Fallout: A Great Adaptation
The Fallout TV show was released on April 10th 2024 on Amazon Prime with relatively positive reviews among both fans of television and fans of the game series. The series and games are set in the year 2296 after nuclear war wiped out most of the world's population and decimated the landscape, forcing groups into vaults, into the wasteland, or to join a faction. Vault-Tec, a multi-billion dollar company that owns almost everything in the world, helped influence the apocalypse to help push their new Vaults as a way to make people “safe”, and ultimately make themselves more money. The game series which it is based on shares the same name and same continuity as the show, which is a good first step for a decent video game adaptation.
The Fallout TV show and video game series are both remarkable in their own respects but also both share a lot of that remarkability as the show is based on the games. As an adaptation the TV show brings in references from the games like Sunset Sarsaparilla, a beverage featured in the games that was referred to in the show. As well as the bobbleheads you can locate throughout the games that would boost your stats was seen in the first episode. Another reference is in the last episode so if you haven’t seen the show yet and are planning to read at your own risk, the last episode ends with one of the characters making it to a location from the games New Vegas which had a lot of fans of the games excited for the possibilities of other seasons.
Another thing the Fallout TV show did well was how they connected the games to the show, and made it make sense in the world and atmosphere of the games. With the show adding more to the story of Fallout, explaining Vault-Tec’s involvement in the war that caused the nuclear fallout, answered a longtime question for many fans of the game. They also did well with portraying things from the games with costume design and props relating to the game. For example, the Power Armor seen all throughout the show, as well as props in the show that you would use as items in the game , like Nuka-Cola. The Fallout show also portrays the Factions seen in the games , including the Brotherhood of Steel, Enclave, and The New California Republic, all of which are greatly represented in the show with accuracy. In a world with lackluster video game adaptations, the Fallout Tv show is a breath of fresh air for fans of the game series and fans of games in general and gives fans of other game franchises hope that an adaptation of their favorite series could be great.