Was Fallout 2 as good as I remember? - A forgotten vision of the wasteland's future

Thanks to HelloFresh for sponsoring the video! Use code POGSALTSEPT16 for 16 FREE MEALS across 7 boxes + 3 surprise gifts at strms.net/TheSaltFactoryHelloFreshSeptemberYT
Join me as I take a look at what many would argue is the best installation of the Fallout series.
Thanks to GetGianni for voicing Arroyo's shaman.
For merch and merch accessories: www.thesaltfactory.store/
The audio and drawings for this one were done by my talented wife: Cakefan220
Hey I stream on twitch: www.twitch.tv/thesaltfactory_
Twitter: SaltiestFactory
Discord server: discord.gg/gJtFzHe
Patreon: www.patreon.com/TheSaltFactory
Songs:
The entire Fallout 2 OST, plus a bit of the Fallout OST
LAKEY INSPIRED - Chill Day
Belief - Watchu Want (ft Karniege)
A Kiss to Build a Dream On (instrumental)- kzbin.info/www/bejne/qGrdhqStqcp6ba8
Timestamps:
00:00- Intro
02:02- Setting up the world/character creation
06:37- Arroyo: Starting somewhere familiar
11:03- Klamath and consquences
17:20- The Den: Picking your battles
27:00- Modoc
30:17- HelloFresh ad
31:47- Vault City and Gecko
42:54- Redding and Broken Hills
49:54- The random encounter system
53:48- New Reno: Deceit and debauchery
01:12:31- NCR: Annexation and assimilation
01:26:34- Heading back to Arroyo and the Military Base
01:30:52- San Francisco: An underwhelming conflict
01:48:09- Taking on the Enclave
01:58:07- Final thoughts: The Fallout that never was
02:11:06- Outro
After watching back this video, it occurs to me that I feel like I was a little easy on the game. My main problem I had was that I kept giving it breaks because it's older, which is fine to a degree. But I do wish I would have expanded more on the idea that the towns in this game were a little more self contained than I hoped they would be. They were good additions in and of themselves, but the interactions between most of them were non-existent. Additionally, I do think I called out "modern games" a bit too much, and wish I had provided some examples of what I was talking about. Unfortunately, I stumbled a bit there, and I'll try to do better in the future.
Thanks for watching!

[@MitoRequiem]

Babe wake up new salt factory video

[@deadfr0g]

Thanks babe

[@therandomartist3201]

*sits up and instantly watch with a bag of chips*

[@jessefied-musicandgames2854]

OMG Babe! Who's this hot guy in a salt canister? 🥰🥰😍

[@carltonwadleyj]

Legit 😂

[@sven_bender]

I appreciate that you're excited for a new video, but this "babe wake up" trend is getting absolutely run into the ground

[@gabrielfan78]

The "Beta Map" you accidentally found in the Den is part of the cut content. It also has its own cut quest, in which you can help build an orphanage to give those kids in the street a home so they no longer need to steal stuff. It's a very sweet quest and it's a shame that it has been cut but you can experience it by installing the restoration project.

[@lysytoszef]

Yup, quite a few things that feel like loose ends in the original game are due to cut content. Sulik is another one - where his tribe and his sister's quest have been just cut out.

[@AR-GuidesAndMore]

If they could have just gotten in all those little gems. 😭😣

[@lysytoszef]

@@AR-GuidesAndMore Restoration Project does restore quite a lot of them and actually fixes some bugs too. Sulik's Tribe, Den Orphanage, Monastery, the weird Science Institute place - all added and playable.

[@hamoodhabibi1579]

@@lysytoszef The institute is called the EPA

[@Zalman1337]

My Chosen One solved the theft problem with a pummeling for each street urchin. Now they all run in fear at the sight of him. Thankfully, this isn't evil as he neither gained nor lost karma.

[@KiwiLombax15]

I love the fact that the original GECK wasn't just a magic box. It had tools and seeds and information. It could do incredible things...if you put in the work. A new world can never just be handed to you. You have to work to fix what's broken.

[@weggygaygay9940]

It is still effectively a magic box. It has technology in it other than just seeds, which make self-sustainability not only possible but trivial. If this weren't the case there wouldn't be a difference between it and just giving someone a bag of seeds and farming equipment.

[@Ariescz]

​@weggygaygay9940 Actually, it was more of a set of instructions how to disassemble various Vault systems to build the new tech. And the seeds

[@Aerowarrier]

Seeing Marcus in New Vegas is such a nice nod though. Also fun fact that most people don’t know, the kid you have with Bishop’s wife or daughter is a prolific mob boss by New Vegas, and basically runs all of the crime in NCR territory cuz he’s an absolute beast

[@charlespancamo9771]

Wack writing. Typical and cliche. Thats why 1 and 2 are the best

[@TitankroW]

@@charlespancamo9771 give me ten examples of this same exact scenario happening if it’s so cliche

[@charlespancamo9771]

@@TitankroW where a main character has a kid that's badass? You srs? Like you never saw that before?

[@Aerowarrier]

@@charlespancamo9771 it’s an Easter egg for people who played the older games, it’s not supposed to be some amazing thing that makes it breaks the game. You literally only learn it from one guy who’s running for his life from the Bishops, like that doesn’t even apply here. I could say the same thing about your main character in 2 being a descendant of the Vault Dweller. Or how Tandi is somehow alive 80 years later despite this being a post apocalypse with hardly any life sustaining medicine. It’s just for the fun of easter eggs lol

[@raditzhoneyham]

@@charlespancamo9771 you can't even prove it's the characters kid and not just a descendant of the boss. It's up to interpretation (you know, roleplaying in your roleplaying game?)

