Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel Updated Preview

During a recent visit to the GameSpot offices, Interplay representatives brought by a copy of Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel for us to play with. While we were quite familiar with the single-player demo that has been available for more than a month now, this newest demo boasted more than 10 missions--quite a selection, and, needless to say, we were quite eager to dive right in.

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Though designer Chris Taylor mentioned that the missions were in something resembling final form, he added that there was still a bit of tweaking and balancing to be done. That said, the variety of the levels included in the demo is quite pleasing. Among the selection was everything from early levels that starred low-level, relatively weak characters to later levels in which you command a capable, impressive squad.

The sheer size of the maps really hits home once you get to play some of the more complex missions. Every square foot of them seems intricately designed and perfectly conducive to the type of tactical gameplay the game is designed for. The maps are replete with semienclosed barricades, bunkers, and all manner of debris in general, behind which your gunmen can hide and pick off your enemies. The landscape is definitely in keeping with the series' theme, and the Fallout world has never looked better: The 32-bit sprites that the world is composed of are marvelously detailed, bringing every element on the maps to life. When set to the highest supported resolution (1024x768), the game simply looks great and plays even better--with a greater view of your squad's immediate surroundings, you'll enjoy a definite tactical advantage.

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The selection of missions included in the demo varies greatly when it comes to their individual objectives. Several of the earlier missions feature infiltrate-and-destroy objectives, which call for equal amounts of stealth and firepower. Early on, we learned the value of scouts--without them, traversing the often-deadly terrain is much akin to running a marathon through a minefield. The raiders whom you'll encounter throughout the early missions are quite canny when it comes to setting up patrols, and during most of the early missions, they'll have canine support. During these instances, a stealthy scout is essential, as he can pinpoint the locations of the patrols, which your snipers and machine gunners can quickly dispatch. In this respect--especially when you play with the continuous turn-based (CTB) setting on--Fallout Tactics seems very "stop and go." You'll clear an area, regroup your squad, and send your scouts out again until your objectives are met or things perk up.

The later missions get quite perky. As game narrative goes, after the Master's defeat in Southern California, the Brotherhood headed east to track the scattered mutant horde. Eventually, they find them, and, as you can imagine, their confrontations aren't diplomatic. One mission in particular has the mutants capturing a character that's important to your cause. To rescue him, you have to penetrate a mutant-occupied town aboard your armored personnel carrier (APC), avoiding countless mutant snipers on rooftops as well as a handful of armed patrols. Needless to say, encounters are plentiful and satisfying. From the safe confines of your APC, your gunners can take potshots at the mutants--but at the expense of the APC's armor. Ultimately, you have to ditch the APC and continue on foot. At the end of the mission awaits one of the bloodiest firefights you'll ever engage in.

Despite the tenacious quality of computer-controlled mutants, though, we found it much more engaging to play against sentient opponents. Since the demo that Interplay brought over included some fairly robust multiplayer code, we were much obliged.