What are everyone's thoughts on the Amazon series?

My kids and I watched the first two episodes last night, and I’m impressed. It feels like Fallout. I like the characters so far, and they squeeze in enough game references to keep my brain spiking with recognition.

We set the bar pretty low on video game adaptations, but I feel this one’s doing alright so far!

What does everyone else think? (Let’s keep spoilers to a minimum. Most of us probably weren’t able to watch the whole thing in one night.)

JayEchoRay,
@JayEchoRay@lemmy.world avatar

I just finished watching it and for the most part they got a lot of the tone down and it is well done overall. I liked how they showed Vault-Tec and what they stood for, the general world building, vault stuff. But I have these niggling inklings that bother me with the location of where the show takes place.

It is enjoyable to me it is a solid 7 - 8 out of 10, but had some things that felt off to me and rubbed me the wrong way because I am trying to fit into the narrative I have for my intepretation of the Fallout game timeline. Not saying it is a bad show, just things that subjectively felt off to me.

Going to spoiler tag these things as it has Fallout 1, Fallout 2, New Vegas and the show possible spoilers

spoilerAgain, maybe it is my nostalagia goggles here, so please take what I write with a grain of salt NCR, The Enclave and The Brotherhood of Steel NCRIn Fallout 2, Shady Sands is the capital of NCR and that place was well defended - walls, armed guards roaming the streets and fairly civilised if I can recall correctly - I look at the runes of Shady Sands in the show and feels like a mix of the Fallout 1 and Fallout 2. By New Vegas they seemed to have “settled” California considering the fact that cattle barons are running rough shod, political corruption is in full swing and NCR is on the search for more resources and have probably integrated the various towns and city’s of the waste into itself places like New Reno, Vault City, San Franscisco, etc… They were at war with the Brotherhood at one point and were able to beat them back and integrate some of the tech they requistioned, they had supply lines and it was an established Republic. The fact that Shady Sands was nuked and they just left it to waste makes sense somewhat - some decrepencies notwithstanding, but how badly developed California appears, doesn’t sit completely right with me, I mean the Fiends from New Vegas have spread there and this is from the same NCR that nearly eradicated the Khans - who where the big drug raiders of California. NCR in the show seem no better than Bandits at worse or could be considered moderately equipped conscripts at best from how they are organised in relation to the potential for power they were pursuing. They had divisions of very well equipped and trained soldiers armed with good gear especially considering the tech they were able to recover from the Brotherhood when they finally decided to make a push for Hoover Dam in New Vegas The EnclaveThe Enclave was pretty much hunted down and villianised on the East Coast after the events of Fallout 2, The Brotherhood had interest seeing them fall and the NCR continued with that desire to put them under heel. One can maybe make an argument that the NCR have repurposed the Enclave, but they are still known as “The Enclave” and have above ground bases, it does bother me somewhat. The BrotherhoodThe Brotherhood tech feels off to me, maybe I am just nostalgic for the old East Coast Brotherhood that were very hands-off and did their work through trusted proxies. They were a tech-obessed warrior cult based of the branch of the military that tried their best to minimise outsiders knowing of their existence and the existence of technology. It feels off with them Vertibird dropping in broad day light, reliance of mechanical weaponry for knights, feeling indifferent to tech in general and showcasing their tech for all to see. I mean they kind of address it in showing how the Brotherhood has lost their way, still feels weird for them to be so grandiose which runs a bit in opposition to traditional Brotherhood recruiting of accepting outsiders, which probably must mean they were really down on their luck at some point as I doubt all those recruits were able to perform an exemplary service to be admitted. The tenants of the Brotherhood are mostly there but feels like it is falling into some mix of Enclave with some East Coast Brotherhood influence MiscellaneousThe magical yellow substance ( which I know I can be completely wrong on) makes me think of the FEV experiments or a successful substrain of it that does exactly what it was designed for - just feels weird that Fallout 1, Fallout 2 and Fallout 3 show how destructive the benefits of the project were and now it has been perfected to work with any physiology with the added “benefit” of addiction ( or being beholded to require constant dosing over prolonged exposure)

I understand that a lot can happen in time and humans are just as easy to stuff up things and as its own thing it does feel “Fallout” and does a lot to be faithful to the games, so in that I do give credit where credit is due

Maybe Season 2 and beyond will answer the questions I have or fill in the holes, or not I need to just enjoy the show for what it is 🤷

FoD,

I’m a fan, just finished it and I’ve only played New Vegas and FO4.

