Fallout 4: Back to the Wasteland?

“The master of adventure himself, that rough and tumble lad from Vault 101, has really outdone himself this time.”

Whenever a gaming Expo appears on the horizon, countless gamers worldwide share their theories, wishes and dreams about what they want to see. With the current gen of consoles offering so much more than just games and social media being the quickest and easiest form of distributing information, developers and publishers have the world at their feet and the creative freedom to make almost anything they want with the ability to share their progress in an instant. It could be the hope of a new IP from their favourite developer or the announcement of a re-mastered classic from yesteryear. That said it can be the hopes of a simple sequel that makes a video game nerd squeal with joy. My one wish for E3 has been that same wish I’ve had ever since I finished its predecessor almost five years ago. The one announcement that’ll make me squeal with joy is that Fallout 4 is in development.

Fallout 3 was one of the most seminal games of the last gen. It offered everything it possibly could; a rich and immersive story and a gargantuan setting brimming with overwhelming detail. The combat system was spot on and the RPG elements were lucid and accessible—up until the game’s release, I had never stepped foot into a roleplaying game and thanks to Fallout 3, it is now one of my favourite genres. As a result of my time in its splendour, countless other games sharing its characteristics have passed through my consoles but none have ever come close—even Mass Effect. God, I love that series but I love Fallout 3 more. Mainly because it offered a completely unique experience; the world was alive in every sense and the experiences I were having were entirely different to everyone else that was playing it at the same time. My dad was a massive fan, thanks to my recommendation and he still plays it now—six years on and he never plays anything else—I don’t blame him though, even if he never shuts up about it (love you, Dad!). I found the moments it executed its distinction most profoundly was when you were off the beaten path, Galaxy News Radio on the go, exploring abandoned settlements and old power stations. You were never really sure what you would find. There was always a chance that you’d uncover some Nuka Cola to quench your thirst or some Rad X to relieve your radiation sickness. Other times, you’d find a horde of mutated spiders or a ravenous deathclaw with tearing your limbs off being its only goal. The defining moment I had whilst playing and the one example I give to anyone asking me whether or not they should pop it in their consoles is this one. It exemplifies the true genius and individuality of Fallout 3…

I’d been playing for around 70 hours or so; the main quest was done and I had some freedom to travel around the wasteland before dipping into the DLC (another cracking feature of the game), so I headed south to a small area of the map that I hadn’t yet been to. I came across a few houses that had deteriorated since the nuclear war—behind them was a garden shed with a locked door. After asking the locals a few questions and delving a little deeper, I found out that these people were eating travellers, using the garden shed as a place to kill and mutilate the bodies before cooking and eating them in their kitchens. It wasn’t a quest and you didn’t need to visit it to add to the completion percentage—it was there simply to give you another slice of narrative pie. It was harrowing and it was heavy-going. If you chose to leave them be and be polite to them, the mother would give you a free meat pie daily. I chose to slay them all. I’d spent so much time in the Wasteland that I’d already seen my fair share of insanity that I just couldn’t abide with their twisted morals. Like me, they had struggled to survive in the wasteland but cannibalism is wrong, regardless of the circumstances. Maybe I was wrong for killing them—in the madness, maybe I’d acted wrongly and shown my own true colours. My morals had changed over time and in hindsight, maybe I’d made the wrong decisions. It was in ten to twenty minute chunk of the game that made me realise I wasn’t playing a game anymore. Fallout 3 was an extension of my subconscious and an experience I’ll never forget.

Andale: Home of the Cannibals

Luckily for me, it seems a given that Bethesda will be revealing Fallout 4 at E3. We’ve seen gossip spread thickly over the internet in recent months, ranging from a recent reveal about the cinematic trailer being developed by Mirada Studios (Guillermo del Toro’s studio). The voice actor behind Three Dog, Eric Todd Dellums tweeted that he’d been recording more dialogue for something Fallout-related and Kotaku claiming that they’ve read a leaked Fallout 4 script putting the heart of the action in Boston. This will be their first E3 conference ever and it will be one whole hour long. Elder Scrolls Online will have just been released on consoles and Skyrim was more recent than any Fallout game, so I can’t help but expect Fallout 4 to be their main focus.

With this in mind, I’d like to share a few of my hopes for the game and what I’d like to see in the next installment of the post-apocalyptic series, whether that be new or returning features with slight tweaks on previously featured mechanics and aesthetics.

