7 years ago Bethesda reintroduced the world to the nuclear wasteland in the form of a first person RPG shooter. It became an instant hit and stole the hearts of many wannabe vault dwellers. Now we’re here in 2015 and it’s time to don the Pip-Boy yet again as we explore a post-apocalyptic world full of dangerous raiders and bugs (of both the creepy, and technical persuasion).

Fallout 4 starts off by giving players a glimpse of life before the nuclear war. It opens with a pretty neat and powerful character creation toolset and you’ll have a bit of time to spend with your family before everything goes to hell and you’re forced to take shelter inside the game’s iconic Vault-Tec vault. Something catastrophic happens to your family later on which sets up the basic premise of the story. It’s a painstakingly slow burn, and even though I’m supposed to care about what had just happened, there was no proper fleshing out of the characters and it just ended up feeling all wishy-washy. Luckily I knew that the real adventure would begin once you leave the vault.

Fallout4_3

So there I stood, freshly emerged from the vault with the beautifully decrepit landscape teasing me, taunting and practically begging me to explore it. And explore it I did, only to be met with my demise by the hands of a few random raiders moments later. I seem to have forgotten what it’s like to be in a Fallout world, in a world full of danger and peril, a world where the immediacy of your objective seems to take a back seat to the urges of your inner adventurer. Having played Fallout 3 for dozens of hours, after a while, this game actually felt more like I was coming home after a long business trip rather than a wild holiday to some unknown destination. There was still quite a few new things to understand though before I could fully adventure out into the wild.

Fallout4_9

There are so many new additions to Fallout 4, some big, some subtle, and though the game may look and even at times feel hauntingly familiar, most of the additions and alterations help in making the game feel fresh and progressive. My favourite and possibly the biggest change to the game is how every piece of random junk has now been given actual meaning and purpose. Every little item that you can pick up can be scrapped to yield materials that can be used in the game’s robust crafting system. You’re now able to customize weapons and armour and craft all sorts of different items. You can customize your very own Power Armour too, which is indescribably awesome in so many ways. It’s hard to adequately relate the elation I got from amassing tons of junk and scrapping them all for parts for my weapons. As they say, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

The gunplay in this game has been drastically improved as well. Guns feel and sound like guns and they have a real punch to them. The V.A.T.S system which used to stop time to allow you to choose specific body parts to shoot has now been changed to slow down time instead of completely halting it. Levelling up has been streamlined as well, and while it may upset some people, it does cut away a lot of the fat. When you level up you gain a point that you can use to either upgrade one of your base stats, or to spend on a perk, given that you meet the requirements.

Fallout4_10

So once I got everything out of the way, I finally set out to continue my quest, only, I wasn’t done yet. I then somehow got swallowed into the new settlement creation feature.

Customizing your equipment was not the only use for your scrapped junk as you can now build entire settlements all around the map as well. Settlements will eventually attract more NPCs and you have to provide ample food and shelter and even a means of defence against scavengers and raiders. It’s a nice touch; I felt like I was building a real home for these people. It is just so unfortunate however that the actual controls for this feature are both tedious and wonky. There is no bird’s eye view and everything is done from the same perspective you play the game in, so even something as simple as putting a roof on a house was a nightmare. Your mileage might differ, but I wasn’t as caught up in this mechanic as I’d hoped to be.

Fallout4_2

Once I came to grips with what’s new in the game, I finally got on my way to continue the main story, or that’s what I thought I would do. There were just so many times when I’d tell myself that I need to progress the story, that there are much more pressing issues to deal with, but how could I? How could I just push through when at every turn there was a new location or dungeon just whispering sweet words into my ear? “Explore me”, I’d hear them say. It was as if I was under some weird spell, because I just couldn’t resist. And you know what? That’s alright. The ‘side’ content feels as important as the main story. Hell, I would even go as far as to say that those very side activities far outshine the main narrative.

The main story is in no way bad, but there are just too many key encounters and moments that feel as though they’re supposed to mean more or to have much more of an impact. Don’t get me wrong, there are some really awesome moments and the factions in this game are as interesting as ever, but I just can’t help but shake this feeling of indifference towards the storyPart of the problem comes from the new dialogue system which has been heavily watered down from previous games. During exchanges, you’re now given the choice of 4 responses, but each response only has a few words or even just a single word as a description, so it becomes hard to tell what exactly your character is going to say. Conversations end up feeling somewhat inconsequential and disjointed, and it kind of hampered my immersion. It’s countered somewhat by a well-voiced player character, but there’s a lack of gravitas – and as a result, impetus to push the story forward. Overall, the story is serviceable, but the real meat of the game lies in the world, and the stories you build up for yourself.

