Summary
- The Fallout series has evolved in its 27-year journey, introducing unique concepts & spin-offs, some divisive & forgettable, others beloved.
- Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel stands out with its top-down action style, disorienting combat dynamics, & deviation from RPG roots.
- Fallout Shelter immerses players in a sim game experience, blending strategic decision-making with traditional Fallout tones & aesthetics.
Spanning over 27 years, the Fallout series has proved that whilst war never changes, video games certainly do. The post-apocalyptic franchise began with immense popularity thanks to its new concepts, ideas, and mechanics, all of which have evolved into future mainline entries helmed by Bethesda. Yet, the road through the main series hasn't always been a straight one, and the Fallout series has helmed more than a fair share of interesting spin-offs.
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Like most franchises, it's not unexpected for spin-offs to occur. Still, Fallout houses a few oddities because of their unfamiliar territory in terms of gameplay and story elements. Still, the series has also housed some incredible spin-offs that are regarded as some of the best modern Fallout content. With the series expanding past the boundaries of games thanks to Amazon Prime's Fallout series, it's time to look into the spin-offs that strengthen the series as a whole.
5 Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel
Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel
- Released
- January 13, 2004
- Developer(s)
- Interplay
- Platform(s)
- PS2, Xbox (Original)
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
The odd one out when it comes to Fallout games, Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel exists as a product that doesn't actually need to be a Fallout game, as it doesn't really try to involve itself in the series in terms of story and world, but more so in the creatures to be defeated in a wasteland. It's an easier entry and a divisive one due to some story moments that serve as an injustice to older Fallout titles in terms of characters and aesthetics.
Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel is a unique entry thanks to its top-down gameplay, where action is above all else. The fighting is not turn-based, so players and enemies can fight each other in real-time, albeit with a fast style that can be somewhat disorientating from how locking on to enemies works and how fast players and enemies can move around. This Fallout game is not an RPG, but instead, an action game with the Fallout name and designs.
4 Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel
Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel
For fans of the original 2 Fallout games before the modern Bethesda era, Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel gives the illusion of those games and bears striking resemblance to them in both visual design and the way it feels to play, but don't be fooled, Fallout Tactics is more of a tactical game than an RPG, where the combat takes center stage.
Whilst linear, and not canon, Fallout Tactics has players form a squad and work as a team with these characters to progress through their goals, which basically involves killing everyone they see. Without the narrative that Fallout is known for, Fallout Tactics is often a forgotten spin-off, especially with how difficult it is to get it to run on modern hardware.
3 Fallout Shelter
Fallout Shelter
It's well known among Fallout fans that Vault-Tec is not to be trusted, and perhaps if the player's morality was involved in the decision-making for Vaults, things would have gone down differently. That's why Fallout Shelter is the perfect experiment, as this sim game allows players to build their own Vault and populate it with Dwellers in a 50s cartoon style that compliments Vault-Boy and the general tone of the Fallout series.
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Fallout Shelter is not a traditional Fallout game, but it definitely is fun to install for mobile devices and check in on Dwellers every now and then, to assign them jobs and roles in the Vault, and protect them from the horrors of the Wasteland that lurk outside. Whether it's protecting the Vault, exploring the wasteland for loot and caps, or simply building and customizing the perfect Vault, Fallout Shelter balances an addictive gameplay loop with the tone and familiarity expected from the Fallout series.
2 Fallout 76
Fallout 76
Despite being the most recent Fallout game on the market, Fallout 76 is still a spin-off, as it takes place 25 years after the bombs fell. The story of Fallout 76 is not important to the future of the series, and the game takes the series to online multiplayer, in which Vault Dwellers emerge into the beginnings of the wasteland to forge a new post-nuclear war America, together, or alone.
Taking the refined combat from Fallout 4, but integrating MMO-lite elements, Fallout 76 continues to service fans of the series with constant updates and DLCs. Whilst the initial launch was a tad rocky, the game has developed strongly into something that Fallout fans can enjoy together, with additions old and new, thanks to the setting of West Virginia which has more than its fair share of new cryptids and enemies to plague the recent wastelands.
1 Fallout: New Vegas
Fallout: New Vegas
- Released
- October 19, 2010
- Developer(s)
- Obsidian Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Despite being housed with the main entries, Fallout: New Vegas is technically a spin-off, due to its development outside of Bethesda, and the details of its story. Fallout: New Vegas is not only the best Fallout spin-off, but easily holds its own in the title fight for the best Fallout game. The gameplay from Fallout 3's engine was further refined, and the characters, setting and narrative threads are so intricate and well-written that it's hard not to boast about the joys of this game, and even harder still to pick a side to fight for New Vegas with.
Fallout: New Vegas has players take control of a Courier who was shot in the head. In search of their would-be killer, the Courier must venture across the Mojave Desert to reach post-war Vegas. The game itself has plenty of exciting RPG elements, with a strong focus on the narrative, as well as its cast of characters. Dialogue is just as important as caps and bullets in New Vegas, and its place in the franchise is welcomed with open arms by fans.
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