2) Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game

When I initially devised my rankings some years back, the first Fallout was dead last. But I actually replayed the game since, and my opinion changed!

Let’s be absolutely clear here: The first Fallout has not aged gracefully. The UI is terrible. There’s no tactical side to the combat—it’s mostly praying to the RNG gods, even when you have the best gear available. And the graphics are so bad, it’s very easy to miss important stuff you need to interact with.

And yet! What the first Fallout nails is the atmosphere. The post-apocalypse is stark. There are no frills here; all the cheeky callbacks to the 1950s, and the various vault experiments, don’t make an appearance. It’s a game that makes the current tone of the series feel like a meme of itself. Fallout accomplishes this by tossing you into a desolate, savage wasteland—and you can feel it the second you leave the vault. And the horrors hiding in that post-apocalypse, well…people have only heard rumors. Fallout built the sort of mystery and intrigue that would only be possible in 1997, back when deathclaws and super mutants were new to everyone. These enemies aren’t just fodder. They’re truly terrifying, and Fallout makes you understand why.

Also, this was the game with The Master—one of the greatest villains in video game history. I will never forget the way Fallout allowed you to convince the big bad that he’s wrong. Superb.