Fallout 4 Review: Open world epic, R.P.G fail.

Fallout 4 is an open world epic set in the year 2287. A post-war America called the commonwealth is now home to a multitude of fierce beasts and zombified humans which roam the land looking for food. You play a retired U.S army veteran who’s been put in cryogenic sleep by a mysterious company called Vault-Tec. While your asleep your son is mysteriously kidnapped and your wife murdered.

My Thoughts

This game should have been better than it is. The writing is very weak which shows in the role playing elements of the game. Although The post-WWII design aspects are enjoyable the characters have as much personality as a mob of feral ghouls — anyone who has played the game will know what I am talking about.

The weapons and creature design are very good but unfortunately not good enough to make me care about the quests or finding my lost son Shaun. During the game you collect, create or steal new items such as armor and weapons which are scattered about the commonwealth. You can create your own dwellings and build communities which you then have to protect from Raiders. This is enjoyable but feels like it doesn’t belong in Fallout 4, like it should be part of a Sim game instead. That being said you can quite easily spend hours making dwellings and protecting your community instead of completing quests.

Your health and perks are controlled by (S.P.E.C.I.A.L) which is an acronym for Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility and Luck. Everything you do affects your (S.P.E.C.I.A.L) rating and every time you complete a mini-quest you can increase one of these ratings. However, even this feels bloated and unnecessarily complicated. It’s like the designers Bethesda are trying to make the plot more interesting by adding a lot of needless gadgetry. Vault-Tec’s assisted targeting system (V.A.T.S) — yes another acronym, is a device which you find shortly after you wake up. It can be used to target specific body parts when fighting foes and lists your inventory.

Despite its claims, Fallout 4 is NOT a Role-Playing Game, in fact The (R.P.G) elements of the game are virtually non-existent and when they are there the dialogue feels boring. You can complete each quest and have exactly the same outcome despite choosing a different response or choice during the game play. Yes there are role-playing elements but they are weak and don’t generally change the story or shape the protagonist. You can reach higher levels just by wondering around the commonwealth, without even completing any new tasks which makes a lot of the game play feel pointless.

Fallout 4 is running on a next-generation version of [Bethesda’s] Creation Engine’, which means a modification of the same tech that powered Skyrim four years earlier, and it shows. The animation isn’t bad but interactions with other objects can be glitchy with body parts disappearing into walls and floors. In the end I found myself wondering aimlessly, avoiding raiders and collecting stuff which I didn’t know how to use. I know Fallout commands a huge fan base and as a shooter game it is solid with lots of different weapons to collect and modify.

Pros:

• Hundreds of locations.
• Huge amount of Mods.
• Great creature design.
• Plenty of game play.
• Non-linear.

Cons:

• Poor story and characters
• Weak R.P.G elements
• Mini-assignments can be boring
• Can be glitchy

Verdict:

Fallout 4 has impressive creatures, interesting environments and is great as an open-world game. But if you are looking for something with more under the hood, such as good storytelling and R.P.G elements that actually affect the game play then this game is sadly lacking. Fallout 4 doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be — an R.P.G or a shooter game, and unfortunately it doesn’t do either very well. If you are looking for a first person shooter game with good mechanics then try Call of Duty or Fortnite. If you are looking for an R.P.G with similar graphics but a better story then try The Witcher.

Created by: Bethesda

Distributed by: Interplay Entertainment

Game play: +80 hrs

Rating: 7/10

*I receive a small commission from affiliate links*