Impressions
Fallout 4 is a massive game. Simple as that. There's so much to do and I feel like not enough time to do it in. Granted, there is no character "max level" preventing me from unlocking all the perks once I do complete the main story.
If you've played Fallout 3 or New Vegas, you'll be right at home in Fallout 4. There are differences, but I feel it's mostly for the good. If you're new to the franchise, well, there's a bit of a learning curve — especially with an intentionally outdated, clunky menu and interface — but once you get past that the game really opens up.
Fallout 4 does not hold your hand. It's all about discovering the post-nuclear wasteland on your own. And I think you're going to have a blast doing so.
Gameplay
An open-world action-RPG with a few twists
Fallout 4 is, of course, open-world, and gameplay can largely be considered action-RPG(ish). That is, you've got a character (that you've custom created in a fairly robust system) who you choose to play the game as and level up as you progress. And here's where things get pretty in-depth.
Perks
By now you've probably seen the game's perk chart. For seven core perks are SPECIAL — Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, and Luck. Each of these can be leveled up a total of 10 times and the more you put into each core stat, the further down the column of perks you can go. For instance, if you've got 6 strength, you can unlock the perk "Strong Back" which allows you to gain +25 to carry weight. 4 Intelligence, on the other hand, can unlock the "Hacker" perk which allows you to hack Advanced terminals. If my math is correct, there are 77 total perks to choose from and each can be leveled up individually as well. So you're looking at well over 200 levels just to fill each one. Just 30 hours into the game, you can probably tell I've got a long way to go.
But what's really neat about the system is just how different it allows two people to play. I, for example, chose to go endurance and strength early on (mostly for the hit points in combat and carry weight). My co-worker, on the other hand, became a smooth-talking charmer and went charisma. Because of that, he's had different dialogue options open to him and has been able to convince certain characters to fight alongside him during quests. It's minor things like that that make each player's experience so different.
The VATS
The first thing everyone asked me when playing — 'How's the VATS?' Well, it's there.
For those unfamiliar VATS (Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System) adds a real-time strategy element to Fallout's action-oreinted gameplay. It essentially slows down time, allowing you to analyze the situation and target specific parts of the body on an enemy. As you level up, VATS become increasingly more effective, allowing you to analyze specific points of weakness and focus those.
VATS can be incredibly useful in combat, but early on I'm finding myself more effective in real-time combat. That could also be due to my character spec, which I've focused very little into perks that would improve my VATS. Don't get me wrong, I still definitely use it, if only to slow down time and analyze the situation. I'm sure, as my character progresses and I unlock specific perks, it'll become much more effective in combat.
Unlike past games, the VATS in Fallout 4 doesn't completely stop time, it only slows it. This mean enemies are moving, albeit slowly, while you're making your decisions. This creates a faster sense of pace, as the decisions you make early on can become obsolete should an enemy run for cover while you're still in the system. Another annoyance is that while in the system, you can't see your health. Still, as I mentioned, I do find myself using VATS quite often, and the "critical" hit option that becomes available after landing a few successful shots is quite useful.
If anything, relying on VATS results in some pretty sweet finishers, especially headshots.
Crafting, & Base Building
Fallout 4 has a very in-depth, robutst crafting system — one that I've just barely begun to scratch the surface of. Both systems rely entirely on the items you loot throughout the wasteland. Basically, every item — whether it be a toothbrush, an empty Nuka Cola bottle, etc. — has specific material value associated with it. So you have all these "junk" items in your inventory that are used up when crafting items, upgrading armor, or building your base.
Again, the systems are fairly robust and although I've just touched on the weapon and armor crafting, my co-worker spends most of his time doing that. The result is some pretty badass armor build specifically for his character's build. Me, on the other hand, well, I'm running around in whatever I can find.
Base building is fun, although there are far too many settlements to focus on. And, quite frankly, I don't see the point of having that many. I focus on the one main base — the Sanctuary — and have been building that up. I'm not far enough along where anything I've built is incredibly useful in my adventure, but it's still a fun toy to play around with.
The building system is a bit confusing at first. Having to attach power wires to specific items that require it is a bit annoying, and I'd love the option to build my base from a top-down view. But it is what it is. It's a fun distraction that I'm hoping will prove more useful as I progress. There are a few quests, however, that do require you to build specific things. This kind of teaches you the ropes of base building.
