Fallout - An Entire Series Retrospective and Analysis

[@masso392]

Why am i so addicted to these long anylysis/critique/review type videos?!

[@alim-xf7wz]

Same bro!

[@Dynamic1312]

Big same. I think I just love video games and want to hear every little thing about them.

[@MrDash711]

Same haha, I find them super relaxing; they put my brain into rest mode.

[@sparcx86channel42]

because the games are shallow these days

[@e2rqey]

If you haven't yet, check out Noah Caldwell-Gervais. He is the GOAT of long form videogame analysis.

[@yourstrulyjohnnydollar8775]

I love that this franchise has gone through twenty years of evolution,, and one thing always stayed true: your companions are going to block door ways. Sometimes to the point of forcing reloading saves. I guess 76 cut that Gordian knot by eliminating NPCs.

[@DJ-kp7mf]

Ahhhhh yes I have played from Fallout 1 to Fallout 4 and I've even played Fallout tactics(its actually pretty good) and one thing always remains constant it is just like you said......... the Damned companions always block the damn door.... yes even in Fallout tactics where you control all your characters...

[@madcourier6217]

@Trevor Harris I'd rather have a deathclaw finger my anus then play Fallout 76...

[@awesomechainsaw]

Wouldn’t it be as simple as having a program that every minute or so forces your companions to follow behind or along side you when not in combat. That way they never overcome the player and stay behind them. Or perhaps a pathfinding system that forces them to head through doors, and doesn’t allow them to stay put. In addition increase their accuracy so they feel more helpful. Not so much so that their stealing player kills but enough that they don’t seem like a two year old that’s missing half their shots. Perhaps a system where they lower 1/2 of all enemies’s health to a quarter then move onto the next target.

[@okagron]

@Melanie L This. Going to FPS gameplay wasn't an evolution for the series, specially when it's the Gamebryo version of Bethesda. Everything was worse: worse gameplay, worse writing, worse characters, much worse story, pretty much everything was worse. There was next to no improvements. Honestly, i would have prefer if the franchise died after 2, then around a decade or so later some company that actually cares for RPGs would have picked it up and made an actual game that followed what the originals started. ATOM RPG is the closest we got to a true Fallout 3. The garbage Bethesda tries to pass off as Fallout games are not Fallout games.

[@yuripantyhose4973]

@@DJ-kp7mf Yes Fallout Tactics is awesome, especially the multiplayer (though super shotguns are op af). Anyone hating on tactics while loving fallout 4 or 76 are hypocrites of the highest degree. Also it could be considered devolution, especially the world building in Bethesda compared too oblivion. Compare Diamond or Rivet City with Vault city or New California in fallout 2 or any of the smaller settlements in 3 or 4 with New Reno or Boulder City.

[@jadeingels3475]

“Why does obsidian get a free pass for the bugs at launch?” Maybe because it was made under budget in a y e a r

[@robertharris6092]

And they weren't allowed to fix bugs on the engine.

[@albertzinger7132]

Just like KOTOR 2.

[@nillynush4899]

and it STILL managed to be the best Fallout game. Obsidian are gods, also for KOTOR2

[@trunkage]

Just replayed Fallout 4 after Outer Worlds. There was way more bugs in the latter than the former. Obisidan is just as bad at bugs as Bathsheba. This is even more clear if you've played Alpha Protocol and Pillars of Eternity (which needed a spell check)

[@megamastah]

@@nillynush4899 The best after the second installment you mean.

[@macedindu829]

"90% of the population is raiders, so who are they raiding to survive?" Yes! Thank you. I keep making this point. It's so irritating in FO3 & FO4, how you go from one area to the next, often nearby, and you have opposing gangs of enemies that are nonproductive. It doesn't make any sense.

[@samueljohnson4738]

lol so true raiders outnumber non-raiders so it was wouldn't be a lucrative job

[@Alex-js5lg]

They could probably cut the number of raiders by 80%. Make strangers themselves more hostile and slower to trust, so you need to be careful with every encounter. More small groups wandering around without just labeling them "raider." Add in more animals, and you've got plenty of danger between towns.

[@unluckytourist]

I played all the Fallout's in order. As much as I loved Fallout 3, when I got to it, one thing that bugged me was how it had so much to explore, but might have been better off concentrating on making more large towns with multiple quests within them, like the originals. Where the world felt more "real" and factionalized.

[@tomatowarfare849]

While valid point indeed and using pure logic I don't have any way to refute this. There are points where logic might sometimes step aside for gamplay. However, I dare to say New Vegas managed to sell the cake and eat it too on that regard, so there is enough enemies to shoot, while the world does not just feel like two million raiders and 400 folks that live off two garden fields raising carrots.

[@gardendado1999]

That's within the Fallout lore of scavenging, the good thing about the mutual assured destruction is that a very small population has huge surplus of resources. Plus in FO few groups/factions are actually productive, mostly small societies composed of farmers do something productive excluding humanitarian groups like the followers of the apocalypse and eventually Mr.House or the neo NCR. The point of Fallout is that nearly all factions rely on the past(technology, politics/ideologies) In fact I disagree with the statement in the video "I would like to see the next Fallout more bleak", FO 3, NV, 4 are bleak, not environmentally but humanitarianly because there are lots of resources that very few actually implement for real good purposes, even those who may seem peseudo-good BoS doesn't do that always (techno-nazis) (They have a good ending in FO3 because they help you for project purity), NCR (Corrupt democracy/totalitarians)(NV ending they give free water but remain totalitarian), various micro societies/towns do ain't shit (have you seen any INDIPENDENT researcher/inventor in FO ? because I can't remember). Fallout is meant to be a repetition of human mistakes hence "war never changes" and bla bla, but that sentence is literally everything in the game because war has never actually ended (not the great war). Check this kzbin.info/www/bejne/enaXdq2lnNOmhZo

[@lutherkrin7629]

"...and only the rats and an unidentified corpse for company." He isn't unidentified. That's Ed... Ed's dead.

[@redpilldiogenes4741]

Baby, Ed’s dead

[@henrycrabs3497]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAGA

[@lutherkrin7629]

@@henrycrabs3497 lul

[@Taeschno_Flo]

Hes unidentified until you click on him to get it

[@lutherkrin7629]

@@Taeschno_Flo The joke. *You*

[@ShadowXII]

Fallout 4's dialogue: 1. Yes 2. No (yes) 3. Sarcastic (yes) 4. Pay me more (yes)

[@SvenTviking]

That is patently incorrect.

[@zekun4741]

it's worse than that. many of the speech checks, whether they you're convincing an NPC to give you more money or give you information, they often result in you missing out on important dialogue or they prevent you from being able to ask a question that would give you certain information.

[@JohnSmith-op3qj]

@@SvenTviking >says "patently" >no proof given for up to 3 weeks Congrats

[@cptsteele91]

@@JohnSmith-op3qj Reckon they'll be back?

[@JohnSmith-op3qj]

@@cptsteele91 eh, worthless comments kinda denote the lack of commitment in the conversation. I'd be surprised if he suddenly comes back after this long

[@thomasesr]

The shift in tone of FO1 and FO2 is there because the world is rebuilding instead of dying, as you said, its 80 years later. But the one reason FO2 is the best Fallout game can be put in one word: Highwayman

[@thomasesr]

@@megamike15 imagine if we were still all behaving like 80 years ago... that would be jolly mister...

[@veganhero1828]

I always thought it was because Fallout 2 re-used Fallout 1's assets which were designed to fit the unique design of each of Fallout 1's locations making their usage seem less special in 2.

[@thomasesr]

@@veganhero1828 Does that means that FO New Vegas is Less Special than Fallout 3?

[@veganhero1828]

@@thomasesr It means it suffers from using many assets designed for Washington DC but not by too much since Obsidian did create a lot of new assets.

[@WitherAndrot]

The shift in tone is there due to inconsistent and incoherent writing stuffed with doodoo and peepee jokes and "cultural references" and brilliant ideas like talking deathclaws and Fullmetal jacket character and indistinct ungrounded antogonist and so on and so on

[@Jacob-df5hr]

That theoretical degree in physics joke is the best joke I've ever encountered in a video game, shit had me rolling, the delivery is flawless

[@nickelakon5369]

I think the follow up, when he's in a legion controlled helios one and just tells the player "when in Rome..." is even funnier

[@Addeladle-St-James]

FALLOUT 3 was a pathetic waste of time. They misunderstood where the Magic was and produced something that made Skyrim look impressive. 🤮. The present franchise is garbage infused with artificial Fallout flavoring.

[@sublime3784]

I’m pretty sure it’s a Steven Wright joke but I’m not 100%

[@Ripperoni]

Fantastic was fantastic

[@MisterChenzy]

@@Addeladle-St-James dude is there nothing else? like arguments, examples or just your toxic opinion after every comment here like a freaking russian bot.

[@songbird7539]

*opens NV* Ah, yes, what time to enjoy my favorite Fallout ga- “THEEEEERE, was never a MAAAAAAAN, LIKE MY JOHNNY-“

[@scarletbrotherhood7273]

How DAAAAAARE you put that evil on me. Now its there, stuck in my head.

