Fallout 3 Remastered Needs To Change A Lot More Than Oblivion Remastered

Oblivion Remastered is a unique game; it’s a remaster that is technically a remake, in a way. It got slapped with the remaster label to emphasise just how faithful it is to the original game, which I suppose does make a scrap of sense in a post Final Fantasy 7 Remake world.

Its faithfulness is the selling point, and something that was emphasised heavily in the reveal. This includes all of the glorious jank, with no attempt to modernise NPC AI or the dialogue system. Everyone wanted to get transported back to 2006, a simpler time when horse armour was the biggest rip-off in the industry.

A conversation that has arisen from Oblivion’s return is how dissimilar Skyrim was from its predecessor. Many systems were streamlined, and the tone was completely different, so it was important to emphasise that this isn’t just Oblivion with a Skyrim coat of paint – this is Cyrodiil just as you remember it, warts and all.

Now, it is all but confirmed that Fallout 3 is the next game to get this treatment, but I certainly hope that this isn’t the case. Fallout 3 does deserve a re-release, that much is true, but giving it nothing but a graphical update and a few gameplay tweaks would be sending it out to die.

Oblivion Has Held Up Better Than Fallout 3

Back when Fallout 3 launched, it may have been easy to compare to Oblivion (it was even frequently called “Oblivion with guns” way back when), but their legacies are worlds apart. Critical reexaminations of Oblivion have been incredibly favourable, and they often critique Skyrim for removing so much depth. The same cannot be said for Fallout 3, which is constantly overshadowed by the beloved Fallout: New Vegas and the flashier Fallout 4.

On a gameplay level, Fallout: New Vegas improved everything. While very obviously made in the same engine with the same assets, Obsidian was able to overhaul character creation and add the trait system from classic Fallout back in, making the skills we invested in change the course of some quests, the way an actual RPG might. The studio managed to create a beautifully reactive RPG out of very little, showing just how much potential Fallout 3 was lacking.

Sure, anyone who likes the changes made in Skyrim could have said the same about Oblivion Remastered, but Oblivion at least has a world and a main story worth coming back for. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for Fallout 3. The main questline mostly revolves around you following your dad as he plays the part of the big hero, before getting to an ending that was so controversial Bethesda had to change it post-launch.

Some might say Oblivion does the same thing with Martin, but that is handled much, much better.

However, if fans aren’t returning to play Fallout: New Vegas, then they’re flocking to Fallout 4 for their fix. This later entry certainly has all of the Bethesda-isms you’re looking for, with a vast world to explore and an endless number of quests, but shooting guns is actually fun now, so it has you covered if you want something more action-oriented that actually feels like a shooter.

Fallout 3 Is Great, It Just Needs Some Help To Truly Shine

With all of that said, do I hate Fallout 3? Far from it. In fact, I’d argue that it’s much better than Fallout 4 for one reason alone – its world. Fallout 3’s Capital Wasteland is still brilliant, full of iconic locations, side quests, companions, and random encounters that were severely lacking in Fallout 4, as the settlement-building system left the Wasteland bare and static. Even New Vegas ditched random encounters, so that alone is a big selling point.

However, all of these things would be elevated by being expanded further. Why not use the potential of modern hardware to redesign some settlements and make them bigger? Perhaps even add in more side quests if Bethesda had some ideas that it didn’t have the time to implement back in the day? That’s what we’re all returning to the Capital Wasteland for, anyway.

On a similar note, it would benefit immensely from having Fallout 4’s combat system implemented. Fallout 3 is never going to be the RPG that classic fans are after, so just go all-in on the action. It’ll make things much more exciting as we wander the wasteland in a new light.

Bethesda is also now, at long last, aware that people get quite attached to their companions. Fallout 3 already had a great lineup, but there’s just not a lot you can do with them. Each and every one of them could and should get their own stories and side quests. At the very least, an option to turn off their permadeath is a given, but dare I suggest a simple romance system too, like we had in Fallout 4? Nothing too wild, just the ability to kiss Butch, and I’ll be happy. That was a normal childhood video game crush to have, right?

By my count, there are only like, four companions that could be romanced without it being nasty, and three of them are dudes. So… more companions?

This is all to say that Fallout 3 Remastered would be a great chance to hone in and perfect what we love about Fallout 3. Many in the Fallout community, myself included, are quick to overlook the game that revived the series. Bethesda now has a chance to put it back on the map and remind us why we loved it back in 2008. That will just require more changes than what we got with Oblivion Remastered.