Returning to a franchise like Fallout isn't easy. It's not where you left it. Once you track it down and cripple it in the leg so it can't get away, then you have dissect it. No matter how familiar you are with innards of the franchise, it is hard work to carve out and shape a small slice of a world that's been ruined by war.
Coming back to a franchise like Fallout means a ton of research and catching up - both in the game world and due to player expectations. It was made easier with Fallout 3's release. Bethesda had the enormous task of introducing the next generation into the world some of us were already familiar with. They did it in a way that immersed the player in what the life of a Vault Dweller would be like. In particular, I really liked what they did with The Pitt DLC, where you experienced life in the ruined city of Pittsburgh on the bottom rung of the Vault ladder, and again as a slave, then as a soldier. Ultimately, the way they united the older aspects of Fallout and placed it within new settings was handled in a way that immersed me into the world and encouraged me to explore it.
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