[@triumphovertragedy7860]

big iron is better js

[@thememeyestcat7294]

And then the game crashes.

[@thealmightyscronski2329]

I want to like but I’ll keep it at is

[@elgatochurro]

Tbh i just kept the radio off...

[@MickeyLeeBukowski]

"Strategic placement of mountains" a/k/a how the Las Vegas valley actually is in real life.

[@MickeyLeeBukowski]

@Leo Waltz oh I agree. Just making the point that the mountains were put where they were put because they are actually there in the real world. I go to Vegas a lot and Im always blown away how true to life New Vegas is in its geography.

[@brodaviing6617]

@Manek Iridius He wasn't talking about the walk this road or getfuckedbydeathclawsorcazadors.ncrdollar mechanic of the game. He was talking about the world map and how accurate it is to real life.

[@LorisTheUntethered]

@Manek Iridius Yeah, all he said was that they did good job visually representing the real life layout of the geography. Now you look stupid and oversensetive. Well done.

[@gumbyshrimp2606]

Manek Iridius it’s really not that hard to walk past the deathclaws lmao

[@crimsonking440]

I live in Pahrump. can confim. The thing I was surprised at most when I moved out here was just how accurate it was.

[@rheawelsh4142]

One thing I feel doesnt get enough discussion in FO4 is that ghouls got turned from legitimately grotesque looking rotting corpses to people with wiggly looking skin

[@flowerthencrranger3854]

For better or for worst? In my opinion, it was for the better.

[@Nick-oj5bh]

@@flowerthencrranger3854 worse, i would happily trade eternal life, no need to eat, immune to radition to look a bit crispy, whearas in 1,2 3 and nv they are scary an di understand the specisim

[@CousinBellic]

@@Nick-oj5bh But "highly irradiated" doesn't mean looking like rotting corpses. FO4 din that better, sorry.

[@widen698]

@@CousinBellic I'm sorry, what?

[@aeroga2383]

You could barely see them in the original

[@4VaultBoy]

I couldn’t even begin to describe WHY Fallout is my favorite series of any entertainment form. Sometimes it’s just that special thing.

[@ghostcure3403]

Right? I may be in the minority here but I literally like EVERY Fallout game (except I haven't played Tactics and I don't plan to).

[@farianandadiratama]

@@ghostcure3403 same dude, fallout series will always have a special place in my heart

[@craneoDeFuego077]

@@ghostcure3403 same bro. I like them all for different reasons. All have pros and cons. But I just enjoy them all as a whole series and each has its place in it

[@Breached18]

@UCJuiGenFkca6JrCWkv7AFEA asshole, you're a fake fan if you haven't played the god tier Fallout Tactics. God himself has said he couldn't make a game 1% of the quality of Fallout Tactics or BoS. It is a masterpiece that us humans are lucky to see

[@Wackaz]

Most relatable comment I have ever read.

[@gouldiie14]

"You're a hero........and you have to leave"

[@jokinproductions8450]

He sounds like a politician haha

[@blingusringus2429]

New Vegas according to Bethesda

[@prime_optimus]

@@blingusringus2429 I have never heard Bethesda badmouth New Vegas, but whatever helps you sleep at night.

[@blingusringus2429]

@@prime_optimus it was a joke cumwad

[@prime_optimus]

@@blingusringus2429 Cope.

[@midnightmayhem3337]

It's kind of Ironic how the best received Fallout games are the ones developed in the shortest time frame

[@kingnikolai5799]

makes you wonder how the could have been with more time

[@henrycrabs3497]

@@kingnikolai5799 you get the outer worlds lmao

[@georgie9303]

@@henrycrabs3497 that had no budget though. NV did

[@user-ms5tq1dh7i]

@@georgie9303 no, i don't think so. I don't think they really thought out how to make a game like TOW. I actually think they would be better if they can make another fallout.

[@georgie9303]

@@user-ms5tq1dh7i No, they had to cut a lot of content. Some of the cut content was essential content like adding more story behind the characters, which needed it. www.google.com/amp/s/www.gamespot.com/amp-articles/the-outer-worlds-dev-reveals-the-content-it-cut-fr/1100-6476043/ We’ll see how they’ll handle a AAA budget with Avowed.

[@speedingoffence]

When the drums started rolling for the big reveal in 4, I thought it was going to be that YOU were a synth. With the game waiting for me to hit the next text que, I thought that, maybe, you had been programmed by the Railroad to think the Institute had stolen your child as a new tactic, where previous synths, aware of their mission, had failed. That the ability for a synth to be so driven by such a thought, and coming up with options that someone without those motivations would not have, was a testament to how human they had become. That you possibly even volunteered for this, memory wipe and all. That maybe you'd left a love interest behind. Maybe Curie was, in fact, in YOUR old body. The actual reveal was... Decidedly less interesting. Good thing I'd thought ahead and made sure to have as much room for loot as possible. I don't think they expected one of the reactions to the institute would be to get in and empty the whole place with your Overseer's Guardian, though. They just came back.

[@dmas7749]

the Synth reveal would not have just been the obvious (in a good way) twist to add, but encapsulate the player's character extremely well

[@artcrime2999]

The "is your neighbor a synth" thing is in the game, but its easily missed because its a bit of a random thing. If you have a settlement one of your unnamed settlers can be replaced by a synth, who will then trigger a synth attack on your base or a mob ready to kill a suspected synth at your base. Unfortunetly this is super easy to miss if you rush through the storyline, or dont bother with the settlements.

[@MyNamesComics]

That’s wild, I’ve always taken care of my settlements and each play through I take literally months to finish and that’s never happened!!!

[@Indigo_Gaming]

Great video, man! I always appreciate the time and effort put into full retrospectives like these, and I'm glad you didn't pretend that the series started with 3 like some others do.

[@NeverKnowsBest]

Thanks man. I've watched a lot of your videos and it means a lot to know that you liked one of mine. Keep up the great work; there's not enough good rpg coverage on youtube.

[@cthulhuhoops]

"Atompunk retro-futuristic"--this is the ONLY analysis of the series I've seen actually use this description, which is bizarre since Fallout is the most iconic example of both! I'm not sure I agree about some parts of Fallout 3--the LARPing vampires, for instance, were cannibals who exerted a constant effort not to eat flesh but to settle for the next "best" thing (blood). That didn't strike me as particularly quirky, but kind of terrifying. I also think there were absolutely moral dilemmas in 3 that didn't fall into the stark binary of 'good or evil'--look at Paradise Falls, Tenpenny Tower's rivalry with the ghouls, and The Pitt DLC. There's other instances of this but these are the three that immediately come to mind for me when I think of how 3 at least had *some* attempts to give you moral dilemmas. By contrast, NV's base game is all about which faction you want to please. The real moral questions come in with the DLCs. I think the point you made about Bethesda caring too much and playing it somewhat safe with 3 is a really interesting one. I'd never even considered that angle before, but it definitely does make sense. They tried to give players something familiar, and in doing so proved the truth of the phrase that trying to please everyone means you please no one. Although obviously there are people who like 3--I myself like it, though it's not my favorite--its base game does now seem like it's trying to be as familiar as it can be. It's the DLCs that really try something new and interesting (Broken Steel notwithstanding). I agree that NV's quests all feel more important to the overall world and narrative, which is also something I didn't realize I liked about it before. You put into words something I always enjoyed about the game without knowing why I precisely enjoyed it. I'd only slightly disagree about it providing more moral dilemmas, as I still think each major quest is about which faction you want to make happy, but its DLCs don't have this problem at all.

[@Kralchen]

For having such a high ambition for the video, it turned out great. Insight to lots of valuable points and lessons from each game/developer, underlined with fitting examples and footage. It's a pleasure to watch, even if I don't have played every game in the series. Also announcing major spoilers is always appreciated.

[@carrier2823]

Kralchen by ambition, did you mean expectations?

[@Wackaz]

I actually love the visual and graphical design of New Vegas, and I for one would not have it any other way. Not only does it bring an immense nostalgic warmth to the game (and that shouldn't be stressed enough); from an artistic level, the dirty and torrid brown landscapes with the dark, rugged architecture town-to-town, and the dry, oppressively parched orange tint of the Mojave Desert really makes the experience feel super immersive, as if you're truly living within an airless and scorched post-apocalyptic Californian desert amongst a forgotten and discarded society. Everything looks and subsequently feels dull and dried out of any moisture, but that's exactly the point. I think if colours were adjusted to meet a Fallout 4 type pastel colour palette, then the experience would generally feel greatly diminished on an immersion, realism based level. In my opinion, Fallout 3 and New Vegas both adapted the original artistic style and graphical design from the original Fallout 1 and 2 perfectly. I understand they're "hard to look at", but isn't a post-apocalyptic wasteland going to be hard to look at, after all? You're not exactly going to be bombarded with bloomed shaders and vivid colours. All of this considered, and Fallout New Vegas is still a pleasant visual experience nevertheless, which I guess defies the original intention, but I know that this was also an artistic decision due to the nostalgic-embodiment of the radio bringing you to a homely, mellow past. And this works... For me, combined with the wonderful and cosy radio music and radio host, strolling and exploring the Mojave Desert couldn't be a more heartwarming experience - I think that's a testament to the genius of the art design: not only does it feel realistic, but it also induces an encapsulating warmth inside you, which, for a summer's day, makes playing New Vegas all the more satisfying.

