Bioshock meets Fallout, or not?

[ivpiter]

In a recent interview on GamesRadar with Bioshock Senior Artist, Hoagy De La Plante, he cited the inspiration and influence that lead to the undersea collapsed art deco dystopia of Rapture:<blockquote> GamesRadar: What other games inspired the BioShock art team?
HP: The original plan was to make a spiritual successor to System Shock 2. From a gameplay perspective, we certainly analyzed a lot of other titles. Half-Life 2
(…)
But our actual inspiration came more from films and novels
(…)

GamesRadar: Give us some examples of those films and novels.
HP: Certainly the novels Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead. The Randian theory - idealistic and flawed - was important to the game. Artistically... Blade Runner.</blockquote>The full article is broken up into 10 mini-pages starting here.

Bioshock creator Ken Levine and his team seem to have overlooked Fallout for more then just art. In a recent Gamespot interview he expressed his dissatification with the multiple endings of Bioshock.<blockquote>KL to Gamespot: "One of the reasons I was opposed to multiple endings is I never want to do things that have multiple digital outcomes, versus analog outcomes. I want to do it like the weapons system in the combat in BioShock. There are a million different things you can do in every combat; you can play it a million different ways. Looking into the future for the franchise, that's something I want to [figure out], that by the time you get to the ending of that choice path, you have a sense of your impact on the world through lots of little permutations rather than like a giant ending piece, if you follow my meaning."</blockquote>To which Bit-Tech replies:<blockquote>Oh, like the Fallout games then? Sorry Ken, but it's already been done. Fallout 2 perfected the idea of branching endings long before BioShock was a twinkle in your eye.</blockquote>That sums it up pretty well.

 

[Brother None]

It's pretty puzzling. It's not like you can deny the influence of Fallout on this game, that'd be like a fantasy writer writing a book with dwarfs and orcs and then claiming Tolkien didn't inspire him in any way.

It's just so obvious, so why not mention it?

 

[SuAside]

maybe because they dont want Beth to get free publicity (thinking that they're not a worthy successor)?

 

[teewurm]

why not mention it?

Isn't that obvious?
They're afraid to be compared with fallout.

 

[MrBumble]

Isn't that obvious?
They're afraid to be compared with fallout.

Wrong answer...
Both games do not compete so there is no point in being affraid of the comparison : one is a shooter with a deep background and the other is a crpg...released ten years ago...mmh Plus they should be proud of the comparison.

 

[teewurm]

Wrong answer...
Both games do not compete so there is no point in being affraid of the comparison : one is a shooter with a deep background and the other is a crpg...released ten years ago...mmh Plus they should be proud of the comparison.

Even if they don't compete, getting compared with one of the best games of all times has allways assets and drawbacks.
Sure, they could use the comparison for promotion.
But if they would do so, they would be under pressure.
For example: If they were saying 'We we're inspired by fallout and wanted to design a fallout-like world', all the retards here would blame them for not making a truly fallout-like world.

 

[Briosafreak]

Ken Levine went to see the Fallout 3 demo once, on some games convention.

 

[Nim82]

Is it not possible that they were inspired by the sources that inspired Fallout itself? Fallout didn't pioneer retro-future/art-deco nor did it invent the 1950s. There's plenty of period comics, films and novels featuring similar settings.

The Indian head logo, for instance, was broadcast on TV back in the day. We associate it with Fallout as that (for many of us) was our original reference point. Irrational may have referenced it directly from the period. Same with respect to the architecture and technology. Little cartoons as instruction were also true to the period. Mutagens are a standard plot device in science fiction and tie in with system-shock.

I'm sure Fallout may have inspired some members of the team, but as a direct design influence I'm not so sure it was. They are just two games exploiting an underused genre/setting in my view.

 

[Brother None]

Is it not possible that they were inspired by the sources that inspired Fallout itself? Fallout didn't pioneer retro-future/art-deco nor did it invent the 1950s. There's plenty of period comics, films and novels featuring similar settings.

Oh, sure, that's possible. At least, it's possible in as far as they could've more directly drawn from those sources rather than indirectly via Fallout. But I find it inconceivable that a game with so many obvious analogies would not be somehow influenced by one of the most legendary games of all time.

It's simply too unlikely when you have that kind of similarity to say it has nothing to do with one another. It's possible, but just very unlikely, especially considering the other suspected wink at Fallout in the game (the toilet boy).

PS: by the way, the thing about multiple endings is pretty funny. What Levine wanted is obviously what Fallout 1 & 2 already did, but it's impossible for BioShock. Partially due to its self-contained non-fractioned setting, but also partionally, and that's what's funny, because of the game's extreme-if-hidden linearity. You can't have multiple consequential endings for a game if the game's linear, Ken m'boy.

 

[Nim82]

There are winks as you state, but not every game featuring a dope fish was inspired by Commander Keen.

Maybe I'm blind, but beyond the nods, I never really noticed much else pointing to Fallout as a source. The setting is very Jules Verne, there's also a fair few Lovecraftian references. 50/60s 'Aquatic' science fiction is more prevalent than the more 'space-age' pulp that FO drew on.

The change in setting from a Nazi island could be down to F3, but I don't see why they'd change setting from one that is popular (and sells) just to compete with a game that was vaporware back then. Rather, I suspect, they wanted to do something a bit more original and different, to avoid the Wolfen-Cry tag. The theme of genetic mutation likely had nothing to do with FEV, it's a staple of Nazi horror/fantasy (e.g. The boys from Brazil), that would have fed their original vision (as well as Shock).

I could be wrong though.

 

[SuAside]

The Indian head logo, for instance, was broadcast on TV back in the day. We associate it with Fallout as that (for many of us) was our original reference point.

the real indian head logo and the FO indian head logo arent the same. the one that was (briefly used) in Bioshock was the FO one.

 

[citixensinister]

Maybe I'm blind, but beyond the nods, I never really noticed much else pointing to Fallout as a source. The setting is very Jules Verne, there's also a fair few Lovecraftian references. 50/60s 'Aquatic' science fiction is more prevalent than the more 'space-age' pulp that FO drew on.

The 'Fallout'-tiness is the feel of the game, the steampunk environment, and the way the game is presented. It is clumsily borrowed it it is true. It forces the feel of the game on you. In fact, it is so steam punk, it doesn't make sense. I could be wrong.

Besides it is hard to tell, the game is alright in my standard, and I didn't really play the game, I seen other's play it though.

Fallout didn't not draw on 'space-age' if anything they are 50's-age. It has the feel of what the future felt like if it were imagined from the 50's.

You were right about borrowing from Jules Verns and Lovecraft.