1) A giant, engrossing open world.
2) So many quests that I can't even count them.
3) Poor storytelling that ultimately doesn't matter in the end because its not what we play Bethesda games for.
4) Exceedingly poor character development that ultimately doesn't matter in the end for the exact same reasons as the storytelling.
These are things that are true of just about every Bethesda game that Todd Howard has a hand in, so they have become something of a standard for judgment. How, then, do we approach Fallout 4? Fallout 4 is a game that, in areas where Bethesda usually excels, definitely falls short, and it is a game that, in areas where Bethesda usually falls flat, succeeds. I'll be going into more detail about that later on, but first a note. This will be a very vague review, and it will be without pictures, because I don't want to spoil anything at all. I will be talking about the quality of many different aspects of the game, but I will for the most part be avoiding content such as names and plot details. But here's the thing, I also want to talk about spoilery things, so this is how this review is going to work. I'm going to do the spoiler-free stuff first, then I'm going to give this game its score, and then after the score I'm going to discuss spoilers. So please, for the love of everything good in the world, if you don't want things spoiled for you, don't scroll past the score.
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I suppose the first thing I should address is my statement that Fallout 4 is something of an oddity in the Bethesda cannon. This will take several sections, so I'm going to start off with the primary aspect of any Todd Howard game: the map/world. It isn't very interesting. The fact that Todd Howard managed to render a post-apocalyptic world that still looks beautiful at times is impressive, so don't get me wrong. People have been complaining about graphics, and it is true that they leave a lot to be desired, but when it really matters, they are quite impressive. The real problem with the Commonwealth is not its look, but rather the level of interest it generates. In my play through, I discovered nearly all of the landmarks (I'm still working on that), and the fact of the matter is that I'm not really interested in a lot of them. Factories just aren't that compelling, neither are sewers, neither are quarries, and these kinds of locations make up about 75% of the landmarks. That still leaves a good 25% of locations that I wanted to explore, but when I actually did the exploring, I found that not many of them had much on the inside. Fallout 3 definitely did a better job of catching my eye with locations inside and out.
The Boston setting also doesn't really do much for the map intrigue. I found that Boston was lacking in character. I definitely enjoyed exploring some of the more outskirty parts of Boston, but inner Boston, where all the skyscrapers are, was just unpleasant. In inner Boston, there are a lot of buildings, but they all look exactly the same on the inside, so after a while, exploring them lost its sense of wonder. One thing that I did appreciate was how much easier it was to navigate Boston than it was to navigate the many subway tunnels that were your only way of getting around D.C. in Fallout 3. Even though I loved the subway tunnels and the character they added to the exploration process, it was nice to not have to spend an hour going the wrong way before realizing my mistake. Make no mistake, navigating Boston isn't a cakewalk, but it is considerably easier. Considerably easier doesn't necessarily mean more fun, though. I really hate to use this word as a negative in a game about the post-apocalypse, but Boston is just plain ugly. The rest of the wasteland is ugly, but its ugly in a way that has a charisma about it. Like Fallout 3, most of the wasteland has a sort of rustic charm to it that gives the intentional ugly a purpose. But Boston has none of that charm. It is just ugly in an ugly way. Once again, let me reiterate that I'm not talking about graphics. I'm talking about design. And the design of Boston, while littered with hidden crannies left and right, almost discourages exploration. The same could not be said of D.C. in Fallout 3. I spent hours upon hours exploring D.C. because it seemed to call to me. The look of D.C. seemed to say, "come explore me, I have stuff!" Boston, on the other hand, didn't look like it would have anything of value in it. This is a valid assertion, as I only came across something of value once (a suit of the best kind of power armor inside of an unmarked building) in Boston. Everything else was just freaking pipe weapons. It is in instances like that where I can see what folks mean when they say that Fallout 4 is the Skyrim to Fallout 3's Oblivion. The loot in Skyrim was horrible, and most of the loot in Fallout 4 was horrible as well. To elaborate, I kept most of the weapons I found towards the beginning of the game with me for the entire game. That is how little quality stuff is out there. Even the loot from the so-called "legendary" enemies is not really worth it. There will be more on that later.