[@jazmindodds]

Same!! When I first got it, not realizing it was made a while ago, the graphics are hard to deal with. But after some time and just how much fun I had exploring, I grew to really like it and felt immersed in what is supposed to be a dull endless wasteland. It does have that warmth and with the music, it’s a relaxing time

[@Addeladle-St-James]

FALLOUT 3 was a pathetic waste of time. They misunderstood where the Magic was and produced something that made Skyrim look impressive. 🤮. The present franchise is garbage infused with artificial Fallout flavoring.

[@livesakimbo]

@@Addeladle-St-James get a job

[@brendenh9461]

I love new Vegas and it’s a core part of my childhood, but I’ve never ever seen anyone say they love the orange- tinted everything lol.

[@nickjohnson3619]

Agreed, I also think the fact it's a desert makes it more believable. Don't get me wrong love having a ruined city to run amok in but after a nuke war would def not be this much of Boston or DC left

[@TeaBoneZombie]

i LOVE this shit. I'd pretty much seen every Fallout analysis too. Perfect length too!

[@lfaaron1249]

TeaBoneZombie Dude Ikr

[@nelsonsham2368]

@Tom Phelps he did took more time of FO4 part though... if he got FO76... this video will be longer than all NV NPC dialogs combined + DLCs NPC... which is a lot... well I am exagerating maybe add and extra hour or just affter the FO4 part put a black screen then show "FUCK THAT ONE"

[@booradley6832]

Me: What makes this game reviewer trustworthy compared to the others? "I've built enough foundationally unsound penis shaped buildings" Me: *tearing up* ....its like he's the brother I never had.

[@thebolas000]

"My son is missing? No time for that, there's not nearly enough giant dicks in the Commonwealth!"

[@Mark_zist_Anonoymous]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@magnificmango336]

“You can’t have a story be cartoony and serious at the same time” *laughs in Metal Gear*

[@orangesoda4535]

Laughs in digimon

[@nickelakon5369]

Literally the entire staller series

[@Jspotstudieos]

@@megamike15 fucking right

[@appeltysken3571]

disco elisium is really good at it by the way

[@enochz]

My real life is cartoony and serious (in the horrifying way) at the same time. You need that to survive sometimes, other times it's the mockery and insanity of others making it BOTH cartoony and serious to an extreme. That's just the way it goes, but I agree that it doesn't make sense. That's life.

[@Mistymist14]

My most favorite deep dive of the Fallout series that doesn't have the constant berrating of fallout 3 and 4, but legit critiques on all of the games that are fair. I will not ignore critiques of fallout 3 and 4, but I think it became a hate bregade instead of an actual conversation. So I really appreciate you being not only unbias but also respectful on how you talk about these games.

[@wisemage0]

He took a respectful dump on Fallout 3. +10 Karma

[@truedarkness4052]

I feel like a lot of his criticisms boil down to "Not serious or grim enough. We can't have moments of silliness or wackiness in this game since it is P O S T A P O C A L Y P T I C." It's really weird how he just doesn't like any humor or levity and wants to be surrounded by a grim dismal world all the time. Like wtf was that whole rant about how radiation sickness isn't taken seriously?! You don't think that 200 years after the Great War that people wouldn't adapt or have a bunch of radaways and Rad-Xs to ward off radiation? It really feels like he is just complaining for the sake of complaining. This is the main issue with all these video essay guys. They claim to or come off as if they understand people, when they forget basic shit like how people can adapt to their surroundings and maybe have cartoonish levity to be able to function in the wasteland without just completely breaking down. Also saying that a bunch of Bethesda game designers are "incompetent" is downright insulting and disrespectful.

[@demonpride1975]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/a6ubiXubZ7Oid6c kzbin.info/www/bejne/gILVaGOpedmrqck i have watched these videos over and over again, i love 3 and 4, i think three in a whole is better then new Vegas, but that is just my opinion.

[@sorenrousseau]

​@@truedarkness4052 100 percent agree

[@twinzzlers]

​@@truedarkness4052 The writers for Oblivion were amazing, what 'special' kind of person would mock them?

[@Cubeingtin]

Haven't finished watching, but a small note on the gold mine, gold is one of the best electrical conductor so the mining of gold would be invaluable.

[@Taggart00]

Thats what I thought and thats why the gold is shipped to Vault City for production of high tech products

[@todo9633]

Copper and silver have similar industrial and tech uses as well, but yeah the rarity of gold, especially in a post apocalyptic setting would make a gold backed currency not the worst idea. The only issue I could imagine would be the devaluation that would occur if the NCR found massive pre-war gold stockpiles, but from lore it seems like losing war is a bigger issue for them than finding too much.

[@jimbo5276]

@@todo9633 lol "gold backed currency"

[@jamie_d0g978]

@@jimbo5276 It used to be water backed currency with the caps, but NCR dollar is gold backed. What is the funny thing?

[@jimbo5276]

@@jamie_d0g978 currency isn't "backed" by anything

[@Slavaltube]

THE fallout video. One could literally never have heard about fallout before and just by watching this video get a full, all-incapsulating idea of what's going on. It's like nobody else will need to make a fallout video until a new game comes out because you've managed to explain all there is to explain in just under 2 hours. You've done really great work. I personally agree with your take on what fallout should be like, but the future of the franchise looks doomed to me. I doubt that after 76's disaster Bethesda would try making another fallout game soon. And they definitely won't sell the rights since if someone else were to make an actually good fallout, Bethesda's reputation would suffer even more

[@Andreas_Mann]

"One could literally never have heard about fallout" You don't need the word literally here.

[@Andreas_Mann]

i mean you literally dont need it literally

[@kenjen9861]

Someone's never heard of Noah Caldwell Gervais ;)

[@kekfreedomheritage5633]

Hmmm interesting points. But there is money and egos at stake for them not to try. Nice commentary and history. Game Story Identity and Solid Good Lore are important. In context of identity and lore, what can we do if there are major irrational actions, or false stories about the lore of Fallout? Would you help save Fallout, or at least help save the True Spirit of Fallout? KEK KEK - Points of Fallout Game Culture, and related help to MeMes of Freedom; Creative Free Thoughts; Plausible Good Lore; Resistance To Oppression; Self Determination and Survival In Style. ----- We who purse freedom, the Kekistanis (of Kekistan Nation), love many aspects of Fallout, and survival sim tools. But, if the Fallout series becomes watered down in simply cash grab tactics without enough integrity to principles, or to good lore, then it can become corrosive to the mind. In viewing through the eyes of the character / player, the aspects of good lore are part of the problem solving, strategy, simulation, learning and entertainment. For big picture example, are the survivors working on making basic telegraph communications, or radios to better communication with friends, and for coordinated survival? When and where are the basic radio transmissions going to be formed? For a more recent example,in the Battle Royale Mode (of Fallout 76) , there are major lore issues, UNLESS either explained, or by enough plausible possibilities that are imagined. For example, how are players popping up in random places in a plausible way? Were they drugged and placed in locations? Were they sent there by underground tunnels, or dropped by drones? And although the large circle of fire may seem like a natural “perfect circle” of a fire storm, but is it really an environment control by the Vault 51 Computer Antagonist Voice (CAV)? In the game, the Vault 51-CAV shows that it can place items and observe everything, so it likely has other environment controls, such as the fire storm ring. What if the Vault 51-CAV could be simply making deceptions for its greed of attention, and for the distracting of the survivors in fights to death, which can allow the CAV to buy more time in developing its artificial intelligence (AI) and to align with unethical humans to further its control of others. Sometimes it is not just China (communists) that is the enemy. So, can a player / character find a way to take over the CAV or the Environment Controls (likely of the CAV)? Can a survivor create mischief to the CAV to find weaknesses in the whole system of Vault 51? Can a survivor escape the CAV and avoid fighting to the death? Are the survivors basically being told lies, myths, and false hopes by the CAV, for the simple purpose of easily killing the survivors? Can there be an option for survivors / player to overthrow the CAV, and/or to either to disrupt the likely secret environment controls by an Overthrow Campaign, and able to win that way? How can we overcome evil forces and hidden manipulations?

[@metoxys]

You know this is a good analysis when something in my head figuratively goes *click* and I suddenly have a new perspective on things. Like, Ulysses' (F:NV DLC) messages of not knowing your history, using symbols without understanding them, suddenly these messages and themes make a lot more sense

[@Robert399]

Hang on... is that _praise_ for Ulysses' dialogue??

[@metoxys]

@@Robert399 Yes.

