Fallout 4
Format: PS4, Genre: RPG, Publisher: Bethesda
It’s been a long time coming, and even though we knew it was, it was technically only a 4 month wait, since it was officially revealed at E3 in July. Mind you, I’m amazed the release date for this didn’t slip, kudos Bethesda. Now we can finally dive into the post-apocalyptic world that they’ve created, and it’s a bit brilliant.
The issue I had with previous Fallout titles, was that they were so huge, so overwhelming, that I had to put them down for a while, before returning to them. They were extremely difficult to adapt to. This time round, it was much easier to pick up and play. The introduction sequence is brilliantly crafted, and actually takes place in 2077, the day America is nuked by China. This finally gives us a glimpse of what the 1950’s-esque retro-future inspired Americana style world looked like before total atomic annihilation. It’s a fantastic contrast to the desolate wastes when your character wakes up from Vault 111, over 200 years later. Admittedly, the following few missions are a bit linear, and follow a specific path, but this is only a miniscule section of the game, plus I feel this was needed, as it’s a great way to induct the player into the world. After this, you’re free to go wherever you want, although the further out you venture, the tougher foes get.
Speaking of which in a bold move, Bethesda have changed the levelling system. I’ve heard complaints that it’s “too simplified”, and “it’s not an RPG”, and those statements are completely missing the point. Rather than the system being “simplified”, I feel it’s been streamlined. In Fallout 3, and New Vegas, after levelling up, how much you levelled up in certain skills depended on your S.P.E.C.I.A.L (Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, Luck) stats. After this, you had to level up different skillsets (up to a max of 100), then you got the occasional perk every few levels, plus you had a few tag skills that levelled up at a faster rate. There were so many conflicting systems, that it felt far too convoluted. Instead, Fallout 4 has a perk system. These are determined by the scores of each of your S.P.E.C.I.A.L stats, the higher each stat, the better the perks get in each individual attribute. Every time you level up, you get a perk point, and this can be spent on unlocking a perk. Each perk also has its own ranks, so they can be levelled up to increase their proficiency too. All the perks truly have an impact on your character, and how the game is played, so every choice feels extremely important. In Fallout 3, I’d spend a few seconds pumping some numbers into a specific few skills and move on, whereas Fallout 4 leaves me looking at the perk chart for literally minutes at a time, carefully considering which option would be the best for my character. In my opinion, this new system is far better, as it does away with the overly-complex systems of the previous couple of titles, and leaves us with what’s truly important to our character building.
But how does this work in terms of role-playing then? I’ll simply share a story of something my flatmate did. At the start of the game, your robot butler Codsworth has been programmed to say (almost) 1000 of the most popular names in dialogue options, which in itself is an impressive attention to detail. So, name your character “Bob”, for example, and he’ll refer to you by name. Some of these, however, are in-jokes that Bethesda have put in, one of which is “Grognak”, based off a comic book series that exists in the Fallout universe (that can also be collected on your travels.) As soon as I found this out, my flatmate instantly created a new character on his profile, making it look as much like Grognak as possible, putting most his initial points into the Strength and Agility stat pools, and then proceeded to wander the wasteland, only attacking foes with melee weapons. Fortunately, Grognak’s Axe and Outfit can be found in a ruined comic book store, so he got those as soon as possible, and now only utilizes those. It was hilarious to see him storm across the wastes, bashing foes with his mighty axe, and was also completely different to how I approached the game. That’s the beauty of the perk system, and how you can customize everything to suit your play-style; from a stealthy operative, to a gung-ho Rambo style character, and everything between. There’s enough freedom there to create the character that you want. As a bonus, there’s no level cap either, so you can get everything if you want, although that’d take forever, being as there’s around 270 levels worth of perks. Best get the tea on for that one…
Gone is the awkward gun-play of Fallout 3 and New Vegas, where you had to level up with certain skills to be proficient with them. The design philosophy here is, if you’re good at shooters, then you’ll be good here. Does it affect the experience? I really don’t think so. If anything, it’s a huge improvement, as I find myself not wrestling with controls. If I miss a target, or get myself killed, I don’t feel cheated this time round, as it’s genuinely my own fault. The wasteland of the Commonwealth, aka Boston, is a very dangerous place.
