Amazon just dropped the first trailer for its Fallout TV show arriving on Prime Video next month. And after giving away the first Fallout game last month, the retailer is further celebrating its flagship small-screen adaptation of the popular post-apocalyptic RPG series by offering another classic Fallout game for free.
Amazon Prime subscribers can claim a free copy of Fallout 2 on PC through April 10 as part of this month's Prime Gaming lineup. If you’ve never heard of Prime Gaming, it’s one of the best Amazon Prime membership benefits offering a rotating selection of free games and DLC items for popular titles like Call of Duty: Warzone, Madden NFL 24, League of Legends and more.
If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you already have access to Prime Gaming and can claim your free copy of Fallout 2 right now. Just head over to the “Games” tab in the Prime Gaming hub and download the game from there. There’s also a selection of free indie games including SCARF, Gravitar: Recharged and Tempest 400.
Even better, once you’ve claimed any of this month’s Prime Gaming freebies, they’re yours to keep forever. So, be sure to grab them even if you don’t have time for a full play through right now, you can always circle back in the future.
Fallout 2 is a classic RPG still worth playing
If your only experience with the Fallout franchise is the more recent Bethesda-developed entries like Fallout 4 or Fallout 76, then you might want to prepare yourself for a step back in time with Fallout 2.
Released in 1998, its nuclear wasteland setting and RPG fundaments are the same as newer installments in the franchise, but it's played from an isometric perspective and combat is turn-based rather than being rooted in first-person gunplay. However, don’t let this gameplay shift put you off, Fallout 2 still has plenty to offer in 2024.
Set 80 years after the first Fallout game, you play a direct decedent of the original protagonist and must embark on a quest to save your hometown of Arroyo after its hit with a crippling drought. To save your village, you'll need to locate the mysterious Vault 13 and find an item called the GECK. Along the way, you’ll meet all manner of oddball side characters, and have to make a few trick moral decisions as well.
What makes Fallout 2 so engrossing is that quest objections can often be tackled in a variety of ways. You’re not forced to complete tasks via a specific method, instead, you’re given a lot of freedom to play the character you want. If wish to be a smooth-talker who argues their way out of deadly situations, you can. Alternatively, you can opt to be a sharp-shooting gunslinger who fires first and asks questions later. Fallout 2 is a pure RPG in that sense.
Naturally, the game's more than 20-year-old visuals can’t compete with modern releases, but Fallout 2 has a distinctive art style that has aged remarkably gracefully. Plus, its quest writing is still exceptional. Some of the most memorable moments and characters in the entire Fallout universe can be found here.
If you can tolerate a few rough edges, and gameplay systems that are a bit outdated, then Fallout 2 is certainly worth your time. And considering it’s currently free via Prime Gaming there's no reason not to give it a shot, it won’t cost you anything.
