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Going all the way back to the first Fallout game in 1997, ghouls have been a constant
in the franchise. One of the most tragic aspects of the Fallout universe, even ghouls lucky
enough not to be feral are often hated and feared. This really sets them apart from being
just another type of video game zombies and is a very far cry from the ghouls of mythology,
but before we get to that, let’s start with a book.
Tim Cain, the original creator of Fallout, has listed the 1954 book Richard Matheson
novel “I Am Legend” as one of Interplay’s biggest inspirations when developing the series.
This is seen in a few ways, the novel, about the sole survivor on an infection that turned
the rest of humanity into monsters, places a lot of emphasis on creepy atmosphere and
feelings of isolation, something that has carried over to the Fallout series. But another
element of the book may have influenced the creation of the ghouls themselves. In the
book, unlike the 2007 Will Smith movie, some of the infected creatures actually regain
their intelligence. No longer fully human, and no longer a feral monster, they set up
a new civilization for themselves. It’s easy to see the possible parallels between
them and the intelligent ghouls, who have also become a new species and in some cases
have created separate settlements away from humans.
“I Am Legend” is just one piece of 1950s’ sci-fi to have a big impact on Fallout, but
there’s a lot older sources of inspiration as well. Let’s talk about the word “Ghoul”
for a minute. The earliest use of the word found in literature comes from One Thousand
and One Nights, a collection of Arabic folk tales usually called Arabian Nights in English
versions. One of the stories, called “The History of Gherib and His Brother Agib", is
about an outcast prince has to fight off a family of ghouls trying to murder him. Other
than the fact that these ghouls always dwelt in the desert there isn’t too much connection
to Fallout’s ghouls BUT it did have a big impact on a certain author, Bethesda favorite
HP Lovecraft, who claimed Arabian Nights as one of his biggest inspirations.
Lovecraft’s version of ghouls is a bit closer to Fallout’s. In the Lovecraft mythos, ghouls
were once human, who have transformed and gone on to create their own underground societies
in stories like “Pickman’s Model” and “The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath”. In
the end both Lovecraft’s ghouls, the original ghouls of Arabian Nights and the monsters
of “I Am Legend” bring us pretty close to the the ones of the Fallout universe, possibly
giving us a little bit of insight into their creation.
Next let’s move on to a more specific ghoul-related reference found in Fallout 4. Revealed as
the first ghoul in history, Edward Winter is unique among ghouls because he chose to
become one voluntarily, deciding that the negative effects were worth it in exchange
for eternal life. But that’s not the only interesting aspect of the character, he also
has a close connection to real Boston history. That’s because he’s thought to be based
on two of the city’s most infamous criminals: James “Whitey” Bulger and Howie Winter,
the leaders of the deadly Winter Hill Gang. Before the great war, Edward Winter ran a
criminal empire, very much like Whitey Bulger and Howie Winter. If those names sound familiar
to you, it’s probably because the story of Whitey Bulger was adapted to the big screen
recently in Black Mass, starring Johnny Depp as Bulger.
The New Vegas expansion Dead Money features a ghoul very different from most of his peers,
lounge singer Dean Domino. Sporting a classy look and a smooth voice, Domino also happens
to be a reference to two separate people. Crooner Dean Martin and Fats Domino, one of
the originators of rock n roll. In another small nod to to Fats Domino, the ghoul mentions
that he used to work at Imperial Records, Fats Domino’s real-world record company
that was huge in the 1950s.
Now it’s finally time for some comments!
First up we have a great comment from PoneSausage, brings up Marty Bullfinch, Nick Valentine’s
dead partner you find on the roof of Faneuil Hall, and who has a pretty interesting connection
to the building itself. That’s because he shares his last name, minus an “L”, with
Charles Bulfinch, a famous architect who worked on the real Faneuil Hall, a historic Boston
landmark. That’s not the only building that Bulfinch designed to appear in a Fallout game
either. You can also see his handiwork when visiting the Massachusetts State House.
Next up is our baaad comment, coming from Fredrick Weber this week who simply says “I
don’t like that”. You don’t like WHAT Fredrick?! Help us out man, we have literally
no context for what “that” is! So yeah, get back to us.
Alright, let’s get down to some trivia. Last week we asked you what well-known game
series Assassin’s Creed was originally supposed to be a spin off of, and many of you guys
guessed correctly! It was C) Prince of Persia. This week’s question comes from the Fallout:
New Vegas: the character Veronica Santangelo, who is voiced by Felicia Day, carries sporks
in her inventory as a reference to the actress’ role in what nerd favorite?