History Videogame / Fallout

* BittersweetEnding: ''Fallout'' ends with the [[spoiler:player banished from the Vault forever despite saving most of West Coast humanity]]. Depending on the choices you made in ''Fallout 2'', a lot of places can end up badly despite your best efforts (or more likely, because of them). In ''Fallout 3'', [[spoiler:Lyons' HeroicSacrifice]] ending probably falls here, [[spoiler:as it's your ally sacrificing herself to activate Project Purity to provide clean, fresh water to the Wasteland. It doesn't solve everything, but it's a start. Of course, you're a cowardly bastard for not doing it yourself.]] The Corrupt and Coward Endings are [[DownerEnding even worse]]. Finally, one of the third game's optional sidequests is a setup for a ShoutOut to the ending of the first (and it either hurts just as much or makes you really angry, [[BrokenBase depending on who you ask]]). Pretty much every ending for New Vegas has some negative consequence to it. And Fallout 4 is much the same way [[spoiler:as your quest to find and save your son turns out to be fruitless as he is a sixty year old man and a candidate for BigBad]] while all the faction endings have some bad consequences.

** ''[[Series/Fallout2024 Fallout (2024)]]''

** Untitled Amazon Prime Series

* ''Series/{{Fallout2024}}'' (2024): On July 2, 2020, Bethesda announced they would be producing a live-action series based on the ''Fallout'' franchise together with [[Creator/PrimeVideo Amazon Prime Video]] and Kilter Films, Lisa Joy's and [[Creator/JonathanNolan Jonathan Nolan's]] production company. On January 2, 2022, the series was greenlit, with Geneva Robertson-Dworet (''Film/CaptainMarvel2019'') and Graham Wagner (''Series/SiliconValley'') as showrunners, Creator/ToddHoward and James Altman are attached as executive producers, and Nolan as director of the premiere. The show is scheduled to air in 2024.

* ''Series/{{Fallout}}'' (2024): On July 2, 2020, Bethesda announced they would be producing a live-action series based on the ''Fallout'' franchise together with [[Creator/PrimeVideo Amazon Prime Video]] and Kilter Films, Lisa Joy's and [[Creator/JonathanNolan Jonathan Nolan's]] production company. On January 2, 2022, the series was greenlit, with Geneva Robertson-Dworet (''Film/CaptainMarvel2019'') and Graham Wagner (''Series/SiliconValley'') as showrunners, Creator/ToddHoward and James Altman are attached as executive producers, and Nolan as director of the premiere. The show is scheduled to air in 2024.

* '''''ComicBook/AllRoads''' (2010)'': A tie-in GraphicNovel for ''Fallout: New Vegas'', written by Chris Avellone and created in conjunction with Creator/DarkHorseComics. It details the events leading up to the opening of the game, and provides background on one of the game's antagonists. Originally included in the collector's edition of the game, it was released digitally in 2011. With the exception of a single panel[[note]]An NCR cavalry unit rides horses (which are canonically extinct) due to a miscommunication with the artists; the writers meant ''armored'' cavalry, as in motor vehicles[[/note]], it aligns almost completely with canon and is regarded as such.

* InterfaceSpoiler: It's arguably a game mechanic in the Black Isle entries. When moving the mouse cursor over [=NPCs=] and objects, the information window will display a brief descriptor: "raider", "computer", "table", etc. However, important characters and environment objects you can interact with on a deeper level are almost always a more unique description, or at least a different wording. For example, if you find a room full of computers and all of them are described as "computer" except for one which shows up as "an old computer console", that's the one you want to have a closer look at.

* ''Series/{{Fallout}}''(2024): On July 2, 2020, Bethesda announced they would be producing a live-action series based on the ''Fallout'' franchise together with [[Creator/PrimeVideo Amazon Prime Video]] and Kilter Films, Lisa Joy's and [[Creator/JonathanNolan Jonathan Nolan's]] production company. On January 2, 2022, the series was greenlit, with Geneva Robertson-Dworet (''Film/CaptainMarvel2019'') and Graham Wagner (''Series/SiliconValley'') as showrunners, Creator/ToddHoward and James Altman are attached as executive producers, and Nolan as director of the premiere. The show is scheduled to air in 2024.

* Untitled Amazon Prime Series (TBA): On July 2, 2020, Bethesda announced they would be producing a live-action series based on the ''Fallout'' franchise together with [[Creator/PrimeVideo Amazon Prime Video]] and Kilter Films, Lisa Joy's and [[Creator/JonathanNolan Jonathan Nolan's]] production company. On January 2, 2022, the series was greenlit, with Geneva Robertson-Dworet (''Film/CaptainMarvel2019'') and Graham Wagner (''Series/SiliconValley'') as showrunners, Creator/ToddHoward and James Altman are attached as executive producers, and Nolan as director of the premiere.

* SoloCharacterRun: Extremely common throughout the series due to ArtificialStupidity. In VideoGame/{{Fallout 1}}, companions [[CantCatchUp did not level up, could not change their starting armor]], and were generally liabilities due to friendly fire and obstructing doors or corridors. This situation ''has'' improved as the series progressed.