[@Robert399]

@@metoxys 😬

[@relishcakes4525]

This is super late. But in regards to hakkunen (the tribal shaman) talking to you psychically. Even fallout 1 acknowledged psykers existing. In the masters vault you can find some psykers wearing nullifiers. If you let them out their heads explode…so hakkunen being psychic isn’t off the table.

[@Novasfan100]

Same with Fallout 3, can't remember her name but a character will tell you about quests you haven't completed yet

[@Tortillasoup-se7sh]

You mean mama Murphy

[@relishcakes4525]

@Tortillasoup-se7sh nah that's fallout 4.

[@nicolasperez114]

I had goosebumps when Jingle Jangle started playing lol, that's how much i love NV.

[@warhawk638]

Best modern fallout game? Old World Blues mod for Hearts of Iron 4.

[@jackson7962]

Good point lol

[@tzimiscelord8483]

You sir have been inspired me to acquire hearts of iron 4

[@JasonGodwin69]

Tell the makers of that game to balance the Mojave Brotherhood of Steel, Friendly-with-the-NCR route is OP and no other route comes close.

[@yuripantyhose4973]

Too bad the economy mod is dead though :(

[@Marduk710]

Can someone link me to the mod download, thats not on steam, please?

[@jamesblueking9720]

To me it just makes sense that the enemies return to cleared locations, in universe: enemy finds empty location and settles in, player returns and kill everyone again.

[@vincelang3779]

The bigger problem lies beneath, as I see it and is hinted at in the video: who (or what) are all these predators praying upon? Just how many caravans must pass through an area and be robbed by all these raiders anyway? The wilderness in the Elder Scrolls and FALLOUT3 progressively gets filled with nothing but apex predators, in synch with the player level progression; also: where do merchants get all that cash to buy loot? "Logical" answers only serve to highlight just how _illogical_ these worlds are for me . . .

[@thebolas000]

I wish Bethesda had let us send settlers to cleared buildings instead of indefensible positions with no infrastructure. The Corvega plant or Saugus Ironworks would be invaluable settlements

[@twinzzlers]

​@@vincelang3779 Try thinking, for a moment. Firstly it's for gameplay reasons, so you don't turn the entire open world into a boring graveyard, and secondly the raiders could very easily be preying on other groups of raiders too.

[@thedamntrain3467]

I feel like the Fallout 3 DLC were specifically aimed to target most of the faults of the base game. Like "what do they eat" can now be answered by "Punga", and the Pitt DLC has some good moral dilemmas.

[@turell0]

The Pitt DLC is the best idea of Fallout series. They could have made a complete game based on the idea of the birth of a child immune to the radiation of the Wasteland, but they stuck with the premise of searching for a relative.

[@henrycrabs3497]

Fallout 3 honestly gets the short end of the stick so much and I don't get it. It's like people get off on saying it's bad.

[@thezdude8512]

@@henrycrabs3497 I think Fallout 3 was just the biggest jump from what a lot of people see as the "good" Fallouts and the "bad" Fallouts. It doesn't help that it somewhat lacks its own identity. There are fewer overarching conflicts in Fallout 3 than in any other game, to my memory. I bet many people don't see the full scope of the decisions in Fallout 3 because they're too often split down good and evil (factions on the same side of the morality split tend not to compete with each other, even if it's feasible to only side with one of them.) There's a lot to love in Fallout 3, but it tends to get more attention for what it lacks than what it has.

[@twinzzlers]

The Pitt DLC is the best Fallout DlC ever, of all time. Seriously I will fight tooth and nail over this, even better than Old World Blues.

[@MrArchilus]

​@@twinzzlers I really hated Old World Blues.

[@adamdavenport8009]

Fallout 3 was my first Fallout game and the game that made me fall in love with the franchise. Looking back after all these years, I do still love Fallout 3, but I can see the flaws better and sometimes wonder what could have been. I can certainly agree with your sentiment of Bethesda needing to make games they love again instead of whatever the hell they're doing now. When they made Morrowind, they were on the verge of going under and it was do or die. They said fuck it and just made a game they'd want to play. And people still play and talk about Morrowind today as a truly great game. They need to look back to that time and realize what they did right was just making a world they'd enjoy being in. Those are the games I want to see. And I'm sure many more fans would agree with me on that, both in regards to the ES and Fallout franchises as well as to Starfield and whatever else they conjure up in the future.

[@ToastGamingNCrew]

New Vegas here, glad it was my first and not FO4.

[@KendylTV]

Butter OnToast FO4 was my first and it didn’t leave a negative impression on me. Eventually went back and played 1, 2, 3, and NV, only one I thoroughly disliked was 3. New Vegas and especially 1 and 2 are better RPGs, but I still like 4 because it appeases my guilty pleasures: exploration, looting, and building shit. The game is a fucking mess, but it’s my mess, lol.

[@adamdavenport8009]

@@KendylTV I can respect that. 4 is still fun. I just felt like it could've been more.

[@KendylTV]

Adam Davenport It definitely could’ve been more, some of that made its way into the Far Harbor DLC, but even it gets too much credit for what is essentially Fallout 4 + some actual choices and a story that’s less shit.

[@chrisragnar1]

Morrowind was my first bethesda game and its been going downhill from there for bethesda imo. Not saying it would hold up today, but it was genuinly exciting to explore morrowind back then for whatever reason. I did enjoy exploring Oblivion too even tho i thought the setting was less exciting, mods were at its hight in Oblivion imo.

[@tommydude6735]

I would like to point out on mistake you made about fallout 2. There is dialogue that explains that gold from redding and broken hills both support the NCR, as the NCR has started backing their currency by gold again.

[@zayan6284]

The NCR did something right!

[@tommydude6735]

@@zayan6284 It also gave them a convenient reason to keep the ghouls and super mutants far away from them in Broken Hills, since they could run the mines.

[@ChristianAuditore14]

I don't get why retards think gold will lose its value

[@cassandracole4589]

@@ChristianAuditore14 Because gold doesn't have any intrinsic value outside of niche electronic uses and glitteriness, and the only people who think it's valuable on it's own are the same people who buy protein powders from right wing radio hosts.

[@ChristianAuditore14]

@@cassandracole4589 sure

[@acblook]

I've never played any fallout games but between this, Joseph Anderson, Internet Historian, and hbomberguy, I've invested enough time in them that i could have played one

[@andrewlong9799]

Play Fallout New Vegas. It is fantastic. You can get the Ultimate edition for 20 bucks on Steam, hell I think it goes for 5 during the summer sale, it's a great franchise to get into despite the crap Betheada has done with Fallout 76

[@sharkang0243]

@@andrewlong9799 or you can download cracked

[@lloydlandrum3040]

@@andrewlong9799 better to get it from GOG

[@fernandohood5657]

lol d fuck, thats so wierd, u hear all these analysis and u never played any fallout games? u must be rly bored :D

[@theplaybunnyarcade3375]

@antisocialite they're really not that great tbh, lol. Just whining for a time long past that never truly existed as he remembered. His video is the literal equivalent of those people who think 1950s America was the best time ever in our nation's history with no problems.

[@evand2]

Fallout is one of the greatest video game universes ever created. Just a brilliant overall concept

[@shipwreckedonapopulatedisland]

I'd like to see some more horror inspired elements in fallout, ie vaults in fallout 4 were colourful and well lit whereas those in 3 were dim dark and made me question why I was even going in there.

[@milosstojanovic4623]

Thats one BIG reason i liked F3 more then NV or F4, also that quest with mystery lane was cool and DLCs were great!

[@ultimategohan1551]

@@milosstojanovic4623 yales the Pitt on your first playthrough was kinda tense especially the ignot mill

[@billyferal5558]

A post apocalyptic wasteland should be terrifying and dark as in slaves and evil things happening when humans are left to their own devices. That is something that always annoyed me about fallout. New Vegas almost had it but you should be scared going out for supplies through abandoned warehouses and apartments ànd stuff like that

[@shipwreckedonapopulatedisland]

@@billyferal5558 my favourite section of fallout 4 was the glowing sea that place was freaky.

[@milosstojanovic4623]

@Metsarebuff 22 i agree New Vegas had good DLCs also, but much better than Fallout 3, nahh, i thoroughly enjoyed in F3 DLCs

[@TheNumberOfTheBeast666]

Y’know, thank you for catalyzing my feelings on fallout one. I could never quite place my finger on why fallouts two and three didn’t quite feel right, this video made me realize what exactly was weirding me out about it. If nothing else, your video managed to clear up the confusion some random stranger felt on the internet.

[@swagmundfreud666]

I've realized I like the concept of fallout much more than I actually like the games from watching this. Probably why Fallout 1 is my favourite. I really want a visual work of fiction in a post-nuclear wasteland, with very deep and realist lore and worldbuilding. I want it to be a tragedy. I want it to be bleak and dark. This is all because I want it to be realistic, because I personally really value realistic worldbuilding in art. Some people just want to be entertained by some ironic dark humor. Some people want good game design with interesting controls and features. I'm not that person. I want a realistic fallout game with the grittiness of the original that isn't so dated.