• 60fps and a bug-free environment – Some of Fallout 3’s biggest problems were its many glitches. You would be wandering along the wasteland and the game would freeze suddenly. This happened quite a lot with me and it was incredibly frustrating, especially if you’d forgotten to save the game. It would be much appreciated if these inconveniences were removed altogether and the lagging was kept down to a minimum. All games suffer some issues whilst playing but Fallout 3 was particularly bad so if Bethesda has been taking note, this won’t even be an issue.
• A larger, denser environment – Capital Wasteland in Washington D.C. wasn’t small by any means but there were quite substantial amounts of open land. This didn’t detract from the experience but I kind of like the idea of walking through a once-heavily populated city and subsequent surroundings that bring out the crisper visuals of the current gen. With the rumour of Boston being the most likely setting, it would be awesome to visit places like Harvard, Fenway Park and the Museum of Science. There is a huge opportunity to make these attractions look amazing. Bethesda has so much potential with the technology available at the moment so they would be missing a trick not to capitalise on it.
• A.T.S.-free combat if you so choose –V.A.T.S. (Vault-tech Assisted Targeting System) was incredibly useful in Fallout 3, especially in the early moments of your journey. You were allowed to halt intense gunfights, plot your attack and map out exactly who and where you wanted the bullets to hit. That being said, there were times when an unrestricted rifle to the face could be used and a typical FPS attack could be employed. There was an option to do this but as it wasn’t the primary focus of attack for Bethesda developers, it was weakly designed and hard as hell to use. There were times when you were faced with multiple enemies and the ability to fire freely would have been restricted greatly. Adapt the kind of style featured in Black Ops or Battlefield, still with a fully-fledged V.A.T.S. and you will make me a very happy boy.
• More Three Dog and more GNR – One of the best things about Fallout 3 was Galaxy News Radio and its eccentric host, Three Dog. Not only was the music incredibly fitting for saying that all it ranged from jazz, blues and big band music from the 1930’s and 1940’s but the host was funny and acted almost as a pick-me-up in those moments of desperation and panic. I’d love to see him return and bring more of what made him so great, specifically when he consistently referenced what you were doing in game e.g. if you’d just completed a quest that had you assassinating a government official for the greater good, Three Dog would mention it in between songs and give his own version of events as told by the sources that relayed the information to him. There is more of a chance that the soundtrack will be three or four times its size and with the games length potentially doubling, that could mean a whole lot of radio time.
• A wealth of DLC – If Fallout 4 features even half of the quality of Fallout 3’s add-ons, I’ll be spending my money quite happily on it. Point Lookout was excellent as it expanded the Wasteland into Maryland, where you travelled through an eerie town full of inbreds and murderers, not too dissimilar to scenes from The Wicker Man or the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It would be awesome if later down the line, Fallout 4 offered us a new hope of more adventures within its world, allowing us to venture into another town or city. New York would be awesome as it’s only a four hour journey away and the possibilities are endless.
• More of the weird please – The story to Fallout 3 was so intricate and meticulous in execution. There would be constant facts and information found on various computer terminals or in conversation with the plethora of characters you encountered along the way that brought the rich and rewarding experience to life. Within this world, you were also treated to some really dark and wonderful quests that gave the game that edge over many others. I’d love to see the many themes of Fallout 3 return and the moralistic nature of your choices meaning the matter of life and death would be a welcome return.
• Characters like Fawkes – I’m never a fan of team-based RPGs which is bizarre really as most feature this in their gameplay mechanics nowadays; however, in Fallout 3, you had a varied range of characters to fight alongside that it made the game more appealing. You really felt like these people cared for you and had your back. For me personally, I became very good friends with Fawkes, the super mutant and for most of the game, he fought by my side, decimating the opposition with his awesome-as-hell rail gun. I genuinely felt bad when he was in trouble and if we ever got separated, I would make sure we reunited before going any further in the game. Seeing more characters in Fallout 4 like Fawkes would be welcomed. I couldn’t have completed the game without him so knowing I have that kind of companionship again would be very comforting.

Fawkes: My best buddy

In all honesty, if Bethesda came to E3 with a re-mastered version of Fallout 3 I’d play it—I’d already have pre-ordered it on Amazon before the conference was over. Saying that though, I’d be overjoyed—kid in the candy store, Disneyland-exited and euphoric if they chose to reveal to the world Fallout 4, set in Boston and released in the fall. I’m not a betting man but I’d put my house on it that we will at least see a trailer. As long as I know the game is in development I’ll be pleased. Bethesda have a history of being tight-lipped when it comes to releasing anything so to book a whole hour at the biggest spectacle in gaming showcases must mean they have something big planned. I’ll be there, watching with baited breath and hoping for that announcement. In the meantime, I’m going to go and listen to Ella Fitzgerald and The Ink Spots, dreaming of giant ants and vampirism.

I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire