Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel

Gamezilla!

It's exactly what I find fun in games and the fact it's a Fallout title automatically makes it a winner in my book. But to the rest of the world, load times, freeze up, tough viewable angle and way mature themes might make you want to rent this one before buying.

Play Magazine

You'll be capping scumbags left and right in a fireworks display of flesh and blood, going after the town prostitute's heisted jewelry or collecting giant scorpion tails for some much-needed extra cash, and things of this nature. [Feb 2004, p.42]

Official Xbox Magazine

As with all action-RPGs, Fallout's best played with a friend. It's not the deepest dungeon crawler, but it is among the most fun. [Feb 2004, p.76]

Maxim Online

The deadly combination of shopping for new murder gear and completing missions of mass destruction make this game more addictive than caramel-coated OxyContin.

Game Over Online

Brotherhood of Steel can be described like this: "Dark Alliance" minus encumbrance minus magic minus feats plus guns plus grenades. It's "Dark Alliance" for dummies.

Game Informer

The game doesn't have any glaring failures, which is always good. And it made me laugh, which isn't necessarily bad. [Feb 2004, p.107]

BonusStage

This is one of those games where you really want to see a sequel come out with a lot more depth and perhaps a different gameplay viewpoint.

Game Chronicles

A bit of a cookie-cutter game that was simply taking an established engine and an established genre and putting a post-apocalyptic facelift on it.

XGP Gaming

The game is a spin-off from the original Fallout games for the PC. Fans of the original will appreciate and recognize the campy retro-50's sci-fi feel of the in-game jokes, music and cut scenes.

GameSpy

A competent and occasionally compelling hack-and-slash, but fans of the PC games will continue to dream of the true RPG they'll never get, and fans of Dark Alliance would presumably rather play "Dark Alliance II."

Worth Playing

Though it did seem repetitive in several parts, I found it to be a fun way to pass the time. On the other hand however, I really don’t think this game stayed true to the Fallout series, and I was definitely expecting more.

IGN

A fun, if flawed, hack'n'slash game that provides a good 10 hours or so of shooting, explosives, and plenty of mutants to dig into.

Gamer's Hell

Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel isn’t a bad game, but it’s far from memorable. It’ll keep you entertained for a good 10-12 hours, but beyond unlocking harder difficulties there’s not much replay value.

GamingTrend

Only get this title if you’ve finished everything there is to do in the previous titles, and even then only at a discounted rate.

GameSpot

The action is repetitive and straightforward, but the game features a lot of cool weapons and tons of stuff to hack or shoot at, plus it's got some of the charm that helped make Fallout a genuine classic.

Team Xbox

Those encountering BoS without ever playing "Baldur's Gate" will definitely find some sweet RPG style gameplay and some nifty real-time action to boot.

Gamenikki

This is simply too flawed a title to recommend for purchase, especially in light of the competition, but it’s a fantastic guilty pleasure.

Yahoo! Games

This is essentially a stylish "Day After" dumb-and-gunner, with even less brainpower required than "Dark Alliance," and it's safe to say that if you enjoyed that game, this will have some appeal for you.

Gamers' Temple

A lot of the fun got nuked out of Dark Alliance when it was moved to Fallout’s post-apocalyptic future.

Next Level Gaming

The problem is that you get thrown into the game with very little to work with. That would be fine if using the weapons weren't so freaking hard to do. Collision detection was not a big thought in this game, or at least it seemed to be an afterthought.

netjak

It does, apart from the lack of options and jumping puzzles, have solid gameplay, decent graphics, and excellent sound, but the lack of originality and poor story keeps it from being really worth anything more than a casual rental.

AtomicGamer

Interplay's Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel is an action/RPG title that seems like it's less than the sum of its parts. Not only is the action disjointed, but it's just a bit too much of a chore to bash your way through it.

GamingWorld X

A competent game. It won’t win any awards, but it’s a fun time- assuming you’re playing through with a friend.

GMR Magazine

A decent example of the genre and has some creative design, but it won't blow any minds or win many awards.

TotalGames.net

A decent action RPG that manages to be as good as Baldur's Gate, though not better than it, and so falls short of really offering anything new.

Deeko

The new style of gameplay, which is best described as Baldur’s Gate: Post-Apocalypse, could have been interesting, but simply falls flat on it’s ass in terms of overall quality and should be apprehended for identity theft.

Just RPG

In short, diehard Fallout fans will be disappointed by Brotherhood of Steel, and even fans of hack-and-slash titles have much better options available to them. It’s a bargain bin-title by now, though, so it’s at least worth a thought.

XboxAddict

My advice to the developers would be to broaden their horizons and come up with something a little more original, or if you’re going to repaint an old car, disguise it better. It just doesn’t seem a lot of effort went into this one.

Xbox Nation Magazine

What makes an otherwise solid action RPG mediocre is the obscenely slow and tedious beginning. [Mar 2004, p.101]

VideoGamesLife

Fans of the original Fallout games are clearly not going to enjoy this bastardisation of their favourite game, and those who enjoyed the "Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance" titles will find Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel to be inferior to that franchise.

Electronic Gaming Monthly

What a thermonuclear disappointment. To someone like me, who loved all three Fallout role-playing games on PC, this is a power fist to the face - an insult. [March 2004, p.114]

1UP

Most importantly, though (especially for fans of the PC Fallout), you've got an RPG without any sort of enticing story.

Edge Magazine

There's practically no aspect that doesn't appear half-hearted. Black Isle's drawn-out death has undoubtedly poisoned Brotherhood, but it's hard to tell if there was ever a good game here to begin with. [May 2004, p.109]