This review is going to be on the open world FPS RPG Fallout 4. To start it off, I need to say that I love this game. It was the second AAA game I ever played, and it might have changed my life. In this article, I will talk about all the reasons you should and shouldn’t buy this game. I’ll try to remain unbiased and speak only of facts and opinion.
Fallout 4 is set in a post-apocalyptic Boston, an American city on the East Coast. It was developed and published by Bethesda games in November 2015 with a high critic score. It is mainly an open world FPS, but it has a lot of RPG elements in it as well. The game takes place in an alternate timeline of our world. The story goes: After WWII, the world didn’t become scared of nuclear technology but embraced it. They invented compact fusion power, advanced AI, and advanced robotics. In the year 2077 the world was falling apart, and the UN has collapsed. The world was very tense due to the resource war, and everyone lived in fear. On October 23rd 2077, China and the USA exchanged many nuclear bombs, and the world, as we know it, was obliterated. The remaining population lived in the underground vaults developed by Vault-Tech.
The gameplay is a fun loop consisting of — get quest from NPC, go there, shoot some things, read some notes, return, and get some CAPS (currency). It might sound a bit boring, but it’s about the in-between, you can build up settlements, find random encounters, modify weapons, and experience all the environmental storytelling across the world.
Fallout 4 was developed by Bethesda, a massive game developer, and publisher. They have a track record of making very buggy, but funny games. Fallout 4 is definitely one of these games. It is littered with bugs and strange sights. You will find floating dead bodies, holes in the map, glitched NPCs, and overall jank. These bugs can take the immersion away for certain players, but a large majority of them (including me) think that the bugs greatly enhance the experience making it much funnier. So, if you want a serious experience keep that in mind.
A lot of people do not seem to like the game’s story or characters, but I personally found it a nice simple story with a straightforward point and a lot of fun missions, but you’re going to have to decide that for yourself. The people you will find in the game can be quite fleshed out or just blank slates. You may find yourself feeling for them or you can just laugh at them. It all depends on your personal preference.
Fallout 4 is usually compared to the other games in the series, mainly Fallout: New Vegas due to the divergence to the previous games heavy RPG elements. I can agree with most of the points discussed by the community, but I will see if I can defend the game to an extent. Most people prefer the dialogue, weapons, characters, and world in Fallout: New Vegas to Fallout 4. In Fallout 4 there are only four dialogue options: top usually meaning tell me more, right meaning no, or aggressive, bottom being friendly and yes, and left being alternate yes or a joke. This dialogue system does not seem to be very popular among the community, I don’t mind it, but Fallout: New Vegas’ dialogue system can have an infinite array of responses, and they aren’t as flat. Unlike Fallout 4, the previous Fallout games had weapon and armour durability, and a better leveling system. These features are nice additions to the older games, but Fallout 4 has lots of other new mechanics that might make up for it. Fallout 4’s art tries to remain realistic, but the game has a lot of cool creatures littered around that are quite a sight. An example of these monsters are the Mirelurks, Deathclaws, Super-Mutants, Brahmin, and Ragstags. These are all mutated animals or science experiments. You can find some amazing sights across the world that will shock you, but you might appreciate the smaller parts of the game.
Fallout 4 has one major feature that everyone loves… the mods! Fallout 4 has the second biggest mod library on Nexus, and Bethesda loves mods, so even console editions get them in the form of an in-game mod loader. You can completely transform your game experience into anything you want, or just add to the game making it a better experience for you. My favourite mods for the game change the environment, add new weapons, new armour, new models, and enhancements to stuff like settlement building. Fallout 4 is one amazing game with endless content and infinite fun to be had. I reckon it’s a great game to add to anyone’s library, with its diverse gameplay, and its ability to pick up and play anytime. It’s one great experience to listen to 50s music whilst walking around blowing off people’s heads. Therefore, I highly recommend buying the game and giving it a go.
I have personally played the old Fallout games and they are really cool! I think I will miss the old durability and leveling systems in the previous games if I were to play Fallout 4, and I would also miss the large amount of dialogue options. However, for a new Fallout experience and improved graphics, I think it might be worth it.
After coming back to the game and fully playing it out, I think it was worth! Honestly enjoyed it more than Fallout 3 I think. Haven’t played New Vegas yet though, so I suppose thats where I should go next.