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As most of people probably know by now Fallout is no more. Jarrett has written up an excellent blog entry on Columbus, and the down fall of Fallout. I don’t want to rehash what he has said. The short version is that Kronen decided to retire, so he can devote all of his energy to presuming a Medical Degree at TCU this next semester. We tried to move on without him, but ultimately it was better for everyone to go their separate ways. It has been a fun ride, and I feel as though that I owe everyone a recap of all of our accomplishments through the years.
Team Fallout officially formed on August 27, 2002. This was the day Socom US Navy Seals launched on the PS2. The original Fallout roster consisted of Kronen, Cnine, a kid from Wisconsin, and Shadow (me). We played Socom everyday from its release, and soon we found our self’s battling it out in tournaments and ladders online. Evently we rose to the top of the ladder on the most competitive Socom website, socombattles.com. (As time past socombattles.com added more games, and changed their name to gamebattles.com. MLG eventually purchased gamebattles.com.) Around the same time Socom came out I picked up an Xbox, and a copy of Halo 1. I began playing Halo 1 everyday between Socom practices with Fallout. I beat Halo 1 on legendary many times. Eventually we were holding small Halo LANs with only 2 Xboxs. Socom feel by the wayside in mid 2004 due to rampant cheating online and on the ladders. For a few months Fallout had an uncertain future, but then we heard about MLG. While I was at Hastings in Denton, TX I stumbled upon a flyer for MLG Dallas ’04. Unfortunately the event had ended that day, so there was no chance to go check it out. I began checking MLG’s website at least once a week. I wasn’t going to miss another local event. Halo 2 came out on November 9, 2004. Almost imminently kids at my High School started having LANs for it. This is how I met Stryder, one of the founding members of the Fallout Halo team. Throughout most of my high school career my friends and I were LANing 3 out of 4 weekends in a month. There were always 2 Halo LANs and 1 PC LAN. Needless to say these LANs were contributed to making my High School years very memorable.
Unfortunately MLG did not return to Dallas in 2005, instead they choose to go to Houston, TX. I knew there was no way for us to go to Houston, so we put MLG on the back burner and went to Summer CPL at the Gaylord Texan instead. CPL Summer 2005 is on of my fondest gaming memories. It was Fallout’s first big gaming event, we didn’t compete, but we did BYOC (Bring Your Own Computer). Also we scrimed Team 3D in Halo 2 (Walshy, Ogre 1, Ogre 2, Sayian). We went to every CPL after Summer 2005 until they folded in spring 2008. In Early 2006 we found out they MLG would be coming to Dallas in May. We were finally going to get our shot at the big time. We spent many hours preparing, even boot camping over spring break. About this time I launched version 1.0 of teamfallout.net, where I provided coverage of the latest happenings on the team and upload pictures every chance I got. My life began getting complicated due to some personal stuff, so I move from the roster to the coaching/manger position that I held for most of the life of Fallout. The Fallout roster for MLG Dallas 2006 was Kronen, Cnine, Stryder, and Gimli (Stryder’s younger brother). One of the highlights of our trip was Cnine playing FFA on Main Stage (to this day his the only person who ahs even been on Fallout to accomplish this). Likes the n00bs we were we went 2 and out in the 4v4. This was a wake up call and we swore to do better the next year.