I have to say, Boston was a brilliant choice of location for this outing. There’s so many diverse locations, and areas to discover, that there’s always something new around the corner. There’s a nice contrast to them, from the spare woodland environments on the outskirts, to the clustered, almost claustrophobic, city streets of Boston itself, and the spectacular, desolate wastes of the glowing sea, Bethesda seem to have every base covered. Key locations and landmarks, such as The Freedom Trail, and Fenway park, are recreated in loving detail, but also re-imagined in new and creative ways. The latter, for example, has become a makeshift shanty town called Diamond City, complete with its own market square. It’s stunning how accurate these have been recreated too. The great thing is, that each location pretty much has its own story to tell, even if there’s not a quest there, various computer terminals, or even just the environment itself, can tell it’s own story.
The main plot itself is pretty intriguing; it follows the protagonists’ motives, which leads him to a much larger, wider issue. Without spoiling too much, an ogranisation only known as “The Institute” are creating what are known as “Synths”, androids that can look act and feel emotions, exactly like humans, they are indistinguishable. Their motives are unclear, although some are hostile, and they’ve been known to kidnap humans. Needless to say, there are different factions that view the situation differently. The militaristic Brotherhood of Steel want to eliminate The Institute, and all Synths, until there’s no trace of them left, a group of underground freedom fighters called The Railroad realise that not all Synths are bad, and want to eliminate The Institute, to free the Synths from their grasp. Alternatively, you can just join up with The Institute, and help them achieve their goals. It’s these different factions, and their different views that really add much more depth to the story, and the fact that the plot development changes, depending on your choices, and who you side with, warrants multiple playthroughs, in what is an already massive game. In all honesty, I feel the story itself is pretty relatable, as you could argue it’s a metaphor for current global tensions in the world at the moment. Granted, it’s a much more extreme example of that, and completely unintentional, but it definitely gives you something to think about. I do have to admit, the end result of the main story isn’t completely satisfying, but it’s still the strongest main story Bethesda have created yet, plus there’s some side quests with fantastic storylines of their own.
I will admit, the conversation system is a bit more basic, with there now only being four options, and some vague text describing what your avatar will say, but I still feel this works. I never felt each option was misrepresented upon my character actually speaking each option I selected, so I think it’s communicated clear enough. Also, the fact that the difficulty of persuasion options is represented in colour coded system, rather than a percentage, works fantastically. Even if your character has high Charisma, it’s still not obvious how successful that strain of dialogue will go, so it really does add a bit of tension to conversations.
Characters are a lot more interesting this time round too. It may be because the protagonist has a voice now, so conversation flows better, but they have much deeper, richer back stories, and intriguing quest lines. Any character introduced in the main story-arc has a genuine role to play, and doesn’t feel shoe-horned in. Even companions you come across randomly on your travels are bursting with personality. On my travels, I met a Curie, and her quest line is so interesting, plus she’s so awkwardly adorable, that I ended up travelling everywhere with her. These are easily the most eclectic cast of characters that Bethesda have ever created.
I feel like this article has become a bit long now, so I’d best stop here. I could tell you how awesome the settlement system is, where you can build your own towns, and how I’ve come to personalise my homestead of Sanctuary. I could praise the extremely creative and bizarre enemy and weapon designs. I could go on about the almost endless crafting system, where you can upgrade armour and weapons to ridiculous, but satisfyingly awesome levels. But instead I’ll end with this… I’ve heard comments about how Fallout 4 has been “dumbed-down”, about how it’s “rubbish” because of its “terrible graphics.” For the latter, I’ll say if the graphics ruin your experience, then perhaps you’re looking at videogames in the wrong perspective. In terms of the former, and as I said earlier, the game has been streamlined to its most important core components, to make the experience less convoluted. The fact is, Fallout 4 is a game that is filled with a ton of depth and freedom, and it’s about actively looking for those elements. You’re free to explore the sandbox presented to you, carve your own mark into the world, uncover it’s secrets and see what it has to offer. It’s easy to pick up, play, and get lost in this amazing world that Bethesda have crafted.
*Phew* Sorry that was so long, just there was so much to talk about! Let me know what you thought of my list, and what your favourite games of 2015 were. In my next post, we’ll be moving away from gaming (for now), and into the world of music. Tune in on Tuesday for my top 10 albums of the year. See you then!
Four_G
Epitome of Epic 