What in your opinion is the biggest difference

Fo1: concentrate Vault dweller's duty well:find waterchip and eliminate mutants
Fo2: duty is little bit loosed but wider world, more quests, more story, more weapon,more situation to solve and useful companion. and fixed lots of minor flaws of Fo1.
 
Focus I suppose, Fallout 1 is the first game, as such its was an exposition of a sort, focused on atmosphere i.e. the sense of desperation and isolation, in the that vast new world you step into. Fallout 2 follows FO1 footsteps, here we explore the world and how it come about, specifically its weird societies/people. There is also FO3NV: which is similar to FO2, but in "frontier"(like with indians) kind of way.

Other than that, you are usually end up saving the world cheers :)
 
For me FO2 had a much more tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, and I found the humor alot more topical to the time-period of when it was released, which was jarring to me even then (Mike Tyson, really, they're beating *that* dead horse still?) and really very dated now.

I guess we are still making fun of Mike Tyson though, so maybe they knew something I didn't :P
 
Mike Tyson will FOREVER be remembered for that ear bullshit. Hey, you bit off someone's ear, you're GOING to be remembered for it--always good for a laugh, I say! Dated or no, I love the humor behind both FO games--there's so many things to this day that I'm finding hidden in there that I didn't know before.

I agree that the biggest difference between the games is the focus of the story. FO1 focuses on the lone wanderer, and Vault 13; whereas Fallout 2 is more focused on the world at large. Sure, you need to save your village but in the end, it comes down to a world-saving plot, and the focus is obviously the chaos in the world at large.

THEN you have the gameplay mechanics--a longer timeframe to play the game (I always thought FO1 was a bit on the short side). As others have said more companions, I believe there's more secret encounters too; I'm pretty sure your base stats and perks are the same, but I'd have to look for myself (it's been a while since I've played FO1. Years, tbh).

All in all, both games are great, and both are very similar. I'd have to agree that focus is the biggest difference, much like the narration of a book.
 
I've always found the original Fallout to be the most cohesive of the games. Plot, character build, weapon progression and scope all were very focused. It's a shorter book, but quality isn't always in quantity.

However, due to the vast amount of quests, weapons and npcs, I play FO2 more than any of the games, and, sadly, I probably have the least amount of time invested in the original.

But I'd say it's the strongest stand alone of the series as far as story is concerned.
 
FO2 has better dungeon(like Sierra army depot) and puzzle.
and better connected world.
I feel like each community of Fo1 was disconnected each other.
 
I've said this before in a similar thread. Anyways.

Simply put, Fallout 1 is a dark and morally ambiguous journey through a very dying world.
Fallout 2 is light-hearted adventure through a massive world full of characters where you fight an Old-World monster rearing its genocidal head.

In Fallout 1, the character is new to the world. You're a Vault Dweller; totally distinct from the world around you. YOU are the focus of the game, and it's your journey that changes it. It's a dark journey. The Unity is just as good as it is evil. The Brotherhood is a cult of advantageous tech-hoarders who are powerful by grace of packing the biggest stick. There is no definite bad guy or definite good guy; only a nebulous grey where one seems to be the darker choice.

Fallout 2's focus is not the PC. You are a tribal- you're part of the wasteland; not nearly as separate from it. What is unique is your crew: it's not you who stops the Enclave, but the combined effort of that ghoul you picked up, that bartender, the old Mutant and the Tribal looking for his sister. You ride in a car and help people. There's the NCR who you can get to help you. Fallout 2's focus is the Wasteland. The Enclave has no elements of ambiguity: they are purely genocidal. You can not join them, either. Hence, light-hearted adventure.

very different games. I think it's perfect: after the harshness of Fallout 1, you can enjoy a much lighter game. They're complimentary.
 
Last edited:
In Fo1, the notable creative efforts have gone into the graphic design and the world fundamentals.

In Fo2, the notable creative efforts have gone into the world particulars.
 
FO1 has only one significant event(invade of mutants)
FO2 has two significant event( Enclave+conflicts between communities)
 
Last edited:
Fallout 1 while still open world is a lot more directed and conducive than Fallout 2, which has such an open main quest that if you don't just fart around forever you are probably doing something wrong.
 
IMO

Fallout 1 has bold hauting storyline in a true post-apocalyptic science-fiction setting and has one of the best antagonist in games history, and a bittersweet ending, but remain focused on its themes and rarelly goes beyond those. But it is, amongst all Fallout, the one goes the deeper into its story. It could have been written by Philip K.Dick.

Fallout 2 seems more like a satire of societies, storytelling and general gaming, with a lot of lampshading and a lot of humor. It's main story in still interesting, but a bit less than Fo1, but is more in line with the satire aspect. Besides that, the stories have still assets and would work without the satire (for the most part). It could have been written by Voltaire or Terry Giliam.

(The authors may not the most accurate, but there is some kind of similar feeling there)

I tend to prefer the satire of Fo2, but both approach are things i like in storytelling.
 
Last edited:
Definitely atmosphere.

The first game really builds the world and provides solid lore as well as a serious and high quality atmosphere, with dots of black humor.

The second game enhances upon the worldbuilding but it's atmosphere and additions to the lore are a little less serious and Fallout 2's humor is a bit more in your face and obvious.
 
Back
Top