[@Darkko88]

Just play stalker.

[@Idazmi7]

_"Probably why Fallout 1 is my favourite. I really want a visual work of fiction in a post-nuclear wasteland, with very deep and realist lore and worldbuilding. I want it to be a tragedy. I want it to be bleak and dark. This is all because I want it to be realistic, because I personally really value realistic worldbuilding in art. (...) I want a realistic fallout game with the grittiness of the original that isn't so dated."_ Same, man.

[@cilliangillick]

Have you played the wasteland series ?

[@Loromir17]

Same, mate, and that's why I have a strange two-sided feeling about Fallout 4. I never could get into it's narrative system, so I've played strictly with the Frost mod, which basically removes all the plot and cranks danger up to 11. What I've noticed very early is that the environments and the music Bethesda has created, when bare of dialogue, and quest markers, and the power fantasy, are quite somber, touching even. Their message is clear: the old world is dead, it was murdered and it did not go gently into the night, but fought and keeps fighting back with ghoulish tooth and nail. And yet, my eyes catch something among the semi-realistic trashed environment of a supermarket or a highway: a garish 50s style kitchenware or a retrofuturistic, wildly impractical car desing - and I remember that the old world of Fallout was an awful, awful place, a vicious caricature of all things bad about american culture. And it feels really strange when the central visual narrative of the game is about mourning that awful world's self-imposed demise.

[@swagmundfreud666]

@@Loromir17 There are some places in New Vegas that give that feel. Vault 22, The King's building where they believe Elvis must have been worshiped like a god, and a few others. Do you know any mods for New Vegas that really help bring that out more?

[@MrIcenice44]

This is probably the most I’ve felt like arguing back at one of your videos. Humor and serious tragedy go together perfectly, have you ever been to the hood? It’s been the end of the world there for decades, but some of the funniest people and funniest things I’ve ever met were there. They were a part of their environment without any clear difference from it. Realism and comedy don’t have any separation between them in the real world.

[@drunkensailor112]

They even had comedic shows at the concentration camps between inmates. The more dread, the more humor to counter it.

[@dugonman8360]

We use humor as a way of aliviating the dread of death, its our species copinng mechanism. Noticed the same thing about the hood as well as trailer parks. Bleak, depressing places where the lowest on the social ladder can live yet they find humor and joy in the most simplest things. Theres also a sense of comradery and homeliness that can't be found anywhere else.

[@Atok1111]

but theres no comedy im f4, just wacky shit ...

[@greasysox]

What’s that expression that’s like, tragedy is when an old person stubs and breaks their toe comedy is when they fall in a manhole and die

[@wisemage0]

I felt that his summary of the Harold quest was wildly uncharitable to the point where it was bordering bad faith. That thing was a dramatic, interactive deep-dive on the concept of assisted suicide: and Mr. Video essay just dismissed it as one big joke. I get that it's cool to shit on fallout 3 now; but this is getting out of hand.

[@trashpanda5869]

This is the best critique of the Fallout series I've ever heard.

[@KrazyEngima]

“It’s fine that radiation can cause mutations, but magic?” *looks to impossible Skyrim connection once more*

[@admiraltonydawning3847]

Looks at Stalker games.

[@yorgo2255]

@@admiraltonydawning3847 to be fair the stalker explosion of stalker is explicitly said to be mystical and not boring old radiations. And I think that no one would have complained if they established the magical power from radiation thing from the beginning.

[@brotbrotsen1100]

@@yorgo2255 Depends what we are willing to call magic, psychic powers for example were a thing since Fallout 1.

[@hecunt3633]

@@brotbrotsen1100 When you proceed to the Master's room, without the nullifier item of course, freaky shit starts happening.

[@brotbrotsen1100]

@@hecunt3633 Yes that's what i mean, freaky shit was always part of fallout and some stuff could be seen as "magic" or supernatural in the context of the fallout universe.

[@adamjensen2304]

“Wait they had simps in fallout 4?...” 5 min later “Oh he’s saying synths”

[@ceasefire2825]

i mean they have simps too. they're just renamed "the railroad"

[@nicholas1254]

No no simps just wrote FO4

[@creamygoodness3828]

My wife has left me for a slavic man in an adidas track suit who uses the same cologne she used to have as an air freshener whenever she took a dump when my wife was little. And upon rescenting the same cologne my wife gets put into a state of nostalgia, getting to experience the same sense of relive whenever she moved her bowels as a child & thats exactly the reason she is so attracted to this man. Whenever she nibbles on his neck, she literally tries to taste the scent of said air freshener. But I advised against it, since its not meant for consumption. So I told her I was paying a renowned group of scientists to extract the scent & put it in food items. So she can eat the scent that made her feel happy back then. And then poop it out afterwards & have a hearty sniff at her chocolate nuggets, holding it in her arm like a warm loaf of bread. And who knows, she may even have a taste. I mean if the scientists did an outstanding job, I bet the strong scent of woodland roses would overpower the chocolatey bitter "After" tones XD But nevertheless, Im very proud for my wife that she is getting married in June. The only way to get her back would be to cover myself in little air freshener trees & present one to her as a sign that I still love her. And which serves as a wedding ring replacement. But what kind of simp would I be if I would diddle my wife myself? No, Im sure my wife will be very happy moving in with Milos & his adjoined donkey stable right next to the house. Living in a 2 bedroom mansion with both his sister & his mother. While they eat deep fried donkey schlongs on a hock swinging in their faces to increase appetite during the candle light dinner. Forgive me Carol for I have simped. I shall head to the cathedral tower & to punish myself with tactical strokes of my whip onto myself.

[@dathunderman4]

Ha ha ha ha 😐

[@ctnke]

@@creamygoodness3828 nice copypasta lol

[@flamingsandshadow5811]

I appreciate anyone who takes the time to do their due diligence when it comes to the fallout franchise, especially going over the series as whole. You did a fantastic job on this video and I can’t wait to binge more of your content. Instant sub

[@Vigilante9033]

I’m addicted to Fallout video essays, especially ones that talk about the classic games. This is one of the best I’ve seen. Does a really good job nailing down what sets the original apart from the sequels. Bravo 👏 👏👏👏

[@truedarkness4052]

This guy seems way too obsessed with having everything "bleak" and not realizing that people in universe would adapt to the wasteland after a few generations of living in the waste. And pretty much all the games take it seriously and shows how a power vacuum and no centralized established power/authority can lead to the rise of utter brutality between wastelanders. The slavers of Paradise Falls or the fiends around New Vegas for instance.

[@TamaraLynnchambers]

This is so wonderful. I’ll be playing fallout 1&2 this year for the first time. I was introduced to the series with New Vegas and have tried to hold on with 3, 4, and 76 but I think going back to one and two will be good for me. Very nice video.

[@StarMarshal]

Tamara Lynn Chambers it’s a great experience. Only thing I’d warn you of is that it will not hold your hand at all. Also save every time you enter a new area in case you “accidentally” insult an npc and they attack which can turn entire settlements hostile.

[@ToastGamingNCrew]

There are decent mods in fallout 4 that can completely change the story, to a certain degree. But yeah, I'd stick to New Vegas and the first two.

[@mickles1975]

"This video probably won't get many views" A quarter of a million views later...

[@fiddleanddrum]

Three-quarters of a million views later...

[@sebastiansochanski]

850 k later.

[@MarceloZ2]

900k views later...

[@spookymadeleine]

✨ONE MILLION✨

[@The1Helleri]

27:41 "There's also a gold mine. Why do people bother mining gold in a post apocalypse is some you're not told." Why did what were essentially cavemen bother with gold? After all it was long before the advent of writing or money. The answer is that gold isn't just pretty and rare. It's one of the single most useful substances that exist. It has amazing ductility. In theory 1oz. of 24k gold can be drawn out to wire 1 micron thick (the human hair is about 70 microns thick) and 1250 miles long before it reaches a point where drawing it out any thinner will cause it to break. That same amount of gold could be flattened into a 0.25 sheet that is transparent and covers 100sq. ft. before it begins to suffer from the same self separation problems. It's one of the most thermally and electrically conductive elements as well. It is also 99.8% chemically inert. Which means that only under circumstances where a chemist is trying to destroy gold can it actually be rusted, tarnished or broken down. It's also sterile. Meaning it has antigenic properties and kills things like most bacteria and viruses on it's surface. It can even be alloyed with titanium to make a substance that is 4x stronger (tougher and harder) than some of the best steels of the same mass. Almost everything you have modernly either contains some amount of gold or gold had some involvement in manufacturing it or the ability to manufacture it. Out modern lives is made possible in large part by gold. Even your brain contains trace amounts of it that are crucial to the function of the brain. It was one of the first metals we learned to work (Either that or copper was the very first. Every time we find an artifact of one it's not long before we find a slightly even older artifact made of the other. So it's hard to say which was technically first. Just that we started working with both of them around the same time). A little bit of the stuff goes a long way. In a post apocalyptic world having a steady source of it would be a great thing for keeping old electronics up and running and protecting ones that are from failure do to the harsher environment. People could definitely use gold foil lined clothing to reduce the negative effects of harmful radiation. Or to replace a wire or make a contact in an old machine corrosion resistant. I find the notion that they need to justify a settlement having a gold mine ridiculous. Because it would be a useful trade item to any other settlement. Sure fitting the wild west theme is probably why they did it. But if one knows anything about gold besides it's pretty and rare and that's why we backed currency with it for so long (which is only two of three reasons, the third being that it's nearly the single most useful natural substance in existence). It doesn't need an explanation.

