Fallout: A TOVH Post-Nuclear Playlist
Your soundtrack to looting every fucking thing in sight.
If you clicked on this post you don’t need me to tell you that Fallout 4, the most anticipated video game release of the year, drops today. For those of you that have been living in a radiation-free Vault, Fallout tells the story of Earth’s survivors hundreds of years after humanity was wiped out by nuclear annihilation at the height of 1950s cold war mania. I don’t know what to expect from Fallout 4 but I put a pre-order on the game months ago and it should arrive shortly. Instead of jumping right in, I’ll probably wait a couple of months to get into the game and try to play only when there is ample free time. I’m a hell of a lot older now than when I first got sucked in by this immersive post-apocalyptic series.
But let’s rewind back to the year 2002. I was 14 years old and the biggest loser on Earth. Covered in pimples, isolated and friendless, I would somehow beat the odds and in just a few short years go on to touch a boob. By chance I found a heavily discounted PC game that would run on my ancient desktop. It was an isometric-view, turn-based action RPG that stood in stark contrast to the slick first-person-shooters of the day. That game was Fallout 2 and it consumed every moment of my free time for about a year. Playing as The Chosen One, I roamed from my simple Arroyo village across the desert in search of a Garden of Eden Creation Kit to save my dying home. Along the way I laughed out loud at the hilarious and complex conversation options, shot slavers and gangsters in the face with my trusty Bozar, and stole anything that wasn’t nailed down. Fallout 2 was one of the few bright spots in otherwise painful and confusing teenage years.
Fast forward to 2009. I had just graduated college and was the biggest loser on Earth. I worked an awful customer service job, drank irresponsibly and did too many drugs, and otherwise lived a vapid and shallow existence as a early-20s scumbag. My roommate bought Fallout 3 and I sat on the couch and watched him play though the entire thing (occasionally taking over on a new save when he was out). It was fun, though I wasn’t a big fan of the new first-person view, Washington D.C. settings, or the utterly frustrating subway tunnel system that the game forced on the player.
Fast forward to… I dunno, 2013 or some shit. I was a perfectly well-adjusted adult human with a well-paying and unrewarding career, a committed and doomed relationship, and grown-up hobbies like lifting weights and fantasy football. I picked up a used copy of Fallout: New Vegas for about ten bucks then promptly lost a couple of months of my life. The Wild West setting and lighter tone gave me the freedom I once felt in Fallout 2. Seeing the warring factions of the bureaucratic NPR and the chaotic evil ISIL-like Legion added an additional element of drama and suspense. Every conversation and side quest felt fresh and interesting as a diversion while I stole everything that wasn’t nailed down. Though it wasn’t quite my strangest experience in Vegas, it was one of the best gaming experiences I’ve ever had.
Which leads us to this, a simple playlist to get you started on your journey from the safe confines of the Vault to the big bad wastes. I hope you find whatever you’re searching for.
What was your most memorable experience with the Fallout series? What jams will you jam while shooting super mutants in the face? Not planning on playing? Go talk to a woman or something, normie.
A quick programming note: Due to Veteran’s Day, we will only run one post tomorrow. It’ll be a damn good one, though. Good luck exploring the wastes, everyone.
