Review of Fallout 4 and Why I Love this Game
Last Updated on September 21, 2019 by Michael Brockbank
As Fallout 76 is on the horizon, I decided maybe I should get my review of Fallout 4 on the site before hand. Why did it take so long? Because I haven’t really played it until a couple of months ago. And I am regretting not loading it up sooner.
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What is Fallout 4?
If you don’t know anything about the Fallout universe yet, I’d say crawl out from under that rock and dive in.
Fallout is a post-apocalyptic game showing the events after a nuclear holocaust ravages the planet. However, it has a massive twist as opposed to other futuristic games. It centers around what would happen if events after World War II were slightly different.
The first few games of Fallout were overhead-view, turn-based strategy games. I started following the franchise after Fallout: Tactics and haven’t looked back.
Today, the most recent titles have all been first-person, which was a bit to get used to as I played hours upon hours of the overhead view. However, I was quickly drawn into the game from this perspective.
What Kind of a Game is Fallout 4?
Fallout 4 is like many other quest-based shooters as you complete objectives throughout the story line. Armed with what ever junk you can find in the wasteland, you complete your goals whether it’s through the barrel of a gun or using words to win over NPCs.
In general, Fallout 4 is a single-player experience spanning across an open world. This means you can follow the missions from NPCs or strike out on your own and explore. Of course you want to be careful as more difficult enemies are beyond your skill level.
Where Can You Get Fallout 4?
I picked up Fallout 4 during Steam’s Summer Sale in 2017. Personally, I just didn’t have the money to buy it earlier. I haven’t seen it in places like Walmart for quite some time, and don’t expect to either.
Most PC titles are digital nowadays. However, you can pick it up for Xbox and PS4 at a variety of places like Gamestop.
What Are Some of the Most Notable Features?
What makes Fallout 4 different from Fallout 3 or New Vegas, and what are some of the things that make the game worth playing? As always, things that one person finds notable others may not.
With that being said, here is my impression of what makes this game one of my favorites in my library.
Building Up Settlements
I am a builder. It’s one of the reasons I still play Minecraft today. It’s also why I love the Sim City franchise before EA and Maxis sunk it.
In fact, I’ve been a fan of building up bases since back when I was playing the Arma II mod of DayZ Epoch. I would spend hours building a base NPCs, players and zombies couldn’t get into.
In Fallout 4, I have a semblance of that experience. I’ll spend a great deal of time planning out my settlements and setting up structures.
If you like micro-managing many settlements to build up a community in the wasteland, you’ll find this feature engaging.
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Modifying Weapons and Armor
I like how you can upgrade weapons and armor. You can create equipment perfect for how you play. For instance, you can create sniper-ready gear such as scoped rifles and shadowed armor to hide.
The system and layout for upgrading isn’t bad once you get used to it. I would prefer more options, but I like the ones that are present. Plus, I like how modifications change the in-game appearance of what you’re wearing.
I wear combat armor, which almost makes me look like a storm trooper from Star Wars.
NPC Interaction
When speaking to NPCs, your character actually has a conversation. In other games, you would simply choose a line of speech and the NPC would respond. In Fallout 4, your character has a voice.
And I rather like the voice acting from this perspective.
Another aspect of NPC interaction is being able to equip your settlers. If you have a spare laser pistol and leather armor, you can go to each one and equip them. It helps keep the NPCs alive when faced with an attack.
That is, unless a Super Mutant suicider charges one of your supply line caravans with a mini nuke. The end result is utter destruction, and the loss of that NPC.
A Vast World to Explore
One of the things I like most about the Fallout games is an expansive world to explore. Even the overhead, older titles offered a bit of exploration.
What boosts my opinion of Bethesda, the developer of Fallout 4, is how the company rewards players for being curious. The games usually offer a great deal of secrets, hidden areas and Easter eggs for those willing to set out and find them.
Extensive List of DLC and Mods
I haven’t played the DLC or mods yet, but it’s definitely on my to-do list. I simply like to play a game all the way through before I modify or change what it offers.
Fallout 4 has a lot of side content in downloadable content and community mods to expand even further what the game offers to PC players. This lends to how easy it is to keep coming back to the game years after its prime.
And I know the Creation Club isn’t the most stable system in Fallout 4. But that doesn’t take away from the amount of mods other gamers have developed to further enhance the experience.
How’s the Repeat Playability?
One of the things I like most about the Fallout series is being able to play it in a variety of ways. You would have to try extremely hard to play the same game twice. This is mostly because of the random elements in the game.
Unfortunately, Fallout 4 keeps players following a set path. Unlike Fallout 3 where you can choose to be good or evil, this recent title firmly plants you in specific roles. Which isn’t bad if you don’t care about blowing up towns with nukes or watching the world burn.
On the other hand, this game also remains true to some of the mechanics that made Fallout 3 and New Vegas worth playing. For example, how you build your character will ultimately change the game as a whole.
How would the world unfold if you did things just slightly different?
Is Fallout 4 Worth the Price?
Currently, Fallout 4 is $29.99 on Steam. And for what you get, I think the $30 is worth the investment. I can easily see spending hundreds of hours playing this game as content still unfolds.
I’ve clocked in 68 hours so far and am nowhere near being completed. Of course, I’m also an explorer who spends a great deal of time discovering new places and hidden nuances.
If I remember right, I picked it up for $20 during the Summer Sale last year. If you don’t have it yet, I suggest you give it a try when the sale starts up again.
What’s the Bottom Line?
In the end, it’s all about player preference. Fallout 4 combines a lot of elements I love about a game, even if it does have weird glitches here and there. But for me, that just adds to the game’s charm. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s definitely one of my most played games recently.
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