[@dwagner6]

I was in high school when Fallout 2 was released, and Black Isle had a release party, open to the public, at an outdoor mall in Costa Mesa, CA. I somehow convinced my dad to let me drive myself and 4 friends (all 16) an hour to the party. We got free Fallout 2 shirts, and there were tons of people just loading Fallout 2 on to their laptops, finding a table, and playing while Black Isle folks partied and some cover band played on a stage.

[@michaelman87001]

That is so cool! I've lived my whole life here in Costa Mesa and after seeing your comment I did a little bit of research and found that this launch party was at Triangle Square. I've been a Fallout fan as long as I can remember and have been to Triangle Square so many times without knowing this cool piece of history, wish I could've been there, sadly I wasn't born for another year lol.

[@insmoniacwithoutplans4252]

That's sick

[@wadedewell]

Awesome experience dude. I miss going to big gaming launch parties. I remember halo 2s launch in Toronto.. so much fun.. gaming isn't about fun anymore sadly, it's all about greedy microtransactions and taking advantage of gambling addicts

[@needy3535]

@@wadedewell ✨ Capitalismmmm ✨✨✨🥰🥰🥰

[@JohnSmith-im8qt]

That's really cool.

[@yaldabaoth2]

Walking from Arroyo straight to Navarro, getting your enclave power armor, then doing the game normally is the real Chosen One mode.

[@cykeok3525]

I like to think of that type of run as the Chosen One having had a vision in a dream telling him what to do, the night before he leaves Arroyo :D

[@Shadethewolfy]

It's also the only way I know of to save the Intelligent Deathclaws in Vault 13 :D

[@Mirthful_Midori]

You skipped a step. You have to got to San Fransisco and talk to Matt to get the quest first. Navarro won't even appear on the map until after that.

[@Shadethewolfy]

@@Mirthful_Midori that makes sense, actually.

[@BuskingAndChess]

Definitely done that run and it slaps.

[@Soldierofdoom444]

"Oh thank Christ, I can finally sleep at a decent hour." Salt: Allow me to introduce myself

[@hashim3393]

That little Dark Souls bit was flawless lol, the voice actor did a great job there

[@samreddig8819]

Haven't gotten to that part yet but imma guess it's Gianni. He's got some serious talent.

[@Virgil-Arcanum]

@@samreddig8819 it's always Gianni

[@MultiKamil97]

@@samreddig8819 Who is Gianni?

[@samreddig8819]

@@MultiKamil97 a voice actor/shit poster. Look up Gianni marteno here on KZbin. It's some good stuff.

[@MultiKamil97]

@@samreddig8819 I certainly have to because he was so good that I really thought it's some hidden dialogue in the game even though Dark Souls wasn't even released back then. I was so confused lol

[@rofltehcat]

Navarro: There's actually a build you can do where you go straight to Navarro at the start and they just give you the best gear because they believe the naked dude who is good with words. San Francisco: Just isn't finished. A couple more weeks could have made this a great town, but alas, the rest of the game is massive and awesome.

[@nutbastard]

2 and NV get a pass on bugs and missing content for the exact same reason: Their impossibly short development times and laughably low budgets. Bethesda gets no such pass.

[@sneakillysneak2388]

You may also just go and farm xp and loot from the start - there are lot of combat encouters between factions, so you may easily get plasma weapons. And then you may go farm Navarro for armor and great weapons. You may also be a caravaneer, traveling gambler, etc. Generally speaking "out of plot rails" experience is totaly valid way of dealing with the game.

[@pnutz_2]

the low-content SF section was unintentionally good conditioning for years later when I was playing witcher 2 and their barebones third chapter (at least before the enhanced edition)

[@Sentralkontrol]

4 strength gang rise up

[@The-jy3yq]

@@Sentralkontrol 5 Strength is better, you end up with 10 at the end (+4 from APA, +1 from the implant), you don't need the perk and you shoot a _lot_ better (half the weapons in the game have either 5 or 6 STR requirement so you'll lose at the most only 20% hit chance instead of the whopping 40%)

[@daveTHEdirty]

The situation with the dude's wife and daughter sounds oddly familiar to the backstory of a certain singer we meet in novac.

[@ConnorNotyerbidness]

And he talks about Mr Bishop aka the son of the chosen one. Hes on the run from the son of your previous character

[@codenamezq8027]

"I might have... umm... sort of... plowed his daughter. A little."

[@daveTHEdirty]

@@ConnorNotyerbidness I'll admit I've only played the Bethesda titles but that's amazing! Just to think if they gave the original creators enough time to fully make New Vegas.

[@insensitive919]

@@ConnorNotyerbidness The Chosen One? You mean old No-bark?

[@The-jy3yq]

@@insensitive919 ya mean Elder Lyons? upd: uoooh *SHET* forgot that it's good ol' Easy Pete and not ol' No-Bark

[@shiroka1371]

Fallout 2 really gets "complete" by playing it with the "F2 Restoration Project" from killap. It adds back cut quests/maps and even other stuff which in the vanilla version didn't make sense like some items without use (lighter, pills, etc.). It is definetely a must for those who want an enhanced experience

[@KingDaveth]

One of my favorite bits in the Ghost Farm is after you talk to the leader you then can use the ladder to get down. But if you go through the trap door again the guards laugh at you and basically call you stupid.

[@chris.6349]

Well I had nothing to do for 2 hours anyways. Besides work,doing stuff around the house and my backlog of shows. What a time to be alive

[@ljman100]

Amen!

[@Chuked]

i was born in the right moment in human history😊

[@ChevyChase301]

KEEP THE MEDIA IN AS MUCC OF YOUR EYE frame AS POSSIBLE THATS HOW YOU KEEP THE VOICES AWAY

[@greglyhoblit]

You must CONSUME

[@greglyhoblit]

@Spaceboy salty about your Disney plus and loot crate subscriptions?