Bugs, glitches, annoyances, oh my…
This is a Bethesda game so bugs and glitches are to be expected. Fallout 4 is not immune to this. On several occasions I've noticed hiccups in the audio, whether it's the audio completely getting out of sync or two characters talking at once. Lip-syncing isn't exactly the best either.
AI isn't exactly the smartest. Any time I give my companion (Piper) an explosive, she immediately throws it, oftentimes hurting me in the process.
Enemies can often get snagged on the environment, which I'm not complaining about because it' obviously benefits me — especially when it's the tough ones.
For a game that relies on loot in almost every facet, I find the weight limit to be incredibly frustrating. Sure, there are perks to improve it, and I have them, but I'm still strained for space.
The Story (minus spoilers)
They say war never changes. Well, neither does sci-fi plot really. Fallout 4 begins in the year 2077, but after witnessing the start of the Great War (and a series of other events), you're pushed into 2277 — two hundred years later.
The story itself, from what I've played, is fairly straightforward. You're the lone survivor from Vault 111. Emerging from the Vault, you discover the post-nuclear wasteland that is the Commonwealth (Boston, Massachusetts).
You're character sets off to find his/her missing boy. Along the way you meet various factions, each with a different outlook on the world and how to fix it. Although the factions disagree in almost every outlook, there's one thing they all believe — the Institute is evil and needs to be stopped. The Institute is an homage to Cambridge's famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It's purpose is largely a mystery, though they are the source of Fallout 4's synths, bioengineered androids designed to look and act identical to humans. Like most sci-fi flicks involving androids, Fallout 4 challenges your moral compass and blurring the lines between organic and synthetic. It all comes down to one question: what does it mean to be "human?"
When you first step out into the world, your sole focus is on finding your son. But as you explore and meet fellow survivors, it quickly becomes helping various factions in their quest for saving the world. There's no "good" or "bad" faction, just varying shades of gray. Do you believe synthetics and other mutated "creatures" deserve life? Should you be worried about synths coexisting alongside "humans?" These are the questions you'll ask yourself as you perform a series of fetch quests and dungeon raids.
When interacting with characters in the wasteland, you are given limited dialogue options. But in most cases, at least early on, your responses are fairly meaningless. Yes, there are answers that will impress specific companions. But for the most part, early on, you'll be running quests for all main factions, and a few side ones. There might be some subtle differences alogn the way, but the story mostly pushes forward.
It's straightforward, and I don't necessarily have a problem with it, but what gets me — and this is the case with most open world games — is the amount of sidetracking that happens because of it. I've emerged from the Vault with a clear purpose and goal, but quickly get sidetracked when I meet the numerous different factions that each want me to do quests for them. On top of that, any sense of "role-playing" is lost — at least for now — because I'm doing quests for all of them, despite their outlook being very much different. While this might happen later on, I've yet to align myself with anyone (or actually, I've managed to join everyone), and because of that the quests are all conflicting with each other from a story point of view.
The Wasteland
When a video showcasing the supposed size of the map leaked online, there were some doubts about just how large (or small) Fallout 4 actually is. I can assure you, it's plenty big.
The Commonwealth is built more vertical than most other open-world games. That is, it may not be not be a large sprawling map from left to right, but it is dense. There are tons of notable points of interest on the map, each one a different instance you can explore. And that's what makes Fallout 4 so large.
It's not necessarily the outside world of the Commonwealth. It's all the different instances, all the different buildings you can explore.
And despite having suffered from a nuclear explosion, the desolate wasteland of the Commonwealth is pretty in its own right. It's pretty amazing that despite the post-nuclear setting how vibrant a world Bethesda has created. It's not just browns and beiges.
Exploring the world of Fallout 4 has been one of my most favorite aspects in the game. Just discoving the unique points of interest, the various cities that remain, is one of the coolest parts about the open-world title.
As an update from last week, I’ve now put over 30 hours into Fallout 4. Here’s the thing, though, I feel like I’ve accomplished nothing. Sure, I’ve done countless quests, and it feels like I’m fairly into the “main” story questline; but, there’s so much more to do than that. There’s questing, crafting, base building, looting (so much looting!) and, of course, exploration. Fallout 4 is a massive open world game and despite having put more than 30 hours into the game, I feel like I’ve barely cracked the surface.
So from what I’ve experienced in the game, let’s talk about the good and the bad. Keep in mind, this is a review in progress. As I’ve not yet “completed” the game or fully explored all of its elements, certain opinions could change as I progress. In any case, here’s the good and not-so-good of Fallout 4.
