Fallout 2: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game is a 1998 role-playing video game created by Black Isle Studios and released by Interplay Productions. It follows the first game, Fallout (1997), and uses similar visuals and gameplay features. The story happens in the year 2241, about 80 years after the events of Fallout and 164 years after a nuclear war destroyed most of the world. Players take on the role of the Chosen One, the grandchild of the main character from the first game, and must complete a mission to protect their village on the West Coast of the United States.
Fallout 2 received good reviews from critics, who appreciated its gameplay and story. Many considered it a strong follow-up to the original Fallout and one of the best games ever made. However, some problems and not many changes from the first game were criticized. In 2008, a sequel called Fallout 3 was released by Bethesda Game Studios.
Gameplay
Fallout 2 is a role-playing video game. The player starts by choosing one of three pre-made characters or creating a character with custom traits. The main character, called the Chosen One, has seven main stats: strength, perception, endurance, charisma, intelligence, agility, and luck. Each stat can range from 1 to 10, as long as their total does not exceed 40. Two other stats set during character creation are skills and, optionally, traits. All 18 skills are abilities that improve over time, with effectiveness measured by a percentage. Their starting effectiveness depends on the main stats, but three skills can be boosted by 20%. Traits are qualities that have both good and bad effects; the player can choose up to two from a list of sixteen. During the game, the player earns experience points by performing actions. As experience points are earned, the player levels up and can improve their skills by a set number of points. Every three or four levels (depending on the Skilled trait), the player can choose a special ability called a perk. There are 69 perks, plus ten special perks that can only be obtained through specific actions. Each perk has requirements that must be met. For example, the "Pickpocket" perk, which makes stealing easier by removing penalties and allowing larger items to be stolen, requires the player to be level 15, have an agility of 8, and have a steal skill of 80%.
In Fallout 2, the player explores the game world from a three-dimensional view and interacts with non-player characters (NPCs). Some NPCs speak in short messages, while others have long conversations. Some characters are shown with 3D models of their faces during dialogue. The player can trade items or use gold coins from major factions as currency. The game includes fourteen companions that the player can recruit for exploration and combat. These companions can be customized through a menu to set their inventory, preferred weapons, armor, and combat style, except for dog characters. Unlike the previous game, players can continue playing after completing the main story and have thirteen in-game years to explore the world before the game ends automatically due to technical limits.
A new feature is the reputation system, which affects how factions and settlements view the player. Positive reputation with a group usually leads to rewards, new quests, or easier ways to complete tasks. Negative reputation may cause members of the group to avoid the player or even attack them.
There are two main quests that must be completed, though the first can be mostly skipped. These quests have no time limit, but the player’s reputation in their hometown decreases over time if the first quest is delayed. Some NPCs offer side quests, which give experience points and occasionally rewards like money or goods. The player can use the PIP-Boy 2000, a portable computer, to track quests. Many quests have multiple solutions, such as diplomacy, combat, or stealth, and some allow creative or unconventional methods. Based on how quests are completed, the player earns or loses karma, which influences how others treat them. The player’s actions determine future story events and the game’s ending.
Combat is turn-based and uses an action-point system. The number of action points available depends on the player’s agility and certain perks. During each turn, the player can perform multiple actions, such as attacking, moving, or reloading, until their action points are used up. The player can switch between two equipped weapons quickly and may use a variety of weapons that target specific enemy areas. Melee (hand-to-hand) weapons typically have two attack types: swing or thrust. If no weapon is equipped, the player can punch or kick.
When all action points are used, the player ends their turn, and enemies take their turn. If the player survives, their action points are restored. Injuries and poisons can reduce action points for a long time until the player heals with items like stimpaks, doctor’s bags, or by resting for a long period.
Organized crime, prostitution, and slavery are major parts of the game’s setting.
Plot
In the year 2241, the small town of Arroyo faces the worst drought ever recorded. To solve this problem, the village elder, who is the daughter of the Vault Dweller, sends her child, called the Chosen One, on a mission to find a special device called the Garden of Eden Creation Kit (G.E.C.K.). This device can help build strong, healthy communities in the ruined wasteland. The Chosen One begins their journey with the Vault Dweller's jumpsuit, a RobCo PIPBoy 2000, a Vault 13 water flask, a spear, and some money.
