Anticipation of a great game is a double-edged sword. Expectation can be fun… for a while. But we’re still a month and a half from Fallout 4, and I for one can’t sit patiently and wait that long. I’m on a mission to distract myself, while still embracing the post-apocalyptic genre to its fullest. Here is my strategy!
Play Fallout & Fallout 2
Playing through the first two Fallout games is at the top of my list. Released in 1997 and 1998, respectively, these two post-apocalyptic games set the stage for an amazing series. While the original Fallout takes place in 2161 and follows a survivor of a global nuclear war as he ventures out into the wasteland to protect his vault, Fallout 2 is set eighty years later and introduces the Enclave, US government remnant soldiers who play a major role in Fallout 3. The games may not look fantastic compared to today’s standards, but they do introduce a lot of core elements for the series. Both utilize perks, companions, karma and the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stat system.
Play Fallout 3
This is still the most iconic Fallout experience to date. If you haven’t played it, stop reading and go chase Liam Neeson across the Washington D.C. wasteland. Fallout 3 has a massive amount of content, so it shouldn’t be hard for you to find new areas, weapons, and characters to keep the experience fresh. My favorite quest unlocks the “Experimental MIRV,” a weapon that launches eight nuclear warheads at once. It’s as awesome as it sounds. Play the DLC and bring alien blasters and chainsaw axes back to fight in the main story. Try to get different followers to fight with you (but bring Dogmeat too). Change your karma: If you’re a good guy, steal everything that isn’t nailed down! If you’re the guy who wipes out everyone for no reason, try… not doing that.
Play Fallout: New Vegas
The slightly wackier follow-up to Fallout 3, New Vegas took us to Nevada, and a bit of civilization. Again if you’re replaying this one, keep it interesting. Try out the hardcore mode exclusive to New Vegas, which adds a touch of realism. Ammo has weight, characters need sleep, food, and water, and healing is tougher (no more sleeping off those broken limbs). If you need even more of a challenge, try a different combat focus than you usually do. If you’re a “gun nut” like me, try energy weapons, melee, or explosives to force yourself into a different fighting style. New Vegas revolves around different factions, a couple of which are mutually exclusive. On my latest play-through, I followed the Caesar’s Legion storyline to its conclusion, seeing some new characters and content. Play the DLC and try to collect those tough trophies. If you get really bored, gear up and go hunt some deathclaws.
Play Fallout Shelter
The hugely popular app is a great way to kill some time and try something new in the Fallout universe. Expand your vault and keep your dwellers safe, happy, and armed to the teeth. The app launched on iOS in June and for Android devices last month. I’ve spent more time than I care to admit on the game, fulfilling Bethesda’s challenges and making up some of my own. I’m still expanding to reach the bottom of my building space, but I have trained a dweller up to be level 50 with perfect S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats! Confessor Cromwell (the leader of the “Church of Atom” in Fallout 3) has moved on to become the god of my vault!
Play other post-apocalyptic titles
Metro: 2033 Redux, Metro: Last Light, Wasteland 2, Mad Max, The Last of Us, The Walking Dead: the list goes on and on. Be careful not to burn out, but pick a game or two and play through them. Most titles are pretty somber, because the characters are generally struggling to survive in a hellish wasteland. Get all that serious stuff out of the way, so you can be in a lighter mood for Fallout. Bethesda’s universe is filled with costumed superheroes, a gang of Elvis impersonators, and robots who think they are historical figures — all of whom explode if you shoot them.
Play The Last of Us – one of the finest post-apocalyptic adventures on PS4
Finish everything else you’re doing
The launch of Fallout 4 will be a nuclear bomb, and your home is your vault. You will be locked inside for an extended period of time, so go ahead and stock up on groceries. You may also want to put some personal affairs in order. Let your loved ones know that you won’t be answering your phone or checking in on Facebook for a while, and make up a convincing reason (don’t use phlebitis, that one is mine). Schedule all of your vacation days at work. Most importantly, finish whatever you’re playing, because with more than 400 hours of content in Fallout 4, you’re not going to be playing much else for the foreseeable future.
Watch movies and TV
If you need a break from gaming, other media can help you work yourself into a post-apocalyptic frenzy! Check out the Fallout fan film, Fallout: Nuka Break, and its related series. If you feel like branching out a bit, some other solid wasteland flicks include Mad Max (classic and Fury Road), I am Legend, and The Road (the last of which is also a great read). The 100 and Jericho are a couple of good shows that are set after the world got nuked.
Stay up to date
This one is important, but make sure not to do it last! The purpose of this list is for you to keep yourself busy and distracted until November 10. And if you save reading about Fallout 4 until last, then you’ll just be thinking about it again. And you’ll be right back to the waiting game. But don’t worry; PSU has all of the latest Fallout 4 news.