I honestly just want to watch a good show with an engaging story and themed in a way that matches. Does it fit every bit of lore every created since 1997? I have no fucking idea because I don’t study it like a college course. It’s fine for those who do but I believe the majority are not trying to find faults in every sentence the actors speak.

I liked it, entertaining, exciting, good character motivation, I can’t think of any stupid decisions only to move the plot forward, set design is fantastic, world build is fun. Overall I recommend it.

Mishmash2000,
@Mishmash2000@lemmy.nz avatar

I loved every minute of it! Thought it was incredibly well cast! Lucy & her brother, The Goul, Ma June and Wilzig were among my favourites! I loved the world, the T60 armour, the wildlife, Filly, Snip-Snip, the pre-war period and how they managed to get at least three main characters through their own interlocking story arcs and come to a satisfactory conclusion so that if there was never a season 2 it still felt pretty complete. Looking forward to seeing more in this world!

Deway,

I care a lot about the lore and continuity so I hate it.

Godric,

Played a few hours of Fallout 4, couldn’t get into it. Binged the series over the last few days, I really enjoyed it!

Treczoks,

My thoughts: Sadly it’s running on Amazon, so I have to wait until I can buy the disks.

setsneedtofeed,
@setsneedtofeed@lemmy.world avatar

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/f4f577c3-779d-4506-8d86-f693c7d916a7.jpeg

kautau,

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/4ff82895-f531-4110-9f16-ef5edaf8644b.jpeg

absquatulate,

Looks like I’ll be bringing in the unpopular opinion. I did love the production quality and the CGI, and it looks like they really did the lore justice with lots of references, easter eggs and music, but honestly I find the rest of it meh. The cast is mediocre ( with the exception of Goggins’ Cooper and the occasional secondary character ), the characters are pretty flat and uninspired, and the action scenes are just…strange ( watching the fight between the T60 and the yaoguai was like reliving 60s era star trek fight scenes ). The whole thing feels very videogame-y(?) I guess. But whereas the videogames can get away with it because they’re interactive, here you’re stuck watching the same unlikeable characters hours on end, and to be frank I’m having a hard time getting past the first half of the season.

Juvyn00b,

As someone who hasn’t played the games and am 5 episodes in, I’m not finding myself particularly attached to the series if that makes sense. I’m also not sure if I shouldn’t just pick the games up on steam and run through them in the coming months - partially because I’m not convinced they’re in my style of play (I mostly like older arcade shmups and fps, like Doom eternal etc). That being said, I can see the direction they’re going. The character development is pretty obvious with only a few a-ha moments. I keep wondering when for those who aren’t as engaged in the game will have a more complete picture, but also understand that most shows didn’t give up the ghost all at once anyways just to rope you in. Curious what others who are only in passing familiarity with the game think as well.

Rhynoplaz,

Thanks for that perspective. I know that all the references to game locations and items cause my brain to spike, but if you’ve never spent hours searching for Issue of Grognak the Barbarian, you probably wouldn’t even notice or care when he pops up on the TV in the background.

I really hope that non-fans enjoy the series as it is, because nearly every video game to film adaptation has to bastardize the original idea to make it more palatable to the general public, and the result is usually disappointing to the fans, and mediocre to everyone else.

If Fallout can be this true to source, AND appeal to the general public, video game movies might stop being such a joke. We’re looking at you next, Borderlands, but I expect that will be less like Fallout and more like Street Fighter.

Juvyn00b,

Good call on borderlands. I’m hopeful for that to be good but will make sure my personal bar is low so it doesn’t get soul crushing watching it. Almost done with the season - if I had to say anything, my guess was that it would be a little more science fictiony - of course, there are bits here and there. Perhaps more akin to the BioShock franchise - but again, I was blind coming into it and can see the relationships if you’re knowledgeable on game lore. Good call too on someone else here stating to give the vault number a ring. Saw that pop up while watching today. That was good!

