We live in a golden age of video game adaptations, with recent hits like HBO's "The Last of Us" series and "The Super Mario Brothers Movie" as palette cleaners after decades of terrible movies and shows based on popular games They refreshed me And Prime Video's new "Fallout" series seems to be the latest success to join that list

Based on the best-selling video game franchise currently being handled by Bethesda Game Studios (but started in 1997 by a company called Interplay Entertainment), "Fallout" is an apocalyptic drama series set in a 1950s-style future

"Fallout" is a series of post-apocalyptic dramas set in a 1950s-style future

It may sound like a contradiction in terms to those unfamiliar with RPG games, but basically it means you can listen to classic jazz music while simultaneously shooting enemies with an exploding laser rifle

The eight-episode first season of "Fallout" debuts on Prime Video in just a few hours (Wednesday, April 10, 9 pm ET/6 pm PT to be exact) and follows the (mis)adventures of three characters in nuclear-ravaged Los Angeles

The show focuses on Lucy (Ella Purnell), a survivor who grew up protected in an underground vault; Maximus (Aaron Morten), a recruit for the paramilitary "Steel Bonds"; and Cooper Howard (Walton Goggins), a mutant gunman who survived the first nuclear explosion

Some critics have been given early access to the show ahead of its original Prime Video debut today, and their reviews are now availableFallout has received positive reviews since its inception and currently holds a 91% from 35 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes It currently holds an impressive score of 91% from 35 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

For comparison, at the time of this writing, "Fallout" is ahead of Paramount Plus' "Halo" series, whose first season had a score of 70% (the recent second season has improved with a 90% rating)

The BBC's Neil Armstrong was particularly impressed with the show, describing it as "totally rad and an absolute blast," with a cheeky wink at the original ("rad" is the status effect in the "Fallout" video game)

Vulture's Nicholas Quah was also a fan of the Prime Video show: there's a lot to recommend Fallout," he said in a generally favorable review

"Finding a tonal balance between drama and comedy is like finding a razor's edge, but 'Fallout' does it effortlessly The result is that time spent in this hard-hitting world is as fun, engaging, and engrossing as the game itself," said William Goodman of TheWrap

Nick Shager of The Daily Beast described the show as "a monumental feat of science fiction worldbuilding, presenting alternately terrifying and exhilarating visions of an America held together only by duct tape, wonderglue, unwavering optimism, and ultraviolent ruthlessness "

"The film is a real treat," he commented

Fans of the "Fallout" video game franchise will be pleased to know that the show appears to honor its source material Fallout" will be a satisfying, if not sensational, extension of the franchise"

However, while the majority of positive writing has been positive, some critics are less impressed with Amazon's big-budget small-screen adaptation; CNN's Blaine Lowry has been one of the show's harshest critics so far

"When season one ends," says Lowry, "there is less anticipation for what comes next than a general sense of relief that this somewhat awkward introduction and the struggle to incorporate its diverse players is over

Nevertheless, most critics seem to think the show is worth watching, and Amazon must be pleased with this initial reception Of course, the next test will be the biggest one for the show The next test, of course, will be the biggest for the program, as it must win the approval of the most demanding group of people: gamers