Fallout 1 & 2 deserve remakes, not remasters, and InXile is the best studio for the job

There's been a lot of hubbub lately about Fallout remasters, with leaks and rumours going back to last year about a Fallout 3 remake, and the release of the Fallout 4 next-gen update recently. Particularly with the added attention drawn to the series thanks to the (fantastic) TV show, some are now also understandably calling for remasters of the games that started it all: Fallout and Fallout 2. Well, I say let's take this party one step further and go for remakes.

It's been said the originals should get the Diablo 2: Resurrected treatment. I may be in the minority here, but while visually the project was very impressive, I couldn't stand how old the game felt to play. Movement and responsiveness are a huge part of the enjoyment of these games for me, and the remaster was simply clunky (especially contrasted with Path of Exile, which I play constantly).

Revisiting Fallout 1 produces a similar feeling, despite having played it not so long after its release and ranking it in my top 10 all-time favourites. The game has aged remarkably well overall (thanks in part to some resolution and UI options added in recent years to the GOG version that make it scale well on modern monitors), but things like not being able to use WASD to pan the camera and camera panning in general come off outdated. The oldschool graphics, menus, sounds and so on still remain part of the charm, but even so I'd love to see it with a fresh coat of paint—under a different lens, so to speak, that takes advantage of modern technology.

Fallout 2 I played little of, but in many ways, it's more of the same great formula, and one I definitely want to clear out of my ever-growing backlog sooner than later. But much as I'd like that to happen, I struggle to justify it when so many great modern titles clamor for my attention (some of them even in the Fallout franchise). Enter: remake.

Wasteland 3 is the prime example of the appeal such remakes could have. Quite a successful game absolutely, though still not on the level it should be given this is the franchise that inspired Fallout in the first place, and it's as well-made as you could possibly hope for if you're into post-apocalyptic isometric RPGs. If you haven't had the pleasure, the game has all the trappings of Fallout: the wry humour, battered environments, wide variety of guns, skill system, and so on, but with a fresh coat of paint that makes it accessible and enjoyable somewhat like what Baldur's Gate 3 managed. I'd go so far as to say it's Fallout in almost all but name.

But as with all great things, there's always an appetite for more, so after Wasteland 3 developer InXile wraps up Clockwork Revolution, we can hope Bethesda reaches out to commission these remakes, sort of like how it did with Fallout: New Vegas. Granted, Bethesda rejected multiple Fallout pitches from New Vegas studio Obsidian in the years since, so despite professing its love of the game and openness to collaborations, actions speak louder than words, leaving fans with less hope than they'd like.

In any case, InXile is the best studio for the job, given it's under the Microsoft banner alongside Bethesda, has proven its mettle with Wasteland 2 and Wasteland 3, and some of its team worked on the original Fallout and Wasteland games (namely Brian Fargo). If that's not a perfect resume, nothing is. Obsidian Entertainment of course is a close runner up what with its own share of original talent and meatier, grittier titles like Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire in its catalogue (as led by the revered Josh Sawyer, who seems to be free at the moment), and also being under big daddy Microsoft. If fans are blessed enough to have either of these two tackle the projects, Fallout fans will continue to eat good.

Update: The studio's Twitter account has responded to this piece, indicating it ain't happening. How about it, Obsidian?

Want more Fallout content? Check out The Last of Us show walked so Fallout could olympic sprint here on Pro Game Guides.