[@georgezachos7322]

You know we're dealing with a solid creator, when I drop anything else I'm watching, to do a 2 hour session watching his. Good stuff as usual, I'm sure.

[@raymonddelgadillo6839]

It's the easiest 2 hours I ever watch

[@kestutisvaiciunas8663]

You know you're dealing with an enjoyer when instead of Klamath he says 'le claMOTH'

[@SalusFuturistics]

You know someone REALLY needs it, when they drop anything else they watch.

[@fulltimeslackerii8229]

“you know something is good when… MY OPINION. now pls updoot” -OP

[@echoes222]

yup

[@KrazyKupo]

In relation to pixel hunting, if you are using the unnoficial patches, holding left shift shows stuff lying on the floor. Really helps for that book in the Den.

[@The-jy3yq]

Unofficial patches? Ya mean the version distributed through _Steam?_

[@KrazyKupo]

​@@The-jy3yq The Steam version is patched up to the last official patch. You can use the Steam version but will need to install the patches yourself from fansites. There's a few guides on Steam that explain how to do it.

[@Gorbz]

That Frank Horrigan fight can be a total brick wall unless you know exactly how to deal with him. Imagine if you will that you decided to play a martial arts master, going around and unleashing a whirlwind on anyone who crossed your path. Then you take on Frank and get torn apart as your knuckles bounce off him. While he is beatable by any weapon build, in theory and as long as you have the best gear, recruiting Sgt Stone and using the presidential key on the computer terminal are all but musts for that last fight.

[@notaninquisitor7274]

I know my case is really lucky, but the first time I played fallout 2 to completion my sniper focused character 1 shot killed him. Guess I rolled instant death in the crit table.

[@The-jy3yq]

@@notaninquisitor7274 Were you using _The_ Bozar? No wonder - that thing can dish out high triple digits like it's tuesday. *Without a crit.*

[@TheMasterUnity]

@@The-jy3yq Doesn’t matter what weapon you use on Frank. You cannot one shot kill him with any weapon UNLESS you have the perk that allows instant kills on the crit table. Which, funnily enough also allows you to kill enemies even if you critically hit them for no damage

[@The-jy3yq]

@@TheMasterUnity You know what's funnier? All creatures have 6 levels of Critical Hits on each of their limbs. Torso, Head, Eyes, Crotch, Right and Left Hands, Right and Left Legs. The first level usually just does increased damage, the second penetrates armor, the third level makes you fall, the fourth either cripples a limb or sends you into knock out, the fifth penetrates armor and either cripples a limb or sends you into knockout. This perk that you've mentioned, Better Criticals? It only enables the 6th level - the one shot thingie. Usually only works on Torso, Head and Eyes(though you can one shot into eyes even without Better Criticals, you just have to get lucky). Quick PSA: Frankie only has the "big dmg", "penetration"(which is debuffed _only_ for him) and "fall on one leg" effects on his Critical Hit tables. No, even if you shoot him into the Eyes with the Better Criticals and score a 6 out of 6, he will still just get his Armor Penetrated and will just fall on his leg. So, no, you cannot One-Shot Frankie. Unless you're using the Holy Hand Grenade. Upd: Although Bozar might work, don't remember the exact math on it's damage and Frankie's Armor.

[@TheMasterUnity]

@@The-jy3yq Welp, shit

[@laiauntaecalwell4003]

I almost choked on my food laughing when you turned that thief kids jaw into a modern art display.

[@apathyguy8338]

The good old days when producers and creators didn't tuck their tails between their legs and wine like little female dogs every time a group of people who never even played the game made a complaint.

[@trustytrest]

@@apathyguy8338 Bruh they censored the kids for EU version. Don't act like they ignored criticism

[@NecromancyForKids]

@@trustytrest To be fair, that is probably related to law more than anything about opinion/criticism

[@TheMasterUnity]

@@trustytrest That wasn't due to criticism, they only did that because they literally couldn't release the game in Europe if they didn't do that

[@stephengrigg5988]

​@@apathyguy8338well if a game gets an AO rating it's essentially not marketable

[@rycroft2557]

That part of the den you accidentally entered is cut content that can be restored. Other things can be added back as well with the restoration pack. Things like actually meeting the assault team outside of Gecko and going to a completely cut area called the EPA are also added back. The pack also gives a face and voice to Cassidy. 100% would recommend a playthrough with the pack.

[@hamoodhabibi1579]

The face & Voice is actually from another mod, taking place after Fallout 2 iirc

[@comeslammer9455]

No voice, just face

[@-Zakhiel-]

@@comeslammer9455 Voice and face.

[@comeslammer9455]

@@-Zakhiel- not Cassidy, it's just his face

[@ryanlorenzo5003]

Goris literally says "It's Gorising Time!" And starts Gorising people.

[@AsymmetricalCrimes]

100

[@brownky3]

It's Morbin Time!

[@parkouremaster]

I think the reason why NCR in fallout 2 treated like "Messiah" is because Tandi, that is even mentioned in NV, Tandi was so good as a leader, that NCR was like the best thing, but the moment she died and were starting to have different leaders, everything started to fall apart, which makes sense, not everyone have the same type of beliefs, meaning the day NCR lose their former founders, they started to flaw hardly

[@mappingshaman5280]

Which in a way is commentary on the legion. Sure under caesar the legion is doing well and they're not "degenerate." But once he dies? Well...

[@HPG45]

Not only that, but I'd say as well it's just also the fact that it's a fresh (relatively new) organization in FO2, with a lot less territory to manage, bureaucracy, and making a name for themselves (bolstered by Tandi being a founding member; wanting to see her fathers' creation thrive). By FONV though, they're riding the coattails of their success, and after decades of bureaucracy and strong-arming locales to join them (or else), their arrogance leads them into blitzing their military forces outward to seize territory, yet they're too spread thin to make and hold significant gains like Vegas. Basically, the romance phase of the NCRs lifespan has already well worn off by the events of FONV, both in terms of public perception and actual competency.

