The acclaimed Prime Video show has introduced some interesting innovations in the post-apocalyptic world of the saga: let's see the main differences between the Fallout series and video game
Fallout, the acclaimed Prime Video series, positively surprised both historical fans of the original video game saga (even if with some voices to the contrary) and users who approached it without knowing its world and the dynamics that characterize. Graham Wagner and Jonathan Nolan decided to exploit the basis offered by the Fallout video games, making the series a natural continuation of the well-known saga, thus proposing a new environment and the related characters that inhabit it, as we also highlighted in our review. This choice made it possible to tell a story like this completely original storywhich however remains canonical and in line with the events described in the video games.
Game designer Todd Howard himself clarified the timeline of the series, declaring that the series takes place shortly after the events narrated in Fallout: New Vegasthe most popular chapter of the videogame saga that arrived in 2010. This allowed the showrunners of the series to give vent to their creativity without undermining the foundations of the Fallout world, but there are also inevitable differences between the two products. Let's see which ones.
A new setting and the events preceding the nuclear apocalypse
Each chapter of Fallout was set in a different corner of what remains of the United States, but never before have we seen what led to the nuclear apocalypse. The series shows the world of Fallout before the disaster. From the very first minutes of the first episode the series decides to linger on the world pre-apocalyptic world of Falloutshowing its alternative reality characterized by strong retro-futuristic and “atompunk” tones.
In 2077 the world is still in the throes of a prolonged Cold War characterized by two different spheres of influence, one represented by the USA and the other represented by the communist bloc of the still existing Soviet Union and China. America, for its part, is still immersed in the culture and aesthetics of the 1950s, with Hollywood stars, in this case the western actor Howard Cooper, committed to sponsoring the government's various anti-communist propaganda initiatives. These elements have always been suggested among the ruins and the various references scattered throughout the chapters of the video game saga, but thanks to the Prime Video show we can finally see them at the moment of their maximum splendor.
The differences between the Fallout series and the video game: Ghouls and Vault-Tec
In the series we also learned about the Ghoul, first of all Cooper Howard, played by Walton Goggins. As fans know well, Ghouls are human beings who survived radiation and adapted to their new environment. In many cases, however, over time they undergo cognitive decline which reduces them to a feral state. The Fallout series not only gives us an in-depth perspective for the first time, but also offers a change that could mark a new era for the franchise: there is a cure, what appears to be a radioactive drug. It seems that thanks to this the Ghoul is able to maintain his sanity and therefore prolong his already long existence, a factor that will only represent a great threat to Vault-Tec.
And, speaking of the well-known company, it turns out that the world of Fallout began not so much with the war between the USA and China, whose governments accused each other of having launched the atomic attack first, but with the direct intervention by Vaut-Tec. Behind the disaster, there are the machinations of Vault-Tec, a company that prospered by designing and selling the eponymous fallout shelters. In fact, with the aim of profit, the company gave rise to the apocalypse and, when the possibility of humanity's rebirth arose, it firmly prevented any development.
Conclusions
In conclusion, there are many aspects which, rather than being different between the game and the series, are developments in the saga. The only, perhaps, tangible and controversial difference is the question Shady Sands, capitale della New California Republic (NCR), which is considered a staple of video games, so much so that it is also mentioned in the most recent chapters. However, in the Prime Video series we learn that Shady Sands was bombed and destroyed. The decision to fix the destruction of Shady Sands in the timeline's 2277, however, sparked canon debatesince this would seem to conflict with the events of Fallout: New Vegas which, remember, is set in 2281. It will be interesting to understand if the issue will be addressed in the future or if it will be decided to declassify it as a simple retcon.
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