Welcome Home To Fallout 4 Vault Dwellers

After a long wait, fans can finally return to the wastelands because Fallout 4 has finally been released to the masses. And to many, Fallout 4 is the return home that they have been waiting for, but for some, Fallout 4 might feel like a retread of Fallout 3. While the response can be quite divisive, it’s no questions that the game has made waves upon its release.

Taking place in the Commonwealth, an area that combines both Boston and Massachusetts, you play as the protagonist that survived the nuclear war that took place in 2077 and ended up 200 years in the future. As to how, we won’t spoil it, but it’s safe to say that it’s definitely an interesting journey. The pre-war scene that takes place during your character creation is also a great change of pace for the series as it is able to give players a look into the world before it all went to hell.

As it is with Fallout games, it’s all about exploring the world you live in and Bethesda has truly crafted a place that is filled with people, creatures, and monsters, that feels like they are truly inhabitants of the wasteland. Of course, the massive area would be nothing if it’s not exciting to explore, and Bethesda made sure that every corner in Fallout 4 will be worth your time.

IGN’s Dan Stapleton stated the following when it comes to exploring the Commonwealth:

“I found it difficult to complete even the most basic point-A-to-point-B task without being sidetracked at least twice by enticing detours. An abandoned comic book publishing office? How can I not explore it? Boston’s famous Fenway Park? Gotta see what’s become of that. A crumbling high-school with heads on pikes outside? I bet there’s great loot in there! Practically tripping over discoveries like this, I feel like a kid on Easter whose parents are bad at hiding the candy.”

With a better storyline campaign and even better side-quests, exploring the world of Fallout 4 is quite the enjoyable experience, rivaling that of Fallout: New Vegas. Of course, Bethesda didn’t just stop there. New mechanics added to the game, such as the crafting and modding system, adds a new element of addictiveness to it as every piece of junk can be used to craft either better weapons and armor or to contribute as materials for building your own settlement.

Arthur Gies of Polygon shares his thoughts on Bethesda’s inclusion of the crafting and settlements systems:

“The addition of such a major, time-sucking element is impressive both because of how well it works and because Fallout 4 would not be otherwise be lacking for things to do. Without the weapon modding and settlements bits, Fallout 4 would still be an intimidatingly large open-world game that takes the fundamentals of Bethesda’s open-world formula and grows them all the hell up.”

It’s not all glowing reviews for Fallout 4 though. Some reviewers criticized the game’s lack of upgrade from Fallout 3, making it feel like a really big expansion, rather than a fully-fledged sequel. Michael Cunningham from RPGamer had some choice words, saying that the game “feels like more of the same, not a step forward. Fallout 4 doesn’t break the same new ground Fallout 3 did with its jump to 3D, and its storytelling and intricacy of choice falls short of what New Vegas offered…Fallout 4 just feels safe, even when trying new things.”

But what probably bugs most reviewers during their time in the wasteland are the glitches/bugs that Fallout 4 seems to be riddled with. From the entertaining, such as weird animations and clipping, to the game-breaking, such as framerates at unplayable levels and game crashes, the amount of bugs that exists in Fallout 4 is enough to affect some reviewers opinion on the game.

Rich Stanton from The Guardian gave his thoughts on the bugs that plagued the game:

“Bethesda is a studio with a reputation for delivering buggy games, and with Fallout 4 it delivers again. In the PS4 version we tested, minor issues include NPC allies getting stuck in walls, conversations ending but leaving you stuck in conversation mode, enormous load times when leaving interiors, and inescapable-deathtrap autosaves that ruin several hours of progress. Occasional manual saves are a must.”

Despite it major problems, Fallout 4 has been quite well-received by gamers as it is currently being played by over 400,000 players at Steam right now. Safe to say, Bethesda has another hit on their hands with Fallout 4.

If you’ve already gotten yourself a copy of Fallout 4, don’t forget to pick up the Season Pass to get more exciting content from Bethesda! OffGamers is currently having a discount promotion for the Fallout 4 Season Pass for PC. Hurry, grab a copy before it’s sold out!

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