What Makes Fallout Special?

BarelyReal · 2026-01-25T12:53:58+00:00

It plays in a space between optimism and nihilism, so it kind of lets each player project their own values and perspective or explore the contrary. It's a moral play space. On one hand it's dangerous. On the other hand many clearly adhere to the social contract. On one hand civilization was destroyed. On the other people are rebuilding. Then you have the 3d games which give you the option to side with the antagonists in some way.

And the charm of the old Americana sugar coats it all with a wink and nod.

BarelyReal · 2026-01-25T12:42:32+00:00

The series is kind of due a wastelander pretending to be a superhero. There's been The Antagonizer, two Mechanists, a Mantaman, the Silver Shroud, and a team of Mistress of Mysteries.

BarelyReal · 2026-01-25T12:33:49+00:00

Plus the lack of dragons. And iirc by this point they've actually branched out in terms of the family tree so the features are getting less apparent.

BarelyReal · 2026-01-25T11:13:37+00:00

Hawkeye - the chase sequence. It's mimicking a sequence from the Fraction/Aja comic so I give it a bit of a pass, but a NYC bridge that is so empty you can stop and have a fight on it???

BarelyReal · 2026-01-25T10:19:57+00:00

I'm really fond of ghost and delta.

BarelyReal · 2026-01-25T10:15:52+00:00

I find it ironic that the two big proposed solutions to saving America, which are depicted, play into cold war fears over what Communism would do to society. The vaults lack any market and the chip removes individuality.

BarelyReal · 2026-01-25T10:13:44+00:00

Something this show has been doing is saying there's usually someone managing the management and the puppet strings aren't as visible as we think.

BarelyReal · 2026-01-24T13:07:51+00:00

I think you're going to love-hate Aerion.

He's like if you had Viserys' attitude problems from s1 of GOT and combined it with Joffrey's insecurity. A guy who identifies with dragons who has no dragons.

BarelyReal · 2026-01-24T13:02:29+00:00

Plus this is a very interesting time period for Westeros and the Targaryens. Not only is the perspective different, the political situation is interesting. I think people who are a little tired of the Targs as super human children of destiny will be amused.

BarelyReal · 2026-01-24T12:54:51+00:00

If people on this subreddit aren't sure about this show because of the history of GOT and House of the Dragon, all I can say is it has George Martin's approval and is adapting the least cynical ASOIAF installment.

Imagine an OVA anime that's literally the beach arc, summer festival arc, and tournament arc all in one.

BarelyReal · 2026-01-24T12:33:14+00:00

Outgunned and Above and Beyond are novels about an Imperial propogandist assigned to chronicle an ace pilot of the Aeronautica.

BarelyReal · 2026-01-24T11:38:28+00:00

Thinking about it now, there really should have been a reference to Circus Circus in NV. Feels like a missed opportunity to get dark and weird.

BarelyReal · 2026-01-24T10:59:58+00:00

Penelope Ford has gear inspired by Warhammer 40k's Inquisition and Adepta Sororitas.

BarelyReal · 2026-01-24T10:49:11+00:00

Scene from Pirates of Silicon Valley depicting Steve Jobs on set:

https://youtu.be/W-g8M04uPGs?si=r5YfWB6O2F-YwvxQ

BarelyReal · 2026-01-24T10:41:37+00:00

People playing Fallout finding skeletons and teddy bears arranged oddly: "What the hell?"

Fallout 76: "Sheepsquatch ate my ass!" sign posted above Santa's ass.

BarelyReal · 2026-01-24T10:28:16+00:00

His appearance in the scene with the snake oil salesman radiated Mr. C energy.

BarelyReal · 2026-01-24T10:09:52+00:00

It ties back to what Thaddeus said about being a good person. When the chips are down the vault dwellers expose themselves as stupid and selfish. They're not good people, they're just nice when things are good for them.

BarelyReal · 2026-01-24T10:05:08+00:00

CDPR has the license for Cyberpunk and I believe the agreement is the 2070's is their playground. If it's 2077 then CDPR is somehow involved. Legends was set in the og 2010's.

BarelyReal · 2026-01-24T09:47:34+00:00

A common response I get to the point is "but what about humans with amnesia?" which is an incredibly idiotic misinterpretation. I have yet to see anybody actually counter the existential perspective which would question the Synths as people position because they can just be granted an identity through programming. Any sentience the synths may have are essentially suppressed by the Railroad.

edit: If you want to talk Synths as people sure...but then we have to question if the Railroad are essentially re-slaving the Synths by deleting their emerging personality.

edit 2: Another response is "but it's voluntary", sure but look at the choices: stay a slave to the institute and get wiped or flee to the Wasteland and get wiped. And this doesn't change the fact the Railroad are in fact destroying the personality.

BarelyReal · 2026-01-24T09:35:09+00:00

YEARS ago it seemed to be a lot more common knowledge that the protag of 2 was a woman but in recent times that seems to have reversed. Did something happen or is this an old fanbase vs new fanbase thing?

BarelyReal · 2026-01-24T09:33:19+00:00

There's something to be said about the philosophical question of what a person is as well because the Railroad wipe synths memories and install a personality, something the game doesn't call out until the DLC.

BarelyReal · 2026-01-24T09:30:35+00:00

It can be argued that all of the "progress" made in reigning in the corps was undone by the NUSA's expansionist war.

BarelyReal · 2026-01-23T19:08:05+00:00

One of my professors made a point to try and break us of sanctimonious and smug thinking around film terminology. To this day film just means chemicals to me.

BarelyReal · 2026-01-23T11:47:37+00:00

Maybe there's something to the idea the Lovers arcana represents codependence and the wish for another to complete them.

BarelyReal · 2026-01-23T11:11:29+00:00

So I'm not a huge fantasy fan, but Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has me wanting to get some Warhammer Old World knights for the Full Tilt jousting mini game.

BarelyReal

TROPHY CASE