Talk:Fallout 3 cultural references

=Article guidelines=

Guidelines for adding (and not adding) cultural references

 * 1) Name-only similarity is not enough to go on. Context and other secondary evidence is necessary.
 * 2) Real-world places: Many locations in Fallout 3 also exist in the real world. These are fine to note in the "Behind the scenes" sections of location articles, but they do not belong in this article.
 * 3) Parallel references: Fallout 3 may make reference to, for instance, Greek mythology (See Charon (Fallout 3). The game God of War also references Greek mythology. This does not mean Fallout 3 is referencing God of War. We list the primary reference (Greek mythology); we do not list the parallel reference (God of War).
 * 4) Be brief: Use as few words as you can. Provide informative links rather than explaining yourself at length. "Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." &mdash;Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
 * 5) Be conservative in what you identify as a reference. If the connection is vague and questionable, consider opening a discussion about it on the talk page instead of adding it to the article.
 * 6) Intensifiers: Refrain from describing references as "simple", "direct", "obvious", "clear" and so on. This comes across as combative and does not add to the information in your entry.
 * 7) References are organized by the non-Fallout topic referenced, in alphabetical order. Maintain this organization: keep things alphabetical, do not add sections with Fallout topics as headings, and do not add information about unrelated non-Fallout topics to topic sections. This means that if there is a Marquis de Sade section about how the Nuka-Cola Challenge quest is a reference to the 120 Days of Sodom, and you think that the quest also refers to Nabokov's Lolita, you should not edit the Marquis de Sade section to say so; rather, you should make a Lolita or Vladimir Nabokov section, and possibly crossreference between the sections if the references are related.
 * 8) Check the talk page for discussion about the reference you would be adding. This is a heavily edited and discussed page, and it's entirely possible that your reference has been added, discussed, and removed, or discussed and then not added.

Guidelines for deleting cultural references

 * 1) If you "don't get" or don't understand a reference, post your question/doubts on the discussion page. Get some feedback before removing an entry that may be valid.
 * 2) Use the "Summary" box on your edit page when removing a reference, so that others can understand why you removed it.
 * 3) It is appropriate to post more involved reasons for removing an entry on the discussion page.

=Discussion of References=

Only Fools and Horses reference
in only fools and horses (an old british comedy) there is an imigrant who can only say gary and is the only thing he says for the hole epesode. Gary's in vault 108 are the same, only saying gary.


 * The first thing that came to my mind was "Matt Damon" from the Team America movie. Metaphorset 19:22, July 11, 2011 (UTC)

Star Wars reference in Mothership Zeta to be added.
I'm adding this in here untill someone can add it into the main page. I don't have permission to edit the main article yet.

But basically I noticed that when you meet Sally in the trash elevator on the Maintenence Level (right before you plummet several floors) you have an option of dialogue which says "What an incredible smell you've discovered." which is obviously refering to the garbage compactor scene in 'A New Hope' where Han says the same line to Chewbacca right before the compactor switches on.

Could someone add this in please? I've noted in the two archived pages this has been requested before but noone seems to have put it in.

Possible reference to The Road?
I noticed that the section for The Road just mentions that Todd Howard interview, but there aren't any actual in-game references. I think I might have found one: Towards the end of the Those! quest, after you stop the ants but before you find Bryan Wilks a home, if you talk to Bryan he says "I know you - you're one of the good guys!" In The Road, at end of the book (without spoiling it) the boy asks some people if they're the good guys. He asks his dad a lot about the good guys and being the good guys, so this one seems pretty straightforward to me.63.231.142.90 21:29, May 3, 2010 (UTC)
 * "Good guys" is such a generic term that we can't list it as a reference.--Gothemasticator 05:24, May 4, 2010 (UTC)

I don't know, it might be. It is very similar. His dad just died, a random stranger helps him.Vault 815 05:23, July 12, 2010 (UTC)

I think i also may have found a reference,but the chance of it actually being one is small; the boys favorite food is said to be pork and beans,and this is an item in-game.

why is a scoped magnum a refrence to mad max
seriosly what do u think a scoped magnums going to look like
 * Magnums are usually going to be Smith and Wesson Model 29's, in the steps of Dirty Harry. F3's is more in the shape of Ruger's Blackhawk, especially when you consider the name "Blackhawk". Nitty Tok. 06:06, May 4, 2010 (UTC)

ink spots referance
theres a song called Little small town girls, and the lyrics go some thing like this- its a small town girl in a big town dream. i was thinking is small town little lamp light and big town big town? it also is a referance to the fact all the kids there dream about going to big town which the girl in the song is thinking of.
 * Way too generic to be a reference.--Gothemasticator 21:20, May 27, 2010 (UTC)