So, what is the Commonwealth like outside of Boston? Like in Fallout 3, there are big cities and there are small settlements. While all the big cities in Fallout 4 are better than the horrible Rivet City of Fallout 3, unfortunately, they are all somewhat lacking. The main big city feels like a pint-sized version of Megaton, and while I actually really loved one of the smaller big cities, even it was lacking in the same kind of appeal that Megaton had. It is very hard to elaborate on this point without spoiling anything, so let me just say this: It feels like a lot less passion went into the creation of these cities.
Really, the major strength of this game's map is its smaller settlements. These smaller settlements are better than the small settlements in Fallout 3, even with less named characters involved. This is due in no small part to the crafting system that allows you to make these settlements your own. I'll be elaborating more on that in the crafting segment of this review.
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I suppose the next thing to discuss is the quest aspect of Fallout 4. Fallout: New Vegas blew like crazy, in my book. It was just awful. But one thing that it did really well was in the sheer amount of quests you could undertake. Fallout 3 didn't have very many quests, and that has carried over into Fallout 4. Don't get me wrong, there is an unlimited supply of quests you can undertake in Fallout 4. Does that sound like a contradiction? Let me elaborate. In Skyrim, Todd Howard took steps into the absolutely shameful world of randomly generated quests. Let me say this right up front: Randomly generated quests are HORRIBLE! They are uninspired! Thats why No Man's Sky is actually not going to be good. But that is a conversation for another day. Most of the quests in Fallout 4 (I would legitimately say around 90%) are randomly generated quests, so if you hate rgq's, then you're going to be lacking in quests. Now, here's the silver lining. They are very well done and well disguised rgqs. So well disguised, in fact, that I played nothing but rgqs for four nights straight before I realized it. The problem is that once you do enough of them, they start showing their pattern, and you recognized them for what they are. I still hate rgqs, but I will give Todd Howard this: They are very well done in comparison to the ones in Skyrim. These rgqs will usually get you something nice, like a new settlement or a new kind of weapon. So, I suppose if we must go down the rgq route, this is the way to do it.
But that doesn't excuse the fact that there aren't very many quests outside of those that are randomly generated. I beat the game last night, so I looked up a list of all the quests, and I found that I had completed all but maybe 1 or 2 of them. That is very disappointing, especially considering that most of the quests are boring fetch endeavors. The thing about Fallout 3 that made the lack of lots of quests ok was the fact that all of them were compelling. The same cannot be said of Fallout 4. Its always fetch this or fetch that, and it is annoying. Its like, Todd Howard sets up some fantastic scenarios with these quests and then shoots himself in the foot by telling you to go and fetch something instead of directly taking any part.
Really, the main quests are more interesting than the side quests, but I can't really say anything about that until the spoiler section.
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Now lets talk crafting. Normally, I'm not really into crafting. I like to make do with what I can find or with what I have (When I was still a new gamer, I completed approximately 100 hours of Oblivion in just tan linens and the rough leather cuirass that I found in the opening dungeon). You cannot craft weapons or armor, but you can modify what you already have. It is sometimes engaging and it sometimes gets you the kinds of results you want, but its nothing groundbreaking. I maybe made use of it once to put a scope on a rifle I had, but for even the most crazed crafting fans, it isn't going to occupy much of your time.
The settlement crafting mechanic is a step up, and it is a promising start, but it is still a little awkward. I spent a lot of time arming my settlements with turrets and tall towers of steel. It is a nice system that gets you a little more invested in your settlements and the settlers. You can start gardens, set up water purifiers, build houses, and set up trade routes between your settlements. It really makes you feel like you're having some sort of impact. The problem is that the process of building structures is very awkward. How so? Well, the ground in most settlements is not at all level. I am not OCD, but it does bother me when things aren't symmetrical or even. If you're like me in that regard, then the settlement crafting is going to drive you nuts. Because the ground is so often not level, you will end up with floating floor panels or floor panels buried somewhat under the ground, and it just gets really annoying. Not only that, but the size of settlements is sometimes misleading. I once cleared out a spot for a settlement in what looked like a full pre-war town. That would have been awesome! I certainly went through enough work killing ghouls to justify having a whole town. But no! The settlement was just a small house, driveway, and little stretch of land at the edge of the town. Why?! Why?! What justification in the WORLD would I have to just build a settlement on that little plot when I just cleared out a whole TOWN with GROCERY STORES and POLICE PROTECTRONS??! Are people in the commonwealth that stupid? This kind of thing happens far too often in Fallout 4, where you'll think you're getting to set up this big settlement, but really you just get a small plot of land. The thing that really gets me annoyed about it, though, is when I'm setting up a settlement along the coast and the workshop area ends right where the water starts. Instead of setting up an industrial sized water purifier in the giant body of water that is right there to get my settlers their water, I have to set up fifteen water pumps. And don't say its because seawater doesn't work, because on SOME of the coastal settlements, it lets you use the ocean. Its just very inconsistent and awkward and it ultimately takes away from the settlement creating experience.
