"War. War Never Changes"
Fallout 4 is the sequel to two of the most critically acclaimed RPGs of the last generation, Fallout 3 and New Vegas. Developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks it's another game under the belt for Bethesda Game Studios who are known as one of the best western RPG game makers with their franchises The Elder Scrolls and Fallout. Fallout 4 is no different from the rest of their games in that it provides a deep and immersive experience that other RPGs can't compete with complete with improved game mechanics and graphics engine.
Setting
[Spoiler Free]
The world of Fallout 4 is expansive and detailed. The world space is similar to Skyrim but much more intricate and rich with many more points of interest as well as many more locations for you to explore, all designed with exceptional detail. Many locations have their own story to tell even if they aren't associated with a quest. The shear joy and intrigue from discovering and exploring these locations is what truly makes Fallout 4 one of the definitive open world experiences to date.
At first glance the game world might not seem as expansive and detailed but once you start taking your first steps from the the upper Commonwealth towards the skyscraper filled landscape of the Boston city region, you start really appreciate the effort and detail that went into designing many of the game's areas.
Gameplay
Bethesda have decided to change up the formula for how dialogue works in Fallout 4. Instead of your listed down options, you are given 4 options to choose from accompanied by a voiced player character. It may be weird at first hearing your character talk in a Bethesda game but it soon becomes something you get use to as many other RPGs have the same system.
What is a disappointment in the new dialogue system is the limited number of options when it comes to the choices. Although you are given the option to say yes or no, it doesn't really give you complete control over your character as in Fallout 4 you can't be that asshole or idiot like you were in previous titles in the franchise. No longer does having a low intelligence make your character mentally challenged. This also means that there won't be speech checks within dialogue.
In previous titles there would sometimes be a chance where, for example, your intelligence would be high enough for you to have a unique piece of dialogue that allows you to answer differently and in turn grant you experience and in some cases skip certain parts of the dialogue/quest objectives. This kind of check system was also apparent when you, for example, had to repair stuff. If your repair skill was high enough you'd be able to repair the object without having to find the necessary equipment a player without the specified repair skill would have to find.
The lack of this system is what makes Fallout 4 feel like a non-Fallout game. It was these moments in previous titles that truly separated this game from others where your skills and SPECIAL stat actually had a use other than in numbers or skills but as a mechanic for your character to act accordingly giving a deeper sense of immersion and roleplay.
The quests in Fallout 4 were much more unique and varied compared to the quests in Skyrim or Fallout 3/New Vegas. Because of the many more locations present in the game there was definitely more places to go and more things to do in terms of quests. Similar to previous Bethesda titles, I found myself having a large backlog of quests to complete because I was too distracted by the many other things in the game.
Even though the quests are more unique and varied it doesn't change the fact that the quests usually always end in the same way, with you finishing it properly as asked and getting the caps and experience. It would've been nice to have more variety in terms of branching quests where you are given a choice throughout the quest. And even then I wish there were more quests in the game. Skyrim's quest system had more radiant quests with more random unscripted events compared to the more tame Fallout 4. Even though Fallout 4 has more quests than previous Fallout games I felt that they needed more in general. I went to the point where I was actively searching for NPCs to talk to to get more things to do.
The main storyline has you choose a faction to side with, as per Fallout games, and take that faction with you to the end. Each faction has their own agenda and it makes for an interesting choice on which faction you join. All the them are heavily influenced by what they believe is the right thing to do and there's no middle ground which makes it really difficult to choose but even then it's a choice you'll enjoy to the end. But the ending did feel rushed. It felt as if the ending sequence wasn't spaced out properly and made you act as if there was a timer to do the objectives. It also felt as if each faction had some elements of quests and/or dialogue cut which is never a good thing.
There are multiple companions in the game all of which are very unique. They all have some back story to further fullproof their existence in the world and most of them have a unique companion quest you can do as you progressively increase your affinity with them. One of the nice things about the companions in Fallout 4 is that they will comment on actions you do, whether they like it or not, as well as comment on locations and occasionally some companions can intervene and have their own dialogue within quests as they talk to you or other NPCs. They genuinely feel alive and not just some meat shield you use to tank the bullets.
If you've played the previous Bethesda published Fallout titles you would know that the combat in the game was sub par. Bethesda has really improved upon the gameplay in Fallout 4 making it feel as if it can compete with some of the other first person shooter games that came out this year. The control, the weight, the transitions between each action has been greatly enhanced to allow the player to truly feel immersed in the experience.
Even though the combat has seen great improvements and is actually enjoyable, the iconic V.A.T.S. system is still present within the game. VATS allows you to choose an enemies body part and tactically decide which part to shoot at a percentage success rate. With each successful shot onto an enemy your CRIT bar will fill up and once it is full you can select when you wish to activate it and get a guaranteed critical hit.
Fallout 4 features its iconic Pip-Boy which is your companion device that acts as your hub to navigate item menus, maps, quests and stats etc.
As in previous titles, navigating the Pip-Boy can be hassle as you have to sometimes go through other tabs or pages in order to reach your destination. There are shortcuts on the keyboard and controllers that allow for instant access into a specific tab but you'll mostly find yourself flipping through tabs in your play time.
It's a relatively clean and well designed interface with details on equipment, weapons, aids etc as well as quests and your stats. There is little to complain about in this department other than it would be nice to have a smaller font with more lines of content for you to see instead of the constant scrolling you do with the device.
Along with your stats and S.P.E.C.I.A.L. comes the new and improved perk system that closely resembles that of Skyrim.
