So what’s our fascination with the Apocalypse? Is it because its so outside of our everyday? That there is a light at the end of the tunnel in the form of a blazing light from a nuclear cloud? Maybe just that all the craziness of our modern world will come to an end eventually? Or maybe an Apocalypse is something that will make all people equal despite financial or social status? Only you can answer that one.
Now not truly “distopian”, real post Apocalypse films and genre should have a complete break down of society and its aftermath otherwise some really great films like Children of Men and Soylent Green ( which are distopian) would have made the cut , but they don’t…….
So enough of the dime store psychology and get on with it already! Following is a short exploration of some interesting post Apocalypse games, films and other stuff we find of interest.
A real neat vid game we’ve been playing lately is the game called Fallout New Vegas, another in the line of the Fallout game franchise. It takes place in a post nuclear world and is filled with violence, hope and morally ambiguous decisions.. did I mention the gratuitous violence? It combines alot of the things that float our boats here at the EvS Show, 1950’s themes, zombies, strangeness and you can even gamble in Vegas! It has a great soundtrack and has something for everyone. You can be good, bad or anywhere in between.
This game Fallout 3 another great game in the same world and your character can even get kidnapped by aliens! Peace, Freedom and Bacon & Eggs. This vid is a really great one parodying the 1950s Nuclear Era and showing in game footage from this great game.
There’s plenty of really neato games out there in a similar vein, I saw this trailer for one called Grimlands which is a European release and looks like it has some good promise for the genre.
Moving on to film. Now with post nuke, zombie films and the like of any value we like to call “training films” where anything of value can be learned for survival!
A quick listing right off the hop has to include all of the Mad Max series of films, including Beyond Thunderdome. For you pencil necks out there who slag Mad Max III ( and now Fury Road is out a must see!) you just don’t understand the coolness that is Master Blaster!!
Some newer ones that were really good are The Road and The Book of Eli, we covered those in an earlier blog.
Some older ones that were really good are The Last Man on Earth (with Vincent Price) and its later incarnation as The Omega Man (Charlton Heston).
A Boy and his dog was another weird one but if one wants to round out their fill of post Apocalypse movies then you’ve gotta see it.
Panic in Year Zero is another classic that rarely is ever seen except at 2 o’clock in the morning in some seedy motel room on a T.V. with rabbit ears! Its like Dragnet meets Mad Max. Great Classic!
Additionally movies like Threads and The Day After are classics and The Postman!
Of course entertainment also involves tabletop gaming such as role playing or board games and even miniature tactical gaming. One of my new favs (as of update March 2017) is a blog called “It’s 500 Miles to the German Border! – A Twilight 2000 mininiature wargaming blog”
This covers scenarios in a role playing game called Twilight 2000, and incorporates miniatures into the game. Which is great considering the EvS friends and family are kicking off a campaign with this game and Jason Weiser (the blogs owner/writer) just happens to have the info and insights we are looking for with this circa 1980s Cold War goes hot (limited nuke and protracted conventional war) and now everyone is trying to survive the world falling apart after World War III. Another great point in checking his blog is that its great for anyone starting a game and he gives great pointers and insights (even for advanced gamers). Jason can be found contributing (amongst other great folks) on the Twilight 2000 facebook group found here. Which Ive got to say is fantastic considering this game came out in 1986 and pretty much disappeared in the 1990s. However a strong cult following is keeping this Cold War game alive. Plenty of resources out there still. The game is owned by Far Future Enterprises now and can also be purchased online from DriveThruRPG.
Well enough ranting and reminiscing for this evening, time to crawl down to the bunker and check on supplies! -EvS
For more detailed information on the Atomic Age, Cold War and atomic science please check out The Atomic Archive .com
