I've wanted to delve into the Fallout universe for as long as i can remember, but I'm wondering if it still holds up today. Many games that are given the title of "one of the best ever made" just can't hold up. For example, i tried play FF7 the other day, and it felt totally archaic. So, should I start with 1 or 2, or even just wait for 3? Thanks for any help!

Yes, it will hold up. Trust me my friend.

The controls can be a bit cumbersome, but it is totally worth the play threw. It is awesome.

Excellent, thanks for the help. Fallout, here I come!

Excellent, thanks for the help. Fallout, here I come!

It most certainly does. I've been playing them a lot recently and they're just as good as ever. I'd say start with one and then go to two just for the sake of continuity. They play and look exactly like eachother, so 1 doesn't even feel any older than 2.

I tried to play Fallout like a year ago, I just couldn't. It feels too dated

I just got into this franchise.  The old games are great.  I can't speak for Tactics because I haven't played it yet.  All 3 were on a DVD and I've been working on 1 and 2 mostly, but heck yeah, go play these!  They're great!

I'd just wait for Fallout 3...

I played Fallout 1 recently. Still a great atmosphere and story, well worth a try. However, I do wish they would have given it some more time in production. Some things aren't working too well. The NPCs fighting on your side and how the game is just too easy for example. This was fixed in the sequel.

"I tried to play Fallout like a year ago, I just couldn't. It feels too dated
"

I'm actually playing it for the first time right now. It's still fun, but the game starts with a time limit--and that's never fun. I'd suggest a brief look at a FAQ so that you know what general direction to head in. So far, I don't find the game to be old-school hard.

It looks like crap.  The inventory system is annoying. The party AI is terrible.  It's still awesome beyond words.

"I'm actually playing it for the first time right now. It's still fun, but the game starts with a time limit--and that's never fun. I'd suggest a brief look at a FAQ so that you know what general direction to head in. So far, I don't find the game to be old-school hard."

"The NPCs fighting on your side and how the game is just too easy for example. This was fixed in the sequel."

Easy? man... im getting owned by rats and I'm loving every second of it. Hope Beth does number three justice....

"I've wanted to delve into the Fallout universe for as long as i can remember, but I'm wondering if it still holds up today. Many games that are given the title of "one of the best ever made" just can't hold up. For example, i tried play FF7 the other day, and it felt totally archaic. So, should I start with 1 or 2, or even just wait for 3? Thanks for any help!
"

Fallout can be a tough game to wrap your head around the first time you play it.  Even today, 11 years later there is nothing like it.  Its really original, and a one-of-kind experiance.

The difficulty level is all over the place, but thats mostly due to you can pretty much go and do what ever you want. You can tweak out your character a certain way in Fallout to make combat easy, but you'll miss alot of the game with a character like that. Actually, you'll need to play through the game several times, and roleplay different characters to see all that Fallout has to offer.

The graphics were average at best back when it was released, so don't expect any eye candy. It falls somewere inbetween Diablo 1 and Baldur's Gate 1. The Inventory system is clunky,  and the way you have to toggle all the time with your right mouse button can be annoying. The combat is turn based, and kind of hard to discribe. I think the closest I can think of is X-Com. Once you get the hang of it, its very fun, and the pace picks up quickly.  But the game is so full of atmosphere, there is so much to do, and the story is insanely good. 

Black Isle is one of my favorite dev's of all time, the stuff they made, or collaberated on, is legendary. But even with there work on Planescape, the Baldur's Gate series, and Icewind Dale 1 and 2, the Fallout games really stand out as something truely unique.  

I would be interested to know what the topic creator thinks about Fallout after trying it. I would say that it holds up, but if FF7 felt too archaic for you, then I would say Fallout probably isn't for you. Which is a shame. So I'd like to know how your experience went.

It's good but really, really dated.

Tough to get into now.

"It looks like crap.  The inventory system is annoying. The party AI is terrible.  It's still awesome beyond words.
"

Yes the story and atmosphere of this game is great.

I went back and reviewed this game several months ago as sort of a retro-review for a website I work at (de-frag.com, if you're into PC gaming) and, as a person who had never played it before then, yes, it holds up amazingly well.

Don't get me wrong- it's ugly as sin. But give your eyes time to adjust and I'd suggest a mod that allows you to middle click (remember when mice didn't have a middle button?) and the game is just full of awesome. It's confusing as hell, because you're just thrown into this vicious world without really understanding much, but that's part of the beauty of it. And I think it will come as a shock to all new RPG players, but your actions actually matter. Mouth off to the wrong guy and maybe he won't let you back into his city. Or because two men are feuding, whomever you meet first will ask for help in knocking off the other in some manner. There's no, "well, let me think about it and go see what he wants me to do so I can decide what might offer me a better reward." Refuse and he will try to get revenge on  you in some way. The game doesn't say, "oh you did a good/bad thing. +1 to that meter." It says, "you will live with your choices...and yes, talking to that shady looking guy is a choice."

Just awesome.

As I have said over and over again.  Graphics never hold up, but great gameplay never gets old.  Buy em, play em, love em.

Fallout 1 is amazing.  However if you think FF7 doesn't hold up, I'm not sure you'd like FO1 either.  They are both old games.  Personally I often find old games far more interesting and fun to play.  Baldur's Gate 2 for example, I can't stop playing it.  The gameplay is that good.  2d graphics don't bother me at all, in fact I find the hand drawn sprites to be very charming especially in the widescreen mod that allows 1440p resolution native.  You'll never get that from a modern console game.