"I was walking along, minding my business, when out of an orange-colored sky: flash, bam, alakazam! Wonderful you came by." As soon as I heard the velvet voice of Nat King Cole in the first episode of the Fallout TV show, the desire to return to Bethesda's RPG was immediately ignited. In the past, this song had accompanied me on many adventures across the Wasteland; blaring out of my Pip Boy as I shoot at Radscorpions on the road, or fend off ghouls slithering out from under rusted '50s cars. Anytime I hear it, I'm transported right back to the Commonwealth in Fallout 4, and the more I watch the show, the more I want to step right back into the rad-filled world myself. Not only does it nail the aesthetic feel of the post-apocalyptic retro-futuristic setting, but so much of it reminds me of my time spent in the 2015 RPG – from plot points to familiar locations.
I know I'm far from alone in wanting to revisit some of the best Fallout games we've seen over the years thanks to the TV adaptation. But with a next-gen update for Fallout 4 – which will bring the adventure to PS5 and Xbox Series X – just around the corner, my fate has well and truly been sealed. Come April 25, I will absolutely put back on my vault 111 jumpsuit to rediscover the Wasteland all over again. And honestly, I can't believe how exciting a prospect it is.
Some enchanted evening
I'm still making my way through all of the bulk-released episodes on Amazon Prime, but it's already been such a nuclear blast to watch thanks to all of the little nods and references. I've spent so much time in this universe – be it in Fallout 3, New Vegas, or Fallout 4 – and plenty of it puts a cheesy Vault-Boy style smile on my face. But what immediately reminded me of Fallout 4 in particular, bar the Orange Colored Sky song, are the parallels I keep drawing between the opening of the show and the beginning of the game, along with protagonist Lucy's main objective and the one you have in the Commonwealth.
I've had a long-held fascination with the world of Fallout before the, well, Fallout. Before the atomic bombs dropped and the war hit, everything seemed to be all sunshine and rainbows… until it very much wasn't. Pre-war is almost always picturesque, with a '50s-style sheen that's all pops of vivid color, signature retro styles, and exaggerated smiles. The idyllic vibes, of course, contrast greatly with the bleak, violent landscapes of the wasteland in the aftermath of the destruction – which are entirely devoid of the same vibrancy of life. I've always appreciated how effectively this impresses upon you what was lost and how much has changed, which is why I love that we see both sides of the world right at the start of the TV show.
The Fallout show feels like an adaptation of a game that doesn't exist
Just as an impossibly bright birthday party takes place just before the first bomb drops in the show, we share a blissfully peaceful picket-fenced opening in Fallout 4 with our family before everything takes a turn. Watching the TV adaptation just made me want to relive the opening of the game so intensely, especially the moment you first step out of the vault and see the ramshackle remains of the street you once called home. But the storylines of Vault-dweller Lucy and the appearance of the Brotherhood of Steel have really stoked the flames for me. Just as you leave the fault to find your son in Fallout 4, Lucy also heads out into the wasteland in search of her father. For me, Fallout 4 is all about family – whether that be the child you're trying to find, or the found family you make with your companions – and the ties that bind in an otherwise hostile world that's out to kill you at every turn.
Echoes of the past
Seeing Lucy's fish-out-of-water adventure unfold just makes me want to get lost in my own Vault-dweller story all over again and try to brave the Commonwealth. While there's nothing stopping me from playing Fallout 4 right now, the incoming update feels too perfect an excuse to dive back in and experience something fresh. Not unlike the Skyrim Anniversary edition release, Fallout 4's update will also introduce some free Creation Club items, including a new quest storyline called "Echoes of the Past". Having different goodies, quests, and a fishing mini-game to try out drew me right back into Skyrim, and I can't wait to have something new in Fallout.
In fact, back in 2022, I revisited Fallout 4 thanks to some creation club freebies, which gave the wasteland a new lease of life for me, so I have no doubt this update will do much the same. To cap it all off, I'll also get to step back into a higher resolution Commonwealth on console. Both the update and the TV show feel like a perfect confluence of releases, and I'm here to make the most of it. I'm sure this is the outcome Bethesda was hoping for, and it'll be interesting to see just how many players dive back in or try it out for the first time off the back of the show. I, for one, am so ready to live out my own adventures in a vault jumpsuit again, and I'll definitely be dialing into Diamond City Radio on my PipBoy so Nat King Cole can join me.
