[dropcap size=dropcap]A[/dropcap]lthough Fallout was a particularly appreciated game series that gathered millions of players and fans from all corners of the world, Bethesda Softworks seemed not to be interested – not yet however – in a new episode, the most anticipated Fallout 4 title. Rumors were not confirmed and the most anticipated presentation from this year’s E3 convention was a bluff.
It’s true, the main reason for this situation was the support the company has provided for Skyrim, but that’s another story. What follows is the real news: It seems that Bethesda has now officially confirmed Fallout 4. It is now under development and should be released no later than 2015. Not too late, as the Fallout series fans have waited ten years to see the third part of the game. Bethesda did not rushed to announce Fallout 4 but still, they didn’t wait a decade to do it.
Before we find out more about Fallout 4, let’s take a quick look at the series’ timeline:
Fallout 1
The best decision Bethesda made when they developed Fallout was to steal the post-apocalyptic setting from a previous game: Wasteland. No, Wasteland was not the first game to explore this kind of futuristic dystopian reality but it was the source of inspiration for Fallout. The game revolves around an easy to made character and it is re-playable ad infinitum as the final pseudo-cinematic shows you how the decisions you have made affected the story. New decisions, new characters and new paths mean another development and of course, another ending.
Fallout 2
We’re still far away from Fallout 4 but the second game in the series worth being mentioned before taking any step further. With minor changes on the surface, with a slightly improved graphics engine and more bugs than the first installment, Fallout 2 was slightly similar to Fallout 1.
Fallout 3
Fallout 3 came with new and improved 3D graphics but with little or no attention to details. All areas that should be explored are similar to each other with very few exceptions. While the best parts in the first games of the series were the explorations and the new discoveries on the map, Fallout 3 left me with a rather bad impression of self sufficiency and lack of imagination. Exploration is not encouraged nor by the boring environment, neither by an exciting story.
Conclusion
We are more than a year away from the official release of the Fallout 4 game. We don’t know the exact date the first screenshots will be released to the public; we did not even see a video teaser or some preliminary designs. We know for sure however that fans are eager to see and hear more about Fallout 4 and we can’t wait to find out more as well.
Until then, what do you think Fallout 4 will bring new to the RPG genre? What settings do you prefer and what cities you would like to explore?