had "really caused a buzz in the studio about six months before it was released".<ref name=historyfallout>{{cite magazine | author=Dransfield, Ian | title=The History of ''Fallout'' | magazine=[[Retro Gamer]] | issue=186 | year=2018 | pages=20–29 }}</ref> According to co-founder of Black Isle Studios [[Feargus Urquhart]], Interplay was experiencing financial difficulties at the beginning of 1998, which according to Urquhart, gave the studio "basically nine months to make the whole game".<ref>{{Cite web |title=How Fallout 2's wild wasteland came to define a series |url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/fallout-2/fallout-2-wasteland |access-date=April 5, 2021 |website=PCGamesN |date=October 10, 2017 |language=en-GB |archive-date=May 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512234134/https://www.pcgamesn.com/fallout-2/fallout-2-wasteland |url-status=live }}</ref> In order to reach this deadline, many staff were taken from the ''[[Planescape: Torment]]'' development team and made to work on ''Fallout 2''. Additionally, the development team were also made to work [[Crunch time (expression)|crunch time]] to make up for a lack of manpower and time.<ref>{{Cite web |title=World on Fire: The Oral History of Fallout and Fallout 2 |url=https://www.shacknews.com/article/114982/world-on-fire-the-oral-history-of-fallout-and-fallout-2 |access-date=April 5, 2021 |website=Shacknews |date=November 15, 2019 |language=en |archive-date=May 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210523032328/https://www.shacknews.com/article/114982/world-on-fire-the-oral-history-of-fallout-and-fallout-2 |url-status=live }}</ref> ==Reception== {{Video game reviews | title = Reviews | subtitle = | state = <!-- Aggregators --> | GR = wikidata | MC = wikidata <!-- Reviewers --> | Allgame = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref name="allgamereview">{{cite web |url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=15954&tab=review |title=Fallout 2 - Review |author=House, Michael L. |publisher=[[AllGame]] |access-date=April 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141115011258/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=15954&tab=review |archive-date=November 15, 2014}}</ref> | GamePro = 5/5<ref name="gameprocom" /> | CGW = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name=cgw>{{cite magazine |author=Scorpia |author-link=Scorpia (journalist) |title=Help Me, I'm Falling |date=February 1999 |issue=175 |magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] |pages=214, 216}}</ref> | GSpot = 8.8/10<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/fallout2/review.html |title=Fallout 2 Review |publisher=[[GameSpot]] |date=December 9, 1998 |access-date=October 22, 2010 |archive-date=October 10, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111010210530/http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/fallout2/review.html |url-status=live }}</ref> | IGN = 8.9/10<ref name="pcigncom" /> | PCGUS = 89%<ref name=pcgamerus>{{cite journal |author=Vaughn, Todd |journal=[[PC Gamer US]] |url=http://www.pcgamer.com/reviews/3.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000116195844/http://www.pcgamer.com/reviews/3.html |archive-date=January 16, 2000 |date=February 1999 |title=Fallout 2 |url-status=dead}}</ref> | rev2 = ''[[Computer Games Magazine|Computer Games Strategy Plus]]'' | rev2Score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref name=cgm>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021105172926/http://www.cdmag.com/articles/015/109/fallout2_review.html |url=http://www.cdmag.com/articles/015/109/fallout2_review.html |title=Fallout 2 |author=Mayer, Robert |work=[[Computer Games Magazine|Computer Games Strategy Plus]] |archive-date=November 5, 2002 |date=November 13, 1998 |url-status=dead}}</ref> | rev3 = ''[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]'' | rev3Score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref name=nextgen>{{cite magazine |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/8/81/NextGeneration_US_50.pdf |title=Fallout 2 |journal=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |issue=50 |date=February 1999 |page=98}}</ref> | rev4 = ''[[PC Gaming World]]'' | rev4Score = 9.5/10<ref name=pcgw>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000819080249/http://www.gamespot.co.uk/pc.gamespot/rpg/fall2_uk/review.html |url=http://www.gamespot.co.uk/pc.gamespot/rpg/fall2_uk/review.html |title=''Fallout 2'' Review |author=Barrick, Gordon |work=[[PC Gaming World]] |archive-date=August 19, 2000 |url-status=dead}}</ref> <!-- Awards --> }} ''Fallout 2'' received positive reviews, according to the [[review aggregators]] [[Metacritic]] and [[GameRankings]]. It was a finalist for "[[D.I.C.E. Award for Role-Playing Game of the Year|PC Role-Playing Game of the Year]]" during the [[Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences|AIAS]]' [[2nd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards]], along with nominations for role-playing game of the year awards from ''[[Computer Gaming World]]'', ''[[GameSpot]]'', ''[[CNET|CNET Gamecenter]]'', and ''[[IGN]]''; all were ultimately given to ''[[Baldur's Gate (video game)|Baldur's Gate]]''.<ref name=gamecenter1998>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001216230700/http://www.gamecenter.com/Features/Exclusives/Awards98/index.html |url=http://www.gamecenter.com:80/Features/Exclusives/Awards98/index.html |title=The CNET Gamecenter.com Awards for 1998 |date=January 29, 1999 |work=[[CNET|CNET Gamecenter]] |archive-date=December 16, 2000 |url-status=dead |access-date=August 16, 2019}}</ref><ref name=gamespot1998>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000815235823/http://www.gamespot.com/features/awards1998/index.html |url=http://www.gamespot.com:80/features/awards1998/index.html |title=GameSpot's Best and Worst of 1998 |author=Staff |work=[[GameSpot]] |archive-date=August 15, 2000 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=ignawards1998>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020404002022/http://pc.ign.com/articles/066/066665p1.html |url=http://pc.ign.com:80/articles/066/066665p1.html |title=IGNPC's Best of 1998 Awards |work=[[IGN]] |archive-date=April 4, 2002 |date=January 29, 1999 |url-status=dead |access-date=August 16, 2019}}</ref><ref name=aias1998>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991104003923/http://www.interactive.org/iaa/finalists_pc.html |url=http://www.interactive.org:80/iaa/finalists_pc.html |title=Second Interactive Achievement Awards; Personal Computer |publisher=[[Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences]] |archive-date=November 4, 1999 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=cgwpremier1998>{{cite magazine |author=Staff |magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] |title=''Computer Gaming World''{{'}}s 1999 Premier Awards; ''CGW'' Presents the Best Games of 1998 |date=April 1999 |issue=177 |pages=90, 93, 96–105}}</ref> The editors of GameSpot wrote, "A bigger, better ''Fallout'', this sequel to 1997's RPG of the Year was populated with more characters, more places to go, and more things to do."<ref name=gamespot1998 /> Positive reviewers praised the gameplay, storyline, and worthiness as a successor to the original ''Fallout'', while detractors criticized frequent [[software bug|bugs]] and lack of improvement over the first game. Daniel Morris of ''[[GamePro]]'' praised the mix of action and character interaction as well as the non-linear gameplay.<ref name="gameprocom">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/798/fallout2/ |title=Fallout 2 |author=Morris, Daniel |publisher=[[GamePro]] |date=January 1, 2000 |access-date=December 5, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005093851/http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/798/fallout2/ |archive-date=October 5, 2008}}</ref> ''[[IGN]]'' applauded the developers for the sizable game world, the writing, and "not fixing something that wasn't broken."<ref name="pcigncom">[https://web.archive.org/web/20020818103501/http://pc.ign.com/articles/153/153783p1.html "Fallout 2"] (November 13, 1998). IGN. Retrieved December 5, 2008.</ref> ''[[Game Revolution]]'' praised the game's depth and storyline but criticized its graphics and interface.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/fallout-2 |title=A kiss to build a dream on... |date=February 1, 1999 |publisher=Game Revolution |access-date=October 27, 2013 |archive-date=October 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029201844/http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/fallout-2 |url-status=live }}</ref> ===Sales=== ''Fallout 2'' was a commercial success.