Fallout 3 Xbox Series X Preview

December 21, 2021 at 6:00am
By Jason Stettner

It’s always a pleasure to dive into the world of Fallout 3, and with the most recent upgrade to the game I thought it might be a fun revisit to write about. While the game was at one time Xbox One X enhanced, meaning we inherit the 4k resolution bump it was originally running at 30fps.

That is no longer the case with the FPS Boost that was applied to the experience providing us with a smooth 60fps experience. It essentially feels like a remaster at this point in terms of the better looking visuals and much better performance. Having a higher frame rate really can alter how a game feels, and how it plays in general.

This might not sound too magical if you’re coming from the PC side of things, but for consoles you typically have to re-buy a game later on in order to really get any sort of perks or improvements. The Xbox Series X upgrades have really changed the game in that regard. Now, I do also feel that a remaster would be a nice thing to have for this game at some point down the road.

To bundle all of the DLC together, to offer maybe even higher frame rates and to touch up the visuals here or there as some of the textures don’t perfectly enhance. Outside of that, I’d absolutely love to see sprinting added and maybe some other quality of life adjustments such as making the already almost non-existent loading screens perhaps just not a thing in some spots.

Also, mods might be a fun addition but I imagine that would take quite an overhaul compared to other elements that I’ve mentioned. I’m not sure if we need a remake, I do imagine a good remaster would suffice for quite awhile. I should also probably mention that the game doesn’t have Auto HDR support like many other backwards compatible titles do.

I still think it looks really good despite this, and in general the game holds up very well. For just checking out the experience I moved around a number of the open world areas of the wasteland and chatted with some NPCs with everything being very fluid. It looks fantastic for the most part, just a stunning improvement to what’s a classic game.

It’s really great that players on the console can easily enjoy this with all the bells and whistles outside of a remaster while also doing so through Xbox Game Pass since it’s now a first party offering. So Anyways, with my adventure I started by chatting up the good folks of Megaton so that I could get an idea of how fluid conversations are which do feel more natural now.

It’s also very sharp with that resolution increase, so in general close up situations are very much improved. I then continued an adventure across the wasteland to see some other areas of this world. This included some regular destroyed remnants, and a bit towards the core as well. I got caught up in the odd skirmish with bandits or monsters, and also witnessed some expansive explosions that came across as very smooth.

Mix that in with a bit of fire play and I was just generally truly impressed by this. It makes the game that much more desirable for a replay and I feel it helps preserve the console experience of this game for the long run. I once again do feel that a remaster would be appreciated, but I’m more than thankful that I’m able to play the game in a way that was never possible prior.

It’s just spectacular to see a FPS Boost applied here as that completely alters how the game handles. From combat, to chatting with others and in general just moving throughout the world. Everything is much more natural, running better than ever and it really ignites some odd feeling of excitement to play the game in a very different way than what you’ve seen in the past. I was initially blown away by the resolution back in the last generation, and almost equally I’m now blown away by the fluidity we’re able to enjoy.

There’s nothing that players even need to do in order to take this in, and in the future it’ll just be a default upgrade for this offering. That being me looking onwards to later generations, always upgraded and ready for those exploring this wasteland for the first time. It’s a similar experience for New Vegas, just minus the resolution and I also suggest taking a look at that one if you’ve somehow passed it over. It’s the Fallout you’ve likely loved in the past, just playing better than ever before in the console space.

There’s also no rush to jump in, as the option will always be here. You can use Xbox Game Pass to play it, buy it digitally or even shove in your old Xbox 360 disc if you so choose. It’s just a legacy upgrade to a very well loved game. You can read a comparison of a related title below, or check out a game hub for further coverage as well. Don’t forget to check out the video content to see the game in action.

Read our Fallout 4 Xbox Series X vs PS5
View our Fallout Hub