Home / Columns / ‘Fallout 4’ Review

‘Fallout 4’ Review

(Photo Courtesy: deviantart)

Written by Stella Henderson, Photo Editor and Jefferson LeBlanc, Multimedia Editor

War never changes, but the “Fallout” series has seen a lot of changes over the past decade.

When “Fallout” was first created by Black Isle Studio, later known as Obsidian, it was a tactical turned based RPG blended with many elements from the popular Sierra point-and-click  games of the time. What made “Fallout” the post-apocalyptic role playing game was its attention to detail, enormous world, raunchy humor, and lewd social commentary on different societies across the world, including our own.

When Black Isle Studios eventually passed “Fallout’s” reigns over to blockbuster game company Bethesda, “Fallout 3” was released with a bigger budget than the old point-and-click games could ever imagine. It even included a guest vocal appearance by Liam Neeson. The release was an instant classic, and although its status of being a Bethesda game meant it had more bugs than your aunt’s roach motel, its complex leveling system coupled with a story based on family ties meant a game that was enjoyed even today, seven years later.

Then another vault opened.

“Fallout 4” is here and has already sold over a million copies on PC consoles alone, beating records in preorders and sales in the first week that have been recorded by online game retailer, Steam. The game itself not only came out for PC, but Xbox One and the Playstation 4.

Small spoiler ahead considering the 15-minute prologue to the game….

Anyone who has played “Fallout 3” is aware of its storyline. The son looking for the lost father, and while this trope is a strong one, “Fallout 4” instead of looking for new beginnings, simply swaps the roles and has you as the player looking for your lost son. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing—it’s done well and is presented with a sense of urgency, but to hardcore “Fallout 3” fans, the dialogue of the early main quests may seem a bit too familiar.

Nevertheless, as with any Bethesda game, its storytelling strength lies in its abundance of side quests and the quirks of its companions. From chasing sea monsters, to finding the axe of your childhood comic book hero, the tiny sidetracks you’ll take on the way to the end could be made into feature films themselves.

The gameplay is far better than any previous “Fallout” entry in terms of the shooting mechanics. “Fallout 3” had quite a few bullet sponges, and Bethesda were wise enough to not make “Destiny 2.0” and in fact make a game where your bullets feel dangerous, and so do the enemy’s.

Using V.A.T.S. is a lot of fun as well, as it still calls back to the old turn based roots of the series and allows you to pause the battlefield and take accurate shots at exactly where you want to hit your enemies. Every move is a tactical advantage, you can wound a chasing mutant’s legs, or cut a raiders arm clean off, allowing you to end the battle without ending a life.

Check Also

VPD creates summer program for area young people

The Valdosta Police Department (VPD) has announced a new youth program. Stand Against Youth Violence ...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *