Kristen Baldwin’s review of Fallout’s eight-episode first season gives it a B+: a darkly comic, visually vivid wasteland story that welcomes viewers who have never played the games. Its dense mythology and information-heavy finale keep it from being an unqualified success.
What is Fallout about?
The series adapts the Fallout video game franchise, beginning in an alternate-reality America in 2077, when nuclear catastrophe remakes life on Earth. Two centuries later, Lucy MacLean leaves the relative safety of Vault 33 and ventures into the wasteland.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Fallout 4 Game of The Year Edition - PlayStation 4 | $32.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Fallout 4 Game of The Year Edition - PlayStation 4 | $28.80 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Fallout 4 - PlayStation 4 [ (Renewed) | $17.74 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
Fallout 4 Goty (PS4) | $36.00 | Buy on Amazon |
Her journey intersects with the Ghoul, a hardened bounty hunter, and Maximus, a squire in the Brotherhood of Steel. Their separate paths bring competing ideas of survival, power, and justice into contact.
What makes the show work?
A striking, darkly comic world
Baldwin highlights the series’ vivid collision of retro-1950s American culture, corporate and political power, sheltered vault society, and factions fighting for control. The dark humor gives the adventure a distinctive tone without erasing the violence and danger of its setting.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
#1 Best Overall
- Freedom and Liberty Do whatever you want in a massive open world with hundreds of locations, characters, and quests. Join multiple factions vying for power or go it alone, the choices are all yours
- Be whoever you want with the special character system. From a power Armored soldier to the charismatic smooth talker, you can choose from hundreds of perks and develop your own playstyle
- New next generation graphics and lighting engine brings to life the world of fallout. From the blasted forests of the common wealth to the ruins of Boston, every location is packed with dynamic detail
- Intense first or third person combat can also be slowed down with the new dynamic Vault Tec Assisted Targeting System (V.A.T.S) that lets you choose your attacks and enjoy cinematic carnage
Lucy’s idealism amid hard choices
Lucy’s optimism gives the story a human point of entry into a world that rewards brutality. Baldwin sees the characters’ intersecting stories as a way to examine what becomes of idealism and community when survival is uncertain and authority is contested.
In Baldwin’s reading, the series also raises questions about xenophobia, eugenics, and capitalism’s corrupting influence on governance. These are thematic interpretations of the show rather than an exhaustive account of what it means.
Rank #2
- Freedom and Liberty Do whatever you want in a massive open world with hundreds of locations, characters, and quests. Join multiple factions vying for power or go it alone, the choices are all yours
- Be whoever you want with the special character system. From a power Armored soldier to the charismatic smooth talker, you can choose from hundreds of perks and develop your own playstyle
- New next generation graphics and lighting engine brings to life the world of fallout. From the blasted forests of the common wealth to the ruins of Boston, every location is packed with dynamic detail
- Intense first or third person combat can also be slowed down with the new dynamic Vault Tec Assisted Targeting System (V.A.T.S) that lets you choose your attacks and enjoy cinematic carnage
An appealing ensemble and an accessible entry point
The central trio gives the show contrasting perspectives on the wasteland, while the franchise’s lore supplies texture rather than a prerequisite. Baldwin says viewers do not need prior knowledge of the games to enjoy the series; people who know them may recognize more of its setting and mythology.
Where does the first season stumble?
The mythology is dense, and the finale delivers a substantial amount of information in a short stretch. That can make the closing revelations feel rushed, especially for viewers still learning the world. Baldwin also argues that a weekly release might have given audiences more time to discuss the episodes as the story unfolded.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Rank #3
- Next generation of open-world gaming
- Developed by Bethesda Game Studios under the direction of Todd Howard
- Fallout 4 is the follow up to the 2008 'Game of the Year' Fallout 3
- First title from the world-renowned studio since the release of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Is Fallout worth watching?
Baldwin’s B+ review makes a strong case for the first season as an entertaining, imaginative adventure with more on its mind than post-apocalyptic spectacle. It is a good fit for viewers drawn to dark comedy, richly realized settings, and moral questions; those who prefer a slower introduction to complicated lore may find the finale crowded. Playing the games is optional, not a condition for following the show.
Read Kristen Baldwin’s review at Yahoo Entertainment, published April 10, 2024.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- GOTY edition, includes original game on disc and all available DLC as download codes
- Freedom and Liberty! - Do whatever you want in a massive open world with hundreds of locations, characters, and quests. Join multiple factions vying for power or go it alone, the choices are all yours.
- Game of the Year Edition - Includes all the fully updated original game along with all six add-ons: Automatron, Wasteland Workshop, Far Harbor, Contraptions Workshop, Vault-Tec Workshop, and Nuka-World..
- Violence and V.A.T.S.! - Intense first or third person combat can also be slowed down with the new dynamic Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System (V.A.T.S) that lets you choose your attacks and enjoy cinematic carnage.
- You’re S.P.E.C.I.A.L! - Be whoever you want with the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. character system. From a Power Armored soldier to the charismatic smooth talker, you can choose from hundreds of Perks and develop your own playstyle.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
