Oblivion Remasteredwas so positively received when it shadow dropped earlier this year thanks to its perfect understanding of the importance of restraint.Bethesdaand Virtuos knew they needed to respect the source material that had kept this 2006 RPG beloved by legions of fans almost two decades later.
In many ways, Oblivion was the first game of its kind; a direct attempt to streamline a formula that for years was isolated to hardcore PC crowds with the means to power and control sprawling open-world experiences. It wasn’t possible on consoles until theXbox 360generation. And after the success ofMorrowindon the original Xbox, Bethesda saw a chance to bring a once-niche franchise to a whole new audience.
The release of Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion was a monumental success by all metrics, and most of that success was thanks to console audiences jumping into an unparalleled fantasy world like this for the very first time. In 2025 it’s borderline primitive by modern standards, but after the remaster was praised for the same reasonsStarfieldwas doomed to damnation, it’s hard not to ask how we will react to similar remasters in the years to come.
Fallout 3 Remastered Is Only A Matter Of Time
VGC’s Jordan Middler claimed earlier last week thatseveral Fallout projects are in the works at Microsoft right now, including “the one you’re all wanting” which I assume refers to either a remaster of Fallout 3 or Obsidian’s New Vegas 2. I’d welcome either one, but if we really are set to take a trip to the Capital Wasteland, I hope it takes a different approach than the Oblivion remaster.
Ahead of its release,Fallout 3gained the rather unfair nickname of “Oblivion With Guns” as it was the first title in the series developed by Bethesda after Interplay passed the torch, and also used the same gameplay engine as the fantasy RPG with a similar mixture of first and third-person perspectives. They’re vastly different games, but when it comes to the technical foundations, the similarities are clear to see. So, if a remaster rings true, will we want it to be just as archaic as Oblivion Remastered and its dedication to the past, warts and all? I’m not so sure, because as I said before, it’s a very different game.
For one, it’s a first-person shooter. There is a greater call for accuracy that you simply don’t need when swinging a broadsword or casting spells, with Oblivion’s combat rarely asking you to do anything more than spam the triggers while waiting for certain metres to recharge. It’s not something you play for combat, while Fallout 3 puts a far deeper focus on it.
Unfortunately, its gunplay was rubbish. Every single firearm felt like a BB-Gun, clumsily firing pellets into flesh until whatever stood in front of you dropped dead. You could argue that the moment-to-moment action was meant to feel bad to facilitate the continued use of VATS, but that’s a terrible excuse. Slowing time and blowing off heads should be a welcome bonus to combat, not a requirement to make it tolerable. And so, a remaster needs to overhaul this.
The same goes for its approach to location design and general exploration, in which a huge country defined by a handful of cities, towns, and generic dungeons makes way for a larger, more atmospheric open world that relies on quiet melancholy as much as spectacle and bombast. There are more ways to refine Fallout 3 without taking away from its iconic identity, and I hope a remaster is able to understand that without holding back.
New Vegas Should Be The Blueprint For Fallout 3 Remastered
Besides, it’s easy to imagine what a slightly enhanced version of Fallout 3 might look like by analyzing a game that followed in its footsteps two years later. Obsidian’s New Vegas is very often viewed as a superior game, not just because of its more evocative settings and cast of characters, but also thanks to its mechanical enhancements. Some are subtle, while others now feel like mainstays of the Fallout formula which we couldn’t live without.
You could aim down sights now, which was a revelation that allowed for a variety of new gun models and nuanced firefights that didn’t boil down to firing blindly and hoping for the best. It also made several changes to the karma system that didn’t turn it into a case of being a saint or the next incarnation of Hitler with no nuance to be found.
Instead, you were judged by the different factions you befriended and helped, with some coming to love or hate you because of the decisions you made. It also made the act of navigating and surviving in the wasteland so much more immersive, as if you needed to make smart role-playing decisions instead of just obediently following map markers. It felt deeper and more consequential at every turn.
It would probably be extremely difficult to make certain systems work with Fallout 3 in its original form, especially the faction additions, but nothing is stopping Bethesda giving the gunplay a major overhaul or upgrading movement and exploration to better align with our modern standards. We had enough patience when it came to Oblivion, but I’m unsure if the same can be said with the Capital Wasteland.
Oblivion Remastered was great, and deliberately framed as a time capsule of nostalgia that knew it couldn’t change much about the overall experience without potential backlash. But I believe Fallout 3 is a more serious and contemplative game by every metric, and can reap the rewards of a more comprehensive remaster that is willing to take risks, make changes, or reinvent what came before. I know the 2008 original like the back of my hand, so give it a new coat of paint that will subvert our ingrained expectations.