<ref name=desslocksales2 /> In the United States, it secured third place on [[PC Data]]'s computer game sales rankings for the first week of November 1998. It was absent from the weekly top 10 by the following week, but debuted at #20 for the month of November overall.<ref name=nov1-7>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000609184911/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/98_11/25_pc_pcsellers/index.html |url=http://headline.gamespot.com:80/news/98_11/25_pc_pcsellers/index.html |title=Top Sellers of the Week |work=[[GameSpot]] |date=November 25, 1998 |archive-date=June 9, 2000 |author=Feldman, Curt |url-status=dead |access-date=August 16, 2019}}</ref><ref name=nov1998>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050406162520/http://www.cdmag.com/articles/016/025/pc_data_november.html |url=http://www.cdmag.com:80/articles/016/025/pc_data_november.html |title=November Belongs to ''Deer Hunter 2 3D'' |date=December 13, 1998 |author=Mayer, Robert |work=[[Computer Games Magazine|Computer Games Strategy Plus]] |archive-date=April 6, 2005 |url-status=dead |access-date=August 16, 2019}}</ref> ''Fallout 2'' sold 123,000 copies in the United States by March 2000. ''[[GameSpot]]'' writer Desslock considered these "very good sales, especially since the overall [worldwide] figures are likely double those amounts."<ref name=desslocksales2>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010203124200/http://desslock.gamespot.com/archives/200005/20000511.html |url=http://desslock.gamespot.com:80/archives/200005/20000511.html |title=Desslock's Ramblings – RPG Sales Figures |author=Desslock |date=May 11, 2000 |work=[[GameSpot]] |archive-date=February 3, 2001 |url-status=dead}}</ref> According to Keza MacDonald of ''[[Eurogamer]]'', ''Fallout 2'' was unsuccessful in the United Kingdom; she noted that the game and its predecessor totaled just over 50,000 sales combined in the region.<ref name=eurogamer>{{cite news |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091029123628/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/fallout-retrospective-article |url=http://www.eurogamer.net:80/articles/fallout-retrospective-article |title=''Fallout'' Retrospective |work=[[Eurogamer]] |archive-date=October 29, 2009 |date=October 27, 2008 |author=MacDonald, Keza |url-status=live |access-date=August 16, 2019}}</ref> As of March of 2025 ''Fallout 2'' is available for purchase on several major PC game platforms, including [[Steam (service)|Steam]] and [[GOG.com|GOG]].<ref name="Steam">{{cite web |title=Fallout 2: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game |url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/38410/Fallout_2_A_Post_Nuclear_Role_Playing_Game/ |website=Steam Store |publisher=©Valve Corporation |access-date=27 March 2025}}</ref><ref name="GOG">{{cite web |title=Fallout 2 |url=https://www.gog.com/en/game/fallout_2 |website=GOG.com |publisher=CD Projekt® |access-date=27 March 2025}}</ref> These platforms include the SFALL version 4.4.5 patch (see improvements section of GOG's Fallout 2 store page)<ref name="GOG" /> that modifies the game to have improved compatibility and performance with modern operating systems & screen resolutions, and cloud save functionality;<ref name="SFALL">{{cite web |author1=Timeslip |title=Fallout 2 - SFALL |url=https://github.com/sfall-team/sfall |website=Githuib.com |publisher=GitHub, Inc. |access-date=28 March 2025 |date=20 March 2025}}</ref> though there is an option when launching the game to play "classic Fallout", which runs the game in its original 640x480 resolution. Both platforms also include the 1.02 version of the game, which was the last official patch released by Interplay on February 11, 1999, it could originally be downloaded from their website or mailed on a 3½-inch [[floppy disc]] (prior to broadband internet games often had to be patched with disks),<ref>{{cite news |last1=Balasubramanian |first1=Karthik |title=The Decline of Physical Games and The Rise of Digital Distribution |url=https://old.website.gameopedia.com/decline-of-physical-games/ |access-date=28 March 2025 |work=Gameopedia |date=October 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=A Brief History of PC DOS Game Patching |url=https://nerdlypleasures.blogspot.com/2014/09/game-versions-what-was-lost-with-patch.html |website=Nerdly Pleasures |publisher=Great Hierophant. & Awesome Inc. |access-date=28 March 2025}}</ref> the final U.S. version of the patch was 1.02d (U.K. is 1.01) and includes fixes for a number of major bugs including both combat and quest glitches. ==Legacy== In 2013, ''[[GamesRadar]]'' ranked ''Fallout 2'' number 68 on their list of top video games of all time.