Fallout 4 (Video Game Review)

As a series with a robust history, Fallout likely needs no introduction. Focused on surviving a world brought to ruin in the wake of global thermonuclear war the player must make use of every resource at their disposal to build weapons, armor, and anything else they may need to survive. Fallout 4 is no exception, building on years of groundwork laid by Bethesda’s experience in creating unique open world RPGs.

Right from the start players can customize their character’s details in a detailed character generator, altering nuances like the tone of their skin to the sculpt of their face and gender. The customization process is woven through a backstory that provides characterization to player’s character, and Fallout 4 goes through fair lengths to ensure that players get a rich background to their character no matter what gender they choose, helping to add an extra element of realism to the story.

Without providing any spoilers the player (after a brief introduction to the new state of the world) quickly find themselves alone in a wasteland filled with mutants, scorpions, and survivors ready to do anything to survive. How you choose to interact with surroundings, such an other survivors, is a huge part of what makes any Fallout game such a memorable experience -- but Fallout 4 has some unique tricks up its sleeve that take it above and beyond previous iterations.

Most publicized of its new features is the player-constructed Sanctuary, a town that can be filled with just about anything the player can dream of. Running Sanctuary puts players in charge of building new homes, populating the community and arranging defenses to keep them safe. Doing so takes a bit of time and thought, and players will unlock new settlements that can be customized in a similar fashion. Interacting with these settlements is entirely optional but is a great bit of immersion that helps put emphasis on what it takes to survive in a post-apocalyptic world.



This level of detail extends beyond just the narrative storytelling, but into almost every other facet of the game. New and familiar perks return in a leveling system that adds a tremendous amount of variety suiting virtually any playstyle, from the melee-centric to players who prefer more passive combat negotiation. Player companions chime in during engagements or can provide idle conversation between important missions for some added immersion, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that Fallout 4’s voice acting is wonderfully top notch and expertly written.

Graphically Fallout 4 takes a huge leap ahead in terms of world design. The addition of color to the world marks a departure from the drab, washed-out browns and greys that once dominated the wasteland and helps make Fallout 4 a far more rich environment to play in. Combined with the series’ penchant for highly-detailed surroundings and it feels as though Bethesda’s design ambitions have finally caught up to what technology can allow. Everything feels more real, and in a game that requires immersion to drive its players forward the value of a visually rich environment cannot be understated.

Another wonderful addition the Fallout series is the inclusion of Legendary Spawns -- buffed enemies that have increased difficulty but drop incredible loot should you survive the encounter. These enemies can be a random world encounter or an extra-buffed triggerman that just happens to be at the right place at the right time. It’s a nice way to spice up an otherwise predictable encounter, and the bonus loot is hard to turn down.

Of course, for all of their experience Bethesda is a developer that does have a history of trouble in terms of releasing games bug-free and without some confusing elements. NPC pathing ranges from understandable to downright baffling, as companions will often times get caught on terrain in their attempt to reach you or their primary objective. Enemies in combat follow similar routes, sometimes charging at you nonsensically with melee weapons while other times showing enough intuition to hide behind cover before rattling off weapons fire.

Compounding the erratic NPC movement is an equally erratic difficulty level between encounters, leaving the player constantly unsure if what they’re doing is something they can handle. Ambushes are frequent, whether it’s a radscorpion digging up from underneath the earth or gangs of raiders assaulting the player’s settlements; and while that’s not necessarily a problem on its own venturing through the world can quickly become a test of endurance not welcoming towards quick exploration.

Another potential drawback for those new to the Fallout series are the quests themselves, often hidden away in NPC conversation and random world exploration. Anyone looking to enter Fallout 4 with anything less than a total desire to interact with their surroundings will find themselves at a loss for content, and possibly rewards. There are no obvious routes, and only by exploring the world will you make the most of what the wasteland has to offer.

A robust story in a very real and convincing world Fallout 4 succeeds where its predecessors have already broken ground, and does so absent of the many errors other Fallout titles have become notorious for at launch. Anyone not interested in single-player open world RPGs may not have found previous iterations of Fallout to be compelling enough to change their minds, but as the latest chapter in a continually evolving genre Fallout 4 may just be what it takes to sway you. In the end, Fallout 4 was a fun adventure following a magnificently written storyline, and one of the best single player games this year.

Score: 9.5 out of 10
Reviewed for Xbox One
Secondary tested on PS4, PC