If you're looking for ''radioactive fallout'' see UsefulNotes/NuclearWeapons. The series is not to be confused with ''Film/MissionImpossibleFallout''.

** It's implied that China might be not that different from the USA, since most info about China is from [[UnreliableNarrator US propaganda]]. In ''Fallout 4'', when you meet [[spoiler: the ghoulified Chinese submarine commander who nuked Boston in the prologue 210 years ago]] he turns out to be a normal guy [[MyCountryRightOrWrong serving his country]] who has grown sick of war, [[PunchClockVillain doesn't hold any ill will towards the USA]] and just wants to go home and rebuild his country. He effectively mirrors the male Sole Survivor, also a veteran of the war against China who has the option of rebuilding the Commonwealth.

* TheDragon: The Lieutenant to the Master in ''1'', Frank Horrigan to Richardson in ''2'', and Colonel Autumn to Eden in ''3''. In ''Vegas'', Caesar's right hand is Legate Lanius, while President Kimball's number two is General Lee Oliver. [[spoiler:Benny]] was this to Mr. House (and you can take his place), and [[spoiler:Yes Man is this to you, if you choose the Independent path]]. In ''4'', Lancer-Captain Kells is this to Elder Maxson, [[AvertedTrope but there is no real character that fits this role]] for Father; the closest fit is Kellogg, who performs many of the duties a Dragon normally would, but he's an amoral mercenary who isn't actually part of The Institute, and Father despises him since Kellogg [[spoiler: is the one who killed his (i.e Shaun's) other parent during the opening scene]], and only keeps employing him since Kellogg is the most skilled Commonwealth operative the Institute has access to. Kellogg ends up becoming a DiscOneFinalBoss after the Sole Survivor tracks him down and kills him before even meeting Father.

* {{Hypocrite}}: The Enclave. The remnants of the old United States government wants to kill everyone and everything who's DNA has been exposed to radiation so that only "pure" humans will remain to reclaim the wastelands. They sure don't mind having a [[spoiler:super mutant-turned-cyborg]] leading their armies. [[spoiler: Or harming other "pure" humans from the Vaults to further their agenda.]]

** In ''New Vegas'', you get the Enclave Remnants, a group of elderly Enclave veterans having assumed new lives in the Mojave after the Enclaves destruction, making them the remnant of the remnant. [[spoiler: Possible Follower Arcade Gannon is the son of their former squad leader, and his side quest revolves around recruiting the Remnants]]

* TheDragon: The Lieutenant to the Master in ''1'', Frank Horrigan to Richardson in ''2'', and Colonel Autumn to Eden in ''3''. In ''Vegas'', Caesar's right hand is Legate Lanius, while President Kimball's number two is General Lee Oliver. [[spoiler:Benny]] was this to Mr. House (and you can take his place), and [[spoiler:Yes Man is this to you, if you choose the Independent path]]. In ''4'', Lancer-Captain Kells is this to Elder Maxson, [[AvertedTrope but there is no real character that fits this role]] for Father; the closest fit is Keller, who performs many of the duties a Dragon normally would, but he's an amoral mercenary who isn't actually part of The Institute, and Father despises him since Keller [[spoiler: is the one who killed his (i.e Shaun's) other parent during the opening scene]], and only keeps employing him since Keller is the most skilled Commonwealth operative the Institute has access to. Keller ends up becoming a DiscOneFinalBoss after the Sole Survivor tracks him down and kills him before even meeting Father.

* '''''Fallout: The Roleplaying Game''' (2021)'': A TabletopRPG by Creator/ModiphiusEntertainment, using their [=2d20=] system.

* BlackComedy: All over the place, beginning with educational films which instruct you on what to do in the case of a nuclear apocalypse with a cheerful cartoon like it was an after-school special on how to cross the street safely.

** BigCreepyCrawlies (radroaches, bloatflies, radscorpions, cazadors, stingwings, bloodwings, giant mantises, etc...) shouldn't exist at this size, since their breathing system is too inefficient (they absorb oxygen from their skin instead of breathing through lungs like more complex animals) and they would asphyxiate.

* '''''VideoGame/Fallout1''' (1997)'': The grid-based, turn-based RPG original. Technically titled ''[[LongTitle Fallout: A Post-Nuclear Role Playing Game]]''. Takes place in southern UsefulNotes/{{California}}, including the ruins of Bakersfield and UsefulNotes/LosAngeles.

After World War II, [[RunningGag the United States became an okay place to live]]. The shift towards nuclear energy gave way to technological wonders previously relegated to science fiction, from [[RobotMaid robot butlers]] to [[SuperWristGadget wrist-mounted computers]]. Unfortunately, the good times would not last: this [[PunkPunk inefficient technology]] depleted fossil fuels even faster than in the real world, causing massive "resource wars" in the early-mid 21st century. In 2066, China and the United States clashed over the Alaskan oil fields, leading to an 11 year military conflict between the two superpowers... then, on October 23, 2077, somebody - nobody is entirely sure who - ordered a nuclear launch. And once one missile was fired, everyone else responded in kind.

