Fallout

Fallout, electronic game released by American game developer Interplay Entertainment in 1997 for personal computers (PCs). Fallout contained many traditional role-playing game (RPG) elements, such as turn-based play and characters that evolve as experience is gained, but it added a variety of innovations that earned the title much critical acclaim.

In the first Fallout game, set in a postapocalyptic world in the year 2161, the player’s character resides in a fallout shelter known as Vault 13. When a device that recycles water for the shelter’s residents breaks, the character must venture into a barren landscape to find a replacement part. The mission turns into a quest to stop an evil mutant called “The Master” from unleashing a virus that will turn all human beings into mutants. Other wasteland-dwelling human characters can be recruited to aid the character in foiling the mutant takeover. The game is viewed from above and features a version of California that has been wrecked by nuclear devastation. Fallout includes a “karma” rating that is affected by the decisions made in the game, such as whether a player chooses to help various game characters in side quests or more strictly pursue the main quest. The story and the ending of the game are influenced by how players conduct their characters.

Fallout featured well-known voice-acting talent such as Ron Perlman, Tony Shalhoub, and Brad Garrett. Sequels Fallout 2 (1998), for PCs, and Fallout 3 (2008), the first in the series to also be released for console systems, were also well received, cementing the franchise’s status as a classic in the RPG genre. Fallout has appeared on the all-time best games lists of a number of prominent gaming magazines and Web sites.