The news that both Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas were getting remasters like Oblivion was something I’d been waiting for since Oblivion dropped. I absolutely loved Fallout 3 — it was my introduction to Bethesda’s style of RPGs, and I was immediately hooked. It would be an understatement to say I’ve spent hundreds of hours in the Capitol Wasteland alone, and I’ve enjoyed every Fallout game just as much.
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But these days, both New Vegas and Fallout 3 are outdated, so I’m definitely pleased to be able to play proper remasters. Oblivion Remastered was a great experience for me, and I was glad to see that Bethesda authorized some deeper changes than you might expect from a remaster. That being said, I do think there are some things that Fallout 3 and New Vegas remasters shouldn’t ever change. These are the things that I think are so central to the identity of each game that it’s just not worth thinking about.
10
Caravan Minigame
It’s Not Perfect, But It Is Important
I’m not going to pretend Caravan was a perfect minigame. I actually find it pretty annoying to play, and I’ve never been good at it. But Caravan is part of the identity of New Vegas, and it deserves to remain in the game.
If the remaster does want to mess around with it, updating the UI and fixing the AI are absolutely fine things to do. Making the rules much easier to understand or displaying them within some in-game menu is also a good idea. But changing it wholesale, or ripping it out to replace it with something more generically modern, is completely the wrong direction. After all, people are still making Caravan decks and expansions as mods — there’s a clear fanbase for the minigame who’d definitely miss it in the remaster.
9
New Vegas Traits
Expand, But Don’t Remove
Traits in New Vegas aren’t just additional perks. They’re specifically designed to create trade-offs for players. This is good design, and it hearkens back to the classic Interplay Fallout games. Some of them are unintuitive, but that just means they could benefit from better explanation.
The system is fine as is, though. I’d be happy to see additional traits or similar content. Oblivion implemented character origins as a way to bring forward the old bonuses from the original releases, so we know there’s some scope for tweaks. If they do make changes to traits, the original design philosophy should remain exactly the same.
8
New Vegas Reputation System
Different Groups Have Different Opinions, And That’s Great
The granular, faction-specific reputation system in New Vegas is one of my favorite things about the game, and it shouldn’t be replaced at all. It would be tempting to streamline it, but I think this would be a mistake. I like that I can do bad things to one faction and still be seen as a paragon of virtue by another. Especially since the karma system still tracks my general disposition!
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If anything, Bethesda should authorize adding the same sort of system to Fallout 3! I know that’s not going to happen, since this is a remaster in the same style as Oblivion, but a person can dream.
7
Musical and Audio Identity
Don’t Fix What Isn’t Broken
Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas both have extremely strong musical and audio identities. The soundtracks are iconic in every sense of the word. The ambient noises are perfect, and the radio tracks were all specifically selected to enhance the theme and tone of the setting. This is true in both 3 and New Vegas, where the radio tracks help convey a unique sense of time and place.
I’m not saying it should be forbidden to add any new tracks or environmental sounds, because that isn’t what I think. There are some absolute bangers that have appeared post-Fallout 3 and New Vegas. But any changes that are made should be made very carefully, because the original curated soundtrack is fundamental to the experience.
6
Skill Checks
Classic RPG Systems We Need More Of, Not Less
The way Fallout: New Vegas handles its skill checks is fantastic, and even if changes are made to the overall presentation of dialogue, skills checks don’t need to be messed with. They deliberately show us what we can do, or that additional options exist, and they give good reasons to build different characters.
Skill checks create real, genuine mechanical differences between character types, and they make magazine and skill choices meaningful additions to gameplay. They were explicitly intended to allow players who invested in different kinds of skills and perks to enjoy content in different ways, and I think that’s something a lot of modern games are missing. Any modernization should be extremely wary of messing with skill checks.
5
Unique Settlement Visual Identity
Locations Should Look Like Better Versions Of Themselves
One of the biggest reasons for doing this kind of remaster in the first place is to overhaul graphics and visuals to bring them into the modern era. I don’t think anyone has a problem with this in theory, but it can fall apart in specific implementations. I think it’s really important for Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas remasters to preserve the unique visual identity of each settlement.
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Megaton should feel like Megaton, even though it’s got all-new visuals and moderns. Add to the clutter, give us shiny new textures, optimize models — fantastic. All the unique and bizarre Vaults should feel fresh and new. But I don’t want to walk into Goodsprings and feel like it’s the exact same place as Novac.
4
SPECIAL Should Stay Special
No Need to Streamline This
I liked how you can train your SPECIAL skills in Fallout 4. I think it made sense in the kind of game that Fallout 4 is, especially since you can theoretically play the same save game forever. Its perk system was designed around being able to do that, so it feels satisfying.
But the original design philosophy for both Fallout 3 and New Vegas emphasized SPECIAL as a way to differentiate both characters and gameplay outcomes. Bethesda was willing to change progression mechanics in Oblivion, and I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing in the Fallout remasters either — as long as don’t strip out what makes SPECIAL special.
3
NPC Identity
Let Three Dog Stay Three Dog
Oblivion actually kept a lot of the weirdness around characters and character designs, which was an inspired choice. In Fallout 3 and New Vegas, they should do the same. If you record new dialogue, it shouldn’t fundamentally change a character or their presentation. To be fair, I’m not sure there’s as much scope for adding new voice lines — Oblivion’s shared voice line issue isn’t as egregious in Fallout 3 and New Vegas.
There’s a fine line between modernization and replacement. Most of us want to see characters like Arcade Gannon and Three Dog brought into the present, not replaced with some completely different character with a fundamentally different design or even voice behind them. And don’t get me started on centaurs — these absolutely disgusting body horror enemies should be exactly as horrifying as they always were, just in HD.
2
Power Armor
Fallout 4’s System Is Great… For Fallout 4
However many valid complaints there are about how Fallout 4 handled giving players Power Armor, I think the system itself is very good. It feels meaningful and authentic, like you’re actually getting into a set of military hardware. It feels less like another outfit you put on, and more like something that would require training — despite Fallout 4 ironically not requiring Power Armor training at all.
But I think the original implementation for Fallout 3 and New Vegas is just too iconic to mess around with. It was part of the original charm of the games, and I don’t think there’s much to gain from messing with it by trying to implement something closer to Fallout 3. Do I think Fallout 5 should have Fallout 4-style power armor? Yes, unequivocally. Do I think Fallout 3 and New Vegas should? No.
1
V.A.T.S.
The Perfect Blend of Action and Old-School RPG
Fallout 4’s V.A.T.S. is a good implementation, and it works really well in Fallout 4. I think moving forward for the series, this is probably the best way to implement VATS because it supports Fallout 4’s genuinely more impactful and comfortable gunplay.
But Fallout 3’s system was an effective bridge between the early Fallouts’ RPG calculations and Bethesda’s first-person action combat. Fallout 3’s tactical pause V.A.T.S. is iconic, and the fact that hit probability incorporates the various skills, perks, and SPECIAL stats instead of simple Perception and weapon mods is a much more satisfying implementation in a game that has more of those classic RPG features.
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First TV Show
Fallout
Cast
Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, Kyle MacLachlan, Moises Arias, Xelia Mendes-Jones, Walton Goggins
First Episode Air Date
April 10, 2024
Where to watch
Amazon Prime Video