"It's just Oblivion with guns."

So claimed the cynics regarding

Emotional expression is key here. The writing should concern itself not with dumping backstory into my brain, but with characters' hopes, dreams, and aspirations. In a world where so many are just scraping by, I don't think the citizens would be much interested in divulging every little detail about their village. I want to see them speak naturally, as real people would, rather than in words more suited to a written form than a spoken one. I want actors to voice a single role so that they might fully inhabit their characters, and for those characters to display a full range of emotions--emotions we can hear in the line delivery and see on the characters' faces.

Gameplay can help reinforce these kinds of interpersonal connections. I would love to be able to stop during my travels and make camp with my companion, pitching a tent and cooking up some grub before catching a few hours of rest. I would love to see possible romance subplots in the style of Mass Effect or Dragon Age, and have that romance affect the interactions I have with others. And should the combat take a more tactical approach, I would want to command my companion (or companions) during each turn, using skills that complement each other. For instance, my companion could ice up a mutant's arm with a freeze gun (a weapon that was scheduled to be included in Black Isle's unreleased Fallout 3, codenamed Van Buren) and I could swing my super sledge and smash it to smithereens.

Of course, my ideal Fallout 4 wishlist continues on for a hundred more pages, but my hopes hinge on the series' very identity. Scrap that Elder Scrolls presentation, bring the game to life with a completely new look and feel, and give the combat and characterizations an overhaul. The Fallout I want is one that asserts its uniqueness, not one that uses a completely different series as a template.