Highlights
- A Fallout 3 remaster should take notes from Fallout 4 and Fallout 76 to ensure it offers significant improvements and features beyond the original game.
- Crafting systems, including settlement building and cooking, are prominent in recent Fallout games and should be included in a Fallout 3 remaster.
- The inclusion of legendary gear, the ability to craft and customize weapons and armor, should be considered in the remaster, as well as potential changes to the Power Armor mechanics and official mod support.
Fallout 3 still holds up extremely well performance-wise as well as mechanically compared to the more recent Fallout franchise games. At the same time, even though the original isn’t too outdated, a Fallout 3 could happen, and it would be wise to take notes from some of the recent developments in the franchise to warrant a proper remaster. Specifically, a Fallout 3 remaster could learn a lot from both Fallout 4 and Fallout 76.
Beyond the expected quality-of-life and graphics improvements that a remaster could bring to Fallout 3, there are a few major features that should make the cut. As it currently stands, Fallout 3 is quite a timeless game, and since it hasn’t depreciated much over the years, a remaster would need to bring a lot to the table to be a worthwhile experience since the original is still more than deserving of any player’s time.
What a Fallout 3 Remaster Could Look Like
One of the first things that players will likely notice when returning to Fallout 3 after having played the recent games is that the crafting systems have seen many improvements, and have arguably become a central feature in the latest Fallout franchise games. Not only has the CAMP and settlement building been a game-changer for the franchise that a Fallout 3 remaster should consider exploring, but there are other types of crafting that prove invaluable.
Aside from Fallout 4’s Settlements and Fallout 76’s CAMP building systems, the lack of additional crafting systems is one area where a Fallout 3 remaster should improve upon the original. A prime example is the ability to cook food in the recent Fallout games, which significantly helps players manage their inventory and health, usually while providing additional buffs from most crafted meals. Also, the ability to craft chems and ammo could also be a worthwhile improvement.
Another thing that a Fallout 3 remaster could learn from the recent games is the inclusion of legendary gear. Fallout 4 and Fallout 76 both have extensive amounts of legendary gear, but in Fallout 76, players can craft their own legendaries, whether it be armor or weapons. Most of the legendary weapon effects in Fallout 76 are essentially damage buffs for certain playstyles, but others like explosive bullets and quadruple ammo bring a lot of spice to the game’s combat. The same is generally true for Fallout 76’s legendary armor, as most of the legendary armor effects provide increased survivability, with a few special exceptions that give players unique traits. However, with the ability to freely craft and re-roll the legendary effects of any piece of gear, players can eventually create the ultimate arsenal.
A Fallout 3 remaster doesn’t have to entirely adopt Fallout 4 and Fallout 76’s new take on Power Armor, but it would be nice to see a compromise that blends some of the latest changes to the Fallout franchise’s Power Armor. Fallout 3 could arguably keep the Power Armor training requirement that players need to learn before equipping the armor, but the game should also make Power Armor limbs individual pieces instead of a full suit. As controversial as Fallout 4 and Fallout 76’s style of Power Armor is, the new changes aren’t all bad. One of the best things to come out of the new Power Armor mechanics is that each limb is a separate piece of armor, so players can combine different Power Armor variants onto a single frame to benefit from various stats and buffs.
One more thing that a Fallout 3 remaster should consider learning from the recent games is to allow official mod support. Fallout 3 mods are already incredibly popular even without official support, but it could still help many players, especially those on console, to have fully integrated modding capabilities.