Our tale of the wastes picks up in the year 2241. Allow me to set the scene for our less experienced travellers of the wastelands. The community of Arroyo is suffering a blight, their water supply is dangerously low after the coming of the worst drought since their records began, although when that was, no one is certain. After many secret discussions amongst the local elders of the village, they hold one last meeting. It is decided that there is only one person who can take on their task, shoulder its weight and carry it through to the end.
The Chosen One. The only living descendant of the original Vault Dweller and it is, of course our job to stand in the shoes of the hero of this tale. The leader of the village elders alongside the others see fit to send you on their desperate quest. And so the elder tasks you with finding an item that has been rumoured to exist in the annals of their short history. This particular item makes an appearance later in the series, but we’ll get to that in due time.
The GECK or to give its full and proper name, The Garden of Eden Creation Kit. This technology was at the forefront of scientific research before the bombs fell, and it was initially designed as a revolutionary terraforming device that was planned to be used to revitalise and bring life back to selected areas laid to waste after strategic nuclear bombing. Developed by Future-Tec, it is perhaps fitting that this sub division of Vault-Tec created one of the vault dwellers most sought after pieces of equipment, but irony aside, the GECK proved to be a great boon to anyone who could get their hands on an operational unit.
So with our minds full of dazzling thoughts of thriving and bustling communities rising from the ashes of nuclear fire we set out on our travels through the wastelands once again. But before leaving we are given some basic utensils to aid us in our task. A familiar RobCo PIPBoy 2000 wrist mounted device, the Vault Dwellers jumpsuit, a water flask inscribed with the insignia of Vault 13, a basic spear for protection and some cash to help us on our way.
Staggering through the wastes and asking the friendly inhabitants for information and directions, bribing the less savoury types and fighting those who would see you dead, we finally find the location of Vault 13, the last known location of the GECK. A couple of days travel brings us to our destination wherein we find it largely unpopulated. After a series of strange and seemingly random events The Chosen One makes their way back to Arroyo. But all is not well in the already struggling village.
The citizens of Arroyo have been capture and taken away by the force known as The Enclave. A remnant splinter faction of the United States Government that stride across the wastes in their protective suits of powered armour wielding ferocious plasma based weaponry that will slough the flesh from the bones of its unfortunate victims. The Enclave are notorious in the wastes for raining terror on parts of the United States that they declare infected by a mutant population, their advanced technology and vertabirds allow them to do this both quickly and brutally.
It would eventually come to surface that the inhabitants of Vault 13 were captured and taken by The Enclave who had used their extensive laboratories to somehow manipulate and change the FEV(Forced Evolutionary Virus) into an airborne variant that they released. This variation of the FEV would target the body of anyone with even the slightest signs of genetic mutation, this would eventually leave the wastes free of all things mutated thus leaving The Enclave as the dominant ruling force because of their protection from radiation.
The Chosen One, after a series of cause and effect situations manages to power up the turbines of an old, hulking super tanker that was once used for the transportation of oil. While powering the turbines, you also manage to engage the auto-pilot which plots a path to an old offshore oil rig. This is in fact The Enclave’s main base of operations wherein the closing sections of our story come to a close for the time being.
The Chosen one fights through the oil rig, killing a great many of The Enclaves warriors along the way, cutting a bloody path through the halls, corridors and rooms of the rigs interior and eventually coming face to face with one of The Enclaves experiments. The genetically engineered and perverse version of The Secret Service being led by an enforcer by the name of Frank Horrigan. After having finally dispatched the members of the Secret Service you come face to face with, and ultimately kill the President of The United States of America. With The Enclave seemingly shattered and in tatters The Chosen one makes his escape with the occupants of Vault 13 and saves his fellow villagers from Aroyyo and together, they endeavour to build a bigger and brighter future with the aid of the GECK.
Unfortunately in terms of game play, there was very little that was changed in the second game, but it was the story and massively intricate themes and stories that drew gamers to this outing. It has, since its release become a classic in its own sense and still proudly holds a space in my favourite games list.
But make sure you stay tuned for part 3 of this look into the dust of nuclear war, where we will be journeying through the wastes again in Fallout 3. Perhaps the biggest game changer in the past decade. Don’t miss it because Fallout 3 is a game that I’m very passionate about, so bring a hazmat suit because we are climbing right inside this boiling vat of radioactive insanity.
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