Fallout 4 First Impressions - Article
by Brandon J. Wysocki , posted on 09 November 2015 / 8,065 Views
Fallout 4 is a massive game, and I have not had enough time with it to do a review justice just yet. In the interim, we will begin our coverage of Fallout 4 with this First Impressions article and a Fallout 4 livestream, with the review to follow in 5-7 days.
For those who don’t know, and shame on you if you don’t, Fallout is a post-apocalyptic role playing game series that entered the scene in the late 90s. It wasn't really until Bethesda acquired the license and developed Fallout 3 that the series achieved truly widespread recognition. Bethesda ushered the series into a new generation, and crafted one of the most captivating game experiences of all time. Now, 7 years after developing the award-winning Fallout 3, Bethesda Game Studios is preparing to release its first in-house developed follow-up with Fallout 4.
In my first 30 plus hours of play time in Fallout 4, it is abundantly clear to me that Bethesda has set out to top its first entry in the series. With how readily apparent the ambitious scope and scale of Fallout 4 is, 30 hours in the game is simply insufficient to be able to thoroughly and accurately appraise it. I don’t want to rush the game experience, or the review, as I feel it would be an injustice to the game, its creators, and to our readers.
I’m a huge fan of Fallout. Fallout 3 is responsible for that. The next game in the series (developed by Obsidian Entertainment), Fallout: New Vegas, was a good game, but it failed to pull me in in the same way that 3 did. Even outside of Fallout, I’ve been underwhelmed and disappointed by more than a few sequels to series I had previously enjoyed. With that in mind, I was anxious to get back into the wastelands. Thus far, despite some issues, I have been delighted by my experience.
I can’t help but compare Fallout 4 to the two previous titles in the series. To that end, it has to this point acquitted itself as a worthy successor. Without getting into details, the story and writing manage to elicit an immediate connection with the game world and the character you control. I can’t recall another game nearly bringing on the verge of tears, taking my breath away, then causing me to burst out in laughter in less than an hour. It’s a terrific beginning, and undoubtedly superior to the openings in both Fallout 3 and New Vegas.
The new character creation set-up, which appears to be identical to that shown during the E3 announcement presentation, is a nice step in immersing you into the game. With minimal text boxes and no sliders, plus the fact that it is taking place in real time in the game, it clearly attempts to minimize any perceivable obstacle between you, your character, and the in-game world. I must say, however, that the vast number of options combined with a perceived lack of precision using the joystick to essentially click and drag facial features almost made me feel overwhelmed. It’s a nice idea and it gets the job done, I just had a few moments of feeling as though I didn’t have the control over it that I should have had.
The other aspect that stands out in the beginning is the graphics, which have managed to stir up controversy from the initial reveal all the way to unauthorized leaks. I’d describe them as strangely inconsistent. Playing on the Xbox One (which is confirmed to run the same as the PlayStation 4, at 1080p and 30fps), at their best, the graphics are pretty good, but definitely not revolutionary. What’s peculiar is that while some of the graphics are very pleasing to the eye (namely with the use of lighting and fog), some textures and animations are flat and unconvincing.
With the graphics as they are, atmospheric music, and a world full of places and situations to explore, it’s overall been an extraordinary game to play through. I had resolved to play it as much as I could as soon the review copy arrived so that I could review it for the site, but the truth is that I wouldn’t have wanted to put the controller down regardless. It’s just such a wonderful, engrossing game that I can’t help but want more.
I’ve heard rumors of isolated poor performance on the PlayStation 4, but on the Xbox One, after downloading an update before starting, it has been a relatively smooth experience. The most egregious issue was the game crashing a few times while fast traveling between two of the first locations you discover. It only happened going one way, and a total of 3 times, but it's worth noting.
Aside from that, the game has been pretty stable. I have detected infrequent hang ups and framerate drops, however. Curiously, they tend to occur during apparently uneventful moments in the game. The most common issue is the system hanging when I go to manually save my game. I should note that the console I’ve primarily played on is running a preview of the new dashboard, but that has been pretty stable as of late, so I’m inclined to point the finger at the game itself. Ultimately, autosaves fortunately prevented me from losing any progress caused by the odd crash, and the worst thing about the system hanging up while saving is the brief fear that it might freeze there and I’ll lose some progress in the game as a result. But each and every time it has managed to work its way through it.
Another potential issue that I want to touch on is the new base building aspect of the game. While I thoroughly enjoy crafting weapons and armor in the game, the base building has been a mixed bag for me. I like the idea, and I’ve sunk a decent amount of time into it, but it has a clumsy interface that has definitely decreased my desire to use it.
When it’s going well, it’s amusing enough. It could add a lot of mileage to the game, and that alone makes it a great idea. But the awkward control set-up and views presented while using the feature can make it difficult to build or place items as you want, especially if you’re trying to be precise. The more I did use it, the better it became, but overall I’m still fighting the interface and that’s a turn off. I’ve considered the possibility that it’s a user error, but it really just seems to be the interface itself.
While the base building remains a concern, my experience with it has gradually improved and that trend may continue. Conversely, it, or my opinion of it, may get worse as the game goes on. Anecdotally, I have observed harmless but noticeable graphic issues the further I’ve ventured into the game. One of my arms literally disappeared for a while whenever I was in third person view; I’ve passed through objects; and so on.
The point is, a lot is still developing in the game, including my assessment of it on the whole. That is why I decided to withhold my judgment and review until I've spent enough time with the game to get a properly rounded perspective. However, I must say that I don’t find it remarkable or surprising that I have a list of issues I’ve experienced and minor gripes with certain aspects of the game. What’s more remarkable to me is how easily Fallout 4 manages to overcome its imperfections and asserts itself as an excellent game.
The game has been everything I remember Fallout 3 and New Vegas being, just bigger, prettier, and more intense. Even if the graphics fail to set a new standard, they don’t detract from the game or hold it back. An analogy that comes to mind is that Fallout 4 is like an excellent TV series; it may lack the most sophisticated special effects of feature films, but it has so much quality content that it becomes a non-issue. You get completely enthralled by it all the same, arguably more so.
The only question that remains for me is if it can finish as strong as it has started. I believe it can, but only time will tell. To this point, I’ve laughed, nearly cried, and literally jumped countless times from unexpected encounters. I’ve forgotten what I was supposed to be doing or where I was going numerous times as I literally get lost in the wonder of the world that has been created. The entire time I’ve been playing the game, all I could think about is how other gamers have to try it. While your experience and opinions may differ from mine, I’m nearly certain you’ll enjoy this game, especially if you’ve enjoyed previous Fallout titles. The wastelands have never been so wonderful!
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Brandon J. