Fallout 3's iconic VATS system almost didn't make it into the RPG in time, and Bethesda was worried no one would even want to use it: "Is this even fun?"

After Morrowind and Oblivion, the difficulties Bethesda had in pivoting to sci-fi for Fallout 3 are well-documented. But one ...
TheGamer on MSN

Fallout 3 nearly didn't have VATS

Fallout started in 1997 as an isometric, turn-based game, in which the Wanderer would patiently wait for big rats and ...
DualShockers

Fallout's VATS System Has Ruined Starfield's Combat For Me

Starfield offers a familiar Bethesda experience, but the combat feels lacking without the VATS system from Fallout games. While other RPGs like Mass Effect and The Outer Worlds have similar mechanics ...

VATS almost didn't survive the transition to Bethesda, says Fallout 3 dev: 'We only just got that working by the time we shipped'

While it'd be hard to think of a Fallout game without VATS underlying it, linking gunplay to the classic RPG elements of its ...
Game Rant on MSN

"Is Anyone Going to Use This?" Fallout's Most Iconic Gameplay Mechanic Almost Didn't Make It

A Bethesda dev reveals that one of the biggest changes Fallout 3 brought to the franchise almost didn't make it into the final build of the game.
Game Rant

Fallout 5 May Be Wise to Keep VATS

LB Beistad is a writer and musician based in Nashville, TN. Her love of gaming began with her cousin introducing her to Banjo Kazooie and Jak and Daxter. It was love at first play. Since then, she has ...
GamesRadar+

Fallout 3's VATS system helped compensate for Bethesda's lack of shooting chops: "We were never going to create gun combat that was on par with Call of Duty or Battlefield"

Bethesda hadn't dealt with guns in a long time when it came time to develop Fallout 3; thankfully, VATS helped close the distance. Aside from some Terminator games in the 1990s, Bethesda's bread and ...