[@GhostLink92]

@@HPG45 You know a game is good when people discuss the lore and politics over a decade later. If Obsidian could make that in only a year and a half, imagine what they could've done with a full dev cycle and budget to match.

[@superchacho777]

And also in New Vegas, you see the NCR at the edge of their territory where they have problems supplying their forces In Fallout 2 you see the NCR in their home territory so of course they'd be far more formidable

[@The-jy3yq]

Ya mean _farmer founders,_ eh?))

[@Tumeq]

As a teenager, I only learned about stealing kids in the Den when I saw Moore's briefcase in one of the shop's inventory. That was close to 20 years ago and I still remember, I thought that was so cool. I probably finished first two Fallouts at least 15 times.

[@t2av159]

I hated that, I killed all the kids

[@aschles503]

Hey Salt, just wanna say that you are probably my favorite content-creator and I literally jump with joy when I see you post a new video. I always set-aside an evening to binge through the whole video. Thanks for everything!

[@denis2381]

Idiot

[@kanaka118446]

Consoomer

[@d2heffz231]

Great videos to fall asleep to.

[@aclaymushroomwithaberet7084]

agreed

[@StupidNSimplesns]

@@kanaka118446 considering the content is free i dont think you're using that term correctly

[@Patterrz]

This channel is a goldmine, I always drop everything else i'm watching when a new video releases

[@jakespacepiratee3740]

Do you think there is any chance the Salt Factory would do a review/retrospective on Mass Effect Andromeda? Its crazy on how Bioware originally planned on giving Andromeda DLC's and even a full trilogy, but the game's response was so bad, they cancelled it all...

[@mynamejef7963]

Salt mine*

[@shandomassey8634]

As my family and I are dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona, and not having power for around 72 hours now, this helped. Thanks Salt. Nothing I'd rather waste my phone battery on. I needed this.

[@CivilDefenceCanada]

One of my all time favourite games. Black Isle was on point with their vision and planning. The only reason that New Vegas went back to this was that it was the core dev team from Black Isle. Thank you for making these videos.

[@nicholasswope2767]

Salt Factory videos give me life, you have no idea how many times I've rewatched your videos and used them for white noise to fall asleep to. This is automatically a good day now

[@denis2381]

So it is so boring that you fall asleep?

[@TheAelaryn]

I've been doing the same the past few months as well, I've seen most of his videos several times over cause of this.

[@YungMoomin]

@@denis2381 it's not boring but it's very relaxing because salt has a smooth and calm voice.

[@ALL_that_ENDS]

I do it too, the fable trilogy is my personal favorite

[@tsg5787]

@@denis2381 easy to fall asleep to comforting familiarity

[@LostShipMate]

Its always hard to not kill "The First Citizen", even on my good boy playthroughs.

[@blue-pi2kt]

I struggle immensely to walk off the good boi trail, even sort of.

[@Helperbot-2000]

Basic human needs: water, food, sleep, social interactions, killing the absolute fuck out of lynette

[@Mirthful_Midori]

She's the second most detestable character in the game, after Myron. Myron was so bad that there are zero endings where he doesn't get killed.

[@GearShotgun]

1:18:18 There’s an undeniable irony in the Enclave inadvertently creating creatures that are more moral than they are, only to wipe them out when they refuse to fulfill their purpose. Really shows who the real monsters are.

[@silverjohn6037]

2:03:03 It doesn't impact the in game towns and npcs but the end credits do show that some of the actions you take in Redding, Gecko and Vault City can lead to them eventually being absorbed into the NCR

[@stevek8337]

Even though they don't use bottlecaps anymore, it would've been cool if most characters still referred to their money as caps. There's a crapton of nicknames for money, all with their own history, so one which the player knows the origin is pretty cool.

[@goranpersson7726]

maybe as a slang for coins or such ye, wouldnt make sense as anything but slang as the ncr would want people to know it's ncr money and would not atleast in official terms refer to it as caps. however as a slang used by the actual people? ye i could see that

[@speedinggnu6596]

Think about the rad-x and radaway like this: if the radiation dies down, then people don't need it as much and therefore doctors would be able to stock it much easier. Supply and demand. And then, if anyone knows they're going to a specifically radioactive place, they can easily acquire the appropriate medicine to keep them safe.

[@hitomisalazar4073]

Funny enough they specifically use that logic in Fallout: Tactics. Mentioning the reason that Nuka Cola Cherry can be found everywhere in there is that no one likes Cherry flavored things in America.

[@JohnnyV83]

Kinda surprised you didn't do restoration patch stuff. It restores a bunch of cut content including Sulik's sister & village, it also restores Cassidy's talking head and his voice is...amusing.

[@The-jy3yq]

Quick PSA: Cassidy's Talking Head is _a mod, not cut content_

[@gregw-j6784]

Regarding the point about wanting to lead the mining towns toward alliances with different cities- You can actually achieve this in Redding by following local quest lines for whichever specific mine you want- one of the companies supports NCR, one sides for Reno, you can also improve the overall situation of the town by doing the jet cure quest mentioned earleir

[@The-jy3yq]

Quick PSA: curing the Jet addiction leads to the annexion of Redding by Vault -Shitty- City followed by miners voting to join the aforementioned Vault -Shitty- City (Glory to the Vault City!)

[@serlistogiette4168]

The opening cutscene where the Enclave mows down the Vault Dwellers was put in for no reason, or well they knew it didn't make sense but they kept it there which I find funny.