Monotron,

I’ve been a Fallout super fan since the first game dropped in 1997. I’m done with the first two episodes and happy as a clam. This adaptation is fantastic.

Rhynoplaz,

I had never heard of the games until I saw a combo pack that included Fallout 1 & 2, at Walmart for $10. It sounded like an interesting game, and at $10, it was worth the risk.

That random purchase honestly changed my life.

I keep going back to the wasteland every chance I get.

Monotron,

I got the first game used at Electronics Boutique for like $15. I was getting into computer RPGs as a kid and the scifi setting made this seem unique. The box art was striking too. Like you, that purchase changed my life. I went from “yeah, I enjoy RPGs” to “This game is part of my personality now.”

I own each game and I replay either 3, 4, and New Vegas at least once a year.

I’m presently revisiting the first game, the TV series put me in the mood. First time I’ve played it in maybe 15/16 years. Stuff is still magic, even if it’s jarring to go back to how things began

Rhynoplaz,

I’ve tried to play the originals again, but between the jankiness of a game that old, the difficulty, and an overall lack of free time, I didn’t get very far in either of them.

That’s ok though, scratched that itch at the time!

Monotron,

They certainly laid a foundation for something incredible

setsneedtofeed,
@setsneedtofeed@lemmy.world avatar

That’s a shame. I still think the first game has the most interesting and viscerally repulsive villain.

It’s quite tight and honestly not very janky. The second game has the tradeoff of massive expansion for more instability and bugs.

setsneedtofeed,
@setsneedtofeed@lemmy.world avatar

Episode 1 notes, written without retrospection:

I’ve never been thrilled about digging too deeply into the details of the pre-war. To me, questions like “who started it?” should remain murky since the real answer is that it doesn’t matter.

That said, I did like the pre-war scene of Goggins as a cowboy. The design of the pre-war homes and atmosphere felt right. I mildly recoiled at the “thumb measures blast distance” thing, because that’s quite actually something a commenter on Reddit made up about the Vault Boy pose and it’s become accepted fact. I did notice right at the beginning of the episode that one of the parents was asian, and that only caught my attention because the anti-Chinese (and implicit wider anti-asian) sentiment in the pre-war US has been something long established, so it was weird to see that guy at a party hosted by somebody willing to call Goggins a commie at the drop of a hat.

Lucy’s introduction was really well done. I liked her mannerisms and nervous ticks during the application process.

Lucy’s montage shows her using a Sterling submachinegun. Probably just a production choice to fit the aesthetic. Interesting choice though.

Oh neat, 1984 Paul Atredies.

The fake corn field with the projectors on the walls feels like something that would have been right at home in the sensibilities of Fallout 2.

The reproductive limit and culture of the vault is hitting that right note of dark, funny, but also logical outcome.

Very briefly there is a shot of a priest for the wedding wearing a modified vault suit. Neat.

Lucy’s actress is killing it with the facial expressions.

Vault 33 dwellers still think of themselves as Americans.

Vault 32 dwellers have a lot of tattoos and scars at the wedding. Obviously deliberate production choice. Wait a minute are these raiders impersonating vault dwellers?

Dead corn field is chilling.

Yup. Raiders. Proud of myself for calling it.

The gore is on point already with that blender-to-face hit.

I swear that knife she picks up from the raider is designed specifically to resemble the Fallout 1 rusty knife.

Jet confirmed in the show.

BOS is flying US flag along with their own.

BOS recruits wearing OG107s or something really close.

BOS blimps are just a thing everyone now. Aight.

Casual BOS barracks masturbation.

A vault is supposed to have roughly 1000 people. That group of survivors is in the 20s or 30s. “Dwindled numbers”? That vault is done.

So the quest is find a lost relative, huh? Mr. Todd, you are a crafty one, slipping into that writer’s room.

Vault 33’s door is just sitting right on the surface? Weird. Traditionally vault doors are at least partially hidden.

