Welcome Back to Post-Apocalyptia
As with any classic RPG, it’s impossible to pin down Fallout 4 with a single sentence. It’s giant, impossible to put down, and honestly terrifying. It both builds off successful predecessors and jumps headfirst into new territories. The Fallout series is a 19-year-old giant, played and loved by fans both casual and diehard. Each installment has been hugely successful and stayed true to the Fallout essence. Like war, perhaps the games themselves never change.
But does Bethesda’s Fallout 4 remain loyal to the franchise? We love Fallout for a number of reasons, but a few key factors persist. Does the game fulfill its directive as an immersive RPG? Does it instill that desperate sense of survival? Does its world feel desolate, but filled with wanderlust and adventure? And, most importantly, does the game keep the old spirit alive while still adding new innovations? This review aims to answer that and more.
A Story to Tell
"Mmm! What a beautiful day! The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and nothing bad is ever going to happen."
The game opens with you getting ready in a charming pre-war house. You share a mirror with your spouse, using the robust character creation tool to pick and tweak every detail. My spouse commented on my new haircut and dashing good looks as I artfully crafted my face into the likeness of a Neanderthal. I'm talking bulbous nose, droopy lips, beady eyes, and a jaw square enough to hurt a boxer's fist.
Character creation is easy to use and near limitless. You can create a pretty convincing picture of yourself, friends, or celebrities. I was impressed with the improvement from Fallout 4 (and Skyrim for that matter). A few minutes in, and I already had a dozen ideas I wanted to try.
Once I completed my character, I was given free rein to explore the house and its retro 50s furnishing. My character commented on everything I touched, from sugar bombs to laundry detergent. I sipped a cup of coffee brewed by my robot butler (who said my name!) and enjoyed an issue of Grognak the Barbarian. I bantered with my spouse and played with my child. Life felt pretty good for my hideous character. The domestic peace serves as a great setup for the inevitable calamity that is to come.
The bombs fall. The run to Vault 111 was tense; I genuinely felt anxious as the whole neighborhood panicked. We just narrowly made it inside before the nuclear blast swept over us. The relief was short lived, however, as the survivors then stepped into what looked suspiciously like stasis pods. Crackling frost branched across the pod's window, and my shivering breaths went quiet. When I woke up, it was only to witness the death of my spouse and the kidnapping of my son. I climbed out the pod and, upon dashing up to the body of my spouse, uttered a surprisingly lackluster, "I'll find who did this." And that was that. Bye, honey.
The main quest is all about tracking the killer and finding your son. The problem is, I didn't care about that. There's no reason to. It's the difference between watching a bully kick a puppy and watching a bully kick your puppy. It's sad, but it's not personal. Since I didn't feel any attachment to my character's family, I didn't care about revenge or my lost kid. Unlike Fallout 3, where an entire segment is dedicated to getting to know your dad as he raises you, Fallout 4 didn't offer enough to go on. Hell, my spouse's killer got more development than them. I honestly felt worse about shooting him in the face and stealing his jacket than witnessing my spouse's death. (Okay, but I still wore the jacket though.)
It wasn't until I left the vault that I felt my excitement rush back. The main questline is, ironically, not the game's main draw. What enraptured me was the plethora of well-written side quests. The rivalry between the factions as they struggle for control of the Commonwealth. And of course, stories of the area's boogeyman, the dreaded Institute. Fallout 4's setting is simply amazing. All I wanted to do was explore. I found myself sinking hours into the game just soaking in the wild, unforgiving wastes.
Character Customization and Perks
"Aww! They're so... cute."
Before I launched into adventuring, I first had to build my character. In Fallout 4, you're special. No really, you're S.P.E.C.I.A.L.! The core attributes, Strength, Perception, Edurance, Charisma, Agility, and Luck, make up S.P.E.C.I.A.L. They determine your health, carry weight, accuracy, action points, and more. Your attributes also dictate what perks you can select, so keep in mind what abilities you want. Since I planned on being a stealthy sniper, I focused my points into Perception and Agility at the cost of Strength and Endurance.
Perks make a splendid return, working in new and interesting ways. And boy are there a lot to choose from—the chart is giant! Each time you level up, you can put one point into either an attribute or a perk. Since level ups are limited, you need to think hard about where you put that one point. Do you want to focus on improving gun damage? Or delve into a new perk, such as picking locks or hacking terminals? You can always treat yourself to a little something with Bloody Mess, which causes enemies you hit to randomly explode.
If you max an attribute all the way up to 10, you're able to unlock the final perk in the tree. One of my favorites is Pain Train at max Strength, where wearing power armor allows you to topple over enemies by sprinting at them. "Choo choo!" indeed.
Skill points have been completely removed from the game. This streamlines stat building and ties attributes and perks closely together. However, if you like indepth RPG elements, you're out of luck. The lack of skills cuts down how much you can build your character.
Pretty Voice, Shallow Personality
New to the series, the protagonist and their dialogue options are now fully voiced. Fallout 4 boasts more dialogue lines than Fallout 3 and Skyrim combined. Considering the size of those games, that’s not too shabby. However, there is a price to your cinematic viewing pleasure.
