Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel

 Xbox
Metascore
66

Mixed or average reviews - based on 33 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 33
  3. Negative: 4 out of 33
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  1. Gamezilla!
    88
    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.
  2. Play Magazine
    83
    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]
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  3. Official Xbox Magazine
    82
    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]
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  5. Game Informer
    80
    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]
  6. Game Over Online
    80
    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.
  7. Maxim Online
    80
    The deadly combination of shopping for new murder gear and completing missions of mass destruction make this game more addictive than caramel-coated OxyContin.
  8. BonusStage
    79
    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.
  9. Game Chronicles
    76
    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.
  10. IGN
    75
    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.
  11. GameSpy
    75
    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."
  12. Worth Playing
    75
    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.
  13. XGP Gaming
    75
    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.

Awards & Rankings

33
#33 Most Discussed Xbox Game of 2004

User Reviews

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User Score
5.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 30 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 30
  3. Negative: 14 out of 30
  1. nurfedx
    Nov 19, 2021
    10
    One of the best games to the series and an All-time Classic. A true Masterpiece of a Game!
  2. TheQuietGamer
    Sep 2, 2019
    8
    The OTHER much-maligned Fallout title. Like the more recent 76, Brotherhood of Steel is a spin-off in the series that earned the ire of theThe OTHER much-maligned Fallout title. Like the more recent 76, Brotherhood of Steel is a spin-off in the series that earned the ire of the fanbase for experimenting with a different style of gameplay. It's a hack 'n slash dungeon crawler in the vein of Diablo, and while that's not exactly what one would expect from the IP that doesn't make it a bad game.

    In fact, it's quite good at what it does. There's a lot of loot, tons of monsters to kill, cool environments to explore, and even two player couch co-op. It's not perfect by any means. There are plenty of odd deficiencies like a lack of music throughout most of the game and I have to wonder why they bothered with a dialog tree when all the options lead to the same outcome and you can't define your character in any way. However, as long as you are willing to accept the fact that this isn't a choice-based RPG like the main entries in the series this can satisfy your craving for action in a wackier version post-apocalyptic world you've come to love over the years.

    Stylistically this is a fascinating take on the franchise. It's like some bootleg version of Fallout with the tone of a B-movie. The game is packed with immature humor and the creature designs look like they were made with the intention of being just similar enough to the rest of the series to trick the uninformed, while also avoided a plagiarism lawsuit despite the fact that this came directly from Interplay themselves. So while the arrival of 76 may mean this can no longer be considered the worst Fallout, it will always be the weirdest. That alone might make it worth playing for some.

    The franchise, while largely more serious than this overall, has always had some absurd humor thrown in here and there. So it's kind of fun to see Brotherhood of Steel fully embrace the more ridiculous side of the nuclear apocalypse. Now, I'm not saying this is going to be every Fallout fan's cup of tea. It's just that none of it is outright broken or unplayable so I feel the hate this game has received over the years has been flat out excessive, rather unearned, and largely derived more from what it isn't as opposed to what it actually is. Which is unfair considering it legitimately does a pretty good job at the whole Diablo/Gauntlet thing.    … Full Review »
  3. Broyax
    Apr 8, 2017
    0
    Un "hâchez et tranchez" sur le même joli moteur graphique que les Dark Alliance qui sont les références bien connues dans ce sous-genre idiotUn "hâchez et tranchez" sur le même joli moteur graphique que les Dark Alliance qui sont les références bien connues dans ce sous-genre idiot sauf qu'ici c'est le monde de Fallout qui s'avilit dans ce cloaque vidéoludique. La licence Fallout ne méritait pas et n'a jamais mérité un tel traitement, aussi oublierons-nous bien vite cette "erreur" d'un ennui et d'une répétitivité atroces.… Full Review »
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