Fallout 4: 10 Key Lessons From 2013's Biggest Games

3. A Little Humour Doesn't Hurt - Saints Row IV

The Fallout games have a relatively delicate tonal balance: after all, they're set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, where joy isn't much to be found. The earlier Fallout games were a little sillier in regard to their characters, whereas a grittier direction was taken for Fallout 3 onwards, opting instead for some deliciously dark gags. Still, the colourful characters, especially in New Vegas, do give the games a certain lightness of touch that prevents them from becoming overly somber or overwrought. Bethesda would do well to follow this for Fallout 4. That's not to say that we need a guy running around in a hotdog suit like in Saints Row IV, but that game made it clear how much gamers love a developer just throwing caution to the wind in the effort of entertaining audiences. Fallout 4 should probably be an arduous journey, but the occasionally daft moment to break up the tension and create a little levity would not go amiss.