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If you're still with me, you may recall that I said Fallout 4 excels where Bethesda usually falls short. Its time to talk about what that means.
Todd Howard is many things, but a storyteller he is not. His strength has always been in his worldbuilding, and story has always just been table dressing for it. However, this is not the case in Fallout 4...at least, not for a while. I won't give any details, but for at least the first 80% of the story, it is absolutely compelling, and actually really touching at some points. However, after that first 80%, Todd Howard kind of drops everything that made it compelling and turns in an entirely new direction. It all leads to the most disappointing final push in recent memory. I thought for sure that the final push, given the decisions I'd made, would hurt me deep down, but not in this way. Todd Howard had every opportunity to make the absolutely soul-crushing, depressing final confrontation of all time, but instead what we got was something that felt rushed and took none of the opportunities given to it. I will be discussing this at length when I do the spoiler section after the score, so if you've already beaten the game, then scroll past the score when the time comes. I need to rant about how horribly this ending was handled to someone. Like, seriously, On my way to the final confrontation, I was sick to my stomach thinking about how depressing it was going to be, and it was so disappointing.
But lets focus on the good 80%. Like in any Bethesda game, it is very easy to ignore the main quests in favor of going off exploring or doing side quests, but Fallout 4 does something that no other Bethesda game does. In every Bethesda game, there comes a point where I decide, "well, I'd better do some of the main quest now". That doesn't happen in Fallout 4. Rather, there comes points in which I decide that I want to go off and do main story stuff. It isn't a huge thing, but it does make a difference, and it says something about how compelling the first 80% of the story is.
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Another thing that Todd Howard has not historically good at is character development. Like story, characters tend to be just table dressing for the worlds he creates, and we let it slide because that is just how it is. However, in Fallout 4, we see that Todd Howard has taken a class or two. Character development is at an all time high in Fallout 4. Like in New Vegas and 3, you can take on companions to travel with you. But unlike previous games, Fallout 4's companions really feel alive and make a difference in your experience. There are, I believe, somewhere around 13 companions you can take on. Not all of them are well-developed or pleasant to have along, but those that are well-developed and that you take a liking to are a joy to have along for the ride. There were five characters that I absolutely loved to death. I enjoyed traveling the world with them, and for the first time in Bethesda history, companions added something to the experience.
In Fallout 4, Bethesda takes a nod to Bioware in that companions like you at varying degrees based upon your actions. If you maxed out your approval rating with a companion, you'd get a new perk, and for some of the companions, you would have the option to be romantically involved with them. More on that in just a sec. First I need to make a negative point.
As your companions like you more and more, they open up to you a bit more and tell them a bit more about their background. However, outside of these instances, you don't really get to talk to them all that much. You can hear their lines over and over again and you can constantly probe them as to the quality of your relationship, but you don't really get to hold conversations with them. In the end, that wasn't a big thing, but I still would have liked to have seen a little more interaction involved. These are Todd Howard's absolute masterworks in terms of character development, so it would have been great to be able to get to know them a little better. In the past, Todd Howard has been exclusively "tell, don't show" in his development, and this time around he is exclusively "show, don't tell". Some inbetween would be nice next time.
Now, romance. Todd Howard took his first steps into the modern gaming convention of the protagonist's choice romantic subplot in Skyrim with the introduction of the marriage mechanic. It was awful and pointless, but it was a step in a different direction. This time around, Todd Howard gives us a much more fulfilling realization of the romantic subplot. You cannot romance anyone who doesn't absolutely idolize you, and you have to pass certain persuasion parameters in order to actually sway your love interest. In this way, it is much more realistic (well, as realistic as anything in a Bethesda game can be) than the Skyrim system. If you haven't earned their trust enough, or if you aren't good enough with words, then you will not succeed in starting a romantic relationship with a companion. I always play Fallout with max charisma, so this wasn't a problem for me, but it was still a nice idea.
It is here where I must commend Todd Howard on his thoughtfulness. One thing that you cannot say about Todd Howard is that he handles gore or sex immaturely. On the contrary, he handles mature subject matter like an adult, and in a game as gory as Fallout tends to be, that is a big deal. If you read my review of "The Witcher III", then you know that I praised CD Projekt Red on how maturely they handled the sensuality in comparison to their previous games. Well, Fallout doesn't have a history to compare to, but Todd Howard handles this content more maturely than any developer I've seen.
What this means is that we don't have to awkwardly sit through horrifying animated sex scenes (a-la The Witcher 2) or listen in horror as the screen turns black and...um...sounds...(a-la Fable). In fact, such things are not even remotely implied. Todd Howard seems to make a point of saying that sexual content isn't needed to convey romance, which is something that I really appreciate. Rather, here is what goes down. If you sleep in a bed while you are either traveling with your romantic companion or in the same settlement as them, you awake with a temporary bonus to experience earning called "Lover's Embrace", and you awake to a sweet line from them. For instance, while I was on a mission to clear out raiders from a quarry, I needed to heal without medicine, so I slept for an hour in a nearby bed inside the same quarry. I was traveling with my love interest, so the first thing I heard upon my character waking up was, in an "I just woke up" voice, "Wakey wakey, Blue (this character's nickname for the protagonist). Time to get going." This wasn't totally sappy, nor was it suggestive in any way. It was just something remarkably human, something reflective of the world these people live in. Where has this version of Todd Howard been all my life? In short, the romantic subplot is not only handled maturely, it is also portrayed in a very human way, and Mr. Howard deserves no end of praise for it.
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At this point I've discussed every part of my opening statement, but there are still things to discuss before I score this game and go into spoilers. The first thing is gameplay.
Gameplay is much more action-centered than in Fallout 3. For some, that will be a good thing, and for some that will be a bad thing. I tend to be pretty split on that kind of thing. But here's the thing: The gameplay is more like an FPS this time around, but it is better FPS gameplay than most, and that is commendable. There is more balance between VATS and real-time gameplay this time around as well. There are times when VATS is more effective for combat, and there are times when you are better off just using your ironsights. It becomes a matter of moving fluidly between the two.
Like in previous games, there are many ways to play. In my play through, I alternated evenly between my super sledge and my arsenal of guns, and I can say that both methods of play are satisfying, though the melee is definitely frustrating at times, as you get interrupted mid swing for just about nothing more often than not.
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Another aspect of previous Fallout games that is present in Fallout 4 is the radio. This time around, you have two or three radio stations: Diamond City Radio, Classical Radio, and if you do the right quest, Radio Freedom. DCR plays jazz songs, Classical plays, you guessed it, classical music, and Freedom plays early american folk violin pieces. DCR has some good new songs, but it recycles too many songs from Fallout 3. There were more Ella Fitzgerald songs, and Ella Fitzgerald is my favorite singer, period, so I appreciated that, but really, my favorite was the Classical station. It had more variety, and it had a fantastic selection. The only problem with it is that sometimes its selections don't quite fit...for example, flight of the valkyries doesn't really work with the mood of the game.
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I feel the need to weigh in on the new dialogue system and the voiced protagonist. The voice actor and actress for the protagonist (depending on the gender you play as) are both fantastic, or at least better than any Bioware protagonist's voice actor. The new dialogue system, however, I must admit, is subpar. I had to stop and consider what the tone of each option might be, and generally the bottom one is the nice, diplomatic one, but not always, and that really threw me off. It isn't game-breaking, but you will notice some frustration with it. Also, there aren't cutscenes, no matter how much they look like they are. Rather, in dialogue, the camera changes to make it look like a cutscene. This means that occasionally characters will walk away while they're talking to you and it really messes things up.