[@TheSaltFactory]

I always figured it was because their mission is to eradicate any mutants, which the dwellers would become (in their eyes) after setting foot in the wasteland. Though they were working on the modified FEV, I figured that they were doing dumb shit like this before they had it primed to annihilate people. But maybe I'm missing something there

[@serlistogiette4168]

@@TheSaltFactory I read it from an interview with the main developer guy. Cuz someone asked hin about it and he was like "Oh yeah idk lmao" basically

[@pokeric]

Nah they kill the people who open the door so everyone else will be afraid of them, easier to kidnap them all for experimenting.

[@shcdemolisher]

I feel it was for shock value, like: "OH SHIT! They aren't pulling punches!"

[@marley7868]

@@TheSaltFactory well certainly backs up your incompetent theory cause that vault and family could have been a wonderful source of recruits but captain fuckwit screwed that up and they don't seem to care

[@theogy576]

Fallout 2 showed how much can be introduced into this world based on information from Fallout 1. Bethesda, on the other hand, makes games like someone who heard about F1&F2 once.

[@themanwithnoname1839]

Yea its funny really, with bethesda society is vonstantly regressing in fallout, with black isle it progressed

[@SorowFame]

@@themanwithnoname1839 to be fair their games take place on the opposite coast. It’s not like they wrote that the NCR collapsed, the Capital Wasteland and the Commonwealth are just underdeveloped.

[@GoatBoat22]

@@SorowFame to be fair their games have some of the cringiest dialogue and childish themes I’ve ever played

[@SorowFame]

@@GoatBoat22 the games being bad doesn’t go against my point. Fallout New Vegas worked fine as a truer sequel to Fallout 2 and didn’t have to contradict anything from Bethesda, at least as far as I’m aware. Things like the Enclave somehow coming back and the changes 4 made to power armour could cause issues but the underdeveloped societies won’t, that’s just bad worldbuilding.

[@solidussnake2425]

@@SorowFame Bethesda's societies aren't bad cause they're under developed, they're bad cause they suck ass at writing, Bodton seems 10 more inhabitable than California yet somehow they have one major city, Bethesda games take place decades after the originals yet their societies are basic to a staggering degree.

[@alexpage4355]

The NCR of New Vegas wasn't inept (at least not as a whole, though certain people in power clearly were); it was overextended. That's kind of the point Black Isle/Obsidian were trying to make, here. The shiny, new burgeoning democracy you see forming in Fallout 2, full of so much promise and potential has spread out further than it's able to properly support and cracks are forming in the façade... all of which is only hastened by the loss of strong central leadership when Tandi passed on. By the time you get to New Vegas, those cracks have widened so much that they're barely holding things together on their borders... but they're so convinced that rebuilding the democratic republic of old is the best hope for rebuilding civilization that they can't stop themselves from continuing to push outward, even long after it's clear they've bitten off more than they can chew.

[@marley7868]

also new vegas is a border zone whose sent a ton of it's troops to other areas that said after hoover dam they probably just wanted to breathe

[@cykeok3525]

Yeah, there's a lot of impracticalities and unfeasible ventures seemingly spurred on by overly ambitious bureaucrats making decisions for reasons of garnering political clout, rather than what's really best for the people at that moment. If Tandi were alive, she would likely have been a bit more careful about the way the NCR used its military and allocated its resources, at least until they were properly ready. Hence the overextended expansion into Las Vegas.

[@Helperbot-2000]

yeah thats why its so fucking well written! and caesar also criticises the democracy after tandi aswell, pointing out the corruption for example

[@gabby3036]

I'm sorry, I think you folks mean "President Tandi".

[@cykeok3525]

​@@gabby3036 That is what I meant, sorry! :D

[@piotrrogowski4177]

I wish you would review Arcanum. Great fallout like game with a lot of different outcomes, and old-school type of humor. Great job, loving your reviews!

[@anonymousanon8412]

It needs mods and unofficial patches to even be playable. As in, it was unplayable when it came out.

[@piotrrogowski4177]

@@anonymousanon8412 It needs only one unnoficial patch atm. There is no need for mods

[@alexeydanilkin3546]

@@anonymousanon8412 it's the same company that made Bloodlines, and both these games are cult classic. Both were unplayable out of the box though which is a crying shame...

[@nigrum_angelum6655]

@@alexeydanilkin3546 also, in case you forgot or didn't know yet, the devs was also the creator of Fallout 1. He was such a great game developer of that era, along with the other two guy with whom he left Interplay to establish Troika.

[@cheez-itmcgee]

god, i love arcanum. such a great game. way better with patches though. can’t tell you how great i felt when that water splashing noise that plays on loop all throughout the end credits was finally gone on a replay of the game XD.

[@aleksanderadamiec5953]

There was a quest for NCR , and you had to bring them a holotape from vault 15. After giving it back to the president, you got tons of XP. But it was bugged. You could steal it from them and give it back again and again. This way you could level up really fast. This bug fast fixed later on. I played around 1999 for first time in F2 :D Btw, this video is awesome !

[@mauricioalonso2157]

Towns in fallout 2 feel disconnected because they were designed by separate teams with no communication, I think they had some basic ideas about vault city, the NCR and San Francisco but even then SF is completely disconnected other than the main quest.

[@nutbastard]

From a design philosophy perspective, doing it that way isn't a terrible idea. You don't want all the locations to feel too similar, or else it doesn't really feel like the player has discovered anything new. *cough* Skyrim *cough*

[@prettyradhandle]

@@nutbastard i love going to generic town #25

[@theonlybilge]

I really like how the postwar locations in the Fallout universe are typically based on real life locations, and are located where the real ones are, like Modok. Modoc is a real place in California.

