Fallout series on Amazon

[Strikerkc]

I just finished the series. I have to ask: are the games as bleak in tone as the show?

Yes.

Bleaker, frankly.

A lot of what gives the games their charm is the absurdity of everything you cross paths with.

The darker things are; the more absurd they are; they funnier/more on brand they are.

The dinning room table surrounded by a whole family of skeletons, with a single bottle of "Vaultech Plan B, Banana flavored cyanide" on the table is hallmark Fallout storytelling. No note. No audio log. Nothing explaining it at all. Just a grim set piece for you to laugh over, or cry over.

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

Yes and no. You encounter a lot of that, but also see where people are thriving. I would say the theme is dark humor.

Coolest story apart form the main story, IMO, is the Father in the Cave from the New Vegas Honest Hearts DLC. I know it's a nod to a Twilight Zone episode, but masterfully done storytelling through a handful of computer entries!

 

[CB2001]

When it comes to Fallout, I assumed there would be humorous moments, but for the show, I didn't find anything really humorous. Hell, Westworld even had an occasional humorous moment, but this show didn't have that for me. Did I miss something?

 

[Astyanax]

When it comes to Fallout, I assumed there would be humorous moments, but for the show, I didn't find anything really humorous. Hell, Westworld even had an occasional humorous moment, but this show didn't have that for me. Did I miss something?

I had the same experience...it's that pitch black humor that's hard to see through the misery to.

I think it's like handing a kid a piece of 70% cacao and telling them to enjoy their chocolate. It's still a decadent dessert, but an acquired taste. But no one likes 99% dark chocolate humor.

I suspect the game just breaks it to you a little more gently and elegantly than the show. The show has been cynical in a mean-spirited way since the first scene. And I think it has tried a little too hard to make truly horrible things people do to each other seem funny. Almost like it's maybe aimed at a slightly younger audience?

 

[CB2001]

I had the same experience...it's that pitch black humor that's hard to see through the misery to.

I think it's like handing a kid a piece of 70% cacao and telling them to enjoy their chocolate. It's still a decadent dessert, but an acquired taste. But no one likes 99% dark chocolate humor.

I suspect the game just breaks it to you a little more gently and elegantly than the show. The show has been cynical in a mean-spirited way since the first scene. And I think it has tried a little too hard to make truly horrible things people do to each other seem funny. Almost like it's maybe aimed at a slightly younger audience?

Maybe I shouldn't have watched Fallout: Nuka Break. That might have tainted my view.

 

[Strikerkc]

That's funny, cause as an OG Fallout player, I found plenty of humor in the show. LoL.

 

[peterquill]

i thought there was plenty of funny absurdity/lol moments,

the ghoul underground connected to a drip, or when he uses the girl as fish bait,
or the mobile brain,
my favourite was the mr handy ( not to worry, im just going to remove your organs, ) moment,

 

[Halliwax]

I can’t wait for season 2

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

After hearing some fan theories about New Vegas, and replaying it, I think they might be on to something. Vault 21 is inside New Vegas and Mr. House had part of the vault sealed with concrete (per Fallout New Vegas). People are theorizing that might be what Lucy's dad is looking for (people in cryo) there. It's kind of weird to think that Vault Tec is still possibly operating because from the games it always seemed like they were history.

 

[Strikerkc]

Vaultech as a company is not operating post war.

There are some cut off elements of vaultech that become other things over time. But vaultech is dead and gone.

The show, while VERY good at capturing the spirit and look and humor of the games, it just straight up doesn't fit the fallout timelines and story. They're changing how the brotherhood works.
They're treating the NCR as a completely different size and scale as in the games.
3 obvious vaults like the 30's in southern California would have been cracked by the NCR decades ago.
That "bartertown" would not have existed in that way at all in NCR territory, not in the span of one young generation.

I know the game creators are trying to act like it fits, but they're just trying to draw interest. Are they willing to retcon things to "make" it fit in hopes of pulling profit from the shows popularity? Potentially. Even likely. It's their right to do it, but it is just doesn't fit in the game story as they've told it so far

 

[firesprite]

I just finished the series. I have to ask: are the games as bleak in tone as the show?

