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| By Chris McVeigh The sun is relentless and unforgiving. A long drought has brought your village of farmers and herdsmen to the brink of death. Once-fertile fields have turned to dust, and without sustenance, many herds have succumbed to the heat. |
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 Enter a world ruined by man and rebuilt by mutants. |
Fallout 2: The post-apocalyptic landscape is
as realistic as it is unsettling.
as realistic as it is unsettling.
MacPlay’s Fallout 2 is a gritty new role-playing game (RPG) set in a post-nuclear world. As you wander from town to town in search of the mysterious artifact, you’ll quickly discover the world is a dark and dangerous place. Radiation eats away at your health, mutants threaten your every step, and other humans will try to exploit you for their own gain. “Fallout 2 is all about endurance,” says Henry Price, Director of Sales and Marketing at MacPlay. “You’ll have to master your character’s skills in order to survive through the night.”
Role Call
Fallout 2 is one of the most acclaimed role-playing games to hit Mac OS X. As you venture deep into the wastelands, you’ll battle an array of vicious mutants and machinery (see enemies on page 2). Combat — like in many traditional RPGs — is turn-based. You and your enemy take turns striking one another, and so you’ll need to carefully choose your attack in order to gain the upper hand. As your battle experience accumulates, you’ll raise the overall experience level of your character, and that boosts your health capacity, attack power, and speed. You’ll also be able to find better weapons (see weapons on page 2) and learn more powerful skills, which can give you a distinct advantage in battle.
Fallout 2: You’ll interact with all kinds of
characters — friends and foes.
characters — friends and foes.
Not everyone you encounter will be hostile. Occasionally, you’ll develop friendships with humans (and possibly mutants) that will happily join you in your quest. And you can upgrade your newfound traveling companions with better weapons, armor, and new skills, too.
Fallout 2 sets itself apart from other role-playing games in several ways. “Very few RPGs are based in science-fiction,” notes Price. “This allows the game to be more true to [modern] life. You can see how [elements of the plot] could really happen in a post-nuclear world.”
Price also highlights the game’s rule set, which differs from those used in Dungeons & Dragons RPGs. “[Fallout 2] uses a much simpler set of rules, which opens the game up to a much wider audience,” he says enthusiastically. “The bottom line is that you spend more time role-playing and less time dealing with the mechanics of the game.”
Asked about the appeal of role-playing games, Price is contemplative. “RPGs tend to have a set of goals that can be solved in many different ways,” he muses. “This provides a degree of freedom not found in action and adventure games.”
A Nuclear Family
MacPlay has big intentions for the Fallout universe. The publisher went out of its way to update the original Fallout for compatibility with Mac OS X, and has now re-released it alongside Fallout 2.
“We decided to publish [both] Fallout and Fallout 2 because they are great classic games,” says Price. “Fallout is the perfect title to flagship our new series [of inexpensive games], and Fallout 2 is a title that has been constantly demanded by our customers.”
Fallout: Solve the water contamination
problem — or die trying.
problem — or die trying.
Fallout is set eighty years prior to the events of Fallout 2. The world has been engulfed by a nuclear winter following the outbreak of World War III. Radiation contaminates much of the earth’s surface, forcing survivors to live underground in concrete vaults. The vault water system is in danger of contamination, however, and you must venture out into the wasteland to investigate the matter. Gamers who play through the original game will definitely gain a deeper understanding of the sequel’s storyline.
X-Appeal
MacPlay continues its forward-thinking strategy with Fallout and Fallout 2, which have been released exclusively for Mac OS X. Price is more than happy to note that both games run flawlessly under the next-generation operating system. He also points out that developing games for one operating system — instead of two — greatly reduces the time it takes for the product to hit store shelves. As Price explains, this allows the company to “cut development time in half and allows us to deliver the best possible gaming experience.”
Fallout 2: Life still exists among the lifeless
wastelands — both friends and foes.
wastelands — both friends and foes.
Falling in Line
Fallout and Fallout 2 are rousing role-playing games that immerse you in a dangerous post-nuclear world. Visit the online Apple Store, your local Apple retail store, or an Apple authorized reseller near you to secure your copies — and your future.
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It’s a cut-throat world in Fallout 2, so check out our post-apocalyptic guide to ensure your survival.    
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