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamesradar.com/best-games-ever/ |title=GamesRadar Top 100 |publisher=GamesRadar |date=February 15, 2013 |access-date=December 18, 2013 |pages=37 |archive-date=March 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319223433/http://www.gamesradar.com/best-games-ever/ |url-status=live }}</ref> That same year, ''IGN'' ranked it as the 28th best role-playing video game ever.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ign.com/top/rpgs/28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120916234840/http://www.ign.com/top/rpgs/28 |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 16, 2012 |title=IGN Top 100 RPGs (Fallout 2) |publisher=IGN.com |access-date=December 18, 2013}}</ref> In 2015, ''[[PC Gamer]]'' ranked the game #3 on its list of best RPGs of all time.<ref name="pcgamerbest">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.pcgamer.com/the-best-rpgs-of-all-time-1/ |title=The best RPGs of all time |last1=Banks |first1=Cory |last2=Johnson |first2=Leif |date=December 18, 2015 |magazine=[[PC Gamer]] |publisher=Future US |access-date=December 20, 2015}}</ref> In retrospect, the designers of ''Fallout 2'' expressed reservations about the game, with Chris Avellone calling it "a slapdash project without a lot of oversight". ''[[Retro Gamer]]'' described ''Fallout 2'' as "an impressive feat, yet still one that rubbed ''Fallout'' diehards the wrong way."<ref name="historyfallout" /> ''Fallout 2'' was the first game to feature same sex marriage,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thier |first=Dave |title='Fallout' Had Gay Marriage Back In 1998 |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2015/06/27/fallout-had-gay-marriage-back-in-1998/ |access-date=2023-02-13 |website=Forbes |language=en |archive-date=February 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213020206/https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2015/06/27/fallout-had-gay-marriage-back-in-1998/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and one of the first games to include LGBT representation in general.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-06-26 |title=A Brief History Of Gay Marriage In Video Games |url=https://kotaku.com/a-brief-history-of-gay-marriage-in-video-games-1714251913 |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=Kotaku |language=en |archive-date=April 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190405013045/https://kotaku.com/a-brief-history-of-gay-marriage-in-video-games-1714251913 |url-status=live }}</ref> ==References== {{Notelist}} {{Reflist|30em}} ==Further reading== *{{cite magazine|title=Major Fallout|last=Zdunich|first=S. Micah|magazine=[[The Duelist (magazine)|The Duelist]]|issue=30|publisher=[[Wizards of the Coast]]|page=88|date=October 1998}} ==External links== * {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980710153639/http://interplay.com/fallout2/ |date=July 10, 1998 |title=Official website }} * {{moby game|/fallout-2}} {{Portal bar|1990s|California|Nuclear technology|Oregon|Speculative fiction|Video games}} {{Fallout}} {{Black Isle Studios}} {{Authority control}} [[Category:1998 video games]] [[Category:Black Isle Studios games]] [[Category:Fallout (franchise) video games]] [[Category:Interplay Entertainment games]] [[Category:LGBTQ-related video games]] [[Category:MacOS games]] [[Category:Role-playing video games]] [[Category:Single-player video games]] [[Category:Video game sequels]] [[Category:Video games developed in the United States]] [[Category:Video games scored by Mark Morgan]] [[Category:Video games set in the 23rd century]] [[Category:Video games set in California]] [[Category:Video games set in Nevada]] [[Category:Video games set in Oregon]] [[Category:Video games set in San Francisco]] [[Category:Video games set in the United States]] [[Category:Video games with gender-selectable protagonists]] [[Category:Video games with isometric graphics]] [[Category:Video games with pre-rendered 3D graphics]] [[Category:Windows games]]
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