With the announcement of the Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition I thought we’d have a look at the original game and how it was.
A couple big changes to the franchise this time around; first of all the story takes place in Boston, and second you have a choice of gender early on. This only has minor impacts on the story though (just a few changes to the dialogue here and there). With that change though comes a big one; a voiced character with dialogue choices. Kind of Mass Effect like. Once you’ve made your pick, things get rolling.
The Basics
As you go about your journey this time around your main quest is to find your child. Along that journey you will come across a number of people (and a dog) you can bring along with you as a traveling companion (if you choose to). You will also encounter a number of factions that you can choose to help or fight along your journey.
I tried to stay rather neutral my whole time. My only partner was the dog (and really not for very long) and I tried to help everyone I could. Trouble is you get to a point where there are choices that need to be made very carefully if you want to keep everyone happy. Otherwise like it or not some who were once your friend will soon be your enemy.
Another big change to the game play was the addition of crafting and settlements. Now while I did collect pieces and parts so that I could upgrade equipment and improve weapons, I have to admit I only did the bare minimums needed for settlements. If I wanted to babysit NPCs and resources I would have played that kind of game, not an FPS RPG. It’s nice that it’s in there for those that like it, and it seems that you can really do a lot with it if you wanted, but it’s not for me. On the plus side, it didn’t seem to hurt me that I blew it off.
There are tons of places to wander and explore off the path of quests. The map is huge and you will find plenty to do to keep you busy. Honestly almost too much sometimes. I found myself leaving the game for a while and coming back to it because there was almost too much to discover.
I won’t spoil anything but the story didn’t end where I thought it would. There are some choices to be made and you can actually end a number of different ways (hey, who did you keep happy and who didn’t you).
On The Plus Side
- Lots to do
- Lots of ways you can play
- Interesting crafting element
- Lots of story content
The Negatives
- I personally didn’t like building stuff
- Didn’t like keeping tabs on my settlements
- Companions can be a pain
- Could be a little buggy in places
Fallout 4 is a true open world that you can easily get lost in. This works both for and against it. There is a ton of stuff to do both story driven and not. Either way it is a fun title that will keep you entertained for a good long time.