Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel

Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel is a shift away from the turn-based isometric RPG form of the first two series entries toward straightforward action for one to two players. The player takes on the role of a Brotherhood of Steel member, fighting mutants, raiders, ghouls and other factions in the post-apocalyptic wasteland using firearms and improvised weapons, while dialogue and decision-making play only a marginal role compared to the action sequences and mostly occur between individual missions in the form of text and voiced conversations. Familiar series elements such as the karma system, SPECIAL stats or perks remain in the game, but were noticeably simplified to fit fast console gameplay and two-player couch co-op, a popular format for action RPGs on consoles at the time, and the game thus targeted fans of the hack-and-slash genre more than fans of classic computer RPGs.

The PlayStation 2 version released alongside the Xbox version in 2004, and there was practically no noticeable difference between the two editions – content, missions, music, and difficulty were identical, the game ran on the same engine adapted for sixth-generation consoles, and offered the same scope of split-screen co-op for a second player throughout the entire story campaign. The only differences lay in minor technical details typical of multiplatform titles of the era, such as slightly different level loading or a control scheme adapted to the DualShock's button layout instead of the Xbox controller. The PS2 version benefited from being the best-selling console of the generation with a huge install base, so it reached the most players, though precisely because of the series' inconsistent direction, the game provoked mixed reactions among fans of the classic isometric entries and is still seen today as one of the most controversial and most-discussed titles bearing the Fallout name.

Why play it: For owners of the best-selling console of the generation, this offered a content-wise identical experience to the Xbox version, including two-player split-screen co-op throughout the entire story campaign.