First entry to this thing and Fallout 4 is fresh on everyone's mind. I'm
going to capitalize on it while I can. It feels like not long ago Bethesda took
over the Fallout franchise leaving Van Buren a forgotten dream. When what would
eventually be the "official" Fallout 3 came out, all doubt of the
developer being unable to properly handle the franchise seemed to dismiss
itself. What we got with Fallout 3 was a familiar game; an Elder Scrolls title
masquerading as Fallout and fuck, I sure as hell was okay with that.
Taking the open world mechanics of TES series and the stats and potential
character building from the previous three Fallout games (yes, I count
Brotherhood of Steel), we saw an amazing result. An adventure that just about
no two people ever experienced the same way. You were free to explore and
experience the Capital Wasteland as you wanted. Fallout 3 became a classic and
still garners much deserved attention today.
A couple years after Fallout 3, came New Vegas. A game not developed by Bethesda,
but rather Obsidian, likely best known to some as the developers of Star Wars:
Knights of the Old Republic 2. This time around, the location and writing felt
closer to the first two Fallout titles. The NCR was a familiar lot, gecks
freely roamed the wilds again, and deathclaws were capable of tearing you
several new assholes as they quickly and efficiently ripped you in half.
In New Vegas, you had more options not only at the end, but as you played
too. It was no longer "Be a dick" and poison or "Be wasteland
Jesus" to clean the water. Nope! You had one clear faction to pick if you
wanted to be the asshole, but several others to see where your morals and
values lied. New Vegas was my personal favorite, but I can't deny the possibly
thousands of hours devoted to the Capital Wasteland.
So why does all this matter? Recently, the much awaited Fallout 4 was
released. Less than two weeks ago in fact. I've shamefully spent almost three
and a half days worth of time playing. This time, you have the ability to craft
weapons, create and defend settlements, and create your own power armor which
is probably my favorite feature. However, there's something I felt like it was
lost in the series transition to this next generation.
Let's get the bad crap out of the way first. The depth is gone. when
creating your character, everything now is based solely on the SPECIAL
attributes. Where in previous games, this was a compliment to the abilities and
perks you built your character around, this time it's the streamlined base in
which you improve your character. It's a bit disappointing. Sure, if you mess
up, you have a chance to fix it, but doing this leaves out the strategy in
leveling up. What was once a meaningful and almost consequential choice is not
nothing but a road block demolished with levels.
Perks just feel like a mundane task now. While I find this much more
pleasing than Skyrim's level system, it also left me feeling like these choices
didn't entirely matter, making the higher levels seem a bit like a grind or
race to the finish line. Why the fuck was I denied my jetpack until level 41? I
saw that shit at E3 early on in the game...
While the writing in this game seems closer to New Vegas', the silent
protagonist is gone. This was not only in previous Fallout titles, but
Bethesda's own Elder Scrolls games. You get the same four dialogue options now.
A jackass response, sarcastic/neutral, inquiry, and a "nice" one.
This is where the game suffered the most for me both from an immersion
standpoint, as remember my earlier bitching about the leveling? Yeah, that too.
There are no more options you can use your intelligence or strength for, for
example. Remember the paper bag puppets from those time-lost Fandango
commercials? I found myself comparing my character to one of those on more than
one occasion.
I'm going to condense this last paragraph so I don't seem more like the
ungrateful fanboy I already am. Bugs! Fucking bugs! Not the "cute"
ones Gamebryo has been known for since Morrowind, but physics based issues that
drag down framerates.I know in time, modders will fix these issues. My other
point here is the size and setup of the map. The map is much smaller than
Fallout 3 and NV boasted. Even Skyrim with its barren landscape had much more
space to roam around in. You're sent to the same locations over and over again.
The enemies cycle between Super Mutants, Ghouls, Raiders, or those filthy
lobster men. At the end of each little maze lies a chest full of crap. It's
very themeparky if you will and less open.
No more bitching. Though there were many aspect of the game I dislike, there
are some that make me love it. As mentioned earlier, I love the new power armor
system. Craft a set with parts you scavenge, steal, or loot. Mix and match,
customize, and paint it to your liking! There's even an option to look like a
hot pink Space Marine! Having sided with the Institute, I painted my set of
X-01 white so I ended up looking like a fat Stormtrooper. It doesn't stop
there. You're able to create a set of armor that compliments your build or
playstyle. The UI changes to feel more like it's its own entity. It's like
piloting a mech. It's minor, but it's something I liked. After a while, fusion
cores come very easily so I almost never travel without it. If I do, I feel naked...
Crafting is something they brought over from New Vegas and built on more
deeply. Much like the power armor, guns, beatsticks, and even bigger guns can
be crafted to fit how you play. Pick up a legendary weapon and customize the
hell out of it to create something even more deadly. Early on, I had gotten a
10mm pistol that caused bleed damage. I got it at level 12 or so and at level
50, it's my go to weapon. It grew as I was able to put more points into the Gun
Nut perk. Same goes for armor, but it almost feels more benign that the
weaponry if you exclude power armor. Being able to create and develop your own
settlements was a great addition as well. It's very easily accessible, simple,
but adds another layer to the game. Turning The Castle into a death fortress was
a lot of fun. It was a nice addition to the game to give players more room for
creativity.
The gameplay itself is pretty well done. The gunplay is an improvement over
Fallout 3 for sure. I can’t speak for melee combat however as I don’t usually
make melee oriented characters. I have heard from a few sources that Skyrim had
better melee collision detection. But this isn’t first hand. Take it with a
grain of salt. Exploration is different too. While Skyrim did boast a bigger
map, Fallout 4 has more locations closer together with more interesting delves.
As far as writing goes, dialogue was kinda lame but the actual story however
was actually pretty well done. Much of the flavor of the Fallout Universe comes
from the background stories. You didn’t have anything like the Dunwich
building, which was creepy as hell, but the passive story telling is still
there. The main story was another point of the game I enjoyed despite not
having any real urgency to complete it early on. There’s a small twist coming
that I’m sure most of us saw but I felt it was pretty well done. You can choose
from the four prominent factions to side with at the end much like New Vegas.
Each has its advantages and disadvantages both from a mechanic, as well as a
storytelling perspective. Overall, I found the writing to fall somewhere
between Fallout 3 and New Vegas, despite the addition of the dialogue wheel.
If you’re on the fence about Fallout 4, know that it comes with some issues.
Technical glitches and constant framerate dips on all three platforms. The
leveling system is watered down and feels more streamlined, but you favorite
perks make a reappearance in some form or another. The game was made for
accessible and easier to understand for the masses and the cost shows. However,
I have to still recommend this game. It’s still fun as hell despite the issues.
There’s always something to do and I look forward to what DLC Bethesda has
planned. Overall, I have no regrets paying $60 for this title. If you enjoy
Bethesda games, this is a worthwhile purchase. Having an outdated video card
I’ve neglected to upgrade has me wanting it on the PC. But even on the console,
it play almost as well. I would recommend it on the PC if you can, but if not,
both consoles are said to be getting mods in the near future.
I do hope for TES6, Bethesda gets off their asses to fix the technical
issues we all know accompany their games… Just sayin’…
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