By the time MLG Dallas 2007 rolled around there had been some roster changes. After a sub par performance at EGL Dallas 2007 Gimli quit, and Stryder’s heart just wasn’t there (he wanted to really enjoy the last summer before he went to college, which I totally understand. After a few trips to Mac Daddy’s ( a LAN center in Burleson, TX) We picked up JR and Sick Two. The new Fallout roster took us all the way to losers round 4 thanks to a clutch nade by Sick Two. Halo 3 came out shortly after Dallas ’07, so we made the move to it. Our next MLG was San Diego 2008. During the off season we broke up and reformed with Fearist instead of Sick Two. San Diego is my favorite MLG that we went to. The location, and the Fact we made it to Losers Bracket round 6 (Our best placing at an MLG). After San Diego Fearist dropped to go with a team to MLG Orlando. We had other plans. Earlier in the year we had qualified for the WCG Halo 3 tournament in LA. We picked up Sick Two again, and the WCG flew us out to LA. The tournament was at E for All, which was awesome. We placed 4th, and got to see the sights of LA for free. Unfortunately WCG was the same weekend as Dallas, so Fallout had to miss MLG Dallas 2008. Over the off-season we dropped JR and Sick Two, and picked up Fuzion and Fearist. We took this roster to many local tournaments (all over Oklahoma and Texas), as well as MLG Meadowlands 2009 and MLG Columbus 2009. At Meadowlands we finished Losers Bracket Round 6. We also got to see NYC, which was amazing. In Columbus we didn’t do as well, we finished Losers Bracket Round 4.
After talking to everyone I figured that we might drop Cnine for his lackluster performance, but ultimately Fallout would at least press on to Dallas 2009, and evaluate our options after the event. About a week after Columbus Kronen called me and said he was retiring to focus on College in the fall. I didn’t quite understand this decision, but he is my brother and one of my best friends so I respect and support him for giving it all to his dream of becoming a doctor. Cnine has always said that when Kronen quit he would to. So that left Fuzion, Fearist, and myself. We tried to find 2 more teammates. Fearist got invited to play with Playajoe, Impulse and Havok, an opportunity that he took. That move crippled Fallout, so I deiced to officially call it. After 7 years of Pro Gaming Fallout is going on hiatus once again.
I’ve always thought of Fallout as more than a team. To me it is a lifestyle. That lifestyle will always live on through me, Kronen, Cnine, Fearist Fuzion, JR, Sick Two, and everyone who enjoys gaming and competition. I am so very thankful that I was able to travel all over the country playing Halo. Thanks to Fallout I have been able to do and learn so much (I taught myself web design for the team). Now on the acknowledgements.
Kronen: First off good luck at College. I know you do great. Don’t quit gaming, because it is something we have done our whole life’s together and I know deep down you love it. I still expect you at all Fallout LANs, and I will come kidnap you if necessary (lol). I love you man.
Cnine: Dude stay true to who you are, tell girls that you’re a Pro Gamer trust me they like it. ;) I will miss your comic relief on the tourney trips. You are my oldest and closest friend, and no matter what I have your back.
Fearist: I hope you do awesome at Dallas with your new team. Don’t be a stranger and come to our LANs! You always added a lighthearted feel to tournaments that made everything better (your pranks were legit).
Fuzion: Dude you are by far one of the sickest Halo players I have ever met. If you choose to stick with it I know that you will be top 32 in no time. Austin: Thanks for going to Meadowlands and making the documentary. It was an amazing piece of work (you can view it on Fallout TV). I hope you have a good time at college. We have to stay in touch, and keep working together. Everyone Else you was involved with Fallout: Without everyone who was on the team at one time and everyone who came to our LANs, we would never been able to grow in to the mature team that we became. I want to especially give a shot out to QoP and Xfg for coming and LANing with us to help us get ready for tournaments.
My Parents: Without your love and support (both moral and finical) none of this would have been possible. Thanks for letting Chase and I go for our dreams the past 7 years. I love you very much.
So what now? Fallout will remain on ice for the time being, and I know that one day it will rise again in one way or another. I still plan on having a pre Dallas LAN to give all the locals a place to come practice. I am also starting up the monthly PC LANs again. I will be at MLG Dallas in my Fallout shirt, so be sure to come say hi. The website will remain online for the foreseeable future, as a testament to Fallout and all of our accomplishments. Fallout has participated in over 25 LAN events which is a pretty good number considering that we never landed a sponsor.
Later everyone,
Ryne “Shadow” White |