[@chickenwinna]

this comment thread is funny

[@zyonhunter]

i just found a new youtuber to watch.

[@ShoorfLonelyLokly]

You're welcome, have a seat. Also check out Joseph Anderson and Gaming Pasttime (allthough he is boring imo)

[@gerwaanhartfield7261]

Congrats

[@doctordungus7774]

If I was going to recommend gaming analysis channels like Shoorf did, I would recommend Joseph Anderson and the king of review content, MatthewMatosis. I can't tell if you're subbed to them, Zyon, but they're great. Also, I see you're subbed to DamePesos and InternetHistorian. Choice.

[@DumpsterFire2048]

Because that's important. Waste more time watching more people talk about shit that's been beaten to death. Congratulations 🎉🎉🎉

[@zyonhunter]

@@doctordungus7774 sub to all of them. all good content creators.

[@morningnapalm9963]

*Slow clap This video was a truly beautiful work to witness and I was quite mesmerized by the grace and flow of your dialogue style. I can't imagine all the research, notes, and revisions necessary to make this work, but above all that simply the palpable sense that it was a review over a subject that someone had an obvious interest, even passion in and also spent a great deal of their own time crafting their own experiences into makes it all that more wholesome and enjoyable. Whoever you are British man, thank you.

[@kusipaa8683]

Making an opionated essay doesn't really need research.

[@shkeni]

"The good of the world ended when the bombs fell". Completely overlooking early Fallout's critique of the savagery of pre-war America (you even show the clip of 'our boys keeping the peace in Canada' after the invasion) and its crass materialism and racism. The idea that pre-war America was some sort of whiz-bang paradise of cool tech, hope and unironically decent people is a thoroughly recent phenomenon in Fallout, with Fallout 4 being the standard bearer for this utterly flawed understanding of the lore. The bombs fell because the people in charge were thoroughly evil and uncaring to begin with. Looking at what remains from the pre-war civilization, you can only conclude that they were (criminally) insane.

[@zekun4741]

there are countless flaws with fallout 4, its story and lore, but fallout 4's world never claims that the pre-war world was paradise. terminals and holotapes from the pre-war world will tell this much, the vault-tec representative's fate shows this, the brotherhood often tell you about the sad state of the pre-war world.

[@pierrealba]

He said the good ended, not that there was no evil.

[@Shushkin]

You're just not allowed to make games with themes like that anymore. So many people flipped their shit when Far cry 5 was coming out. The shit they were bitching about was mild compared to fallout 1

[@mr.battle20]

@@Shushkin The best part about Far Cry 5 is that the "villain", Joseph Seed, turned out to be right the whole time. Yes, his methods were brutal, but in retrospect they were also necessary. He knew what was coming.

[@drewmoeshow]

10 points for knowing the story and proving why the Enclave exist.

[@alistair3588]

These analysis videos are my favourite on youtube. You make a lot of really interesting points, some of which I never really considered. I'm a narrative driven player who'll put up with some really janky gameplay so long as I love the characters and story, but I like hearing your perspective on gameplay and how it sometimes serves or undermines the story/world-building. Thanks for all the work you put into these!

[@robertharris6092]

"Fallout 76 vs literally everyone" lol.

[@admiraltonydawning3847]

Except Oxhorn.

[@cooldude10149804]

Good stuff. Would love to see you make a similar video on The Elder Scrolls series.

[@patrikalos5301]

This

[@NyanGeneral]

Congrats, he did it.

[@cooldude10149804]

Euan MacDonald where tho

[@NyanGeneral]

@@cooldude10149804 my mistake, it was by indigo gaming instead, but that video is what you're looking for.

[@alexhodgkinson6718]

Just watch that 5 hour Oblivion Retrospective. It's basically an ES retrospective and tackles literally every fucking thing

[@Corrupted]

Insanely well done video, great job dude!

[@i_have_dead9086]

Ja lol der rupty

[@henrycrabs3497]

SILENCE CHECKMARK

[@Ripperoni]

My thoughts on Fallout 3 is that it wasn’t made for existing fans, it was made for new fans. Maybe 1% was intended to appeal to players from a decade earlier. New Vegas was made for fallout 3 fans. Fallout 4 was Bethesda taking a new direction and 76 was meant to prop up Bethesda for a long wait between releases.

[@Amonny]

It was probably because of that I didn't like any of the ''new'' Fallout games. They don't do anything well. The RPG part is barely OKish, the shooter part is broken as hell, and the plot and dialogues are written by some clueless hipsters.

[@WALTAH2000]

Which is exactly why bethesda can go F themselves.

[@joe19912]

​@@AmonnyI enjoy them, but agree they are more action/adventure than true roleplaying. The writing has dropped off a cliff as well. 76 and Starfield are pure trash. Sad.

[@OmegaEnvych]

Ok, so here's really good retrospective on Fallout. After I thought that everything was said, comes a video where something new can be learned from. Good job, man!

[@luxither7354]

Thematically, storytelling and music wise, fallout 1 is also my favourite Fallout game. It's pop culture references are far more subtle than fallout 2's with a focus on the people in the wasteland and how they've developed their own cultures and ideals, mostly separate from the pre-war, unlike 3, 4 and NV. Don't get me wrong, I like the mild novelty of things like Caesar's legion, The Minutemen and other more bizarre factions and groups of wastelanders, but I think Fallout 1 in making a base for the other games to take their own shape was perfect.

[@samiamtheman7379]

I'm not sure the "Drinking irradiated water next to a nuclear bomb" thing is as dumb an idea when you consider that until you beat the main quest, almost every water source is irradiated. They're pretty much used to it, so to them, it's basically a well for water. Edit: And not everyone has a Geiger counter strapped to their wrist, and if real life is anything to go off of, if people don't know exactly how bad the radiation is and/or unless people are dropping dead in minutes, they'll assume it's not that bad.

[@putridmoldyman306]

Plus theres that the Children of Atom are immune to radiation

[@YouTubecanfuckagoat]

Mr Handy can produce clean purified water at a rate of 5 litres a day. There are thousands of these mobile humidifiers in game. You don’t need to drink irradiation laced water at all. In fact, You don’t even need to purify the Potomac. The games writing is utter shite

[@swisswizard7177]

@@KZbincanfuckagoat never heard of that, from were do you have your information?

[@ognjensijak989]

But it's literally next to the bomb? It would be incredibly irradiated but then you would have to ask yourself why did the people build a city around a bomb that can melt their face with radiation and if the answer is because they are immune to the radiation then what's the point of it being a mechanic in the game or how does it actually work. The real is that they probably did it because it seems cool. I hate it that radiation is treated like sunburns or something.

[@nousseirbahlous3387]

@@ognjensijak989 the crater of what would become megaton was caused by a bomber plane crashing. There were severe dust/radiation storms that being in a crater protected you from. This and the bomber plane naturally providing a lot of building materials.

[@MaxSharpy]

I rly loved that vault 13 overseer had hes special death animation. Devs allowed players to go into combat mode and kill him after being exiled... Man I was so young and mad at him back then. And so surprised that this option was actually added and no hints of that were given. Such a masterpiece.

[@pizzafeline4062]

Oh shit, here we go again... Sad to see what the franchise has become.

[@StarMarshal]

THE PHOENIX DZ playing the originals knowing what it will eventually become saddens me.

[@cjanon305]

We'll always have new vegas

[@rancidmilktogo6129]

cj anon Stop sucking off that game just because you watched HBomberGuy’s video. Go watch “Why Fallout 3 Doesn’t Suck” and get both sides of the story before having a bias.

[@ebbstubba5845]

@@rancidmilktogo6129 “Why Fallout 3 Doesn’t Suck” is a good video. I still disagree with much of what was said. Most sidequests were nonsensical, moral decisions were borderline insane, the combat was awful, and there just generally wasn't much going for it beyond the environments. Don't act like watching a video will change people's minds on games they've already played.