Dracula note
Minor note on the Dracula entry, Vlad Dracula is the actual name of the historical figure, tepes (impaler) is a nickname. For some reason many get these backwards.
 * To be more accurate his name is Vlad Drăculea, but his usual title in the English speaking world is Vlad III or Vlad the Impaler. (see Wikipedia article - His Romanian surname Drăculea (also spelled "Drakulya"), by which Vlad was referred to in several documents, is in reference to his father, Vlad Dracul who was a proud member of the monarchical chivalric order for selected nobility with a Latin name "Societas Draconistrarum" meaning the Order of the Dragon). So Dracula is not a name in the same sense as Smith or Johnson, for example. Giuseppe87 14:01, May 7, 2011 (UTC)

Another note on this - maybe this other reference should be added to this article: Meresti Metro Station is named after a small town (a commune) in Romania, Merești, located in Transylvania. This seems to be another reference to the vampire myth commonly associated with Transylvania. Giuseppe87 14:01, May 7, 2011 (UTC)

Living Dead/George Romero
The line about "from here to Monroeville" hardly seems like a reference to George Romero, but just a reference to an area in Pennsylvania. JimmyBassatti 15:41, June 25, 2010 (UTC) It was used for killing Ghouls (in Night of the Living Dead they are refered to as such) and the majority of the series was filmed in or near Monroeville.--Kleiner352 21:08, March 6, 2011 (UTC)

Possible "Red Dawn" reference
75.219.57.26 19:35, July 1, 2010 (UTC)EvilFrostop

Possible The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Reference
In the Herbert "Daring" Dashwood radio serial episode "Super Mutant Mayhem", Argyle refers to the act of reverse-pickpocketing a grenade onto an unsuspecting super mutant as "the old Shady Sam Shuffle." This might be a reference to the NPC "Shady Sam" from TESIV.

It's Shady Sands, a town in the older Fallouts. Nothing to do with Oblivion. User:Dolten 04:48, July 6, 2010 (UTC)

Ah. Didn't make the connection. Thanks for clearing that up. Withdrawn. 205.188.117.18 03:57, July 7, 2010 (UTC)

Strapping Young Lad Reference in the Adams Air Force Base Tunnel
The fallout 3 developers have great taste in metal apparently.

In the tunnels to the Adams Air Force base there's a maintenance terminal.

On the last date there's a statement left stating:

"I wish that I could sleep and just get this over with ...this is only high school bullshit...

I'm lost... I'm freaking and everybody knows... everyone's watching"

Direct lyrics to the Strapping Young Lad song "Detox"

Music Man GNR
Doesn't Three Dog mention something about "Trouble Right Here in Rivet City"?

Smokey the Bear reference
The first time I heard the radio segment playing, I could have sworn it was "Only you can prevent human flesh virus", not "human flesh fires". Can we confirm this? A lot of other online sources (i.e. Wikiquote) claim it's "flesh fires" too, but it doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to me. combyne 00:36, September 7, 2010 (UTC)
 * "Only you can prevent" is a direct quote from Smokey the Bear; and since there's no more forests, and the context is radiation and ghoulification, he says "human flesh fires" instead of "forest fires" - "virus" wouldn't make sense in this context because ghoulification isn't related to any virus. -- 00:42, September 7, 2010 (UTC)


 * It's definitely "flesh fires" since radiation literally burns away the skin and the flesh. Since Fukushima there's a lot about the effects in the media all over the world. Metaphorset 19:03, July 11, 2011 (UTC)

"Brahmin"
I remember hearing that Brahmin were upper class people or something. Nukey (talk) 20:22, September 21, 2010 (UTC)

Wikipidea says "A Brahmin (also Brahman; Brāhmaṇa, ब्राह्मण) is a member of the priestly class in the Indian subcontinent..." and "Brahmins are also called Vipra "inspired",[1] or Dvija "twice-born"" (they have two heads, so they are sorta twice born) So is probably worth adding. 20:27, September 21, 2010 (UTC)
 * We already have an entry titled "Hindu culture."--Gothemasticator 01:14, September 22, 2010 (UTC)

From Hell it Came
I was wondering if there are any comparisons between Harold (in all three games) and the creature from From Hell It Came, which was a dead man buried and then resurrected by gamma radiation and became a tree, for no reason whatsoever. Similar to Harold and the vats of FEV. They even look quite similar.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_hell_it_came

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiP6W0ZCQRg

"V for Vendetta"
In regards to Fawkes, I think it's more likely that he's a reference to the graphic novel V for Vendetta (or the film adaptation) rather than a direct reference to Guy Fawkes. Compare:

In V for Vendetta, V is a man who is held in a prison camp equipped for medical experimentation. He is infected with a prospective biological weapon. While imprisoned, he is held in Cell V (5). The viral agent gives him superhuman strength and reflexes, but he is the only member of the experimental group to survive the process. He is disfigured as a result of his escape, causing him to hide his scarred face under a Guy Fawkes mask.