Ghoul Goggins is cool.

dejected_warp_core,

A vault is supposed to have roughly 1000 people. That group of survivors is in the 20s or 30s. “Dwindled numbers”? That vault is done.

Something I’ve noticed in high-budget productions from the last ten years or so: studios do a lot less with extras than they used to. Instead, budget is poured into CGI, and very creative use of sets and shots is done to give the illusion of a densely populated situation. Kind of like Star Trek.

GONADS125,

That was the same airship as FO4. It had the name “Prydwen” on the side of it and everything.

hal_5700X,

https://sh.itjust.works/pictrs/image/574767ca-38b1-45c0-9d7b-0cdcd487a6e4.jpeg

Rhynoplaz,

Why do you say that?

jordanlund,
@jordanlund@lemmy.world avatar

Watching ep. 1 right now. It’s pretty brilliant.

Loved the blue and yellow cowboy suits, shame that was 200 years ago… there’s a flashback story there…

Glad to see it’s not just the vault dweller story, but the knights too.

And how about that Maximus? I hear Marvel needs a new Kang, maybe de-age him a bit?

Also dug using Predicta TVs but I’m biased. :)

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/3a29c3ae-369f-4832-ba65-a1b37e829fc7.jpeg

Subtracty,

Walton Goggins is killing it. Cooper Howard is definitely my favorite character so far to see his pre-bombs dropping persona vs the smartass ghoul he has become. I really like the exploration of the division that was spreading amongst everyone in the flashbacks.

As far as adaptation, I am pretty happy. I think they are threading the needle relatively well with lore so that someone who hasn’t played the games can pick things up quickly and enjoy(?) the fucked up world of the wasteland.

Favorite quote so far “Thou shalt get sidetracked by bullshit, every damn time.”

Rhynoplaz,

To be 100% true to the games, the show would have to spend 25 years on bullshit side quests before they get anywhere close to finding the Overseer.

p5yk0t1km1r4ge,
@p5yk0t1km1r4ge@lemmy.world avatar

Absolutely fantastic. My partner and I loved it. I’m seeing a lot of whiny butthurt about how it “bastardized the canon” though and people are now “done with the series”. I say, “bye felicia!”

Zozano,

I haven’t finished the series yet, but I heard >!it was Vault Tech who dropped the nukes!<

If that’s the bastardisation you’re referring to, it’s actually not surprising if you’ve been paying attention. >!Vault Tech are fucking demons. Half of their vaults are sadistic torture chambers disguised as “experiments”, it makes total sense they would have instigated everything!<

DragonTypeWyvern,

I’m pretty sure the answer to “who started it” was always Vault-Tec/Enclave.

Mainland China was being invaded so there’d always been a question of a defensive launch but they were just so comically evil that it could hardly be any other answer.

kautau,

Yeah that’s not a new theory

reddit.com/…/vaulttec_started_the_great_war_is_th…

but the show doesn’t say “vault tec literally launched the nukes,” way more likely they worked to escalate the conflict as quickly as possible

p5yk0t1km1r4ge,
@p5yk0t1km1r4ge@lemmy.world avatar

You are correct. That, and >!some inconsistencies in the timeline they think rendered NV non canon. However, I think that’s an exaggeration.!< Fanboys are gonna fanboy, though. They don’t like it because it’s not their ideal lore, so they’re pretending it isn’t canon and getting super dramatic over on reddit. So cringey.

There’s SO many suggestions and hints though. Anyone who actually read the lore in terminals and the various journal entries would’ve seen that coming. It 100% makes sense.

Zozano,

For what it’s worth, Bethesda is salty as fuck that the best game in the franchise they had nothing to do with.

p5yk0t1km1r4ge,
@p5yk0t1km1r4ge@lemmy.world avatar

Lol yeah, I think I read somewhere they got beef with obsidian and nv.

teft,
@teft@lemmy.world avatar

Call the phone number for the vault sales people. You will not regret. Pinkie promise.

Rhynoplaz,

Wouldn’t have even thought to try! Thanks for the info!

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