10 Video Game Entries That Drastically Changed The Formula

Resident Evil was never the same again.

The video game landscape is pretty darn enormous already and it continues to grow every year so it makes sense some landmark series and franchises have felt the need to change things up over the decades.

Not all of these changes made things better, mind you, but we’ve collected ten instances where game studios decided to throw out the rule book on their wildly popular franchises and try something completely different.

Even in the occasions where the critical or fan reaction wasn’t overwhelmingly positive, there’s always something to appreciate about watching publishers and developers dare to be different.

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10. Fallout 3

Fallout 3 Low Intelligence
Bethesda Softworks

Whether the Fallout series got better or worse when the formula changed with the release of Fallout 3 is divisive but one thing we can all agree on is that it’s certainly different.

Prior to Fallout 3, the first two games were an isometric RPG and while the game certainly retained its RPG roots, at least for the two Bethesda games to come, the style changed drastically. When the original developers Black Isle Studios folded the reins were passed to Bethesda and with that change came a switch to first-person perspective and the abandonment of the series’ turn-based combat. The V.A.T.S. combat system remained but it was now built into real-time combat engagement.

Despite the big change, Fallout 3 was incredibly successful, probably because despite the changes this title and New Vegas proved that the soul of the series was still very much intact.

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Contributor
Contributor

Jess has been a journalist and content creator in the games industry for over 15 years and has been WhatCulture's resident Australian import and sorry cop since 2020, upping the quotient of swearing and apologising in WhatCulture Gaming's annual blooper videos considerably. She previously worked at GameSpot for 10 years, most notably hosting GameSpot News in addition to E3 live shows, and PAX panels. She regularly livestreams a variety of games on her 'jessmcdonell' YouTube and Twitch channels and hosts the 'Do It On The Day' podcast. She has won awards for her news and feature work in gaming as well as an accolade for her comedic writing (likely an admin error). She can be found on X at @jessmcdonell and Instagram at @jessicamcdonell sharing her current videogame fixations, industry insights, and videos of her cat, Karma.