A Fallout Spin-Off Deserves a Second Chance with a Winning Formula

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home February 1, 2025 2 Views 6 Min Read
A Fallout Spin-Off Deserves a Second Chance with a Winning Formula
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With the Fallout series largely treading water at the moment, there is a huge gap that could be filled with spin-off games in the interim before the next mainline title. Fallout 76 is still going strong as the series’ most recent title, with exciting additions like playable ghouls on the way soon. However, Fallout 5 is still likely a ways off with Bethesda currently focused on the development of The Elder Scrolls 6, leaving plenty of room for other spin-offs to potentially keep the franchise active alongside Fallout 76.

Fallout has relied on spin-offs in the past to keep the momentum of the franchise going between mainline releases, as is evident by the ongoing support for Fallout 76—technically a spin-off itself. Even what is generally considered the most beloved Fallout game, Fallout: New Vegas, is a spin-off, showing just how much potential taking a break from the mainline series has for advancing the franchise. As such, the series would be wise to revisit the largely forgotten Brotherhood of Steel spin-offs, with one new twist that could be the jolt needed to keep fans engaged ahead of Fallout 5.

Logo of the Brotherhood of Steel over the Capital Wasteland from Fallout 3

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Fallout Shouldn’t Abandon the Brotherhood of Steel Spin-Offs Just Yet

The Brotherhood of Steel is an iconic faction within the Fallout universe and has seen a few spin-offs dedicated to the organization. Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel is likely the first game that comes to many fans’ minds when they think of Brotherhood of Steel-centric Fallout games, but the faction received another, less popular spin-off titled simply Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel. Despite the underwhelming reactions this game received, it could have a strong basis for a modern revival.

Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel was released on January 13, 2004, for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox.

Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel plays like a top-down shooter similar to a title like Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance, only with players fighting the horrors of the wasteland as members of the titular faction. The game differs greatly from the tone and feel of mainline Fallout games, which led it to become a divisive entry among fans. However, it does feature local co-op, which is arguably the best part of the game and the perfect basis for a new BoS game to build on.

A Co-op PvE Brotherhood of Steel Spin-Off Has All the Elements in Place

With the success of recent co-op PvE titles like Helldivers 2 and Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2, a new Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel game that shares a similar formula could be the perfect way to revive this spin-off and give it a second chance to impress. Both of these titles feature heavily armored player characters taking on hordes of monsters, so Fallout‘s Brotherhood of Steel would fit naturally into this formula. Having a team of four Paladins clad in power armor fight against waves of feral ghouls, super mutants, and deathclaws seems like an easy recipe for success.

A game like this could also follow Helldivers 2‘s transition from a top-down shooter in the original to a third-person shooter in the sequel.

Fallout‘s universe could even warrant a new twist on this formula, like the existence of radiation posing an additional threat to players and forcing them to gear up appropriately depending on the projected radiation level of the map they’re deploying to. This type of game could even factor in the hierarchy of the Brotherhood of Steel to create different classes for players to choose from, such as the power armor-wearing Paladins and the support-focused Squires. While Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel may have tainted the spin-off’s namesake, the pieces for a new game to take on the mantle using the successful formula of a game like Helldivers 2 are all there, waiting for the franchise to pull the trigger and make a title like this happen.

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