Fallout 4

- Reviewed on PS4 -

Fallout 4 released on November 10th, 2015. 

The overall Fallout series is one of Bethesda's most adored video game series by their fans (as of writing this blog post), and rightfully so.

In all Fallout games you are placed in a post-apocalyptic world that you must use to your advantage. Full of hideous monsters and sinful human beings, Fallout (and all its games) is true survival. 

Fallout 4 is not only my first Fallout game, but also one of the first open world games I got to experience first-hand. 

This review WILL have Major Spoilers so keep that in mind before continuing...

Fallout 4 takes place in Boston, Massachusetts and also in other parts known as, the Commonwealth. 

With over 325 locations to explore / discover (in the base game, as of writing this blog post), you as the player will have an enormous number of discoveries on your hands.

The game starts on October 23rd, 2077 and is covered with amazing futuristic developments, such as your very own robot butler / companion, Codsworth. 

After creating your character with the very detailed creation suite, in front of a mirror, you are immediately thrown into Fallout 4's deep and illustrious lore. 

The odd, yet charming decision to have futuristic cars, TVs, and households in general, look retro (old) adds only more to Fallout 4's world building. 

Later on, in the beginning scene (at your house with Shaun), you are greeted by a Vault-Tec Rep where your character building only gets better / deeper. 

Here, you will name your character and decide your characters starting stats known as SPECIAL. 

During the installation process of Fallout 4 (at least on PS4), the game provides seven animated videos to talk all about SPECIAL. 

The SPECIAL scale means...

    - Strength
    - Perception
    - Endurance
    - Charisma
    - Intelligence
    - Agility
    - Luck

Once you've created, named, and provided your SPECIAL stats to the Rep, your game "officially" begins.

After talking to your partner and calming baby Shaun, (SPOILER) you are called into the living room by Codsworth and the TV is broadcasting a news forecast where bombs are dropping all over the country. 

In a state of panic, sirens begin to blare, military shows up, and you, Shaun, and your partner sprint to the nearest Vault... Vault 111. 

Things go haywire while inside the vault with Cryostasis and poor management. After you go through the small tutorial and leave the vault... you are now in the true Fallout universe. 

Inhabited by mutated animals and vicious Raiders (just to name a few), you have the freedom to do whatever you feel like.

You can use your famous Pip-Boy (acquired in Vault 111) to do all essential features. 

You use the Pip-Boy to fast travel, use meds, switch weapons, listen to the radio, track / untrack missions, and much more. 

The graphics in Fallout 4 are great as they are, but if you desire to change anything, you can, with Bethesda's mod feature.  

The ambience and music in Fallout 4 are appropriate for the type of game Bethesda wanted to create, this being a horrific, post-apocalyptic world (as mentioned earlier).  

Don't worry though, as Fallout 4 offers many companions to accompany you in this dangerous wasteland. 

Each companion has their own special traits, likes, dislikes, and ability (such as lockpicking and / or terminals). 

The companions include...

    - Cait
    - Codsworth
    - Curie
    - Paladin Danse
    - Deacon
    - Dogmeat
    - John Hancock
    - Robert MacCready
    - Nick Valentine
    - Piper Wright
    - Preston Garvey
    - Strong
    - X6-88
    - Ada (DLC)
    - Automatron (DLC)
    - Old Longfellow (DLC)
    - Porter Gage (DLC)

Once you reach maximum affinity with any of these companions, you will be rewarded a special perk related to that specific follower. On the contrary, if you do things that the companion doesn't like (too much) then they might refuse to be your follower. 

I personally believe (as of writing this blog post) companions are well worth your time as they provide great offense and defense to your current / future mission progression. 

As you travel the Commonwealth in search of your missing child Shaun, you will encounter various hostiles, companions, and also factions.

There are a few factions to be aware of. You can join these factions, but by the end of the game, only a few will be "left standing".

These factions (teams) are...

    - The Minutemen
    - The Brotherhood of Steel
    - The Railroad
    - The Institute

The Minutemen are special also as they are involved with base building. This feature consists of you finding, securing, and being able to build whatever you like in settlements.

Settlements can be found on your own, or by Preston Garvey. 

You'll need settlements if you desire to have a home (base) and be able to store all the junk you find in the Commonwealth to create weapon and armor mods.

Not to be confused with game mods overall (on the main menu), Weapon and Armor Mods are created using junk found in the game.

You can build workstations in settlements (or find some lying around) and use the components (from the junk) to improve your arsenal. 

Power Armor, a Fallout series staple, are huge suits (that use Fusion Cores to operate) that offer you great protection and make you feel like you conquer the world! There are various types of Power Armor in Fallout 4 that you can collect and mod such as X-01, T-45, T-60, and more.

Voice Acting is acceptable in Fallout 4, and what I mean by "acceptable" is that the main characters such as, the Sole Survivor (you) and other essential characters, have great voice acting, while enemies such as Raiders or Gunners have repeatable / uninteresting dialogue. 

Customization is at an all-time high in Fallout 4. As mentioned earlier, the character creation portion is very well detailed and not only that, but you can change various game mechanics as well. 

You can change the controls whenever you like or even the HUD colors! 

The story of Fallout 4 is a well-paced, emotional story that requires you to make sacrifices and decisions solely based on your desires. 

This makes for great longevity, and with the addition of Mods and DLC, this only elongates the gameplay / joy for Bethesda's Fallout fans all over the world, such as myself. 

Pros: 

    - Great Longevity
    - Fun / Amusing Music
    - Various Monster Designs
    - Companions
    - Plethora of Armor, Weapons, Power Armor, etc. 
    - Amazing Customization
    - Mods

Cons:

    - Poor Voice Acting for Non-Essential Characters

My Rating for Fallout 4 (on PS4):

5 / 5


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Disclaimer

All Reviews, Ratings, Pros, Cons, and Opinions Shared on this Blog (Press A Reviews) are my (Connor Butler) own Thoughts and Feelings.



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