Fallout TV trailer includes nods to New Vegas, hints at The Ghoul's backstory
Veni, vidi, vici.
With a little over a month until Amazon's Fallout TV adaptation airs, Prime Video has released another trailer for the series.
It provides our best look yet at the show, with three minutes of footage for us to pore over. And dare I say, it actually looks… decent? To my surprise, I quite liked it?
I've rewatched the trailer several times now to see if there's any new information we can glean hidden in the details, and there are a few things worth pointing out (as well as some references to my all-time favourite in the series, Fallout: New Vegas).
The trailer opens with Walton Goggins as Cooper Howard pre-War, acting as a Vault-Tec salesman. He's filmed inside Vault 4, a Vault which hasn't appeared in the games so far. Something seems to have caused Howard to change over the years - not just in his ghoulification, but emotionally as well. There's a brief shot of him kissing his partner in what I'm guessing is a Vault, as well as another one of him carrying a small child (presumably his own) as explosions happen in the background. What caused him to turn from a happy family man to The Ghoul - a cynical lone wolf?
I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire by The Ink Spots is used during the trailer. It's included in radio playlists in Fallout 3, 4, and 76, so it's not a surprise to hear it again. As the trailer continues and the tension amps up, an orchestral arrangement of the song with significantly more drama plays over the video. The first time I watched the trailer, it managed to give me some chills.
Although the TV series will tell an original story, it looks like it'll explore the New California Republic. This makes sense, as the NCR encompasses southern California. We already know Vault 33 is located in Los Angeles, so it's no surprise our main character Lucy will learn more about the NCR. Near the beginning of the trailer, we see a shot of Shady Sands, identified by a sign for its public library, which became the capital of the NCR when it formed.
The NCR as a faction is still around, as one soldier can be seen holding its flag as others fight against some members of the Brotherhood of Steel in power armour. I've seen speculation about whether we're seeing a war break out between the NCR and the Brotherhood of Steel. Some have also asked whether there'll be a canon ending for Fallout New Vegas' Lonesome Road DLC and the fallout (heh) of Courier Six's interactions with Ulysses. I would love for this to be included.
A couple of minor details we can see are Bobbleheads and Stimpaks. They're icons of the games so they were bound to pop up at some point. The friendly Mr Handy who tries to harvest Lucy's organs sounds like it's voiced by Matt Berry (known for appearing in What We Do in the Shadows and The IT Crowd), or someone who sounds suspiciously like Matt Berry.
There's also a brief shot of someone in power armour punching a yao guai (mutated black bear) in the face. What I want to know is if this person drank some datura tea before squaring off with the yao guai or not (may White Bird's advice live on forever).
All episodes of Fallout will be available on Prime Video from 12th April. Showrunner Jonathan Nolan has called the show "almost" Fallout 5, due to its original story. If you fancy getting some functional merchandise while you wait for 12th April, Xbox has added a new Fallout-inspired controller to Design Lab.