Fallout 4 sold like hot cakes when it was launched on Steam and many gamers pre-ordered it. There is no doubt that gamers were anxiously waiting for the game, thanks to all the promotional videos and teaser trailers Bethesda threw our way. The big question is, “Is Fallout 4 actually really good?”
A quick look at the Steam page shows a lot of negative reviews. There are reasons why Fallout 4 failed to impress everybody.
Fallout 4 build up review
Bethesda did an okay job this time as far as the build-up is concerned. The game could have had a much better start and gamers could have been told a lot about how the game works. You will need to look at gameplay tutorials and videos to better understand how the Fallout Universe works and what you can and cannot do.
For old Fallout players, there is absolutely nothing new. In fact, you might be surprised to know that most of the elements from the previous games are not present in Fallout 4. For instance, there is no karma or reputation system. The game does a good job at creating tension right at the start. Won’t spoil too much for the uninitiated, but you lose a member of your family inside a Vault and the game is based around finding that lost member.
Fallout 4 story review
Most users did not like the main story, mainly because it isn’t as action packed as the stories in the previous games were. The story is still good enough to keep you hooked on to the game for hours at a stretch. It seems that Bethesda placed a good amount of work to make the side missions more interesting. In fact, some side missions and companion missions are much better than the actual story.
This time around, your chosen character will speak; the voice over is good, which gives your character more depth than ever before. There isn’t much narration going on, as your goals are pretty clear. The only bad part about the story is that you cannot choose to be a good guy or a bad guy in this game. There isn’t really a good or bad ending, as most of the stuff that you will be doing will follow the good guy path.
Fallout 4 gameplay review
I have no idea why so many people are complaining about the gameplay. It is not as complicated as the one in previous installments, which should have been welcomed with open arms.
There is no reputation or karma, meaning you can steal or kill anybody you want anytime without any consequences. Well, there are consequences but not like the one in the previous installments. I think this was the thing people didn’t like much about Fallout 4, the simple gameplay. There also aren’t that many factions this time; just four factions are available, but you can’t please all of them and you will end up destroying most of them if you join one.
The gunplay is just superb, and really encourages you to use tactics. The guns are unforgiving and the enemies are pretty aggressive. You also have a neat cover mechanic which you can use to your advantage. I recommend playing this game in first person when you are in combat. Guns can be ‘modded’ into almost anything! You just need to find mods and you will be able to create portable nuclear bomb launchers! There is a huge variety of weapons as well.
This time, a single stimpack will repair all your damaged limbs. No doctor’s bags are required in this game. You will find plenty of foods which will help you regenerate your health. Using VATS, which is a targeting system, you can cripple limbs and blind your enemies by headshots. The VATS system has been completely re-worked and now slows down time instead of completely stopping the game. You have your regular chems back in the game, which will give you a temporary buff.
The companions that you choose will not adapt to you! Instead you will have to adapt to them! Think of it as a new reputation system. There are certain companions who don’t like violence, whereas others do. There is also a crafting system in the game and you can build settlements just like you can in Minecraft. After you get all the necessary supplies, you can build a great big fort.
Fallout 4 graphics and performance
Fallout 4 is definitely not a very good looking game. The facial animations are not good at all, but the world is pretty big, so you will probably be able to ignore most of the low res textures and blurry details. The worst part about all this is the fact that the game is still not very well optimized. You can still run the game if you have a decent mid-end card, but stutters, FPS drops and tearing will be common.
Fallout 4 review summary
The game has added plenty of new elements like the settlement building system, improved gunplay, companion reputation and weapons modification, but has subtracted a lot which made the previous installments great. The game is still loads of fun, but can get a little repetitive sometimes. Most people also complained about the dialogue options. The dialogues this time for any conversation are exactly four, compared to the eight or nine that you got in the previous games.
I suggest that you buy Fallout 4. Even though it is not a good Fallout game, it is still a good game on its own. It couldn’t compete for The Game Of The Year Award this time, but that doesn’t mean it is absolutely crap.
Fallout 4 Review Score: 8/10
Altamush Khan ‘Attish’ is a professional video game critic, video game director and video game developer.
