Fallout 25th Anniversary

I love a good Fallout game. Heck, I even love mediocre ones. I still go back to Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, and Fallout 4 to get my Wasteland on. Shoot, I even think about playing Fallout 76 once in a blue moon.

I certainly welcome the idea of seeing those classics in a new light — a bit of fresh paint, some polish, and a dollop of pomp and circumstance for good measure. Lord knows, I’ve now played just about every iteration and remaster or re-release of Skyrim known to humankind, (aside from the Switch version, I mean, because that is technically a de-master).

So even though it’s fun to poke… well, fun at Bethesda’s penchant to just keep remaking the same handful of games, I personally am guilty of lapping them up, despite my incredulity. And, wouldn’t you know it? I am probably gonna suckle from this teat at least one more time.

During Bethesda’s Fallout 25th Anniversary celebration (although it’s technically only been under their stewardship for 14 years), the makers of Fallout 4 announced that, coming sometime next year, we can expect a current-gen update to that seven-year-old game.

Fallout 4

This updated version sounds like it will mirror the anniversary edition of Skyrim, a spit shine to the graphics, some long overdue bug fixes, and a smattering of free content from the Creator’s Club. I imagine we can expect some cosmetic items, and hopefully the mini-missions to unlock them that were included in the most recent version of Skyrim.

Here’s the text from the official announcement:

Prepare for the future: A next-gen update is coming to Fallout 4! Coming in 2023, this free update will be available for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and Windows PC systems, including performance mode features for high frame rates, quality features for 4K-resolution gameplay, bug fixes and even bonus Creation Club content!

I personally have never finished the main quest for Fallout 4. It’s just too easy to get distracted and become burned out from the shear wealth of content in its dilapidated world. It also was a bit of a letdown compared to previous Fallout games, so I didn’t much care to bother. And you know what? I doubt I will finish it once the update hits. But when it comes to Fallout, if you give me even the flimsiest of excuses to jump back in, I will gladly emerge from that Cryo Chamber for one more round.

Fallout 4

Now, it seems increasingly unlikely that we will be seeing a brand new Fallout game anytime within the next decade, and that is definitely a mitigating factor here. Considering Starfield has yet to launch (and could possibly receive another delay still) and the fact that The Elder Scrolls VI is the next big release on their docket, which itself is no doubt still several years out, Fallout 5 is barely a twinkle in the eyes of its developers. So I would argue that the clambering for skintight blue jumpsuits with yellow numbers emblazoned on them is at an all-time high. And considering Bethesda doesn’t seem willing to let an outside studio take the reins (like they did with New Vegas), this is the best we’ll get.

Personally, I would rather see an updated Fallout 3 or New Vegas, but beggars can’t be choosers. And in Bethesda’s Wasteland, I have very much been reduced to beggar status.

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