Oh, best believe, this **** is BLEAK. I've only played the first part of Fallout 4, but it's dark AF. The primary consolation for me is that there are a smattering of decent people trying to survive in the world, plus the bestest boi, Dogmeat

 

[CB2001]

Oh, best believe, this **** is BLEAK. I've only played the first part of Fallout 4, but it's dark AF. The primary consolation for me is that there are a smattering of decent people trying to survive in the world, plus the bestest boi, DogmeatView attachment 1837606

I'll admit, I liked Dogmeat in the show. A good pup-pup.

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

Vaultech as a company is not operating post war.

There are some cut off elements of vaultech that become other things over time. But vaultech is dead and gone.

The show, while VERY good at capturing the spirit and look and humor of the games, it just straight up doesn't fit the fallout timelines and story. They're changing how the brotherhood works.
They're treating the NCR as a completely different size and scale as in the games.
3 obvious vaults like the 30's in southern California would have been cracked by the NCR decades ago.
That "bartertown" would not have existed in that way at all in NCR territory, not in the span of one young generation.

I know the game creators are trying to act like it fits, but they're just trying to draw interest. Are they willing to retcon things to "make" it fit in hopes of pulling profit from the shows popularity? Potentially. Even likely. It's their right to do it, but it is just doesn't fit in the game story as they've told it so far

IDK, Lucy's dad is going to New Vegas and they mention the "good vault" where the Vault Tec executives will be in. They drop several hints that they were frozen, like Fallout 4, which Vault 21 supposedly has. Not to mention Vault Tec nuked Shady Sands post war, so that implies someone is still around.

 

[Strikerkc]

That's what the TV show is saying.
In the games, Vaultech does not exist in any way following the war. And certainly would not have private nuke silos.

The TV show is operating outside of the established game story. Which is fine, it's just how fictional stories work sometimes.
In the GAMES, the story put forth in the TV show is simply impossible. So there is no precedent in the games for explaining the show. Or providing context to what might happen next. The NCR is multi state spanning society. Not one big city with a corn field outside of it. A nation large enough to have the societal and human capital to go to war all the way into Nevada. No vault, let alone 3-4 in the greater LA area would still be closed at that point in history. The NCR would have popped them open, absorbed the population into the NCR, and taken the tech and valuables.

That's frankly why the games went to the east coast; the west coast was a wrap. On the west coast, humanity had prevailed against the apocalypse, in the form of the NCR. The only unexplored country was the east coast. Even the Brotherhood that's represented in the show is the East coast brotherhood returned to California, the west coast brotherhood died out and was destroyed or absorbed by the NCR. And the East Coast Brotherhood would not have uprooted and made that journey on a whim either.

Now, the game makers own the IP, so they can decided to "make the show fit" by retconning multiple elements of multiple games moving forward. But that's an after the fact decision. Not the TV show writers choosing to operate inside of the established world. It would be the game developers choosing to change and alter the game world to fit the new TV show plot.

What the TV show is, is the amalgamation of the environments from games 1 and 2 on the west coast, with the set design and visual assets from fallout 3 and 4 that took place on the east coast, including the East coast brotherhood look and style.

The story you get from those mashups, by default, can't exist in the established game world. They're even radically changing how gouls work in order to get certain story lines out of Goggins' character. So looking to the games for answer or guides to what will come next in the show, is at best, like looking at an old run of Superman comics to know what's going to happen in the rebooted story line. Is there going to be some overlap? Sure, maybe. Lex Luther is Probably still gonna be a bad guy, but beyond that, it's not very helpful to go diving too deep.

 

[CB2001]

That's what the TV show is saying.
In the games, Vaultech does not exist in any way following the war. And certainly would not have private nuke silos.

The TV show is operating outside of the established game story. Which is fine, it's just how fictional stories work sometimes.
In the GAMES, the story put forth in the TV show is simply impossible. So there is no precedent in the games for explaining the show. Or providing context to what might happen next. The NCR is multi state spanning society. Not one big city with a corn field outside of it. A nation large enough to have the societal and human capital to go to war all the way into Nevada. No vault, let alone 3-4 in the greater LA area would still be closed at that point in history. The NCR would have popped them open, absorbed the population into the NCR, and taken the tech and valuables.

