Fallout Operation Sunburst Fan Film Teases Wasteland Battle That Outshines the Games

Fans of the Fallout series know the Mojave Desert as a location where it’s never safe to relax…every hill hides a sniper, and every station could be a battleground. A brand-new fan-made animation called Operation Sunburst has turned those distant memories into a brutal battle drama. SODAZ created this 45-minute fan video about the New California Republic declaring war on the Brotherhood of Steel over the Helios One power facility.

SODAZ created Operation Sunburst with the Unity engine, drawing inspiration from Fallout: New Vegas for its locations and gear. Power armor trundles across sandy terrain, service weapons crackle, and laser fire illuminates the night sky. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t a flashy cartoon. What they did do was employ some extremely smart camera work to depict squads creeping down gullies or hunkering down behind barricades.

Behind the scenes, SODAZ put up a crew that knocked the ball out of the park. Voice actors Ryan Negrón and Erin Nicole Lundquist give the characters significant depth: the NCR sergeant has a convincing world-weary tone, and the Brotherhood knight’s radio conversation is heavy on duty and responsibility. The script manages to incorporate a few known names from New Vegas lore, such as Elder Elijah and Colonel Moore, without being overly blatant, while the music is sourced from the game’s soundtrack.

Anyone who has played Fallout New Vegas will remember Helios One as a tiny skirmish in the midst of the much larger NCR vs. Brotherhood of Steel fight. The location was simply a position where players might choose to hit or continue walking. But Operation Sunburst changes the script, making this seemingly insignificant locale the focal focus of the NCR’s last-ditch drive to seize control of the area. Under the cover of darkness, NCR troops are spread all over the Mojave, beginning a full-fledged attack to secure the Helios power plant. Brotherhood members guard ancient machines with zeal, but isolation breeds paranoia.

Season 1 of Prime Video’s Fallout adaptation did an excellent job of conveying the dark humor and raw terror of life in the wasteland, and Season 2 promises to delve even further into the nitty gritty of faction politics. Operation Sunburts appears to be addressing all of the issues surrounding NCR’s overreach and the Brotherhood’s overall bunker-bound, paranoid atmosphere.
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