In Fallout, Fawkes is a man who is held in a Vault retrofitted for medical experimentation. He is infected with the Forced Evolution Virus. While imprisoned, he is held in Testing Chamber 5. The viral agent gives him superhuman strength, endurance, and damage resistance, but he is the only member of the experimental group to survive the process with his intellect intact. He is disfigured by the viral agent to the extent that he cannot hide his disfigurement, but he does take on the name of Fawkes.

President Eden's chats: The mold of the Yancy
I always thought Eden was in fact Eisenhower and not Roosevelt, here is why:

In the cultural reference it says that president Eden's chats are based on Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Fireside Chats. Actually i think they are based on Philip K. Dick's the mold of the Yancy story. According to the notes written by Dick he in turn based himself on Eisenhowers radio broadcasts. Quote: The Mold of Yancy follows an investigation into an off-Earth colony where a seemingly benign totalitarian society has emerged. The eponymous Yancy is a popular public figure who is actually a virtual person, created by teams of 'Yance-men'. All aspects of day to day life are commentated on by Yancy through advertisements and broadcast shows, from breakfast cereal to music to politics. The populace of the society are essentially being de-politicized and homogenised by the messages of Yancy. All of Yancy's opinions are the least controversial possible; the way his speech is written appears to be profound, yet the content is such that very little is in fact being said.

Eden is in fact a artifical construct, like Yancy. Like Yancy Eden's talk is seeminlingly benign but as the story progress it becomes clear they hide a political agenda. Like in Yancy Eden is steering the populace towards a conflict. Eisenhower much better fits the background of fallout as he was the president during the height of the cold war which seems to be the cultural background of fallout 3. Also Eisenhower was in office at the same time Anthony Eden was prime minister in Britain during a period of great tension during the cold war, which seems to suggest that in fact John Henry Eden is an indirect reference to that.

Bicentennial Man Reference
Wadsworths Megaton Butler Joke ~ ''Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says, "Does this taste funny to you?"''

Is from or was also in the 1999 film Bicentennial Man. Robin William's character an android named Nadrew says it at the dinner table in his first attempt at humor, it was the first joke he said in the film, available on youtube by search Bicentennial Man Jokes Scene. --FionaKraus 22:40, November 28, 2010 (UTC)
 * The joke predates both the game and the movie. It's just a coincidence that it appears in both.--Gothemasticator 22:43, November 28, 2010 (UTC)


 * So both being robotic butlers does not make it feel a bit more than just a coincidence? Thought I had a Eureka moment, oh well.  --FionaKraus 02:39, November 29, 2010 (UTC)
 * If Bicentennial Man had originated the joke, maybe. But, as it is, it's an old joke, commonplace and ubiquitous. Really just a coincidence that two robots used it.--Gothemasticator 02:55, November 29, 2010 (UTC)
 * Maybe it's a reference to the book by Ray Owens. Great read, BTW. You should read it if you can get your hands on it. (no I'm not seriously suggesting that it's a reference to that book). -- 03:29, November 29, 2010 (UTC)

The Ninth Circle
A reference to Dante Alighieri's poem "Divine Comedy" where hell is divided up into 9 circles each standing for one specific sinners. The Ninth Circle is for those commiting treachery. --Vmuc17 19:22, January 3, 2011 (UTC)vmuc17

Megadeth!
I just went on a limb and typed up Megadeth on here, and wa-la! I found an article with it. My favorite band referenced into my favorite game. Awesome!

Pittsburgh
Everett the NPC whom you turn in steel ingots into is possibly named after the city of Everett a city in western Pennsylvania.

I also so a lot of references menthioned in the pitt article and not hear like the color scheme of the tribal/ashur's power armeor, and a reference to the steelers football team[though it could possibly be a parellel reference because of the steeler's using this name as a reference also.

Interplay Reference?
Has no one else noticed the atom on top of the Church of the Children of Atom looks like the Interplay logo? It has a rocket on it behind the big atom, and looks a lot like the logo... I'm surprised it hasn't been added yet? 74.197.22.29 07:45, June 23, 2011 (UTC)Rainoo

The Bible
Why is there only one reference to the bible on this page, just off the top of my head I know that a lot of the main quests in fallout 3 are references bible stories. Would someone mind adding these references? NickSquared 07:39, July 6, 2011 (UTC)
 * Unless you can prove that there's a direct, incontrovertible relation between a Bible parable/story and something in Fallout 3, don't bother adding it. The Bible's stories are pretty generic, so anything can be construed as a reference. http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/fallout/images/0/08/Personal_Sig_Image.gif Tagaziel (call!) 10:21, July 6, 2011 (UTC)

Wind and Kidd
Wind and Kidd are not Diamonds Are Forever movie character, but book characters from the novel the film is based on.

94.236.128.215 19:21, September 11, 2011 (UTC)