Fallout games
From The Vault
Fallout is a series of computer role-playing games originally produced and published by Interplay. Although set in and after the 22nd century, its story and artwork are heavily influenced by the post-World War II nuclear paranoia of the 1950s. The series is sometimes considered to be an unofficial sequel to Wasteland, but it could not use that title as Electronic Arts held the rights to it, and, except for minor references, the games are set in separate universes. There were two role-playing titles in the series (Fallout and Fallout 2), one squad-based tactical combat spinoff (Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel) and one action dungeon-crawler spin-off for PlayStation 2 and Xbox (Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel). A sequel, Fallout 3, is currently being developed by Bethesda Softworks. Bethesda now owns the rights to the entire Fallout franchise.
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[edit] Storyline
Main article: Fallout world
The background story of Fallout involves a "what-if" scenario in which the United States tries to devise fusion power resulting in the whole country becoming hegemonic and having less reliance on petroleum. However, this is not achieved until 2077, shortly after an oil drilling conflict off the Pacific Coast pits the United States against China. It ends with a nuclear exchange resulting in the post-apocalyptic world in which the game takes place. It is emphasized in Fallout 2 that nobody knew who sent the first missile.
Before the nuclear exchange took place, great underground Vaults were constructed across America, supposedly to protect the populace from the dangers of radiation. Although only 122 were constructed, over 400,000 would be needed to protect the entire nation. This is because the Vaults were not intended to save humanity; rather, they were social experiments being conducted by the United States government. Most vaults featured some variable to test how certain things influence people (and presumably the personal characteristics of the vault's occupants) such as Vault 69, which reportedly contained 999 women and one man.
Each installment of the series takes these facts as the context to the subsequent adventures: much of the landscape the player travels through is scarred with wreckage as well as radiation. These effects are not limited to the environment. Mutated survivors - those who lived through the attack outside a vault - are often physically unrecognisable as human. Even livestock - mostly represented by cows - are rarely if ever seen with less than two heads.
[edit] Published games
[edit] Fallout series
[edit] Fallout
Main article: Fallout
Released in 1997 for the PC and Mac, Fallout is the spiritual successor to the 1988 hit Wasteland. The protagonist of the game is tasked with recovering a water chip to replace the chip that broke in his home, Vault 13. The game takes place in a post-apocalyptic southern California, beginning in the year 2161. It was originally intended to run under the GURPS role-playing game system, but a disagreement with Steve Jackson, creator of GURPS, over the game's violent content required the development of a new system, the SPECIAL System. Fallout's atmosphere and artwork are reminiscent of post-WWII America and the nuclear paranoia that was widespread at that time. Some key people who worked on Fallout later left Interplay and formed Troika Games.
[edit] Fallout 2
Main article: Fallout 2
Fallout 2 was released in 1998 for the PC and for Mac in 2002, using a slightly-modified form of the engine used in the original Fallout. Taking place 80 years after the original game, Fallout 2 centers around a descendant of the Vault Dweller, the protagonist of Fallout. The player assumes the role of the Chosen One as he tries to save Arroyo, his village, after several years of drought. The game featured several improvements over the first game, including the ability to set attitudes of NPC party members and the ability to push people who are blocking doors. However, it also included several questionable changes to the game world, including significantly more pop culture jokes and parodies.
[edit] Fallout spin-offs
[edit] Fallout Tactics
Main article: Fallout Tactics
Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel was a tactical combat game developed for the PC by Micro Forté and published by Interplay in early 2001 to mixed reviews. Although it was given high scores by reviewers (PC Gamer gave it an 85%), many fans were disappointed by the game. Fallout Tactics focuses on tactical combat rather than role-playing; the new combat system included different modes, stances, and modifiers, but the player had no dialogue options. Most of the criticisms of the game came from its incompatibility with the story of the original two games, not from its gameplay and is not considered canon by Bethesda Softworks. Tactics is the first Fallout game to not require the player to fight in a turn-based mode, and it is also the first to allow the player to customize the skills, perks, and combat actions of the rest of the party. Fallout Tactics includes a multi-player mode that allows players to compete against squads of other characters controlled by other players. Unlike the previous two games, which are based in California, Fallout Tactics takes place in the Midwest.
[edit] Fallout: Warfare
Main article: Fallout: Warfare
Fallout: Warfare is a tabletop wargame based on the Fallout Tactics storyline, using a simplified version of the SPECIAL system. The rulebook was written by Chris Taylor, and was available on the Fallout Tactics bonus CD, together with cut-out miniatures. Fallout: Warfare features five distinct factions, vehicles, four game types, and thirty-three different units. The rules only require ten-sided dice. The modifications to the SPECIAL system allow every unit a unique set of stats and give special units certain skills they can use, including piloting, doctor, and repair. A section of the Fallout: Warfare manual allows campaigns to be conducted using the Warfare rules. The game is currently available for free online from fansite No Mutants Allowed and several other sources.
[edit] Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel
Main article: Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel
Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel became the first Fallout game for consoles (PlayStation 2 and Xbox) when it was released in 2004. It follows an initiate in the Brotherhood of Steel who is given a suicidal quest to find several lost Brotherhood paladins. An action role-playing game, BoS is a significant break from the previous incarnations of the Fallout series, in both gameplay and style. BoS takes place in three locations: The towns of Carbon and Los and a Secret Vault. BoS also does not feature non-player characters who would accompany the player in combat. BoS is generally not considered to be canon due to its stark contrasts and outright contradictions with the storyline of Fallout and Fallout 2. BoS is the last Fallout game to be developed by Interplay. The game also features music from nu-metal bands, including Slipknot and Killswitch Engage, which stands in contrast to the music of the main Fallout series, performed by The Ink Spots and Louis Armstrong.
[edit] Games in development
- Fallout 3 currently under development by Bethesda. The game will be released for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 in the Fall of 2008.
[edit] Cancelled games
- Fallout Tactics 2 was initially greenlighted by Interplay some time after Fallout Tactics, and development for it started at Micro Forté but it was eventually cancelled.
- A Fallout game for the first PlayStation (cancelled after about 3-4 months of pre-production and early prototyping)
- Van Buren (BIS project codename), an attempt at making Fallout 3 developed by Black Isle Studios after Project Jefferson was cancelled when Interplay lost the D&D license for the PC. It didn't last long before it too was cancelled and all the developers were fired / forced to leave.
- Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel: Vagrant Lands - a sequel to FOBOS
- Fallout d20, a Fallout PnP RPG, formerly under development by Creeper Glutton Games. Canceled after a cease & desist from Bethesda Softworks, the publisher of Fallout 3, it is currently being changed into a generic post-apocalyptic game.
[edit] Possible future and hypothetical games
- Fallout Online - a hypothetical Fallout MMORPG - Interplay has stated that they'd be interested in making one, although it is not very likely to happen due to their financial situation
- Fallout 4 - a possible future sequel to Fallout 3
- Fallout: Resource Wars - a game J.E. Sawyer said he'd like to make
[edit] Unofficial games
[edit] Fallout mods
Mods of the original Fallout which seem to be at least a bit alive, created by fans.
