10 Things Fallout 5 Should Learn From 1 & 2
6. Focus On What Changed, Not What Stayed
As much fun as it is to see your every favourite gin joint survive a nuclear war and become a deathclaw den (spot 10 differences), there has to be a limit for it to have an impact.
Fallout 4’s global map is littered with real-world landmarks. While entertaining at first, it gets bland pretty fast, and serves little purpose but to entertain the eye. We’re in the future, can we please see new things?
Fallout 2 had two notable locations that survived the war: Reno and San Francisco, each serving a narrative purpose.
The former is an example of how ironically little the Great War has changed for some: they are still territorial, violent and driven by base instincts even as bright casino lights flash overhead. The latter is a late-game revelation that some communities have been industrious enough to flourish and a glimpse of what a rebuilt world could be like.
By contrast, quite a few settlements were formed after the war, like Arroyo or Modoc, and have their distinct stories and personalities. In some, traces of pre-war locations can be found underneath, but their subtlety makes them all the more worthy as a nod to reality.