the "first modern role-playing game". Fallout post-apocalyptic setting was novel, as contemporary role-playing games often featured Tolkien-inspired fantasy settings. Fallout also stood out for its focus on the player character, how their choices impacted the game world, and the open-world gameplay. Matthew Byrd of Den of Geek wrote that Fallout departure from gameplay inspired by the tabletop role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons, prevalent in role-playing games at the time, made it influential. Kaiser stated that any modern game with a morality system could be tied back to Fallout. At the 2012 Game Developers Conference, Cain gave a presentation about Fallout development and noted traits that were shared by subsequent role-playing games, including open-world gameplay, ambiguous morality, and perks. Polygon described Fallout as "one of the most influential games of its time." After leaving Interplay in 1998, Cain, Boyarsky, and Anderson formed Troika Games and created Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura (2001). Cain considered Fallout a "stepping stone" to the creation of Arcanum. Years later, working for Obsidian Entertainment, Cain and Boyarsky created The Outer Worlds (2019), a role-playing video game influenced by Fallout. After the Fallout series became popular, Wasteland 2 (2014) was pitched by Fargo and developed by inXile Entertainment, which Fargo founded, with a design team featuring Anderson and Fallout composer Mark Morgan. PC Gamer found Wasteland 2 to be more similar the first two Fallout games than the original Wasteland. Other personnel from the Fallout development team have worked on games that were influenced by Fallout such as Neverwinter Nights 2 (2006) and Alpha Protocol (2008). A feature similar to the perks in Fallout, called "feats", was added to the third edition of Dungeons and Dragons. Other games with similar features, according to Cain, include World of Warcraft (2004) and Oblivion (2006). Both Metro 2033 (2010) and Atom RPG (2018) are post-apocalyptic games that were influenced by Fallout. Other games influenced by Fallout include Deus Ex (2000), Dark Angel: Vampire Apocalypse (2001), and Weird West (2022). Retrospective reception Fallout continues to receive acclaim, considered one of the best role-playing games on PC. Retrospective critics consider the game innovative and praise its setting as refreshing for a role-playing game. Although The Escapist thought the game lost some of its appeal over time, they found the gameplay "intriguing, sometimes addictive". GamesRadar+ found Fallout worth returning to despite perceiving the game as outdated. Critical assessments of Fallout quality relative