Summary
I’m going to sound like a nerd who never touches grass when I say this, but hear me out—Epic Games and Bethesda choosingthe T-60 power armourfor theFalloutxFortnitecrossover was the most boring choice they could have made. Even unique paint jobs couldn’t save it.
Fallout 4reveals that, just before the bombs dropped and plunged the world into ruin, a new model of power armour was developed. We haven’t seen it before because… reasons. But since the Brotherhood of Steel uncovered this highly advanced tech,everyonewears it now. It’s plastered on the promotional material, appeared in the TV series, and has become the de facto power armour of the franchise.
The most notable difference between the T-60 and earlier models is that the visor lifts up and it has a jetpack. The original T-51 design was clunkier and felt more tangible in its design. It was impractical and tanky, appearing almost like old diver suits if they were coated in metal plating. There was a rich ‘50s retro-futuristic vibe to them that was watered down with the T-60, which feels more like the Iron Monger suit from the first Iron Man film.
It wouldn’t be so bad if the T-60 wasn’t the only suit of armour in the crossover. But all of the Fortnite-themed paint jobs are for the same exact model. Fallout has such a rich tapestry of designs Epic Games could have pulled from instead.
Perhaps the most iconic power armour besides the standard model is the X-01 suit, otherwise known as the Enclave version. It’s far bulkier and has a unique, almost insectoid helmet. It was plastered onthe cover art of Fallout 2and featured heavily in the sequel with the return of the pre-war US government, making it instantly recognisable.
Similar to the Enclave suit is the Advanced Power Armour Mark 1, which is a grungier dark gray outfit with brown accents and far less prominent pauldrons, making it much slicker. It also has a fan on the back lit up in bright yellow, a striking contrast to the rest of the design. Paint jobs definitely vary the T-60 suit, but they all have the exact same silhouette, whereas these two would have drastically varied.
One of the more striking post-apocalypse designs that would fit Fortnite’s current season perfectly is the raider power armour from Fallout 4. It’s a repurposed, hodge-podge mix of T-45 and T-51 models with a rusted cage over the helmet and scrap metal plating used to patch up the holes.
The flagship T-60, the original T-51, the Enclave suit, the slicker Mark 1 variant, and the raider version would’ve added more variety to the crossover, rather than sticking with the same generic model most fans are tired of seeing anyway. A squad of friends all decked out in their favourite power armour would bring the crossover to life, whereas right now, it’s the most basic Fallout imagery you can think of.
Of course, there are a ton of iconic designsoutsideof power armour that would’ve been just as striking, fromthe NCR ranger gearto the vault dweller suits to Caesar’s Legion and the synths. Opting for the T-60 power armour alone is a dull, bland, safe choice that doesn’t dig deep into some of the more intriguing designs from across the series that are equally as recognisable.
At least the crossoverincludes Nuka-Cola, which gives it a bit more Fallout flare than the bog-standard power armour.
With how much thought Fortnite puts into its other crossovers, it’s a shame to see Fallout get the short end of the stick, but hopefully this is just the first of many future collaborations and one day we’ll see even more pulled from the radioactive wasteland instead of stopping at the cover art.
Fortnite
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Starting life as a tower defense game, Fortnite has become one of the biggest video games out there. Its battle royale mode dominates popular culture, featuring concerts by megastar musicians and crossovers with just about every brand imaginable, from Marvel to the NFL.
Fallout
Fallout is a franchise built around a series of RPGs set in a post-nuclear world, in which great vaults have been built to shelter parts of humankind. There are six main games, various spin-offs, tabletop games, and a TV series from Amazon Studios.