Are you a roleplayer at heart? Because unfortunately, your dialogue options have been severely limited. Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas offered players a huge selection of clever lines to shape your character's personality. You could be a noble hero. A wisecracker. A raving lunatic. Even too stupid to form sentences.
Now, however, the Sole Survivor is locked into five response types: Yes, No, Sarcastic, Question, and Persuade. Beyond that, you don't really have any control over your character's personality. I was pretty disappointed to learn all I could really say was "My baby boy", "What's that?", and "I'll get right on that".
A Vast Wasteland to Explore
Don’t drink and drive.
Fallout 4 takes place in the Boston Commonwealth, the remnants of what was once Massachusetts. Right off the bat, I couldn't wait to see what dystopian Boston looked like. What became of the Bunker Hill Monument? The statue of Paul Revere? The Boston Public Library? There are so many landmarks to discover. Some are half caved ruins, faded and weathered and filled with monsters. Others have been repurposed, their skeletons turned into settlements. One of the biggest settlements in the game, Diamond City, has been built nicely into Fenway Park. Even now it still bears a baseball aesthetic, as the guards patroling the streets are geared up in armored catcher uniforms.
The graphics are by no means perfect, but the environment is beautiful. As I explored, I became caught up in the gray, bleak beauty of sunlight filtering through barren trees and cracked walls of crumbling buildings. The sky is a clear blue when there isn't a radiation storm (where yellow lightning flashes across the sky). And some green can even be seen in a few places, such as a prosperous farming settlement.
The world will suck you in and scare you. I came across all kinds of bone chilling sights. Feral ghoul infested highways, where monsters gurgle and crawl out from under decaying cars. A massive tower fortified with a small super mutant army. An irradiated landscape housing monstrous abominations. Interiors filled with ravaged furniture, decayed skeletons, low lighting, and harsh flames. Some places bear macabre trademarks of raiders and super mutants: heads on spikes, strung up corpses, and gory, ruby-red blood bags.
A Bit of a Fixer Upper
All in all, the graphics, models, animation, and character faces have been vastly improved from Fallout 3. But boy oh boy are there still problems. Lip syncing is flappy and mismatches with the dialogue. Character animations are still painfully stiff and awkward.
The game is full of bugs. NPCs get stuck or shuffle around confusedly. Sometimes bad pathfinding can break a quest. During a Brotherhood of Steel quest, I had to tail a suspect. Halfway to his destination, he got stuck in a patch of brambles. At first I thought he was waiting for something, but he just heel turned for a full five minutes. I gave up and reloaded. He got stuck again. It took three reloads until he figured out how to get to point B. Lesson learned: Save often.
Fight for Survival
“That'll do, pig. That'll do."
Everything, and I mean everything, is trying to kill you. The Commonwealth Wasteland is chock-full of monstrous mutants and ragtag raiders hell-bent on rending you limb from limb. And it's horrifying. My first encounter with fear was when I thought it'd be cute to check out an old dusty comic shop. Feral ghouls crawled from the ceiling. I fought my way upstairs and holed up with my trusty dog. I held my shotgun steady as monstrous, hissing mutants ran through the door. I was down to three shells when the last ghoul fell. A pile of rotten corpses amassed at my feet.
After surviving the horde, I figured I could continue. I snuck my way upstairs and ran right into a green, glowing patch of mushroom-like growths. A luminescent feral ghoul—a glowing one—spotted me and charged down the stairs, arms waving and claws swiping. My last three shots barely put a dent in it. I backpedaled desperately, unloading everything I had—even down to my crappy backup pipe rifle. By the end of the fight, my heart was pounding and I was grinning like a madman.
I still hate feral ghouls, but there are far stronger enemies out there. Each enemy type has multiple variants, or levels that differ in strength, ability, and behavior. You can run into legendary versions of almost every variant. Yes, that includes a legendary glowing one. Taking down a legendary is no small feat, especially since they can "mutate", or fully restore their health in the middle of a fight. But they do drop unique items with cool effects, such as a rolling pin with nails sticking out of it that does bonus damage against ghouls (I like that one).
Everything is fine.
Combat in Fallout 4 depends on your playstyle. Do you favor guns? If so, you’ll find yourself ducking behind cover as raiders take potshots at you, biding your time for a well-aimed counterattack. Alternatively, you can charge in hot and heavy with melee weapon swinging or minigun or Fat Man (Fallout’s equivalent to a missile launcher) blazing.
As a stealthy character, I mainly snuck around administering headshots with my sniper rifle and silenced pistol. My Neanderthal sniper looked especially snappy in a dirty suit and fedora. No matter your preference, the comprehensive list of weapon types, customization mods, and enemies will keep your options open and provide indefinite entertainment.
If you encounter a sticky situation, such as being overwhelmed by a sudden horde of feral ghouls or rushed by a super mutant, you can use V.A.T.S. to slow the game down and target specific parts of the enemy’s body to automatically attack. The camera will enter third person mode as it cinematically captures your assault in glorious, bloody slow motion. Sit back, relax, and watch the limbs and heads fly.
Scavenge Weapons and Customize Your Arsenal
Take this baby into battle, and the feral ghouls won't know what hit 'em.
