Fallout 3 Remastered. Given the success of the new version of Oblivion, and the unlikelihood that Elder Scrolls 6 will be here any time soon, it makes sense. Starfield didn't quite land. We've all played Skyrim to death. If Bethesda is going to relaunch any of its former classics – and, for whatever reason, Morrowind isn't on the cards – then the 2008 apocalypse RPG feels like the natural next fit. But what would change? The Elder Scrolls Oblivion Remastered is intended as a visual but not ground-up overhaul – it keeps the core of the original game intact. A Fallout 3 remaster could be quite different. One ex Bethesda developer shares his insights.
You're working your way through all the Fallout 3 – after the former was launched in 2006, its creators were moved over. Big, bloody, and an all-time PC classic, a Fallout 3 remaster would surely find the same success as Bethesda and Virtuos' Elder Scrolls rework. But according to one former Starfield and Morrowind designer, it's possible that there would be one significant change.
Describing the gun combat in Fallout 3 as "not good," Bruce Nesmith, formerly of Bethesda, explains that the shooting mechanics for a potential remaster would likely be overhauled. Bethesda apparently paid closer attention to running and gunning for Fallout 4, and Nesmith speculates that some of that learning would be applied to a would-be FO3 remaster.
"What did you see in Fallout 4?," Nesmith tells Videogamer. "That will tell you what they [Bethesda] felt was necessary to change from Fallout 3. I know in Fallout 4 there was a lot of work done on the gun combat, because Fallout 3 is the first time they ever tried to do a shooter-style game.
"[Fallout 3's gun combat] didn't hold up to shooters at the time. It's an RPG shooter. It's not a run-and-gun shooter. But a lot of work was done on that for Fallout 4, so I anticipate seeing a lot of that work go into it, assuming they're doing the same thing."
Personally, if Bethesda does make a remaster of Fallout 3, I would prefer for the shooting combat to remain exactly as it once was. It may be clunky, or unwieldy, or frictional, but that's what gives it personality – that's what makes Fallout 3 play like Fallout 3. Bethesda and Virtuos kept the 'imperfections' in the Oblivion remaster, including the famous voiceover line flub ("let me do that one again"). If Fallout 3 Remastered ends up being real, I hope its creators leave in the contours.
In the meantime, get the latest on the Oblivion Remastered mods.
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