[@fonzini6944]

i really like that in FO4 the brotherhood is essentially an occupying army. becomming the villain, if only a lesser one. It was a new take with huge potential...but well

[@Atok1111]

Fallout Sonora did BoS best

[@Edax_Royeaux]

I still liked the Brotherhood because joining them kind of felt like joining a military, your power armor would be painted to reflect your rank and because power armor had so much more focus in FO4, a considerable amount of time was spent modding and upgrading my power armor. Before in New Vegas, it felt like I was joining a secret society for the perks, which I didn't like so much. I liked seeing the Brotherhood active and on the frontlines.

[@blackpigeons8261]

The brotherhood are the villains because they want to destroy the institute who are making machines that they use to wipe out or take control of communities because it’s dangerous to let people have that kind of technology... yes definitely villains

[@kotzpenner]

The Dark Souls part was just perfect, 1:28:20

[@spademagna2672]

Had to rewind it at first, I thought my ears were playing tricks on me.

[@spiritdetectived6006]

I was so confused lol. Got a good laugh once I realized.

[@mauriciofontes]

Wtf? Is it a mod? I didn't hear this line in my playthru

[@theaspectofvoid]

Always appreciated your content, but now i am just in awe. Recently at work i started making some 3-5 minute videos on how to use the systems and finally understood how much sweat goes into even minute recordings. Mad respect!

[@thehouseitself]

I absolutely love your writing man, especially the section dealing with Frank Horrigan. Fantastic work as usual!

[@Corcook]

I’m hopeful for fallout tactics. Playing as the Chicago brotherhood and being able to go through so many different story beats to come out with a totally unique story is great. Plus intelligent deathclaws are in that game too

[@txflood2519]

Tactics was fairly solid, it's far more in the vein of the new wasteland games than fallout though.

[@otakon17]

Shame Tactics is non-canon.

[@relishcakes4525]

@@otakon17 it’s semi canon. The events happened but the people who did the things aren’t.

[@aardappelmethoed1151]

@@relishcakes4525 only the rough outline of how the BoS ended up there is canon, things after that get non-canon real quick

[@Idazmi7]

@@aardappelmethoed1151 Nothing about _Fallout Tactics_ is 'non-canon' except for a single line from the opening dialogue about the Brotherhood being from a vault. Other than that, nothing in it is questionable in any way. _Fallout_ 3 is infinitely more inconsistent than _Tactics_ in literally every way, from visuals to characters to the entire plot.

[@hannohanf4822]

To avoid getting your inventory picked clean by the little brats you can enter combat mode and walk past them 😉

[@cykeok3525]

Or stash your inventory elsewhere first, and walk into town carrying only a bundle of dynamite with the timer armed. Okay, technically, yes, you will still get your inventory cleaned out....

[@Helperbot-2000]

@@cykeok3525 "steal this you little shits >>>>:)))))))" -the chadsen one

[@MaxiemumKarnage]

"Was Fallout 2 as Good as I remember?" It was better, every time I play it, it is always better.

[@spartanx9293]

Honestly the isometric layout is dated and crappy if they ported this into a first-person fallout game Id play it but as is nah

[@paddington1670]

@@spartanx9293 no, we dont need first person immersion to enjoy classic games.

[@spartanx9293]

@@paddington1670 it certainly helps the isometric layout is shity and you know it it's aged like milk

[@spartanx9293]

@@paddington1670 from a game-play standpoint fallout 3 New Vegas and 4 are better than fallout 1 and two the isometric turn-based combat sucks and let's all be completely honest staring at a giant clay face isn't exactly that immersive it could use a remake hell fallout 3 and New Vegas could use a remastering

[@crr4482]

@@paddington1670 As much as I love fallout 2, and it doesn't NEED to be an fps, you can't deny that the isometric design is outdated and could not be released in the modern day without some overhaul. There's no way fallout as a whole would've survived if it wasn't for the switch to first person.

[@DreddPirateRoberts]

52:33 - The Fallout 2 Restoration Project adds in some stuff that was cut from the game, including a scene with the Brotherhood being attacked by the Vorpal Rat outside of a cave, inside of which is a chest that contains the Holy Hand Grenade.

[@TheFuzzician]

and you get to find Sulik's sister, too. With that patch, it feels like a complete game, the way it should always have been.

[@DreddPirateRoberts]

@@TheFuzzician Hear hear.

[@Eazyrun]

"Germany" was dropped within the first few minutes of the video. Naturally, I'm hooked. It's fantastic to visit a game I've never heard of and I'm too impatient to finish myself. I'm serious, I had no idea how impactful Fallout 2 seemed to be. Thank you for your great videos!

[@Hotmaildotcomz]

Being a kid in the 90s playing this was fucking amazing at the time. I deeply imagine I had zero Idea the intricacies of the game but I still can remember the joy of playing f2

[@nomad9584]

I was born in '95 and had a blast playing Fallout 1 last year. These classics are just timeless!

[@iranoutofusernameideas7438]

@@nomad9584 Only the first game is a classic

[@prettyradhandle]

@@iranoutofusernameideas7438 this is a certified gatekeeping classic

[@iranoutofusernameideas7438]

@@prettyradhandle Okay, and what's the problem with that?

[@prettyradhandle]

@@iranoutofusernameideas7438 fym "Okay, and what's the problem with that?"

[@skeletonmeatphantasylibrary]

It becomes more and more true every time you upload one of these but I swear you either go over games I love and played a thousand times or games I've wanted to play but just can never make the time for, and I couldn't possibly tire of this format. Another banger my dude!

[@Dr.Maggothead]

I've never played fallout 2 but thanks for talking with me through most of my sleep it was very calming

[@Jobroose]

How do you do it man. I was literally JUST thinking about looking up a fallout 2 playthrough this morning, and then you drop this

[@MinifigureManiacs]

I've been looking forward to this! Love your videos, you cover the perfect amount of detail for me to feel like I have replayed the game, never a boring moment

[@Orsen31592]

Aside from the restoration project that folk mentioned, u can use the numbers keys in any map preview of any town, like, iirc, 5 in Vault City gets u inside the Vault without all the hastle and stuff!

[@umjackd]

Fallout 2 was my entry to RPGs. It blew my mind at a young age and I was never the same. It still makes me sad that, New Vegas aside, the other games pretty much regressed in the lore.

[@monabear7287]

The Earth rapidly devolved in the FO3 future timeline. I think they're actually parallel worlds.

[@metetural9140]

I really enjoyed this video but due to Salt being Salt, I'm gonna have to talk about his one (that I've noticed) brainfart. The NCR seem like this bastion of democracy and great place in this game for a reason. Tandi. Its because of her and her power, influence and ideals that the NCR is as good as it is. It's not a "sudden" change in New Vegas where the NCR are basically drooling idiots. That is 3 presidents after Tandi. Tibbett, Peterson and Kimball. The fact that the NCR went through 3 presidents in 40 years compared to Tandi and Aradesh's... what, 90? should say enough.

[@truefenriz]

When I heard that part, I felt commenting but you basically stated everything what I wanted to say. I guess Salt didn't pick up how the NCR portrayed in New Vegas was supposed to be a fall from grace from how they were back in 2 (shady dealings aside). I will add that the NCR at this point of time was in its golden age and capable of being said bastion of democracy thanks to Tandi being the best leader the NCR ever had. The "drooling idiots" part of the NCR only came about after Tandi died and more inept leaders that benefited from Tandi's golden age came into power. It took quite some time for the NCR to change from how it was portrayed in 2 to how it became in New Vegas which I quite liked to see (i.e. seeing how a nation built from survivors of the Great War gradually making the same mistakes of the pre-War governments). Also, Salt bringing up how Tandi was essentially the NCR's queen was ironically how Edward Sallow (Caesar) wound up seeing Tandi's reign as the NCR was at its peak when she was its uncontested President for years due to her being the best dang President they ever had and partially inspired him too. Edit: Editted the sentence for grammar.

[@garnetbezanson1404]

3 presidents in 40 years is pretty good for a Democracy.

[@metetural9140]

@@garnetbezanson1404 well kind of out of context. But if you look at the presidents and how they ran. Tibbett was voted out for her mishandling the Baja massacre, for being too timid. Peterson was a corrupt imperialist who militarised the NCR, and turned it into a jingoistic nation, and expanded the NCR tenfold via subjugation and annexation (and sometimes democratically). And Kimball? Well the NCR have shown how much they disdain him and his attempted annexation of the Mojave. And also the fact that it possibly ends with his head getting blown off. So basically, 3 presidents. 40 years. 1 eh, 2 bad. That's pretty bad imo

[@garnetbezanson1404]

Kimball is an interesting case since while his current approval may be low at this point that is largely due to the current state of the war. He enjoyed a large amount of support early on and we can assume that he enjoyed that same level at least up until some time after the first battle of Hoover Dam. I believe that the NCR would eventually win the Mojave which might allow him to maintain the presidency for a time. However the cost will almost definatly tarnish his legacy, the extent to witch is dependant on several factors.

[@joshuakim5240]

If i recall correctly, dialogue with Caesar in New Vegas reveals that the entire reason why the old NCR didn't devolve into an incompetent expansionist mess of greedy idiots is because Tandi was a competent and just leader, but the weakness of the system of democracy meant that everyone voted to rule the NCR after Tandi had no obligation to have any morals whatsoever as long as they got the votes, eventually devolving into the NCR of New Vegas by becoming modern day corrupt politicians. Funnily enough, that point is a driving force behind the Legion's creation with Tandi being one of Caesar's rolemodels.

[@nexusdevworks]

THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME REVISIT MY CHILDHOOD YOURE THE BEST!

[@LvlGenesis]

2:02:21 And now we come full circle with WOTC making Fallout themed Magic cards and decks. Maybe they’ll reintroduce Tragic into the next Fallout game haha.

[@scooterdescooter4018]

"my Chrysalis highwayman" is the best OST song in the franchise outside of Dominant Species in fallout4. ::chef kiss::

[@danikathompson2096]

Hey Salt i just wanted to say thank you for making these videos, i have insomnia and often find myself awake at all hours of the night sometime. One of the things that helps me sleep is having something playing in the background and your videos have been amazing at helping me fall asleep or if i cant fall asleep they keep me entertained, i often rewatch your videos time and time again and never get bored of them. Keep up the great work 😊👍

[@Alex-yj9pf]

Hey. Just wanted to say that I really appreciate the content you are creating. Also I like it that if there is advertisement it's in the middle of the video and not at beginning. Great job, keep it up.

[@insertcoolnamelater9334]

Fun fact: You can also go straight down from Arroyo to San Francisco and the Enclave base in the beginning, therefore immediately obtaining the best gear. You only have to save like every few meters, because the random encounters in the region will kill you.

[@DBfan106]

that entire section after Bishop died was a rollercoaster of amazingness. seriously dude, that writing (or improv) was a fantastic laugh riot!

[@northshore2826]

Finally. I've been waiting for this one for along time. Your consistency of good content amazes me.

[@ffx2player]

Oh goody, more epic content to binge and rewatch over and over! Serious here, your stuff is great for getting me through long commutes, design projects, and even the occasional grindy section of video games. Thanks!

[@Liesmith424]

I loved entering Vault 15 and finding the crates of hundreds upon hundreds of water chips.

[@The-jy3yq]

*Vault 8, the Vault -Shitty- City(Glory to the Vault City!) one Vault 15 is the Khans Vault (Would be _really_ dumb if Vault 15 had tons of Water Chips all along back then during Fallout 1's time period)

[@Vienna3080]

When i first saw the sentient Deathclaws get massacred by the Enclave was a punch to the gut I didn’t expect and made me loath them so much

[@wadedewell]

I love these videos. Thank-you for this extended look into an awesome classic

[@pherman8852]

I enjoy your content so much. I can tell there’s a ton of work that goes into them.

