Fallout 3

Video Game
STUDIO Bethesda
RELEASED 2008

In the far future where Earth has become a devastated wasteland, you're the child of the noted scientist James in the underground Vault 101 that's in the Washington DC area. Upon reaching adulthood, your father has mysteriously disappeared into the outside for some unknown purpose. Soon, you're forced to flee outside yourself from the murderous tyranny of the Vault Overseer who'll not tolerate such dissent. Now, you'll begin the search for your father as your adventures begin that'll either bring hope to that dismal world or destroy it.

Knowledge

Page 3 of 4

Fallout 3 Source

The Bombs Fell on October 23, 2077

Within Fallout lore, the Great War's nuclear bombs fell on October 23, 2077. Bethesda actually wanted Fallout 3's real-world release date to land on that same date, but the game ended up hitting shelves a week later in North America instead.

Fallout 3 Source

The Adamantium Skeleton Perk

The Adamantium Skeleton perk borrows its name straight from Marvel's X-Men, referencing the fictional indestructible metal alloy bonded to Wolverine's bones.

Fallout 3 Source

Fallout 3 Was Announced Before Oblivion

Development on Fallout 3 quietly began in 2004, and the game was actually revealed to the public before Oblivion, which released two years earlier. Full production reportedly didn't ramp up until after Oblivion shipped.

Fallout 3 Source

The First Piece of Fallout 3 Art

The very first piece of concept art created for Fallout 3 was drawn by lead artist Istvan Pely back in 2004, an image of a lone figure in power armor that would go on to become the game's iconic box art.

Fallout 3 Source

V.A.T.S. Was Inspired by Burnout

The Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System, V.A.T.S., reportedly took its slow-motion, cinematic inspiration from the Crash Mode replays in the racing game Burnout, just swapping crumpled cars for dismembered limbs.

Fallout 3 Source

Bill Clinton Was Considered for President Eden

According to the casting company involved, former U.S. President Bill Clinton was seriously considered, and even approached, to voice President John Henry Eden before Malcolm McDowell ultimately took the role.

Fallout 3 Source

The Pip-Boy's Awkward Control Layout

The Pip-Boy's artists later admitted a design regret: all the knobs and switches sit on the left side of the screen, despite the device being strapped to the left wrist and operated with the right hand, meaning your own hand blocks the display while adjusting it. Fallout 4 fixed this by moving the controls to the right side.

Fallout 3 Source

The Fat Man's Cut RC Plane

Early in development, the mini-nuke launcher known as the Fat Man was designed to carry its warhead on a remote-controlled model B-17 bomber rather than firing it as a simple projectile, a concept that never made it to the final game.

Fallout 3 Source

The Brahmin Nearly Delayed an Indian Release

Fallout 3's release in India was reportedly held up over concerns that the two-headed cow-like Brahmin creatures could be seen as offensive given the sacred status of cows in Hinduism.

Fallout (TV Series) Source

That Old Please Stand By Screen

Right at the start of episode one, Vault 33's monitors flash up that familiar 'Please Stand By' card before the wedding kicks off. It's the same holding screen the games have used for decades on their loading and title screens, so if you've ever booted up a Fallout game you'll have seen this exact graphic staring back at you before.