Fallout 4 Review (PC)

very good
key review info
  • Game: Fallout 4
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: Yes  
  • Reviewed on:
Fallout 4 is set during the post-apocalypse

Fallout 4 is a game about curiosity and distraction, a modern open-world title that wants the player to discover the universe however they see fit, following narrative threads across the Wasteland and Boston or simply moving from location to location to enjoy everything the installment has to offer.

The title is more ambitious than everything Bethesda has ever tried to create, which is a problem, given that the technology used to create it seems to be pushed to the breaking point and beyond.

Fallout 4 is the kind of game that gives long-term fans access to Power Armor after just a few hours but also makes it easy for them to try to take out raider bases using a stealth boy and some specially crafted sword.

The development team has not improved combat to the extent that many fans were expecting, and there are some unfortunate tweaks linked to the SPECIAL system and the dialogue system, but overall, this is the best title of the fall so far and a frontrunner for Game of the Year.

Story

Fallout 4's story is the first to show the player character before the big nuclear exchange that establishes the post-apocalyptic situation the series is centered on, before taking them to Vault 111 and then to the open world centered on Boston.

The story starts off with revenge as the main motive, and there's a certain symmetry compared to Fallout 3 and its father-based narrative.

But after only a few hours, Bethesda opens up the world of Fallout 4 and allows players to move around however they see fit, dealing with factions, battling monsters in the wilderness, and improving their character.

Familiar faces like the Brotherhood of Steel, the Super Mutants, and more are present, and there are solid new additions to the lore of the series, especially for those who picked up on a certain synthetic teaser in Fallout 3.

Fallout 4 VATS
Fallout 4 VATS

There are some moments in the story where Bethesda jumps the proverbial shark and goes against the gritty realism trend that tends to dominate most modern video game writing, but I liked the fact that the studio tries something different, even if the results are not always impressive.

Because the world of Fallout is an evolution of a fictional take on the '50s and '60s, there are plenty of humorous moments to enjoy and some very weird places for gamers to get a better understanding of the universe their character is shaping.

Bethesda knows how to create small narrative moments using just a location and a few dead bodies, but the company also gives gamers more freedom than in previous titles by offering them tools to create their settlements that interact and evolve in an almost organic way.

Gameplay

Fallout 4 is an open-world role-playing title that can be played from either a first- or third-person perspective, with VATS-driven combat, a range of crafting options, and a streamlined character progression system.

The new universe built around Boston and the surrounding areas is filled with towns, camps, other points of interest, raiders, loot, mysteries, ghouls, weird characters, remnants of civilization, the Institute and more, every bit of space open for exploration and packed with narrative moments.

Fallout 4 features a new sprinting move, which uses the same AP pool as VATS, and that makes it easy to cover ground quickly when needed, and the entire world is denser than in any other Bethesda title.

The Wasteland is a very dangerous place, and the entire video game feels closer to the shooter genre than the series has ever been, with a wider variety of weapons and armor and enemies that are smarter when it comes to both detection and assault tactics.

VATS continues to be the best way to deal with threats, especially when groups are involved, but Bethesda clearly wants gamers to also use classic run-and-gun tactics most of the time.

Power Armor is another great way to earn an advantage but cores for it can be relatively hard to come by, which limits its overall usefulness.

Unfortunately, the entire system has not evolved too much since the days of Fallout 3, and the repetitive nature of the engagements can quickly become frustrating, especially during the about 10 to 15 hours, when the player character is not better than their opponents.

When clearing out a big enemy lair or dealing with a tough multi-group battle, patience and careful planning are more important than fast reflexes.

My tactics involve using sneak attacks to start off a battle, followed by a mix of classic shooting and as much VATS as possible for the tougher enemies, managing ammo and health as efficiently as possible.

The beauty of Fallout 4 is that it is very open, and each player, depending on their initial SPECIAL choices, can customize their approach.

Unfortunately, Bethesda has oversimplified the character evolution process, which is entirely focused on Perks, probably to give players a chance to use crafting for armor and weapons to make a Vault dweller unique.

The conversations in Fallout 4 are also affected by the streamlining effort, with a limited range of options that fail to recognize the uniqueness of a character build, and they rob each character of some of their personality.

The secondary systems that allow players to create and develop settlements, managing resources, buildings and people, is a cool addition, but it might be a little too complex for a first playthrough and can be a huge time sink.

For those who engage with it, the world will become a mix of potential scrap and future shiny buildings, and I quickly found myself more obsessed with finding more ceramic and plastic than with killing enemies or finding new stories to explore.

The game engine powering Fallout 4 is clearly reaching the end of its life, and that means there are plenty of glitches and small bugs that gamers will witness, a good reason to use the Autosave button as often as possible.

Graphics and audio

Fallout 4 sometimes looks amazing, more like a series of paintings about a post-apocalyptic world than a movie or a video game, with sights breathtaking enough to force the player to stop and contemplate what Bethesda has created.

For those characters that are tied to the core story and make multiple appearances, the studio has created solid animations, especially for faces, and it's great to see them inhabit the world they live in.

Other times, the game feels like a very small upgrade over the previous installment in the series, with models that move more like robots than humans and with a world that lacks some details we expect from AAA releases.

Fallout 4 world look
Fallout 4 world look

Considering the area Fallout 4 covers, Bethesda can be forgiven for reusing assets, but the company has also done a bad job on the user interface.

It is designed to be used with a controller, even on the PC, and especially the crafting and character interaction feel too cumbersome, given how central they are to the game experience.

Fallout 4 also offers an upgrade when it comes to the voice work, with the female option the most engaging for the main character, and many of the biggest hits from the soundtrack of the previous installment return to the radio stations.

The extensive use of actors, who are mostly solid in their delivery, makes the entire world feel more alive, a sensation enhanced by the carefully orchestrated environmental sounds of both urban and rural locations.


The Good

  • Huge and varied open world
  • Classic post-apocalyptic atmosphere
  • Gives players gameplay choices

The Bad

  • Combat feels unrefined
  • Dialog and progress are too streamlined
  • Small bugs and glitches

Conclusion

Fallout 4 is a deep and broad video game that can easily occupy more than 100 hours of a gamer's life, as long as they don’t become bored of some of the core mechanics of the open-world genre and want to explore the universe past the core narrative.

Combat is the most disappointing element of the entire experience, especially outside of VATS, but the complexity of the world and the many small adventures that it includes are solid compensation for the occasional frustration.

The PC version of the game is designed to offer extensive support for mods, some of which Bethesda also plans to deliver on the Xbox One, which means that the community of fans will add even more content to an already extensive title.

Fallout 4 is a perfect title for fans of the series and for those who love the open-world genre or post-apocalyptic adventures, but for newcomers, it might be better to wait a little so that the developers have a chance to improve stability and eliminate issues that the community identifies.

story 9
gameplay 8
concept 10
graphics 8
audio 8
multiplayer 0
final rating 8.5
Editor's review
very good
 

Fallout 4 images (25 Images)

Fallout 4 is set during the post-apocalypseFallout 4 creation systemFallout 4 SPECIAL choicesFallout 4 premiseFallout 4 VATS
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