Fallout 1 and 2 had a lot going for them. They were riotously funny, the characters and story were well developed, and combat was gory fun that anyone could master.

But my favorite aspect of Fallout has to be the SPECIAL system.

SPECIAL stands for Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility and Luck. At first glance, it is the same as stat systems we have had in RPGs since the 70's. And it is the same, except that it was implemented into every part of the game to an extent never seen before or after.

Strength has obvious effects, like doing more melee damage, busting down doors and wielding bigger weapons. This is the same in every RPG. But in Fallout, differing strengths could lead to a myriad of different dialogue choices and NPC reactions being available. These could change the course of your game.

Endurance was the same way- it affects your HP and how much damage you might take from radiation or other poisons. But there was also a delightful side quest where you could be recruited to be in a porno flick. And if your endurance isn't up to snuff... it doesn't turn out so well. But at least you can still be the fluffer.

And Intelligence was my favorite. An intelligence of 1 would leave you, literally, speechless. A modern caveman grunting through conversations. And an intelligence of 10 would give you not only a plethora of skill points but it would open up literally dozens of side quests and conversation trees. It probably doubled the length of the game as compared to the 1 intelligence character.

All of the stats were fun, and shaped the game in different ways. You couldn't ignore a single stat without some pretty big consequences.

Fallout 3 seems set to change a lot of what made Fallout 1 and 2 special. But Bethesda has promised to keep the SPECIAL system intact. If they can keep its deep influence on the game world, I will be satisfied even if it is Oblivion with guns.