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Bethesda does a wonderful job of marrying visuals cues with its lore and it results in some pretty special world building. I found myself so enthralled in my adventures. All I wanted to do was keep exploring, going further and digging deeper – and my exploits led me to some really interesting locations. Some places were disturbing, like a facility where people were treated as guinea pigs and subjected to chemicals and drugs while being paraded in front of an audience. Other locations were downright twisted such as the gallery of a murderous sociopath who seems to have a thing for displaying the heads and mutilated bodies of raiders in a macabre, artistic fashion. I could only imagine how these things played out before I discovered them, but audio and datalogs do a great job of helping me paint a picture of events that transpired. These are things that kept me going, that kept me playing till the early hours of the morning. What’s even better is that I feel like I’ve only just scratched the surface and there is still so much more out there waiting for me.

Fallout-4-Dogmeat

Fallout 4 also has a number of companions that you can take with you on your adventures and they’re actually both interesting and entertaining to have along with you. The more your relationship grows, the more you’ll learn about them – surprise! – I actually grew attached to some of them. It’s a system I really enjoyed, yet loathed at the same time. I have no issue with the characters themselves really, but my gripe lies with their AI. They’re usually as dumb as bricks that litter the destroyed Boston metropolis. I’ve lost count of how many times they’ve run straight into traps and enemies, how they’re constantly blocking doorways, pushing me out into the open and blowing my cover. I just stared in disbelief as they got stuck in the environment for the umpteenth time. Unfortunately this is where things went downhill for me and I became unable to overlook the overall lack of polish.

I understand that bugs and technical hiccups vary from player to player, but the usual Bethesda-ness happened far too often during my playthrough, and I became increasingly frustrated that these things even exist in the first place. Besides the horrendous companion AI, there were many instances where I would get knocked back into a wall or tree and find myself magically merged with the environment.

Fallout4 (3)

Conversations would cut off mid-sentence, my guns would disappear, I would fall through the floor, subtitles would get stuck on-screen, framerate would drop heavily, and bodies would float in mid-air while NPCs were walking through walls. Worst of all I even ran into a few hard crashes. There are so many other issues I can mention and I know we’ve come to expect this from Bethesda, but it’s just unacceptable for these types of things – that actually hamper gameplay – exist in this day and age.

Despite itself however, Fallout 4 manages to be an engaging adventure. It actually looks and sounds fantastic, and while some textures and most character models is downright ugly (I actually mistook a few human characters for Feral Ghouls), it still has a really good art direction and the dynamic effects help greatly in making up for its graphical shortcomings. I may have found it hard to overlook some of its flaws, but it’s still a world I want to get lost in and even as I write this and look back at all the frustrations I had, this game is still on my mind, and I can’t wait to hop back in.

Last Updated: November 23, 2015

Fallout 4
Fallout 4 carries over a number of problems from the past, and some of the more streamlined changes end up hampering the experience - but despite all of that, it’s a fantastic game that delivers one of the most compelling and addictive worlds this year.
8.5
Fallout 4 was reviewed on PlayStation 4
87 / 100

71 Comments

  1. Wait, hold on. Is Fallout a JRPG now?

    Reply

    • Umar

      November 23, 2015 at 15:04

      You can change the character’s hair color to pink, so, close enough.

      Reply

      • Hammersteyn

        November 23, 2015 at 15:05

        Oof, you got him there.

        Reply

      • Alien Emperor Trevor

        November 23, 2015 at 15:24

        Sweet, by the time I get it there’s sure to be a Lightning mod. So I can play Final Fallout 4, and send Rince screenshots all subtitled “SIIIIIIIIIGH”.

        Reply

        • Umar

          November 23, 2015 at 15:26

          There’s a few massive swords in this game too so that could actually work!

          Reply

        • RinceThis

          November 23, 2015 at 16:16

          I wait with baited breath!

          Reply

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            November 23, 2015 at 18:33

            I thought something smelled fishy.

      • RinceThis

        November 23, 2015 at 15:40

        Le sigh!

        Reply

      • Grand Admiral Chief SpaceNinja

        November 23, 2015 at 16:00

        xD

        Reply

    • Bob of the Khundelar

      November 23, 2015 at 15:04

      No, but it’s so good that Umar didn’t care that it was missing the J.

      Reply

    • RinceThis

      November 23, 2015 at 15:40

      BWAHAHAH!