[@GrimScorpianFNGG]

This channel is honesty one of the best. Top tier video essays and reviews. Good fun content. And relaxing. You help me beat anxiety and get sleep. And I look forward to every video

[@dezarla]

Maybe the real Power Armor was the friends we made along the way.

[@ThommyofThenn]

The vaults have been an excellent narrative device but it's very interesting to imagine the direction Fallout might have gone with a greater focus on your character being a lifelong wastelander.

[@Unquestionable]

Haven't played the game since about a year and a half before Fallout 3, had played it before but the announcement had got me hyped up, and can still recall most every choice I made that run. Still a high point to me in the genre with only a handful of games that can rival it. Such a great mix of humor and world building with a splash of drama. While the follow ups were a mixed bag I think each title did manage to bring back that feeling to some extent with some clearly doing a better job than others. Was really happy to see you do this one.

[@bruvaroni]

Man there's just something super comfy about your videos. Thanks for another banger bruv

[@AJBuwalda]

Dude, I have played the classic Fallout games since they came out and I never knew you could use lock pick to lock a door. Mind blown

[@KngHrts2]

Only 2 hours? I see Salt's embracing KZbin shorts.

[@Alkimodon]

"I don't want to help the cryptobros to snatch more NFTs!" I love this line!

[@cliffracer1100]

I played fallout 1 for first time this year and would watch chunks of your video as i progressed in the game. Now you upload this right as I'm playing fallout 2. I'm in modoc and loving it so far. Your content is great.

[@MultiKamil97]

I'm not really into KZbin videos that exceed an hour of watch time but your videos are so enjoyable to listen to, that these 2 hours passed so quickly. I recently finished Fallout 1 and Fallout 2 for the first time and despite some rough start due to their age, I had a lot of fun with them so it was a quite interesting to hear about some things that I may have missed during my playthrough.

[@senorbongo4975]

“An abomination of a man so fucking girthy you can feel his gravitational pull sucking you in” is such a great description of Horrigan

[@wr1ght939]

I loved when Gorris said “It’s gorsing time!” and gorred all over everyone.

[@randomnpc5777]

I loved when Marcus said “It’s Marcuing time!” and Marcurred all over the place.

[@dathunderman4]

@@randomnpc5777 got us all laughing 😐

[@tomfooler9398]

@@dathunderman4 Me when I'm offended that no one asked me how I feel

[@ScoopDogg]

great video, could you tell me what resolution settings you are using, my screen keeps looking like im playing on an android phone but on PC Scre the in game videos are okay they are fullscreenen? cheers

[@ian4846]

I tried playing fallout 2 the other day. The game feels so ancient. I really wish I could get into it but the format is really not easy to get familiar with. The controls especially are mind boggling.

[@captainstrangiato961]

I have been waiting for this since your Fallout 1 review. About damn time!!! I love your video essays, thank you for this :)

[@realLagMaster]

2 hours long vid! Thank you man, you made my evening!

[@ignus7106]

Remember this is the NCR under Tandi, which was described as a golden age(well as far the nuclear apocalypse is concerned). Even Cesar described the ncr’s waning since her passing. Rip tandi

[@cramer4506]

I'm only a little ways in, but Salt's pronunciation of Klamath "Klumoth" is doing real psychic damage to me

[@cramer4506]

@Spaceboy As somebody who lives in the real-life Klamath County, you are factually incorrect.

[@v1nc3nz05]

I've never understood why ttrpg's never followed this format for video game adaptations. A Fallout 2 style Cyberpunk or Shadowrun would be mad.

[@HuwhyteMan]

They did make shadowrun crpg's, 3 of em that I know of. They're on Gamepass

[@156Rafi]

I love the sergeant, especially his comedic interaction.

[@taipenn2358]

Now I can marathon all your mainline Fallout videos in chronological video.

[@FezMooseLive]

I love the Idea of Charisma dictating how many companions follow you.

[@THATGuy5654]

The Brahman Fries thing is a reference to a Chevy Chase movie scene, though I cannot for the life of me remember which one. An isolated scene that has stuck in my mind since I was in the single digits.

[@daltondurham5942]

I believe you're thinking about a scene from "Funny Farm"

[@THATGuy5654]

@@daltondurham5942 And I am briefly incapacitated by the memory of the VHS cover, behind protective plastic, at the video rental place, and the flood of memory that brings. If you'll excuse me, I need to go shake my cane at some ungrateful youths.

[@morningstar9849]

You know what I realized? Sean is 14 years old and living in The Institute during the events of this game.

[@ankujo8924]

Amazing vid Salt! Been looking forward to this one forever now and you didn't disappoint one bit

[@adeebqunash3985]

I have to say your content is really amazing. I am a student in Japan and I walk alot and your content is what I always have in the background so I just wanted to say that I appreciate everything you do and I truly wish you the best

[@brandonklerck3580]

All my plans go out the window when I see a new Salt vid ❤️

[@alexshoemaker248]

1:34:24 I feel that's probably why I enjoyed the Minutemen more in Fallout 4, the downtrodden and small group that you personally see to expanded and growing. They go from one man trying to help a group of dwindling people, to you getting settlement after settlement behind your back. This isn't to say I enjoyed FO4 at all, the one-popsicle-walking-apocalypse really took me out of the idea but seeing a faction go from barebones and then becoming a powerhouse again is a great driving device to attempt to wring out some enjoyment.

[@FallionSuka]

Ah I'm always so happy for a new video. Gives me something to watch over the next couple nights 😌

[@panplusk9539]

I used to replay F2 over and over, yet never finished a single playthough with Restoration Project. Now i have to. Damn You Salt.