The perk chart features 7 columns for each SPECIAL stat each with 10 rows of perks of which each perk may have multiple levels that can total up to 229 ranks if you wish to max out the chart. The new perk chart ultimately makes your SPECIAL decision at the beginning of the game more important in terms of choosing which kind of character you wish to play as there are requirements you must meet from your SPECIAL stat to your level (of which there is no cap).
Obviously to achieve the ability to get perks you'll need to level. Gaining experience is similar to the other Fallout games in that you just do things be it from killing enemies, completing quests or discovering locations to crafting, every action will usually grant experience.
One aspect of gameplay that has been immensely improved upon is the crafting system. You can craft/mod weapons and armor. You can also work at Chemistry Stations to craft Stimpaks and/or other drugs/aids that can provide you an advantage in combat. Even power armor can be modded which in Fallout 4 is a vehicle of sorts that provides large amounts of defense and it actually makes you feel like you're in a suit of power armor.
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| Note: I do have a mod that removes some of the HUD from the Power Armor. |
Even with the large amount of customization options in Fallout 4 you won't have access to all the mods as they will be locked behind perk requirements such as Armorer for armor mods or Gun Nut for ballistic weapon mods.
In Fallout 4 you can craft or create your own settlement. Every item in Fallout 4 will now have some use in terms of scraping the item to provide crafting materials for you to use. For example, you will need large amounts of Duct Tape or Adhesive in order to craft a lot of the armor/weapon mods.
There are multiple settlements across the Commonwealth wasteland and each settlement has miscellaneous items that can be scraped for materials. You'll find yourself scraping trees for wood or building structures for steel of which are two of the main materials used in crafting building items.
With settlements, you'll need to bring in Settlers that will need beds, food and water to live. They will also need you to provide them with defenses to stop raider attacks and along with turrets and barriers you can personally equip Settlers with armor/clothes and weapons if you so wish.
Music/Sound Design
The music in Fallout 4 was composed by Inon Zur who also composed Fallout 3 and New Vegas' soundtrack. He has truly outdone himself in Fallout 4. I find myself struggling to keep the ingame radio on because I just want to hear the invigorating and tense combat music to the calm bagpipes during the more subtle moments.
The themes employed throughout the soundtrack fits the world so perfectly. In moments of calm or exploration the music has string instruments playing a somber melody but it is complimented so well by an ever so hopeful tune of a piano in the background. In areas of forests or large natural landscapes, flutes can be heard playing fitting the area well.
The combat music in this game is tense and unnerving. The deep banging of drums makes the combat and experience feel really scary, as if you're never safe in the wasteland.
From the combat to the calm to everything in between, the music blends really well. Sometimes it's hard to tell when it starts or when it ends and, to me, it just felt like a continual soundtrack playing through the life of my character as I played.
And just for good measure, probably my favorite song so far from the soundtrack.
The sound design in the game is also another aspect that Bethesda got right. The screams the ghouls make to the roars of the deathclaws just sounds right and at the same time frightening. The buzzing of bloatflies to bloodbugs to the explosions of turrets and mini nukes. The pitter patter of rain outside as well as inside as it hits the wooden or metal roofs. The ambiance to the conversations just makes the world feel alive. You can also hear the shooting and battles in the distance adding a subtle but greatly appreciated effect that the Commonwealth is alive and doing stuff on its own.
There isn't much to complain about when it comes to the sound design other than that the ballistic weapons could have done with more tuning to differentiate or give more oomph to the impacts. The laser weapons and plasma weapons sound great but some would disagree with the laser weapons but the way it does that sound effect after the shot is just so satisfying.
Graphics/Presentation
Even though Fallout 4 may not be technically advanced in terms of animations or general graphics fidelity, Bethesda still manage to make a beautiful game.The new dynamic lighting system truly brings the world to life. The lighting is honestly one of the best aspects graphically in Fallout 4. The texture work could still do with improvements as most are still relatively low resolution and a lot of inconsistencies when it comes to texture blending. The animations are honestly pretty bad, for a 2015 game the animations don't blend well at all. Although there are improvements, the animations in the engine are starting to show their age.
Even with all the technical downsides the game has Boston still looks spectacular.The rain effects on everything is amazing. The physical based rendering in the game makes objects look like what they really are. A metal wall looks like metal, a wooden wall looks like wood, complimented by the lighting system, Fallout can look truly amazing sometimes. Especially the effects of rain on the environment and objects, everything gets a shine and there are reflections and it just looks great.
Ultimately, graphics is a subjective matter. I feel as if Bethesda have done an adequate job with Fallout 4 but they could honestly do a lot better.
Here are some screenshots of various locations for you to decide for yourself.
Conclusion
Fallout 4 is the biggest and most detailed world that Bethesda have ever created but because of that it falls short in some aspects of dialogue and detailed branching storylines. It's a more linear experience in the regard that you aren't given complete freedom of choice but are narrowly funneled down a path of righteousness as seen in Fallout 4. There was a decent amount of quests but more quests would've been nice. The storyline splits according the faction you choose making for multiple playthroughs as well as playstyles possible.
I do have to say that the combat in Fallout 4 is fantastic. It feels fluid and responsive although it would've been nice if the grenade button and heavy attack button wasn't the same button.
A lot of improvements here and there and I do have to give props to Bethesda for trying something different with the voiced character but even so, they could've done better in terms of dialogue options.
I've spent 175 hours playing so far and I'm going to keep playing as long as mods keep coming. It's a good thing that the Xbox One and PS4 are getting the mods but what mods come out for those platforms is the real question here. But even then, the modding community will keep this game alive until the next Bethesda title comes out.
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