Background
How many franchises out there can say they are as popular and as well loved as the Fallout franchise? This franchise is one of the standout series’ when it comes to RPGs. Fallout has always had special place in my life and is the series that I most identify with as a gamer. Developed by Bethesda and released on November 10th, 2015. Fallout 4 is a post-apocalyptic open world RPG in which the player controls the Lone Wanderer who is cast into a whole new world when tragedy befalls his family and he must traverse the ruined wasteland of old world Boston known as the Commonwealth. The Lone Wanderer finds himself right in the middle of four warring factions and must make a choice that will impact the future of the Commonwealth as well as all those who call it home. you watch as you rise from a man-out-of- time into the single most important individual in all of Boston. You will feel the weight of the decisions you make and you will find yourself wondering if you made the right ones. I will be omitting a “Story” section in this review as I don’t wish to spoil anything for those who have yet to fully enjoy this game.
Gameplay
This installment of the popular franchise keeps the formula the same in most respects aside from certain areas receiving a complete overhaul. Probably the most notable change happens to the game’s targeting system called V.A.T.S. In the previous installments of the franchise entering V.A.T.S. time would freeze allowing the player to look around and choose their shots with precision. However in this installment players must be a little more careful with the usage of the targeting system as it only slows time allowing the player to still be hit and shot will in it. This of course has some benefits though such as being able to choose the right time to shoot as the enemy moves around providing different angles to take advantage of.
The game features a ton of content and locations to explore that make sure the game has replayability and to make sure players always have people to fight, raider camps frequently repopulate giving the player more people to inflict their own brand of violence upon.One of the most anticipated features in this game is the upcoming DLC that will be upon us soon and I am just as excited as anybody to play them. The first DLC arrives on Tuesday, March 22nd and I cant wait. It allows for players to build their own robot companions from a wide variety of robo-components. It also introduces a new nemesis to fight known as the Mechanist. Not much else is know but I am very excited to find out about. I do have issues with the lack of weapons. While the weapon modding system is awesome I find myself growing weary of having very few base weapons to mod. One can only mod a Pipe Rifle into so many things. Again something that will be fixed with future updates and DLC. By far the best gameplay overall within the Fallout franchise and I highly enjoy the time I spend in it.
Quests
Fallout 4 holds some of the franchises most unique and interesting quest lines such as the helping a crew of robots get their flying ship back to the ocean, or donning the mantle of a pre-war comic book vigilante known as the Silver Shroud to dispense a sweet amount a gratuitous street violence. While the game does feature some of the coolest and strangest quests I have ever played; it also suffers from excruciatingly annoying repetitive quests. Most of these quests are given out by the fanbases least favorite minuteman soldier and laser musket toting companion, Preston Garvey. This walking meme constantly whines to you to go save another settlement and upon completion are told of yet another settlement that needs your help. After a while one begins to wonder if any other person in the Commonwealth can actually help themselves. Now, despite the annoyance the quests can create the game has numerous other quests that make the game more than delightful and entertaining and there is defiantly a variety of fun out there to discover.
Settlement System
If there is any new feature that stands out in this game it is the franchise first Settlement building system, in which the player can choose from a list of possible settlements to live at and develop and build their own settlement which their companions and other settlers. You may build houses and stores in which you can employ your settlers. In keeping with the traditional needs for settlements you must have enough water, food and defenses to satisfy the needs and safety of the amount of settlers you have. Allowing for more settlers to live with you means more workers but also requires more resources to maintain happiness. your settlements will come under siege occasionally in which you must lend your hand to defend them.
Another feature is the creation of supply lines which you can use to link up your various settlements allowing the resources of one settlement to be used at another. I personally love the settlement system and it the feature that has eaten up my time on this game despite the undeniable issues surrounding the snapping of pieces together. There are settlements that vary enough to meet the taste of many gamers. For those who love large spaces to work with you are thrown into Sanctuary right away with has a very large area to work with along with already existing buildings. Or if you prefer something small and more personal there is the Red Rocket Truck Stop which I highly recommend as well. Then there is the Starlight Drive-In if you just want a huge open space to work with, with very little interruption from pre-existing buildings. There is a location out there for everyone you just gotta find the one you want.
Bugs for Days (Duh)
It wouldn’t be a Bethesda game if it didn’t have its bugs. While this game is no exception to this popular belief of the Dev. company, it is in no way the worst offender. The bugs that plague this game are no different than that of previous installments. Bugs consist of players becoming stuck in places due to doors not working, quests not completing correctly as well as characters completely disappearing from the playable area such as Smiling Larry. While some of these problems can be easily amended in the PC versions of the game in which players can use console commands to set key character locations as well as fix quests that don’t finish correctly. Unfortunately if you are not on PC you are bound to the limited functionality of the console you play on. Bethesda has stated that they do plan to follow through with frequent patches that both fix bugs and add new content. They have so far followed through on that promise with recent patches and even the recent addition of raider themed items to the workshop. Slowly but surely they are fixing as much as they can with Fallout 4 and their dedication to the player is very apparent.
Verdict: 8/10
There is no franchise I would rather play than the Fallout franchise. It has given me some of the greatest times in gaming that I have ever had. With that being said, it doesn’t make Fallout 4 a perfect game. It is plagued with bugs and repetitive quests and a certain companion that people just can’t get away from. Despite these shortcomings this game features wonderful graphics (by Fallout’s standard), a great story, very well developed characters and incredibly fun combat. When you score a headshot or great kill shot, it is incredibly satisfying and the action this game delivers helps keep it fresh and fun. With the announcement of DLC and the increase of the price of the Season Pass, it is clear that Bethesda has really thrown their eggs into this basket in hopes to rectify any of the very small amount of issues that are in this game. While this game is not without its faults it by far meets my expectations that grew as I waited, very impatiently I might add, for its release.
