Every time I embark on a long-haul trip, I start lining up the retro games for my little handheld device, which is basicallyan old Moto G7 that I converted into a deceptively capable gaming console. It’s only really during these times that I get into the loop on the interesting little projects happening on Android, and each time I get caught up I’m impressed by technical prowess and resourcefulness of those plucky Android devs.
Case in point: I can seamlessly and legally play Fallout 2 on my Android device, and I had no idea this was a thing.
Classic Gaming On The Go
Thanks to a little free app calledfo2.exe, you can copy the files from your PC version of Fallout 1 or 2 over to your Android device, and it will emulate the game via a dedicated launcher. It runs seamlessly, and I was extra-pleasantly surprised to find that it was properly implemented Android gamepad controls, as well as touchscreen ones. It also supports certain mods, and has the hi-res mod integrated, so you can play these games at higher resolutions (though for reasons that I’ll soon talk about, you might not want to).
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It takes a little while to get into the groove with the controls (I believe this is the first time Fallout 2 has been brought to any gamepad-based platform), but before long I was smoothly switching between combat, movement, and interact modes, dashing around the invisibly square-based maps, and deeply regretting my decision not to invest some points into melee as I remembered how unforgiving that tutorial is to the less physically-oriented build.
But How Well Does It Work?
On my Razer Kishi controller, the left trigger switched between movements and interactions, the left and right bumpers quicksave and quickload respectively, while the right analogue stick replaces direct mouse movement (which i quickly learned to use in combination with simply tapping and double-tapping on the screen to move to where I wanted to). I’m also low-key impressed by the drag-and-drop function in the inventory, and the ability to close windows much like you would on console by pressing the ‘B’ key.
It runs seamlessly, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was properly implemented Android gamepad controls, as well as touchscreen ones.
In truth, using the touch screen is best reserved for interactions that don’t require a ton of precision, because a tap of the screen with my meaty fingers probably covers about four tiles and there’s no knowing which of those the game will register first. For that reason, I cranked down the resolution to the lowest widescreen one, which makes text much more readable and the touchscreen more usable.
Beyond keeping me entertained for several hours on my flight, Fallout 2 is now my go-to handheld game for the foreseeable future, and it’s all thanks to this humble project that I never knew existed. Is this the very best way to play Fallout 2? In an objective way, probably not. This is an old game very much designed for mouse-and-keyboard, after all, and everything can feel a bit teeny-tiny at times. On the other hand, the combo of touchscreen with gamepad controls, along with the novelty of playing one of the best RPGs of all time in the palm of your hand, means that this is very much how I plan on playing this game a good 20 years on from when I last touched it.
It’s a super-impressive project that also supports the original Fallout, as well as various overhaul mods like Fallout Nevada, Olympus 2207, and Fallout Restoration Project. I believe you may also show your support by getting a paid version calledfo2.exe Vault Edition, which I unfortunately couldn’t get as the Play Store is saying that the game’s not available for my devices (even though it works on them). I’ve reached out to the developer about a workaround to this, because it’s folks like them who make the Android gaming space such a joy on the odd occasion I dip back into it.
WHERE TO PLAY
