History of the Fallout series - Was it better before? (Topic)

On October 14, one of the most controversial projects of this year, Fallout 76, was finally released, which means that now you can take part in a bloody carnage in the entourage of a post-apocalyptic setting. To do this, you don't even need to download Fallout 76, just go to any of the gaming forums in the thematic branch of the new Bethesda project and be sure to stumble upon epic feuds between old-fashioned players and gamers who consider the new "Fall" a logical step in the development of the series. Is it so natural? An ambiguous question, so to answer it we decided to recall the history of the Fallout series.

Fallout (1997)

The unofficial year of birth of the great post-apocalyptic series is considered 1994, when the recognized masters of the role-playing genre decided to set about creating an unofficial sequel to the Wasterland game. Already then, almost a quarter of a century ago, the foundation of the Fallout series was laid - an impressive freedom of choice, an open world filled with various disgusting mutants and greedy people, as well as quests that often present players with ambiguous moral dilemmas.

Separately, it is worth noting the variable SPECIAL pumping system and the presence of unique perks, and pumping affects not only the level of survivability or damage, but also opens new dialogue branches along with non-standard options for solving quests. At the same time, the developers even took into account such a detail as the level of intelligence, which, at minimal values, turned the player into a rare slow-witted who can only hum pointlessly in dialogues. An NPC's reaction to an idiot character is invaluable.

Other features include an unprecedented level of brutality, an overall retro-futuristic design, and a plot that feels like a baseball bat aimed at the head with a baseball bat. It is difficult to convey the palette of emotions that you experience after realizing the sad fact that the only reward for all the exploits of the protagonist is expulsion from his home, Vault 13.

Fallout 2 (1998)

The sequel has already become the very game that has built the Fallout series into a real cult among fans of role-playing projects. To achieve the status of the legendary game Fallout 2 had to "just" square the number of possibilities and the overall, already colossal by the standards of average static games in the genre, level of non-linearity.

The general basis of the game has remained practically intact, but it is precisely due to the increase in the quantity and quality of content that the sequel is constantly making it to the top of the best RPGs in history. True, in comparison with the original Fallout, one important difference can be noted - the mood of the game has become less oppressive, the amount of humor per square meter has increased many times and, according to some fans of the series, that atmosphere of hopelessness has disappeared, which, like sticky honey, enveloped gamers in Fallout 1997 year of manufacture.

The plot of the Fallout 2 plot as a whole repeats the original and we again get the role of the chosen one, who will have an excellent opportunity to save his native community from death, and at the same time find problems on his fifth point.

Of the pleasant and unusual features - with the general scale of the plot, the passage of Fallout 2 can take 18 minutes. The art of speedrun at its finest.

Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel (2001)

The first blow to the hearts of the Fallout series fans happened in 2001 with the release of Fallout Tactics. Interplay, apparently looking at the modest sales of the first two parts, decided to try to move the game into the niche of tactical strategy with role-playing elements. The pluses in the form of variable combat, the return of the canonical SPECIAL system and even the recognizable interface along with the setting did not allow forgiving the most important omission - almost all role-playing elements and heady freedom of action were put under the knife. However, what else to expect from an obscure development studio, among which there were no cult people who had a hand in the original Fallout dilogy.

In fairness, it should be noted that there was a modest non-linearity in the game, and the ending of the story of the Brotherhood of Steel recruit differed depending on the actions of the player. But against the backdrop of the big-name parts of the series, the rare variability of the actions of Fallout Tactics felt like a mockery. Also in the game, for unknown reasons, they decided to slightly rework the setting and diluted the retro-futuristic design with samples of modern technology. As you might expect, for many Fallout fans, this was the final nail in the Fallout Tactics coffin.

Fallout 3 (2008)

When Bethesda acquired the rights to the Fallout franchise for the new post-apocalyptic game, the mocking “Oblivion with guns” label immediately stuck. The comparison is not the most correct, even though the ears of the fourth "Elder Scrolls" were visible from all sides of the game, but otherwise Fallout 3 came out in many ways a unique RPG for Bethesda. The only problem with the game in relation to the past parts of the series is not isometry at all, but a noticeably reduced level of nonlinearity, where even the plot was straight as a rail. As a representative of the Fallout series, the triquel is a mid-range game, but given the chance to create Bethesda, it could easily get lost in a 3D wasteland for 70 hours.

