Fallout is a post-apocalyptic action-adventure series that was born on the PC but has since moved to consoles. With deep mythology, interesting characters, and a dark sense of humor, the games have been a major hit. The later games are equally famous for being more filled with bugs than a Volkswagen dealership.
All of these elements make the series ripe fodder for the creation of memes. Strap on your Pip-Boy, polish your power armor and keep a stim pack at the ready. It’s time to look at ten hilarious memes from the Fallout series. Hopefully, it doesn’t make anyone wish for nuclear winter.
Just Pretending
Freeside, just outside of the titular New Vegas, is not a safe place for ordinary folk who wander its streets alone. To ward off trouble, many who travel through the area hire a guide to see them safely to the gates of the gambling paradise. One quest for The King’s faction has the player investigate one such guide who is suspected to be staging dangerous situations to look like a hero, and drum up repeat business.
Once the player hires him, the guide will take them to an are where they are beset by several thugs who are quickly dispatched by the guide. Upon inspection, it can be revealed that the thugs are merely pretending to be dead. This one is doing a pretty good job.
Papa Khan
The Great Khans were once one of the most fearsome tribes in the Mojave Wasteland, famed for being hard to kill, and ferocious in battle. Eventually, they pushed the NCR just a bit too hard, and in the aftermath of that conflict, they were reduced to a shadow of their former glory. At the start of the game, they are living in a canyon, selling drugs to keep themselves alive.
Papa Khan is the leader of the tribe, which one could argue makes him the entrepreneur responsible for their drug business. A fun little play on words.
Wasteland Justice
In the various Wastelands that make up the Fallout universe, there is very little in the way of a formal justice system. Disputes are often settled between individuals, and violence is not uncommon. However, sometimes the punishment for a given crime is a bit disproportionate.
Given that it would be quite a chore to program a nuanced justice system, pretty much any crime is punishable by death. So whether you killed a merchant in cold blood, or stole an item off a shelf, you’ll still be dodging bullets. Remember, always wait for no one to be looking before you steal.
Energy Weapons
Sure, there are normal guns in the Fallout universe, but if you want to learn a bit more into the sci-fi elements of the setting it is entirely possible to roll through the wastes strapped with friggin laser beams! As you might expect, these weapons are powered by what are essentially batteries instead of good ole’ fashioned bullets.
Could a 100 in your energy weapons skill result in the harmonious fusion of energy and kinetic weapons seen above? No, but it would be funny if it did. Perhaps hybrid weapons might be a feature in a future installment?
76 Problems
From the moment it was announced at E3 2018, Fallout 76 was greeted with great skepticism by fans. Could Bethesda transform a historically single-player experience into an MMO? Could players fill the roles traditionally filled by NPCs?
The answer to all of those questions was hard, “No.” Fallout 76 is now famed the world over for being a broken, unplayable mess. Every time it seems like the developers have fixed one problem, a new one pops up. Sometimes the fixes for old problems are the cause of new problems! Maybe its time for Bethesda to cut its losses?
Fallout Goals
Pretty much every story ever told revolves around the goals of the protagonist. In the Fallout games, your character’s overarching goal is presented to them early on. Usually, you are tasked with finding something or someone. In the first game, it’s a chip for a water purification system. In 3 you’re looking for your father. In New Vegas, you’re looking for the dude who shot you in the head!
The game begins with your character being robbed, shot twice in the head, and buried in a shallow grave. You survive, and then proceed to track down your would-be killer to ask, “What the hell?!”
Doing Their Own Thing
Obsidian Entertainment is a studio made up of industry vets, many of whom had experience working on the Fallout series before its soft reboot with Fallout 3. When it was announced that the studio would be working on the next game after 3, fans were naturally excited. The game is considered by many fans to be the best game in the series, largely in part to the changes made by Obsidian.
While a more complex story and morality were much appreciated, the most obvious new feature was the gambling system. Players have spent hours winning and losing caps in the casinos of New Vegas.
Something To The Knee
Developers can only write so much dialogue for NPCs, so players are inevitably going to hear some lines repeated. In New Vegas, for example, it isn’t uncommon to hear NCR soldiers opining that patrolling the Mojave makes them wish for nuclear winter. Skyrim is known for its many city guards with prematurely ended by an arrow to the knee.
Ghouls have it pretty rough in Fallout. Not only were they horrifically mutated by nuclear radiation, but they face terrible racism from normal humans. Despite this, many of them make their living as adventurers. Unless something happens to their knees.
Bugs
Every Fallout game after 3 has been riddled with bugs ranging from the minor to the game-breaking. Rushed development and an outdated engine mean that glitches are frequent, and they’re usually isn’t enough time to catch all of them before the game ships. Fortunately, most of them are small enough that players can ignore them and move on. Sometimes they are even pretty funny!
Take for example the woman above, who appears to have been tasked with sweeping the dirt. Perhaps she was supposed to be on a patio. Maybe that broom was meant to be a rake. We will never know.
Creation Engine
There was a time when the Creation Engine, the game engine responsible for powering most of Bethesda’s output in recent years. That time was a decade ago. While it may have been revolutionary when it debuted, the Creation Engine has aged poorly. Despite this, Bethesda seems determined to keep making games with it.
Is it because they are too greedy to put the money into developing a new engine? Or do they not see the cracks in the foundation. Either way, Fallout will continue to suffer until they do what needs to be done. The memes might take some of the sting out of it though.
