A Game with a lot of good but some bad as well.
As a massive fan of the fallout franchise this was an easy purchase, granted with the fallout 76 Fiasco, the Nuka Cola Dark Rum Debacle, the Canvas Bag Catastrophe, The Leather Jacket Let-Down, my loyalty to Bethseda has taken a significant hit in recent times.
That being said I will judge Fallout 4 on it's merits and determents.
First the good parts of the game, the graphics are amazing, the controls are smooth, the soundtrack excellent. the lore is detailed and locations are well made, the cut scenes are well animated, the audio is crisp and clear. The NPCs for the vast majority are all excellent. I love the weapon and armor crafting system. The house building system is okay; perhaps it could have been made better, not sure. The World, Choices, and Exploration are vast improvements over Fallout 3.
That does not mean it does not have downsides, like the fact you can no longer get crippled in game, a feature since the first Fallout, oddly enough you can get crippled temporarily. but within seconds your limbs are completely fine. I also rather strongly dislike the dialogue options, for a game that is all about free choice the dialogue in fallout 4 compared to Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas is incredibly limiting. granted this is probably to do with the fact the protagonist actually has a voice now instead of being silent like in Fallout 3 and New Vegas, the weapon design is also rather odd, but I strongly suspect this was so cosplayers could make mock weapons and be allowed to carry them in events like Game Con, Vid Con, Comic Con, E3, etc.
The biggest issues; the lack of level cap, getting rid of skill points, and the removal of the Karma system; first the lack of a level cap means a patient player can unlock every single perk in a single playthrough. getting rid of skills points means a significant decrease in the customability of your character; want to make a super stealthy ninja? you could in Fallout 3 and New Vegas but not anymore! then the removal of the Karma system; in terms of RolePlay this pretty much killed it dead; in Fallout 3 and New Vegas if you were a cutthroat pillaging raiding sum beach Good Characters would either not talk with you, hate you and let you know it or actively try to kill you. so a big step down here.
A Note
Fallout 4 started development right after Fallout 3 came out. I strongly believe they should have waited till Fallout New Vegas hit the market, learned the vital lessons Fallout New Vegas is teaching, then made a game that blew both Fallout 3 and New Vegas out of the water. For example The Factions system in New Vegas was a massive hit with players, depending on who you sided with changed the ending of the game drastically, even not doing certain quests changed the ending! that's astoundingly impressive and is a major reason why Fallout New Vegas is considered the best Fallout game for good reason. in Fallout 4 the ending is the exact same no matter what. how you play doesn't affect it at all.
In conclusion?
This game is ****ing great, I can't stress that enough, but is held back (in my opinion) by simplified mechanics and a story and player character that restricts player choice and customization. But for sheer fun and value, this game is worth your time.
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Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