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Needless to say, this wouldn't be a Bethesda game without bugs. You can expect the usual: objects in walls, companions not being able to jump, framerate drops, and some crashes. I only had the game crash once in my two weeks of playing it, but framerate drops were common especially in the inner Boston area. All in all, I experienced less bugs in Fallout 4 than in most other Bethesda games.
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All right. The time has come to score this baby. I have been struggling with my feelings with Fallout 4. There are some ways in which it is really not up to par with Todd Howard's previous work. However, in areas where Mr. Howard doesn't usually excel, we see him excel in this game. How does one approach a game such as that when the rules are flipped? I've known from my first night in the wasteland that it wasn't going to be 10/10 material. But at the same time, I knew that I was going to enjoy it, and enjoy it I did. Fallout 4 has some of the smallest payoff for all your hard work of any game in recent memory, but the journey, while a shadow of what it could have been, is astounding. I find myself needing to break my own grading rules. Up until this point I have not gone inbetween numbers. Meaning, games are either a 10 or a 9 or an 8 or so on, not 8.5s or 9.1s. Well, for Fallout 4 I need to go inbetween numbers, because neither number on either side fits it. In case it is unclear, because it looks like I have done little but complain, I recommend that you go out and get Fallout 4 the instant you get the chance. On your journeys, you meet a colorful cast of characters that you end up getting attached to more than any Bethesda companions from days of old. You experience a touching story about what it is to be human that, for a while, compels you to fight all the horrors of the wasteland in order to achieve your goal. Along the way, you'll realize that there isn't a lot to this world, but the people in it are what give the journey its strength. You'll come to care about certain characters and come to find joy in finally seeing other characters' brains splattered on the ground in front of you. And in the end, you'll wonder why you bothered. But then you'll look back on the people you've met, the settlements you've set up, the good times that you and your companions have had, the times you've nearly died at the hands of a Deathclaw, and you'll remember why.
8.9/10
Well done, Bethesda, Well Done.
Spoiler discussion will begin in just a few lines, so don't scroll if you aren't ready.
Are you ready?
Are you sure you're ready?
If you don't want anything spoiled for you, go no further!
Ready?
Alright, here we go!
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So, if you're like me, the revelation that the main villain is none other than Shaun, your kidnapped son, whom you assumed was still a child came as a shock. It was very well executed, but after that, the whole thing is kind of dropped. I mean, they still pull heartbreaking things like finding out that he is dying. So, after over 200 years of being frozen and finally finding your son twice your age, you find out that he won't be here long. Then when he appoints you as the director of his organization, placing blind trust in you, his father, that you will run his ultimately evil empire, it is even more heartbreaking. That is why I was so afraid of the final confrontation. I sided with the railroad and went to take down the institute, and when I got on the elevator to face the music, I knew that I was going to have to look my dying son in the eyes and tell him that I was here to destroy everything he'd spent his entire life working on. That should have been an absolutely sickeningly sad scene, but it isn't handled that way. He just tells you that it is too late to say sorry and that you've doomed the world, and tells you to go away. It was very underwhelming. I was sick to my stomach on the way up to see him because I was expecting so much heartbreak, but I was let down.
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Another thing that really irked me about the story end was the fact that you have to blow up the Institute's nuclear reactor. Like, how stupid is that? If we've managed to infiltrate the institute and kill everyone inside and take it all over, why can't we use the technology they've created to help the Commonwealth? I mean, come on! They have found ways to grow non-radiated food! They've come up with technology that will change the world! We wouldn't have to use it to make slaves of everyone! It just didn't make a lot of sense to me that, in order to destroy the institute, we had to destroy the most promising source of energy the wasteland has ever seen.
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And another thing. Why does the Brotherhood of Steel decide to come and try to destroy the Railroad if you side with them? I mean, I get that they would try to get you considering that if you've sided with the Railroad, you have done something to the Brotherhood, but as much of an arrogant holier-than-thou superiority complex entity as the Brotherhood is, attacking innocents isn't usually what they do. Yet, in my play through, the Brotherhood of steel became responsible for kidnappings and all out assaults on peaceful settlements. I enjoyed slaughtering Brotherhood members like flies and making more suits of power armor out of the armor of fallen knights after that, but it still seemed a little too forced.
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I will most likely be updating this section as more things come to mind. Shoot me a message if you have thoughts on these matters as well.
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