I was pleased to see that, with all the emphasis on strategy and action, Brotherhood of Steel is completely in touch with Fallout's RPG roots. In fact, although this game is being classified as a strategy game, it's just as much an RPG as the previous games, at least in terms of the player characters. A few simplifications have been made in the area of story and NPC interaction. But as far as the character system goes, this game offers remarkable levels of customization. Sadly, you won't know enough about the game at first to create a really kick ass character, but since you're given other squad mates to fill in your deficiencies, this isn't too much of a problem.
As your character earns experience, he, she or it (yes, there are "it: characters), will gain skill points and perks. The hundred or so perks and traits in the game are neat bonuses that add to your character's effectiveness and personality. The Crazy Bomber perk eliminates critical failures when disarming bombs; the Finesse trait lessens the damage you do in combat but increases the chance you'll inflict a critical hit. Like I say, there are almost one hundred of these to choose from, so you can really personalize your character. And if you'd like, you can play as a mutant or a dog.
Brotherhood of Steel is played out in real-time. Or to put in more confusing terms, in "continuous turn-based mode." This is a fancy way of saying "It's real-time but with action points and initiative." Whatever. The point is that the game works really well as real time tactical game. Coordinating the efforts of your squad is crucial, but since you'll never have more than six of them, that's not a huge challenge. And to ease the burden, there will be plenty of restful moments between the carnage. The option is available to play the game in a traditional turn-based mode, but for me, this just wasn't as much fun. It's really an eye of the beholder arrangement, but I found the real-time game play to be more immediate and intense.
Opinions will also be divided as to whether or not the game is too long. For me, it is. But then again I know that some of you anti-social types enjoy the 60-hour commitments. In a way, you're getting a lot of game for your buck here, but even the individual missions are too long. It's not unusual for a mission to drag on (and notice that I'm using the word "drag" here) for a couple of hours. By the time the mission is over, you've usually lost interest in the outcome. The length of the missions is mostly a factor of the size of the maps. Each map is roughly the size of Sri Lanka which, although small by country standards, is incredibly large by game map standards. While it's fantastic to have a whole city to roam across during the course of a single mission, it can get a little tedious by the end. But since most of the maps tend to channel the player through a fairly linear path, getting lost won't be much of a problem.
Still, the areas that you will assault or infiltrate can be approached in several different ways. Do you go through the front door firing both barrels or do you sneak around the back and slip in unnoticed? The game tries to put an emphasis on stealth but this isn't really practical in most cases. Sure, sneaking's fine and all, but you'd just better be prepared for a gigantic shootout every time you enter a new area. On that level, the game can be pretty unforgiving. I was playing it on the next to hardest difficulty (what we in the biz call the penult level) and was very impressed with the AI in the game.
In between missions you'll spend time outfitting your squad at one of the Brotherhood's many bases. I dig this. Instead of relying on a system of menus for outfitting your squad, you'll actually have to run around the base with your squad. The various shops and stalls in the base will let you buy and sell equipment, change your squad members around and obtain mission briefings. It adds a little time to an already long game, but it's a nice touch. The only real problem is that things are outrageously expensive. And coming from someone who lives in San Francisco, that's a huge statement. Thankfully, there's plenty of loot to go around within the missions themselves (I once returned with no less than 24 AK-47s I had looted from my enemies).
And while the sound and graphics have been updated, it's clear from the start that this game adheres to the Fallout style. New tiles have been added and the character sprites have been updated, but the game still totally looks like Fallout. The character animations are well done and the death animations are sufficiently gory. The voice work is also really good, with more than enough obscenity to offend even crotchety grampa Blythe. Weapons effects and ambient sounds add to the experience as well.
But that's no surprise by now. Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel does just about everything right. The only problem is that there's too much of it. After a certain point, enough is enough. But while your attention holds out, this game is incredibly fun and challenging. Hopefully, Fallout Tactics will serve as a model for future genre benders as we get closer and closer to the ultimate game -- the MMORPGRTSFPS about a super-intelligent racecar that likes to steal ancient artifacts from temples filled with lava.
-- Steve Butts
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