The Chosen One travels to Vault 13, where the G.E.C.K. was supposed to be located. Instead of finding people, they discover intelligent Deathclaws living there. When the Chosen One returns to Arroyo, they find the village captured by a group called "The Enclave," which is made up of the remnants of the United States government. The Enclave uses powerful technology to control people across the United States. The Chosen One activates an old oil tanker and uses its autopilot to reach the Enclave's main base on an offshore oil rig.
It is revealed that the people from Vault 13 were captured and used as test subjects for a virus called the Forced Evolutionary Virus (FEV). Vault 13 was meant to be closed for 200 years as part of a government experiment, making its residents ideal test subjects. The Enclave changed the FEV into an airborne disease that harms creatures with mutated DNA. Because the Enclave is protected from radiation, they plan to take control of the world.
The Chosen One rescues the villagers from Arroyo and the people from Vault 13, freeing them from the Enclave's control. They then destroy the Enclave's oil rig, killing Dick Richardson, the President of the United States, and Frank Horrigan, a cybernetic Super Mutant working for the Enclave's Secret Service. With the help of the G.E.C.K., the people from Vault 13 and Arroyo work together to rebuild Arroyo, turning it into a thriving city.
Development
In December 1997, Tim Cain shared news about Fallout 2 through an online message board. He estimated the game would take 11 months to complete. Later, Cain explained that development on the sequel began before the original Fallout game was released because the first game had generated a lot of excitement at the studio about six months earlier. Feargus Urquhart, co-founder of Black Isle Studios, stated that Interplay faced money problems at the start of 1998. This left the studio with only nine months to finish Fallout 2. To meet this deadline, workers from the Planescape: Torment team were moved to work on Fallout 2. The development team also worked long hours due to limited time and staff.
Reception
Fallout 2 received high praise from critics on websites like Metacritic and GameRankings. It was nominated for "PC Role-Playing Game of the Year" at the AIAS' 2nd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards. It also received nominations for role-playing game awards from Computer Gaming World, GameSpot, CNET Gamecenter, and IGN. However, all of these awards were given to Baldur's Gate. GameSpot editors wrote, "A bigger, better Fallout, this sequel to the 1997 RPG of the Year included more characters, more places to explore, and more activities."
Reviewers who had positive opinions highlighted the game's gameplay, story, and its success as a follow-up to the original Fallout. However, some critics pointed out frequent bugs and said the game did not improve much compared to the first game. Daniel Morris of GamePro praised the mix of action and character interaction, as well as the ability to choose different paths in the game. IGN praised the large game world, the writing, and said the developers did not change something that worked well. Game Revolution said the game had depth and a strong story, but criticized its graphics and interface.
Fallout 2 was a commercial success. In the United States, it was third in sales rankings on PC Data's website for the first week of November 1998. It was not in the top 10 the next week but ranked 20th overall for November. By March 2000, Fallout 2 sold 123,000 copies in the United States. GameSpot writer Desslock called these numbers "very good," noting that worldwide sales were likely double those figures. Keza MacDonald of Eurogamer said Fallout 2 did not sell well in the United Kingdom, with combined sales of the game and its predecessor totaling just over 50,000 copies in the region.
As of March 2025, Fallout 2 is available for purchase on major PC platforms like Steam and GOG. These platforms include the SFALL version 4.4.5 patch, which improves the game's compatibility with modern systems and screen resolutions, as well as cloud save features. Players can choose to play the game in its original 640×480 resolution or use the updated version. Both platforms also include the 1.02 version of the game, the last official patch released by Interplay on February 11, 1999. This patch was originally available for download from Interplay's website or on a 3½-inch floppy disc before broadband internet was common. The final U.S. version of the patch was 1.02d, while the U.K. version was 1.01. It included fixes for major bugs related to combat and quests.
Legacy
In 2013, GamesRadar placed Fallout 2 at number 68 on its list of the greatest video games of all time. That same year, IGN listed it as the 28th best role-playing video game ever made. In 2015, PC Gamer ranked Fallout 2 as number 3 on its list of the best role-playing games of all time.
Looking back, some of the game's creators had concerns about it. Chris Avellone described it as "a hurried project without much supervision." Retro Gamer called it "an impressive achievement, though it sometimes upset fans of the Fallout series."
Fallout 2 was among the first video games to include same-sex marriage. A game called Great Greed, released in 1992, was even earlier in featuring this element. Fallout 2 was also one of the first games to include LGBT characters and stories.