Ammo is limited to the loot you pick up from unfortunate enemies, containers, and traders. Different weapons use different ammo types, so managing your equipment and aiming your shots is essential to your survival. Do you like not having to worry about repairing your gear? If so, you're in luck. Your weapons no longer break down in Fallout 4. However, this takes away the need to manage your gear and scavenge for weapons. You can just use the gun with the best stats all the time. It puts a damper on the survival style gameplay.
To further improve your chances in the wasteland, weapons and armor can be fully customized with mods created at workstations. I made sure I'd never be ambushed by a glowing one again by modding all my weapons with silencers. If you're more into direct combat, you can assemble a suit of power armor and bolster it with personalized upgrades. Can you stick a jetpack on the back of your space marine suit? Why the hell not?
The type and quality of mods you can create is dependent on perks, such as Gun Nut and Armorer, and the materials you possess. Materials can be gathered from all the junk and clutter found throughout the world. Do you enjoy crafting in games? Then go crazy. The amount you can create feels almost unlimited.
As for those who find gathering supplies tedious (you'd rather just play the game, right?), it's possible to play without modding equipment. They just add to the experience. There's also a search function to tag supplies needed to build the mod you want. As you explore, a magnifying glass will appear next to items that contain the necessary parts. It's annoying how quickly your inventory fills, but at least you can store your priceless junk in the workshop so you don’t have to lug it around.
A Dynamic Companions System
You’ve got a friend in me.
Colorful characters roam the Boston area, some of which will accompany you on your travels. Near the start of my journey, I met Dogmeat, a loyal German shepherd who will find items, perform tricks, and sic those nasty raiders. He quickly proved himself just as useful as he was adorable. As I was sneaking around a pack of raiders, I sent him in to wreak havoc. While he distracted enemies by biting and pulling their legs, I lined up my headshots.
You can also meet a spunky reporter who will tag along with you in search of the truth. You can team up with a battle-hardened Brotherhood of Steel Knight who's a stickler for his rules. And an ace detective in Diamond City—a synth by the name of Nick Valentine—will fight by your side, cracking lines straight out of noir flicks.
Nick Valentine. AKA the coolest SOB you'll ever meet.
Traveling with a buddy really spruces up the world as they fight with you and comment on your behavior. Yes, they'll notice you totally shot that guy for no reason. Most of them won't like it. But some of them might.
Companions have always been a feature in the franchise, but a new loyalty system has been introduced to Fallout 4. Each companion will react differently to your actions depending on their personality and morality. When they like what you do, their approval increases. When they don’t, it decreases. A maximum approval unlocks a bonus perk unique to that companion. Alternatively, a low approval rating may result in them leaving you for greener pastures.
As your relationship with your companion deepens, you’ll be able to learn more about them through conversation and quests. Some companions can even be romanced, provided they like you—really like you—enough.
Build Settlements, Establish Trade, and Defend Allies
Settlements are bases where you can gather your companions, store gear, customize and create mods, and earn a steady income. You can establish yourself in the wasteland by building settlements and forging alliances. Within the boundaries of your settlement, you can construct structures, facilities, defense systems, power grids, and more. The system can be overwhelming, but it allows you to make some pretty elaborate designs. From a walled fortress to a dinky bar in the battered retro style of Fallout.
During build mode, you have the ability to place, rotate, and align things however you wish. Home décor enthusiast beware: The build process isn’t perfect. I fancied building myself a home, and painstakingly set up a delicious looking dinner of iguana bits, metfruit, and whiskey. When I returned later, my food had phased through the table and all the fancy teacups I looted from an old vault had sunk halfway into the furniture. Not to mention the deathclaw hand I placed on my desk was nowhere in sight—probably blasted halfway to Concord.
Building fully functional settlements is still fun, though. Over time, they spring to life with visiting traders, brahmin caravans, and raider attacks. By setting up trade stations, you’ll receive caps, which you can use to secure supplies and shipments or just roll around in like a fat cat. I ignored a raider attack on one of my smaller settlements, and was later told my failure to protect them resulted in the entire population being wiped out. RIP Settler #1 and Settler #2.
Conclusion
So, does Fallout 4 live up to the high bar set by its predecessors? In this reviewer’s opinion, absolutely. Not only does the game maintain the old spirit of earlier installments, it also adds new improvements in the form of breathtaking graphics, protagonist voice acting, equipment and power armor customization, settlement building, and companion relationships.
The game isn't free of flaws, however. Disruptive bugs litter the game. RPG features present in Fallout 3 and New Vegas have been oversimplified or completely removed. And while interesting, the main storyline is far from stellar. But there’s nothing that detracts from the overall enjoyment of playing a genuine Fallout game. It's big, scary, and contains hours of unique content—from intriguing side quests to engaging combat. Every RPG, FPS, and adventure fan should strap on their Pip-Boy and set foot into the incredible wasteland of Fallout 4.
Score: 9/10
What are your thoughts on the game? Did Bethesda’s newest addition live up to the hype? If you haven’t played Fallout yet, are you interested in stepping out into the wasteland? Share your impressions in the comments below.
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