Within the universe of the Fallout franchise it is fair to say that, probably, Fallout 3 has been the best episode of the saga – and more considering the critics of the last episodes. In the title of Bethesda Softworks the players could get an arsenal of weapons quite peculiar to get rid of the terrible creatures that inhabited the nuclear wasteland that had become the city of Washington.
One of the most recognized weapons was known as Fat Man, a heavy weapon that was actually a nuclear tactical shuttle. It is a mini nuclear bomb launcher, so the destruction they generate is enormous, although in a much smaller radius than a nuclear weapon – around 130 meters.
Inspired by a real weapon
What could be an object of fiction of a group of developers is, in fact, a weapon inspired by a real creation of the Cold War. Bethesda was inspired by the M-28 or M-29 Davy Crockett Weapon System to create the Fat Man. The American M-28 was a "rifle" that could fire the M-388 nuclear projectile, being deployed until 1967.
M-29 Davy Crockett Weapon System
The M-388 nuclear projectile is a sub-kilion fission warhead weighing just 23 kilos. It was launched by the M-28 without the possibility of cancellation: once it was activated it would explode without remedy. Despite the weight of 23 kilos, the weapon had a destructive power similar to that between 10 and 20 tons of TNT. In addition, the M-388 generated a dose of lethal radiation almost instantaneously 150 meters around.
On the other hand, the name of Fat Man in Fallout 3 is obviously related to the code name of the nuclear bomb detonated in the city of Nagasaki during World War II, specifically on August 9, 1945. The last nuclear device used in an attack against the civilian population. For this reason from Bethesda they had to change the name of the weapon in the game to Nuka Launcher in its Japanese launch.
Bethesda's lunchtime
Fat Man in Fallout 3
When using Fat Man in Fallout 3 the player hears one of the strangest sounds of the entire title, a bell that rings. A kind of "ding" rewarding in the recharge that, in fact, was much more rewarding for the employees of the American company. And it is the same sound of the cafeteria lunch bell with which Bethesda announces lunchtime in the study.
