The canceled Fallout project codenamed Van Buren, which was original Fallout developer Black Isle's second stab at making Fallout 3, is now more accessible than ever thanks to a fan-made version's release on Nexus Mods (via DSOGaming and PC Gamer).
If you're unfamiliar with Van Buren, it was a wildly different take on Fallout 3 from what was ultimately released by Bethesda after it acquired the IP from Black Isle parent company Interplay. Chiefly, it was an isometric RPG with a top-down perspective more in line with the first two Fallout games, and its story centered around an accused criminal whose guilt or innocence was to be decided by the player, dramatically altering which quests, skills, and communities were interactable.
With the meaty Fallout Yesterday - Van Buren mod now available on Nexus Mods, it's easier than ever to experience what's likely the closest thing to Black Isle's original vision for Fallout 3. Built in the Fallout 2 engine, Fallout Yesterday's recent 0.6 update added 30+ new quests, "multiple" vehicles, hundreds of new weapons, new traits, new perks, new main story content, "many" bug fixes, and more, although in its current state it can only be beaten with a "specific character build focused on Science and Repairs."
The arrival of the 0.6 update coincided with the project's release on Nexus Mods, not to mention the cracking open of its code on GitLab, making now an ideal time to not only play it but toy around with the code if you're keen. Of course, it's worth noting that much of Van Buren ended up in 2010's Fallout: New Vegas, including the American Southwest setting and the ability to decide on elements of your character's backstory. Still, purists will likely appreciate the faithfulness of Fallout Yesterday to the original source work.
Find out where Fallout: New Vegas ranked on our list of the best RPGs ever.