      Reply

  2. Hammersteyn

    November 23, 2015 at 15:06

    GOTY

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      November 23, 2015 at 15:07

      • Unavengedavo

        November 23, 2015 at 15:32

        Collecting these so that I can play it on my phone O_o

        Reply

        • Hammersteyn

          November 23, 2015 at 15:42

          Something other to play than Soda Crush while i’m on the can

          Reply

    • Spy Master Tokashi

      November 23, 2015 at 16:39

      It is a really good game but it is not a GOTY, it does not bring enough wow factor and awesomeness to beat the other games that are way better every department.

      Actually, if they have added dragons it would be the GOTY by far!! trolololol 😉

      Reply

      • Hammersteyn

        November 24, 2015 at 08:02

        Radioactive Dragons! O_o

        Reply

      • Sageville

        November 24, 2015 at 10:33

        I dunno, I’ve seen much worse GOTY games, this one gets my thumbs up.

        Reply

    • Captain JJ never changes

      November 23, 2015 at 16:44

      Nope.
      Witcher 3

      Reply

      • Hammersteyn

        November 24, 2015 at 08:02

        Witcher 3, where you rider whores or horses.

        Reply

  3. Mistake Not...

    November 23, 2015 at 15:18

    Guys halp. I’m trying to progress the story but the bloody crafting and settlement building keeps dragging me back in. But, seriously, I love this game. 111/120.

    Reply

  4. Original Heretic

    November 23, 2015 at 15:19

    50 hours in and I have yet to encounter any bugs. And I haven’t even run the day 1 update. I’m pretty sure I WILL encounter something at some stage, but until then, my Super Mutant killing spree will continue unabated, unabashed and with extreme abuse!!

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      November 23, 2015 at 15:28

      I planted crops mid air, also I found a cow on the roof of a building, true story

      Reply

      • Darren Peach

        November 23, 2015 at 15:30

        Have you had the bug when you rubber band across the map ?

        Reply

        • Hammersteyn

          November 23, 2015 at 15:32

          Nope not yet.

          Reply

      • Original Heretic

        November 23, 2015 at 15:31

        Cow on a roof? That’s not a bug, it’s an ADVENTURE! He probably bet his cow buddies he could jump over the moon and ended up on the roof. Clearly he lost the bet.

        Reply

        • Hammersteyn

          November 23, 2015 at 15:32

          I wanted to trade dammit!

          Reply

          • Original Heretic

            November 23, 2015 at 15:34

            Wooden stairs are cheap and easy to build.

          • Hammersteyn

            November 23, 2015 at 15:35

            I tried shooting it

          • Original Heretic

            November 23, 2015 at 15:36

            I believe that’s known as “Aggressive trading”. Shoot first, loot, then find another trader!

          • Hammersteyn

            November 23, 2015 at 15:41

            Luckily it was in the settlement, I became over encumbered and could not run

      • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

        November 23, 2015 at 20:17

        Good ol’ courier cow… she did the same thing in my game. Also, my arm is still stuck under my chestplate.

        Reply

  5. VampyreSquirrel

    November 23, 2015 at 15:25

    I’m not hellishly far in this game at all… I’ve got the lowest amount of hours across all my Steam friends, but that will change VERY VERY soon.

    Reply

  6. Jac7

    November 23, 2015 at 15:28

    *Sigh* Guess it’s off to empty my unborn child’s college fund, then off to BT games to donate money to a good cause.

    Reply

  7. Unavengedavo

    November 23, 2015 at 15:31

    The dialog irritated me and I missed the old look and feel. When I spotted this I didn’t even have to think twice before installing it O_o
    http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/1235/?

    Reply

    • Umar

      November 23, 2015 at 15:32

      I saw that! Holy crap..Modders work fast. They said modding will be coming to consoles so I’m hoping this comes over as well.

      Reply

      • Unavengedavo

        November 23, 2015 at 15:34

        The dialog make way more sense now! Just saw that it was updated today, so guess what I’ll be doing when I get home 😀

        Reply

        • Umar

          November 23, 2015 at 15:35

          Urgh, so jealous. Here I’m stuck with yes, no, sarcastic :/

          Reply

          • Unavengedavo

            November 23, 2015 at 15:37

            [INSERT PC MASTER RACE RETORT HERE]

          • James Anderton

            November 23, 2015 at 15:38

            We’ll smell you later in 2016 peasants 😀

            There, I filled in the blank ^^

    • James Anderton

      November 23, 2015 at 15:34

      The full dialogue mod is essential. Essential.

      After playing for 4 hours with the vanilla mode, I’d had enough.

