Bethesda Softworks is currently working on developingThe Elder Scrolls 6, but many fans of their work are wondering aboutFallout 5. If it’s even a thought,Fallout 5is still many years away and hasn’t been announced yet, but it is possible that it is in the very earliest stages of planning. If so, Bethesda has a lot of work to do on settling the direction it want to takes the franchise in.
Many gamers are still reeling from therelease ofFallout 76and recall thatFallout 4had removed many of the beloved features that the franchise was known for. Fans ofFalloutgames are painfully aware that their next installment may make or break the series forever. IfFallout 5takes 8 years to be released and turns out asFallout 76did, there is a good chance that Bethesda may never invest its time and money into making anotherFalloutgame.
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What Fallout New Vegas Got Right
Critics of modernFalloutgames, while the IP has been owned by Bethesda, have laudedFallout: New Vegasas the worthy successor to the original franchise under Interplay Productions back in the late 90s.Fallout 1andFallout 2were both RPGs whose claim to fame came from the freedom given to the player and the treasure trove of choices they were able to make while playing. All this backed by a simple yet compelling story and an unforgettable theme ofnuclear post-apocalypse following the Great War. Critics ofFalloutalso feel that the secret to makingFallout 5a revival of the series is to look back and see whatFallout: New Vegasdid right.
Fallout: New Vegasmanages to start strong with its first impression to the player. The intro scene shows a well-dressed man and his gang of lackeys shootthe player in the head to acquire a mysterious poker chip being delivered by the main character. Right awayFallout: New Vegasaccomplishes the task of beginning with a simple goal with a strong motivation: find whoever tried to kill the player. This concept of beginning the game with a clear and strongly defined goal is something all butFallout 76managed to achieve, and it is somethingFallout 5will also have to do to carry on the tradition. It is animportant detail for everyFalloutgame to get right and must be stressed considering its absence in the most recent Fallout game.
What about the aesthetic of theFalloutfranchise? The setting forFallout: New Vegasbrings the player back to the original setting ofFallout 1andFallout 2, the Mojave Wasteland. It takes the player back to the nostalgic aesthetic found in the original games.Fallout 3andFallout 4.on the other hand, shifted locations to the eastern seaboard and had to reinvent the aesthetic as a consequence. Instead of long sprawling deserts, there were dead forests and stinking marshes. It seemed that the very hue of the game changed from a dull yellow to a slightly more vibrant blue and green. The very nature of the dreariness of the wasteland had been altered in a way with this change. IfFallout 5is to find its aesthetic, it should look to a more dull and diminished color palette thatFallout: New Vegaswas able to derive from its original predecessors.
Another thingFallout: New Vegasgot right was dialogue. As a narrative driven game, it is only fair for the player to be able to have the widest options available to them when confronted with dialogue.Fallout 4took this concept and simplified it to such a degree that it may as well have thrown it out. All dialogue inFallout 4became narrowed down to 3 options and an option to exit dialogue for every situation. It did not take into account other options that may promote peaceable results and it didn’t ever change the direction a quest could head. With the absence of a speech skill or any other skill, all dialogue that required a skill check was determined by the charisma level alone.
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Fallout 5 Should Take a Page
Thecomparison betweenFallout 4andFallout: New Vegasand their dialogue options shows how far back Bethesda stepped from Obsidian Entertainment’s entry in the franchise. Quests could be resolved in different fashions based on dialogue choice.New Vegaseven went so far as to program dialogue that could only be seen by the player if they had a certain intelligence score. Low intelligence characters said dumb things and high intelligence characters could interact better with the NPCs, a feature well known to players ofFallout 1andFallout 2.
Skill checks were also a common sight in dialogue options. Based on what their current skill levels are, the player could choose special dialogue options based on knowledge of skills that the character is proficient in.Fallout 5desperately needs these options in order to be on par with its predecessors.
Skills were briefly mentioned, but they are the key to unlocking the potential inFallout 5. Skills were something thatFallout New Vegashad, but more recent iterations ofFalloutdid not include this content.Fallout 4did not have skills and instead opted for a perk system completely derived from the SPECIAL stats seen in everyFalloutgame. The absence of skills made the gameplay more streamlined for the average video game player, but took away the nuance of character creation.
Skill scores were important because they allowed for the developer to add extra options for the player to explore when completing quests and it gave the player a better idea of the effectiveness of what they could do. IfFallout 5wants to win back the hardcore RPG crowd, it is imperative that Bethesda reinstate some form of skill point system and not further simplify the SPECIAL system.
The last page thatFallout 5should take from the book ofFallout: New Vegasis to bring back the Enclave. The Enclave have been theFalloutworld’s ever present boogieman until their absence inFallout 4.Fallout: New Vegaswas the last game to feature this reclusive faction and it was done in a way that made sense. The Enclave had been defeated in the Capital Wasteland inFallout 3and were routed in the Mojave after the destruction of the Poseidon Oil Rig inFallout 2. It made sense that their presence was lessened byFallout: New Vegas, but quests revolving around ED-E would suggest that they still maintain a presence around the country.
The Institute inFallout 4was an attempt to create a similar enemy, but the Enclave could have just as easily made their way into the game like the Brotherhood of Steel.Fallout 5should make use of the nostalgic enemy of the franchise to renew interest in the old guard ofFalloutplayers looking for a classicFalloutexperience.
DespiteFallout 5having many years to go before being announced, Bethesda should already be thinking about whatFallout 5should be about. Many critics and fans of the series agree that the experience should liken to the one created inFallout: New Vegas.
