Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel

Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel is a departure from the turn-based isometric RPG format of the series' first two installments 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 with firearms and improvised weapons, while dialogue and decision-making play only a marginal role compared to the action sequences and take place mostly between missions in the form of text and voiced conversations. Familiar series elements such as the karma system, SPECIAL stats, and perks remained in the game but were noticeably simplified to fit fast-paced console gameplay and two-player co-op on a single screen, a popular format for action RPGs on consoles at the time, so the game targeted fans of the hack-and-slash genre rather than fans of classic computer RPGs.

The Xbox version was released alongside the PlayStation 2 version in 2004 and was practically identical to it – content, missions, music, and difficulty were the same, since both versions were built on the same engine adapted for sixth-generation consoles and offered the same two-player split-screen co-op throughout the campaign. The Xbox edition could draw on the console's somewhat more powerful hardware, which in practice showed up only as slightly sharper textures and somewhat more stable performance in scenes with more enemies on screen at once, but the difference was not fundamental, and most players would never notice it without directly comparing the two versions side by side. The control scheme was adapted to the Xbox controller's button layout instead of the DualShock. As with the PS2 version, presenting the series as fast action with minimal dialogue provoked mixed reactions among fans of the classic isometric Fallout games that are still cited today.

Why play it: For a content-identical experience to the PlayStation 2 version, including two-player split-screen co-op, the Xbox version suits those who appreciate slightly sharper textures and more stable performance.