THE Last of Us opened up the world of video game stories to those who only watch TV, so it seems right that another post-apocalyptic series would try to take the crown of best video game adaptation.
Despite the similarity of the situations, those who have played both game series know the tone is completely different.
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Even on console, The Last of Us is a dark drama about relationships and loneliness, while Fallout has a goofy sense of humour that carries over into the show.
Set in an alternate, retro-futuristic 1950s USA, the show begins with the dropping of a nuclear bomb on LA.
Then there’s another, and a few more, and it works as a horrifying backdrop to American suburbia.
We fast forward a few hundred years, and humanity now lives entirely in underground vaults.
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Lucy MacLean wanders out into the wasteland that is post-apocalyptic LA in search of her missing father, only to find that humans still live on the surface, in a way.
The humans left on the surface have morphed into immortal ghouls via the radiation, and have little humanity left.
Lucy’s naivety to the horrors going on above ground works as a great entry point for the audience who are equally in the dark.
Instead of dark drama, the situation is played for laughs as shootouts are balanced out with jaunty ‘30s tunes.
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There are still moments of horror though, from the brutal militarism of The Brotherhood of Steel, to a remorseless ghoul bounty hunter.
Aside from Lucy, Maximus of the Brotherhood, and The Ghoul round out our trio of protagonists all with intertwining stories.
Fallout shines in its execution, with line delivery that catches you off guard, and wacky situations that trip you up.
It’s this marriage of the horrific with the hilarious that makes Fallout so endearing.
It can be gruesome at times, with the show not afraid to carve off a limb or split a head in two, but there’s a lightness of touch that offsets the weighty themes of nuclear destruction.
Fallout also explores the world before the apocalypse, something that you don’t see in the games.
If you want to read more about the show, check out how Fallout reveals the game’s biggest mystery.
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