      Reply

  8. CypherGate

    November 23, 2015 at 15:32

    I must say the character customisation is one of the best in any game.

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      November 23, 2015 at 15:34

      I know right, and in Blops 3 your choices are………. wait for it………… nine different white guys 😐

      Reply

      • VampyreSquirrel

        November 23, 2015 at 15:42

        Could be worse… there could be 7 of them…

        Reply

    • Captain JJ never changes

      November 23, 2015 at 16:46

      I think The Sims might be better, but I have a feeling that my comparison will not be liked 😉

      Reply

      • CypherGate

        November 23, 2015 at 16:50

        Lol the Sims 4 is good indeed. Can you layer scars and any imperfections on Sims 4? Im not 100% sure if its possible? Basically what i like is the layering in Fallout 4. When you layer them it looks quite natural and not out of place though. I created myself in Sims 4 and was quite impressed lol

        Reply

  9. Unavengedavo

    November 23, 2015 at 15:39

    My brother told me about a bug he found. When you pick up a trashcan, point you back towards a building wall, and then walk backwards, you walk up the wall O_o

    Reply

    • RinceThis

      November 23, 2015 at 15:40

      lol

      Reply

    • Mistake Not...

      November 23, 2015 at 15:42

      I found another. As soon as you install the game you’ll be unable to make any progress in the game called Life.

      Reply

      • Unavengedavo

        November 23, 2015 at 15:42

        For some reason it crashes the “Relationship” program O_o

        Reply

        • Mistake Not...

          November 23, 2015 at 15:49

          You have a relationship program? Where can I get one?

          Reply

        • DragonSpirit009

          November 23, 2015 at 15:49

          I don’t know why but I really laughed out loud at this XD

          Reply

        • Umar

          November 23, 2015 at 15:51

          There’s a fix for that…Here, lemme send you to the web portal..
          http://www.youpor……………..

          Reply

          • Unavengedavo

            November 23, 2015 at 15:53

            I found a fix for it, had to buy another copy of Fallout 4 O_o

          • Umar

            November 23, 2015 at 15:55

            Ahh co-op play 😀 NOICE

  10. DragonSpirit009

    November 23, 2015 at 15:41

    My one friend sent me so many images of the game while he played it that I basically felt like I played it myself. Which in the end is kinda really annoying.

    Reply

    • Unavengedavo

      November 23, 2015 at 15:44

      Friends who spoil movies, series and games are not friends O_o

      Reply

      • DragonSpirit009

        November 23, 2015 at 15:46

        Yeah I know… I just call him that so he would stop pestering me. He is like that annoying little brother that won’t stop bugging you!

        Reply

        • Snowlockk

          November 23, 2015 at 15:47

          Spoil some games for him and he will learn

          Reply

          • DragonSpirit009

            November 23, 2015 at 15:50

            If I had any new games and a console then I would with pleasure.

          • Snowlockk

            November 23, 2015 at 16:01

            Doesn’t he watch game of thrones? That’s the most evil thing to do to people.

  11. RinceThis

    November 23, 2015 at 15:41

    OvG says he hasn’t encountered any bugs. Odd…

    Reply

    • Unavengedavo

      November 23, 2015 at 15:42

      Personally I have run into huge mossies, cockroaches and flies O_o

      Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      November 23, 2015 at 15:42

      He’s senile?

      Reply

    • Umar

      November 23, 2015 at 15:44

      Yeah, like I mentioned, it will vary from player to player, but a quick search on the net and you’ll see I’m not the only with a blikkie doom nearby.

      Reply

    • Alien Emperor Trevor

      November 23, 2015 at 15:45

      He just doesn’t know any better because he’s pissed when he’s playing.

      Reply

      • RinceThis

        November 23, 2015 at 16:05

        HAHAHA! Yeah, he has internet now. He offended the world on Friday evening…

        Reply

    • Snowlockk

      November 23, 2015 at 15:47

      I get a buzzing sound when I kill a turret from VATS and every now and again I’ll get a game crash or someone I shoot flys to the moon but other than that no major bugs.

      Reply

    • Captain JJ never changes

      November 23, 2015 at 16:46

      I haven’t yet either.

      Reply

  12. Captain JJ never changes

    November 23, 2015 at 16:44

    I think 80% of the reason Fallout is so awesome is because it’s Fallout.
    There, I said it.

    Reply

  13. Nikola

    November 24, 2015 at 09:29

    Good review dude:) Will jump on to this after I am done with AC Unity I am actually excited for those weird and silly bugs and glitches lol!

    #EA4life

    Reply

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