[@okagron]

@@rancidmilktogo6129 If you mean a manytrueanerd video, a lot of his arguments are absolute nonsense with no logic behind. He criticizes the roads of New Vegas for handholding, but forgets that the game has trade caravans that need roads to walk on. Says 3 has a better gameworld than New Vegas because the latter is somehow linear due to not being able to go anywhere you want. Completely forgetting why New Vegas world was designed the way it was (hint: it's so it doesn't become a theme park like 3, where you can anywhere with no challenge). Not to mention fucking defending Camp Littlelight because the game's rules are not the same as our reality. Basically, game is unrealistic, therefore it can do everything it wants. And Fallout 3 is still truly bad: no amount of mental gymnastics or making very minor things bigger than they are will change that. There was a clear intention here, he's a Bethesda shill. Clearly at one point he started to get attention from Bethesda, maybe getting sponsorships, or getting invited to parties made by Bethesda. Now he knows if he trash talks Bethesda, he'll no longer get that sweet Bethesda money or attention. At least with Fallout 76 he knew he had to tone it down, because it would be too obvious. But that hasn't stopped him from defending the game at certain points.

[@renaudldupuis3407]

Sooooo...this is the smartest thing I've watched in a few months. Congratulations on the great work, you just got a new sub.

[@kittkitsune]

27:45 Same reason we started mining gold in the first place. Its a very useful, easy to work metal that also looks pretty. Even if it no longer has monetary value its still incredibly useful for a great many things.

[@recreant359]

But most of the mines would be empty

[@apiocosmico833]

@@recreant359 Why?

[@thetohoapologist4240]

@@recreant359 empty of gold or miners?

[@Waakala]

we can even imagine how gold could have no monetary value but instead a enormous religious or spiritual value, being a metal that does not get rusty, a material that does no degrade in the ruined wasteland to the incas and many other cultures it had no value as money but nonetheless it was a precious thing, the sweat of the sun and such

[@weignerleigner3037]

The real reason people started mining gold is because gold fits everything a currency needs. Store of value(gold never deteriorates) coinable(you can divide gold) and has practical value(as a metal you can actually make functional and practical things with it)

[@THRILLSON2183]

"My name is None" ohhh the nostalgia

[@SpecialProjectY]

Took me about till Necropolis... Was quite surprised you could name your character as see fit.

[@pyetrezavodchikov911]

i really appreciate the level of detail he goes into to prove his beliefs rather than just asserting that its bad because its new. really good job m8

[@TKsMantis]

This is great man. Just found your channel through this video and I am going to share it. Love what you did here, hope to see more!

[@coobk]

Thanks for the recommendation

[@phillipwagner6669]

TKs-Mantis love your vids man!

[@kalebs6201]

One of the few intelligently crafted reviews in an ocean of bias hate fueled “reviews” i do not fully agree with all these points but they are presented in a professional and brilliant way.

[@jamesbrincefield9879]

I’m glad you touched upon the problem with settlement-building on a contextual level. I feel like not enough people do.

[@rotisserieprotocol3582]

I've watched a couple videos so far, and I gotta say, I like your work. You take a familiar but different angle to game critiques (that I'm used to) and I think it's a very fair and informative one. Keep up the good work!

[@lorekeeper2611]

Fallout 4: I NEED TO FIND MY SON NEMO

[@mutanttugboat9266]

Side Quest Dory: Who are we looking for again?

[@chilarius]

Look, i am one of those old fallout "diehard" fans and i just want an adult fiction themed game again. That was the reason why fallout 1 was interesting in first place.

[@Idazmi7]

Exactly.

[@somerando925]

what were your thoughts on the darker tone of new vegas

[@chilarius]

@@somerando925 Good, but not dark enough.

[@somerando925]

@@chilarius have you played the fallout new vegas mod: fallout dust

[@chilarius]

@@somerando925 Yes, and was an interesting mod (and of course, was a pain to play, but full of nice details, like the underground Lucky 38 or the Joshua Wéndigo). But just i like it as a mod, not as a fallout game itself, because already had the proper game as a backup.

[@funkerman7]

Avellone is genius when working with established IPs. Kotor 2 and New Vegas, both considered to have some of greatest storylines in gaming history

[@twinzzlers]

I feel like New Vegas' story was underrated tbh.

[@POSTERIZED109]

KOTOR arguably being the greater of the 2. It is insane the work these two games got.

[@j0nnyism]

I didn’t really enjoy kotor2 or new Vegas. Weird as I’m normally a fan of that sort of game

[@j0nnyism]

Why are facists always evil? Are there no nice fascists?

[@MrArchilus]

Kotor 2 was imo much weaker than the first one

[@umapessoaqualquer3688]

28:27 to be fair, San Francisco seems out of place and poor thought out in the real world

[@BrettCaton]

I really hated FO4 until i modded it. It was the modding community that made that game work. That said, "Far Harbor" is incredibly beautiful as a story, and I deeply enjoyed a lot of voice acting I found throughout the main story and DLCs. I didn't like the voice acted protagonist or the way the game forced you into two backgrounds only. FO 1 and 2 were much smarter as rpgs - 4 just felt like it was dumbed down for the console crowd, who just wanted 'splosions.

[@BrettCaton]

@@rickylegendesq.514 You aren't raping anyone, sunshine; but if you carry on like this, you'll end up in prison, and then a rather rough gent will knock out your teeth, and explain to you what your new role in life will be. Have fun with that, Dick!

[@MetalMailman35]

@Manek Iridius since daggerfall*

[@kummakummakummakummakummac8606]

I love Fallout 1,2,3 & NV but couldn't get into Fallout 4. I don't know why they did what they did but I hated it. Fallout started as a role playing game where every quest had multiple solutions. Now it feels like a open world shooter.

[@chrisragnar1]

FO4 for me is seeing those first Main plot npc' with 20 pixel resolution faces and soulless voice acting.

[@Commodore4eva]

Yeah BAR HARBOR really raised the BAR for Dlc, they really took that location FAR with it; I'll always Harbor love for it ;) But you bet whoever came up with changing the real location sign to Far from Bar was rather pleased that day.

[@kmac892]

The Harold tree quest was going to happen since fallout 1 he's in 1 with just a sprout 2 a sapling.

[@mr.battle20]

The only thing that didn't make sense about it was that Harold suddenly was moved to the other side of the country. Easy enough in our pre-war, civilized world, but in the post-apocalyptic America, that's much harder to explain. Especially since much of the Midwest is supposed to be an uninhabitable dustbowl racked by storms that spawn massive radioactive supertornadoes (think Mad Max: Fury Road, and the colossal tornadoes seen in the dust storm chase scene).

[@kmac892]

@@mr.battle20 would have made more sense to have it in New Vegas

[@towermoss]

It was fan service.

[@kmac892]

@@towermoss Better that then what they're doing now.

[@ryszakowy]

no it wasn't

[@darthsparkly]

I can listen to your videos on games like Fallout for Hours on End. Without having played them and still feeling like i got the whole picture i am really enjoying the time i spent on this. You are doing a really great job at this :)

[@seanlauziere8796]

You absolutely have fans! I'm glad you've enjoyed making videos and sharing your insight. What you have to share is quite valuable amongst the videogame community and I couldn't appreciate it enough! You will grow your channel because of the passion you put into your work! I'm looking forward to hearing more of you and your success in the future! Cheers from Canada bud ✊🍁

[@hemangchauhan2864]

Wish you covered DLCs

[@alexhodgkinson6718]

Far Harbor is best Fallout imo

[@henrycrabs3497]

Nuka World Gang

[@brotato9020]

This is my generic "can't believe you don't have more subs" comment. Second video of yours I stumbled upon and your pacing/energy are refreshing considering the style most content creators seem to adopt. Thanks for the quality content.

[@truedarkness4052]

He just seems like some deoressed guy wanting more depression porn and not realizing that the fallouts after FO2 take place 200 years after the war so people would adapt to the wastes to some degree

[@Champstamp83]

Considering the footnote of this video, 1.7 million views in 4 years is amazing. You deserve every one. Your long form videos are fantastic!

[@CopperIron]

The gold mine in Redding is quite relevant to later plot lines, and tangentially useful in Fallout 2 because the NCR is trying to bring back the past.

[@hopedream11]

The Brotherhood cause a recession when they raid the NCR's treasury which I would assume contains profits from that gold mine, yeah it's more then relevant.

[@chadmiller7876]

I got Goosebumps and cracked a big sentimental smile when he said "Fallout 3" and the " I dont want to set the world on fire" song began playing. Say what you want about that game but it just takes me back to such a happier time in gaming and my life. I was in my early mid twenties when it was announced and worked at GameStop as an assistant manager (ASM) with an awesome SM and hot chicks who were total nerds and gamed more then i did. When Fallout 3 was first announced we learned that it was gonna be like oblivion but with guns!! I know guy who did this video may not have liked the idea but holy shit did our employees and customers eat it up!!! We were a very busy standalone store and did a buttload of preorders for it. The midnight was epic and we popped in the soundtrack to let customers here some of the games music. I was blowed away by fallout 3 and so were our customers, i remember they would come in and chat forever about choices they made etc. The only other game that gave me a lasting impression the first time playing that ill never forget was when i played the original Bioshock demo, that game blew my mind when i first experienced it. Anyhow i could write pages on how Fallout 3 was such a wonderful experience for me. I would love to hear anybody elsethat has a fond fallout memory as well!!

