Same old dust

While the story and game world throw a whopping 80 years between the first Fallout and its successor, only one year separated the releases of the two classic role-playing games in 1998. Consequently, radical changes should not be expected. However, according to Metacritic, fans and critics naturally have differing opinions on which of the two games was better. As for me, I refrain from passing judgment, as I have never touched either of them.

I won't name a favorite on the soundtrack front either, as composer Mark Morgan took the easy route and recycled over half of the tracks for Fallout 2. As a result, the amount of new pieces shrinks down to a meagre eight which continue the familiar motif from the first part – at least mostly.

Games from the Fallout-series

Fallout (1997)

Fallout 2 (1998)

While we shouldn't expect an acoustic revelation, the score conveys the feeling of desolation, abandonment, and vastness of a post-apocalyptic wasteland. However, humanity seems to have developed technologically and urbanly within the 80 years, as we are served scale and metropolitan atmosphere in pieces like Biggest Little City in the World and All-Clear Signal. The almost steampunk-esque sound palette of synths and beats is equally menacing and dark, but creates a nice contrast to the primitive monotony of the remaining pieces.

Beyond the Canyon sounds spacey with its vocals, almost like a spin-off of earlier Civilization-games. Dream Town , meanwhile, lives up to its name and is a snore, while the electric guitar riffs in My Chrysalis Highwayman and Gold Slouch create a Western atmosphere. In terms of rating, Fallout 2 comes off better than its predecessor, but not necessarily because of the style, but rather the somewhat more exciting setting – at least musically.