The most important victory of Todd Howard's team is a world full of interesting stories and unique locations, and what can we say about the views of destroyed Washington, which still has no analogues in the gaming industry. Not all quests were varied, but there were some moments that can be brought into the collection of the best moments in the gaming industry with all responsibility. For example, the task in the Tempeni skyscraper, where the player could destroy a small town with a nuclear explosion with his own hands just because it "spoils the landscape" of a layer of pompous aristocrats.

Separately, it is worth recalling several radio stations and the inimitable host of the Three-Dog-Knight (for greater authenticity, read in the voice of Boris Repetur). This is just a tiny detail that added liveliness to the game and gave Fallout 3 its own face, albeit in many ways unlike the legendary dilogy.

Fallout New Vegas (2010)

Fallout New Vegas is a great example that the creation of the same "Fallout" will not interfere with either the isometry or even the first-person view. After all, the very foundation of the series and the world full of cynical humor and adventure in New Vegas were elevated to an absolute and practically did not yield to the cult dilogy. At its core, Fallout New Vegas was a vastly improved version of Bethesda's RPG. Taking the usual gameplay mechanics as a basis, the developers from Obsidian have significantly expanded the possibilities of the game and significantly increased not only the quantity, but also the quality of the content.

For example, full-fledged partners have appeared, who are distinguished by their own character and are always ready to remind the main character that he is still that mercantile bastard or a true holy man. Since the fathers of the Fallout series were engaged in the creation of the game, the lore of the game was fully consistent with the history of the post-apocalyptic universe. In addition, the very mood of the game has changed compared to Fallout 3, since instead of the oppressive and pretentious world we got a truly "Wild Wasteland", where freaks of all stripes, an abundance of cynicism and black humor coexist with sadistic cruelty.

By the way, the plot about the Courier, who, by the will of fate, should take part in the largest brawl on the territory of post-apocalyptic Las Vegas, although it led to the ending in the same location, but there were a lot of ways to achieve the final line. Again, the Fallout series has been lovingly followed.

Fallout 4 (2015)

New times require new decisions, sometimes even too controversial new decisions. If the fans of the Fallout series of games were met with stinging criticism from Bethesda's triquel, but gritted their teeth continued to play, then the fourth part was a deafening failure, according to many fans of the franchise. The fact is that Todd Howard in Fallout 4 followed modern trends and decided to create a "game for everyone". Minecraft players had a lot of fun with city building, loot fans were waiting for mountains of items and one of the most sophisticated crafting systems in the gaming industry. They did not forget about the fans of the shooter, bringing the combat component to an acceptable level.

But numerous game mechanics had to pay for the most important defining moment for the entire series - the transcendental nonlinearity. In Fallout 4, dialogues have been simplified (but the protagonist has finally found a voice), a pumping system and even quests. Rare really intriguing and creatively written assignments almost always come down to massive genocide of adversaries.

However, if you abstract from the cult parts of the Fallout series, you can completely enjoy the game, because no one creates such detailed and full of unique world locations as Bethesda. In addition, no one bothers to download mods for Fallout 4 and bring the game closer to the legendary dilogy.

Fallout 76 (2018)

Returning to the beginning of the article, we must admit that Fallout 76 is indeed a natural outcome of the development of the series, but if only according to Bethesda's vision. Todd Howard's studio has its own take on the legendary post-apocalyptic franchise and has always made ambiguous decisions that make the hearts of fans burn with the righteous flame. Survival elements, even more simplified RPG elements and an emphasis on multiplayer - this is an outcome to be expected from Fallout 76.

Good or bad - everyone decides for himself, but in any case, fans of non-linear Fallout still have the opportunity to return to the wasteland in the original dilogy or wander into the vastness of the post-apocalyptic "New Vegas".

The Topic of Article: History of the Fallout series - Was it better before?.
Author: Jake Pinkman