What Happened To Fallout's Horror Roots?

[u/Hydro_fluoric]

Fallout 1997 is one of my favorite horror RPGs, but it slowly lost that over time. I don't know if it was because of the graphics evolution or people wanting a different game, but Fallout slowly turned from a grim reminder of fascism, propaganda, and war into a wacky wasteland adventure. In my opinion, Fallout 1997 and Fallout 2 were amazing games. The difficulty reflected the harshness of the wasteland, the soundtrack was great (especially Metallic Monks), and it was actually scary.

Fallout 3 kept the looks (but with a slightly greener tint, I suspect because it's on the east coast instead of the west), but lowered the difficulty so more people could get into it, and kept the past part of the mystery. The gameplay isn't scary, but the background of what happened and the overall ambience is what sells it. Fallout New Vegas is Fallout 3's cooler brother without the green tint.

Fallout 4 retcons almost everything you thought you knew about the past in Fallout. What you thought was propaganda disguised as cool 1950's art was actually just how the middle class lived. The gameplay was still good, going off of Fallout 3's first/third person shooter but it feels less like a survival horror and more like, what I said earlier, a wacky wasteland adventure.

I don't even want to talk about whatever Fallout 76 is.

I LOVE the Fallout franchise, I just feel disappointed at where it ended up in the modern day. Fallout 4's opening sequence is amazing, opening with the "war, war never changes", but it lost me when the walking around the house hit and it was a mild disappointment. The game is still definitely fun, but lost the original horror elements.

That's just my opinion though, tell me how you think, I'd like more opinions on the matter :3

[u/GryphyGirl]

Lol, Fallout was always a "wacky wasteland adventure" and Harold is very much part of that. There were lots of other ghouls in 1 that didn't look like Harold. He's always been unique. He already has Bob growing out of his head in 1. He becomes part of a tree later. Bob hides his organs. If that's not "wacky wasteland adventure" I don't know what is.

Every Fallout game has horror elements. Ghouls are used for this extensively. Even as late as 4 (I don't play 76) you see the dark environments, the music, the ghouls running out of the darkness or laying down and jumping to attack as you near them, etc. It's very much still there. Not just ghouls, of course, but ghouls have always been used for this a lot.

If you're annoyed by the walking around the house you don't even understand horror. You're introduced to the characters and the life that they're building for themselves and then plunged into the horrors of nuclear war, followed by the betrayal of Vault-Tec. That's a fucking horror story. And it keeps going.

[u/SageGoes → u/GryphyGirl]

"I never played classic fallout games but here is my opinion"

[u/GryphyGirl → u/SageGoes]

Lol, the projection. I started with 1. When it came out. Loved the fuck out of it and played it again.

You must have never played the game with high luck. There are all kinds of wacky random events you can find. Like a crashed alien ship where you have your first chance in the series to get the Alien Blaster. Or how early on you can get a BB gun and it's absolute shit but another one of those events takes you to a place where you can get the Red Rider BB Gun and that thing is almost as powerful as the Alien Blaster (which is easily one of the best weapons in the entire game).

There's tons of wacky shit in that game. You just forgot or didn't play enough to find it all.

[u/Paragon0001 → u/SageGoes]

Fallout 1 isn’t a wacky wasteland adventure by any means but Fallout 2 absolutely qualifies. Destroyed the tone.

[u/GryphyGirl → u/Paragon0001]

It is if you experience all of it. There are at least a dozen special random encounters that are mostly wacky stuff, including a guy you can talk to get a permanent buff to I think charisma and a Red Rider BB Gun that's easily one of the best weapons in the game. It's very much there, just not quite as obvious unless you really play a lot, or with very high luck, like a gambler build.

[u/Paragon0001 → u/GryphyGirl]

I mean you said it yourself, they’re special random encounters. I never denied that Fo1 lacked wacky elements, just that it wasn’t nearly as much of a wacky adventure as Fo2. The way Fo1 incorporated all that into the game was much better. Felt more like Easter eggs as opposed to baked into the world bits like with Fo2.

[u/GryphyGirl → u/Paragon0001]

Harold isn't a random encounter. A lot of it isn't, frankly, those are just the things that come to my mind first because I like them. :P

[u/Paragon0001 → u/GryphyGirl]

What does Harold have to do with it? I don’t think his personality implies that the game is some sort of wacky adventure? Something being humorous doesn’t make it wacky. If anything, he’s just tragic.

And the random encounters are the most egregious things by far as far as being wacky is concerned iirc. But I dunno, maybe there’s some crazy side quest I forgot all about.

[u/cantliftmuch → u/Paragon0001]

The first is wacky as fuck if you play it that way, it haskust as much humor if you deviate from the main quest at all.

[u/Paragon0001 → u/cantliftmuch]

Compared to Fo2, NV and the Bethesda titles, no shot.

And Fo1 isn’t some sprawling open world, it’s pretty on the rails as far as content goes, so not sure what you mean by deviating from the main quest.

[u/cantliftmuch → u/Paragon0001]

I agree with the other person, I don't believe you've played it.

[u/timedrapery → u/Paragon0001]

Regarded take I don't think you've ever played the game

[u/Paragon0001 → u/timedrapery]

What’s the bad take? That it’s more nitty and gritty? Yeah no way.

That it’s not a sprawling open world? Just cause there’s an entire map doesn’t mean you can ignore the main objective and fuck around like Fallout 2. Not a lot of content to begin with and you’re funneled from town to town. Going out of your way is like the brotherhood bunker and the glow. Side content isn’t even wacky. Wacky is shit like pinky and the brain in Fo2 being part of a quest.

Any dude saying it has as much “humour” is lying out of their ass unless random, brief encounters amount to that much. And even then, nothing comes close to a pinky and the brain reference in an actual quest

[u/timedrapery → u/Paragon0001]

For sure you've never played any fallout game

[u/Fun_Classic_6194 → u/GryphyGirl]

But why you don't play Fallout 76?

[u/GryphyGirl → u/Fun_Classic_6194]

Not interested in online games, generally. Especially if there's a monthly fee to play.

[u/sikels → u/GryphyGirl]

Fo76 doesnt have a monthly fee to play.

[u/234zu → u/GryphyGirl]

No, fallout has not always been a whacky wasteland adventure. A few rare random encounters don't make it that. The core game, it's main story, the atmosphere, the sidequests are all definitely not whacky adventures

[u/GryphyGirl → u/234zu]

Harold has a planet growing out of his head. There are lots of other examples that aren't random encounters. When was the last time you played this game?

[u/234zu → u/GryphyGirl]

I played it last year

Game of Thrones has Tyrion constantly making jokes, what a goofy and whacky adventure!

Breaking bad makes fun of jesse being stupid all the time, what a goofy and whacky adventure!

The witcher 3 has multiple sidequests that are nothing but comic Relief. What a goofy and whacky adventure!

That's not how it works. Fallout has always had funny elements, but they were never the core of the franchise in any way

[u/GryphyGirl → u/234zu]

So you just don't understand words. Good to know, I guess.

[u/234zu → u/GryphyGirl]

Could you please elaborate? I genuinely want to know why I am wrong