That's frankly why the games went to the east coast; the west coast was a wrap. On the west coast, humanity had prevailed against the apocalypse, in the form of the NCR. The only unexplored country was the east coast. Even the Brotherhood that's represented in the show is the East coast brotherhood returned to California, the west coast brotherhood died out and was destroyed or absorbed by the NCR. And the East Coast Brotherhood would not have uprooted and made that journey on a whim either.

Now, the game makers own the IP, so they can decided to "make the show fit" by retconning multiple elements of multiple games moving forward. But that's an after the fact decision. Not the TV show writers choosing to operate inside of the established world. It would be the game developers choosing to change and alter the game world to fit the new TV show plot.

What the TV show is, is the amalgamation of the environments from games 1 and 2 on the west coast, with the set design and visual assets from fallout 3 and 4 that took place on the east coast, including the East coast brotherhood look and style.

The story you get from those mashups, by default, can't exist in the established game world. They're even radically changing how gouls work in order to get certain story lines out of Goggins' character. So looking to the games for answer or guides to what will come next in the show, is at best, like looking at an old run of Superman comics to know what's going to happen in the rebooted story line. Is there going to be some overlap? Sure, maybe. Lex Luther is Probably still gonna be a bad guy, but beyond that, it's not very helpful to go diving too deep.

Though it can technically be seen as Vault-Tec being responsible for the destruction of Shady Sands, I took it that Lucy's father was the one solely responsible for the destruction of Shady Sands. I did come across a video clip of a third game where there are mini-nukes that can be launched by a launcher, and apparently one mission involving the destruction of a settlement with said launcher. So, I took it that he may have hired someone to launch a mini-nuke onto the town after taking Lucy.

 

[Strikerkc]

In the TV show, Vaultech DOES exist as an organization post war. And seemingly has nukes.
In the show, the NCR was also not a nation, it was little more than one large settlement doing quite well for itself.

I'm not saying things in the game prevent the show from having it's own storyline.

I'm just saying trying to tie the 2 storylines together isn't possible. And searching the game's stories for hints or possibilities of what's to come in the show is not going to get anyone any real results.

 

[ScourgiousJinx]

I was very hesitant to watch this but my friends wouldn't stop talking about how good it is, so here I am. I went into it with minimal background and really enjoyed every episode. Ella Purnell was awesome! I'm not a big video game guy at all but I'm really tempted to play it.

 

[Joek3rr]

In the TV show, Vaultech DOES exist as an organization post war. And seemingly has nukes.
In the show, the NCR was also not a nation, it was little more than one large settlement doing quite well for itself.

I'm not saying things in the game prevent the show from having it's own storyline.

I'm just saying trying to tie the 2 storylines together isn't possible. And searching the game's stories for hints or possibilities of what's to come in the show is not going to get anyone any real results.

Makes me wonder. Is TV show "canon" going to trump game "canon" like Star Wars?

 

[Strikerkc]

I believe it is/will.

The Bethesda talking heads have been trying to bend over backwards in their interviews to make the show fit. Including some very hand wavy retconning and spur of the moment creation of events that have happened "off screen", or outside of the games, to try and change things to fit, and even then they've said a lot of "well, you know, the show is cannon even though it doesn't all mesh".

Bethesda is going to take whichever rout they think is going to get the most cash flow for them. Which is fine, they're a business. I'm also content with the fact that all of this is fiction, and if the people who own it want to change their fiction, or make new non congruent versions of their fiction, they're absolutely allowed to. If it's still fiction I enjoy after the fact? Great. If they've changed it in a way that is not enjoyable to me on its own merits, then I'll go consume one of the other hundreds upon hundreds of sources of enjoyable fiction in our world.

From an almost "sour grapes" standpoint, I'm just not inclined to play any more RPG style games, because I'm just not fond of the empty exploration gameplay anymore. So I really have no horse in the race for which fiction wins out as the "true fiction". If it makes them money, and makes their players and viewers happy, then mission accomplished.

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

IDK I think they are going to piss of a LOT of the fanbase if they totally eradicate the NCR or reduce its importance. The games are what made the franchise, not the show, so hopefully they will remember that.