[@deathbefallsyou]

I agree, I feel like too many FO3 critiques and hardcore Anti-Bethesda fans are way too critical of the game when they need to apply context to both publisher expectations and consumer standards for games. The game came out in 2008 and was the first of its kind in the open-world, exploration-focused shooter/RPG hybrid only Bethesda was doing at the time. It’s easy to criticize it for not taking enough risks, being too mainstream, or staying too close to their creative formula when that’s exactly the point - Bethesda had to go to the route, just like almost every AAA dev company, to satisfy both their intended audience (especially when gaming wasn’t as mainstream and console sales were only just starting to hit multimillions) and publisher demands. It’s easy to say otherwise when we just look at the finished product and say “not good enough”. Concessions have to be made at the end of the day. On top of that, the only time they’ve taken a huge risk was with Morrowind. Every single game they’ve released in the past 15 years (Oblivion, FO3, Skyrim, FO4) has played it relatively safe. Expecting them to have moved in any other direction than how they’ve been is incredibly naive, and anyone who thinks otherwise is in borderline denial. That being said, Bethesda plays a important niche role in the industry whether people like it or not. They are an amazing company for getting people introduced to RPG’s (Oblivion was my first), even if they lack any complexity or depth.

[@kusipaa8683]

All Bethesda games after Morrowind suck big time, and even Morrowind was a 3/5 at best. Horrible graphics, shallow characters and empty environments with nothing to do.

[@cassu6]

Tila Usta lol so according to you earlier Bethesda titles had awesome graphics and sprawling dense environments with a ton of stuff to do? That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard... the things you’ve complained about are literally the main things they’ve improved on, other than the shallow characters

[@kusipaa8683]

@@cassu6I was speaking about Morrowind

[@2SeizeTheDay]

Exact same thing, homie. I was a little younger, 15 to be exact, but I knew Bethesda had made Oblivion and people were saying it was built with the same engine with similar skill systems to make it an RPG. And I had played the living hell out of Oblivion so I was stoked. I absolutely loved Fallout 3 and it hooked me into being the Fallout fanboy I am today. Played every iteration now. Love them all for different reasons.

[@skeletonmeatphantasylibrary]

I just discovered your channel through your Dragon Age reviews and I've been addicted to your essays I even watched this one and all 3 parts of the TES review twice Really good stuff mate

[@thunderlord2200]

its very rare... extremity rare u made one of THEE best discussion videos for this game i have ever seen and heard of and your aurguments are very sound yet very true sadly enough. great job in making a great video

[@Taospark]

1:31:00 "And that isn't gonna change." Microsoft: Oh really?

[@carlsjoberg7110]

What ya mean?

[@Matt-td8xw]

@@carlsjoberg7110 microsoft brogth bethesda and obisidian

[@henrycrabs3497]

EeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[@ZephyrusAsmodeus]

Radiant quests are nuclear ass cancer, I cant stand them, in any game. Like even the random dungeons in Bloodborne feel like radiant quests and get old so fast. And YES! Exactly my thoughts about Fallout 4's protagonist, needed much more effort put into it like Shepard or Geralt, more personality, why tf give me a forcibly voiced, family having piece of prewar cardboard if he adds literally nothing to anyone. He just sits there and goes through everything like fucking Zukerberg at the private information court hearing. The literal, most surprising part of Fallout 4 regarding my character was him raising his voice when I was finally forced to ask about his son, and that's only because its so starkly different than his regular platitudinal delivery. That one dialogue scene at the Institute with the leader was the only genuinely decently acted part of the game, and even still, it was disgustingly anticlimactic and predictable.

[@D_Abellus]

In a RPG where you have predetermined PCs, it's either go big or go home. It's still why people can enjoy JRPGs which offer predetermined PCs and party members. They offer so much in terms of player expression in gameplay that branching stories or player creation isn't as important especially if the title has particularly standout writing like the Persona Series and Tales Of series. F4 wanted to half-ass it to try and please everyone.

[@ZephyrusAsmodeus]

@@D_Abellus exactly, I would have had more respect if they had done that too, just stop pretending I'm driving the conversation and take the lead, don't sit there and try and trick me into thinking what I do matters

[@MrCheekyScientist]

I am a fan of your work, and I really care and appreciate all the effort you put in. It shows. It is a joy to enjoy.

[@HollyClementine]

Is your username a reference to FLCL? I remember a distinctive scene where “never knows best” is written on a cigarette.

[@NeverKnowsBest]

yes

[@A1985Jonesy]

I loved this video and all the valid points you brought up. I like hearing other people’s opinions on things. Very good analysis. Epic gamer moment 10/10. :)

[@iambleh]

This video truly feels special to me (no pun intended) And with as many personal opinions as this video had, it still separated them from the subject of the videos, and I think is one of the least subjective videos about fallout I've seen. Keep doing what you're doing and your fanbase will definitely grow

[@kurthedgecock6313]

This is the best fallout video I have ever witnessed. I have witnessed a ton of them over the years. Great work! Please keep it up.

[@scorpius666999]

Bishop's wife wasn't a plothole, she was a manipulative liar. And she wasn't the only one. There were a bunch of charaters in the original Fallout games that lied to you. There I said it. Now that I got that out of my system. Great video :)

[@henrycrabs3497]

Cope

[@pokermitten9795]

@@henrycrabs3497 wow bro you fucking flattened this guy. I am lying to you

[@henrycrabs3497]

@@pokermitten9795 "I am lying to you."

[@pitchforker3304]

Fallout 1 was the first video game that I got really, really into. Your video describes it wonderfully, it's also my favorite of the series. That, and New Vegas. Great job, NeverKnowsBest.

[@punman5392]

6:50 That being said, the first two games were pretty hilarious at times. Arriving at a city and seeing a ghoul plastered under your front tire was pretty funny the first time I saw it happen

[@pokermitten9795]

The two funniest RPGs of all time, IMO are Disco Elysium and Fallout 2. In that order; and that's how long it took for someone to top Fallout 2.

[@couchlion]

Normally if I turn on a long video I tune out and miss huge chunks just because I got distracted or wasn't listening but for some reason I could hear and remember just about everything said, didn't have to rewind once. Wonderful video, well done

[@MictlanisWaiting]

"Harder to find" theres literally 35 side quests in fallout 4's base game, they arent harder to find theyre basically non existent

[@RaidsEpicly]

And most of them are absolute shit as well.

[@chesterstevens8870]

Unless you count the radiant quests. Which you shouldn't, because those were tedious and contributed nothing to the story.

[@magalimizuki3752]

@@chesterstevens8870 *Here, I'll mark it on your map*

[@TimmacTR]

Great review! But I can't believe you skipped one of the most awesome and controversial entries in the series, Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel :) It's one of my favorites!

[@matthewpokora336]

Combined, I have about 1000 hours in both fallout 3 and 4. I love them both and some of my fondest memories are from these games. Wandering the wastes just to see what I can see was, and occasionally still is enough for me 😊

[@colin591]

I always really enjoyed the campy characters set to the backdrop of a horrifying wasteland that was Fallout 3. It felt perfectly within its own vibes. Also I always thought Moira Brown was perfectly aware of the dangers of her world, she has just sort of forced this cheerful persona onto herself either intentionally or because of slowly going insane or probably a mixture of both. I find it endearing either way and I honestly think she's one of the better characters in the game-- mostly on account of how much you interact with her compared to anyone else.

[@veila0924]

That's what's called head canon my friend. Moira is interesting because FO3 lacks interesting characters in the first place. As they say, the shiniest turd is still a turd.

[@Zyzyx442]

That Moira Brown a one sided joke character that gives you fetch quests is the most memorable character says a lot about f3. F2 was wacky as well, but there is a difference between pushing the wackiness in your face and having a random 20sec monty python encounter that starts and ends with the joke.

[@YAK0SEI]

I'm just mad that I wasn't recommended this sooner. Damn KZbin algorithm. This was an excellent video, you make a lot of great points. Not much to dispute here. I'm definitely in the camp of New Vegas, but I absolutely loved settlement building in FO4. It's why I hate 76 so vehemently. They had all of the elements of both games and completely ruined it, amongst all the other absolute fuck ups they made. I've got a small group of friends that still play it and I don't know why. I fail to see any redeeming qualities. I hope that changes, I really wanted to love 76.

[@jchiefster2115]

Same , 76 is just unplayable ....

[@marinewillis1202]

I liked NV but the intro scene when you emerge from the Vault in 3 was probably one of my favorite video game moments of all time

[@YAK0SEI]

@@marinewillis1202 Yeah, that's still my all time favorite.

[@marinewillis1202]

@@YAK0SEI I absolutely hated the sewers, but the rest of 3's setting was amazing. Nothing quite like seeing the White House gutted to really make you go holy crap this really is the wasteland

[@YAK0SEI]

@@marinewillis1202 I kinda liked the vampire side quest, but yeah outside of that the sewers were a bust. You're right about DC, that whole area being wiped out was pretty epic yet tragic.