** The Resource Wars are one for the series as a whole. Between 2050 and 2077, conflicts in the mid-to-late 21st century broke out in response to the decline of oil. Major events include the U.S. destabilizing and invading Mexico, the collapse of the United Nations, the European Commonwealth invading the Middle East and waging war for eight years before pulling out when the wells dry up, which was followed up by a civil war; China invading Alaska, and the U.S. annexing Canada before retaking Anchorage and sending troops into mainland China. {{Justified}} since this took place over 200 years ago.

* HateCrimesAreASpecialKindOfEvil: Of all the various factions in the wasteland, the one that is so morally-bankrupt and vile that all traces of it are wiped out in later games is the Enclave. While there are many, ''many'' supremacist groups throughout the franchise, many of them are groups who can realize the error of their ways (the Master's Army), only got that way later in the games (the Brotherhood of Steel), or are so minor that they hardly matter (Tenpenny Tower). The Enclave, however, was built on an entire ''platform'' of genocide -- they slaughter without remorse or regret, especially targeting super mutants and ghouls, but their definition of "mutation" extends to ''most'' of humanity. In the two games they appear, they are the ''main'' antagonists with the goal of no less than wiping out all creatures who have even a ''hint'' of mutation, to the degree President Richardson flat out tells the protagonist of ''VideoGame/Fallout2'' that they aren't considered human. By the time of ''VideoGame/NewVegas'', the Enclave have been completely wiped out, with the remnants remaining having completely integrated into wasteland society and younger generations viewing their history as an embarrassment.

* PaddedSumoGameplay: The first two games have this issue in the very late game. Power armor is strong enough, for the player and [=NPCs=] alike, that attacks from nearly any weapon short of the games' {{Infinity Plus One Sword}}s will either be fully negated or reduced to single-digit damage, the only exceptions being armor-piercing {{Critical Hit}}s. As a result, late game combat basically boils down to watching both sides bounce "0 Points Of Damage" bullets off each other until someone, be it an enemy or the player, gets obliterated when they're "critically hit for [absurdly high number] HP, bypassing the armor."

* PaddedSumoGameplay: The first two games have this issue in the very late game. Power armor is strong enough, for the player and [=NPCs=] alike, that attacks from nearly any weapon short of the games' {{Infinity Plus One Sword}}s will either be fully negated or reduced to single-digit damage, the only exceptions being armor-piercing {{Critical Hit}}s. As a result, late game combat basically boils down to watching "0 Points Of Damage" bullets bounce off each other until someone lands a "Critical Hit for 250 HP" and obliterates their target.

* PaddedSumoGameplay: The first two games have this issue in the very late game. Power armor is strong enough, for the player and [=NPCs=] alike, that attacks from nearly any weapon short of the games' {{Infinity Plus One Sword}}s will either be fully negated or reduced to single-digit damage, the only exceptions being armor-piercing {{Critial Hit}}s. As a result, late game combat basically boils down to watching "0 Points Of Damage" bullets bounce off each other until someone lands a "Critical Hit for 250 HP" and obliterates their target.

* PaddedSumoGameplay: The first two games have this issue in the very late game, where opponents with power armor are almost incapable of doing even a single point of damage except in critical blows, so combat basically boils down to watching "0 Points Of Damage" bullets bounce off each other until "Critical Hit for 999 HP" obliterates somebody.

* PacifistRun: While possible in nearly all games in the series, they tend more towards being a TechnicalPacifist run, as many of them have points where certain characters ''must'' die to progress the story; players will typically have to arrange for these characters to be killed by other [=NPCs=].
* PaddedSumoGameplay: The first two games have this issue in the very late game, where opponents with power armor are almost incapable of doing even a single point of damage except in critical blows, so combat basically boils down to watching “0 Points Of Damage” bullets bounce off each other until “Critical Hit for 999 HP” obliterates somebody.

* DrugsAreBad: Performance-enhancing drugs (Mentats, Buffout, Psycho, Med-X, Jet, [=UltraJet=]) are all over the place in each game, but also can cause addictions each time they're used - and the withdrawal symptoms that result affect a player's statistics in a negative manner until cured (or unless you keep taking the drug). There are also characters like Cassidy in the second game who can die if they use drugs, and Super Stimpaks can be used as a covert method of assassination [[spoiler:as the side effects will cause enough damage to kill President Dick Richardson (or any other 'friendly' NPC), allowing you to take their items without fear of the reprisals that direct action would cause. One particular NPC (Councillor Westin) will explode if you use one on him!]]
** Interestingly inverted in ''Fallout 3'' and ''New Vegas'', where addiction is a non-issue if drugs are taken in moderation (ie no more than once every 30 to 48 in-game hours) but alcohol always has a chance of addiction. [[WriterOnBoard Considering Bethesda has a habit of making alcohol the bad item in]] ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series while making in-universe illicit drugs useful, this isn't surprising. On the other hand, New Vegas features the Fiends, an entire gang of junkies who are undeniably the biggest scumbags of the game.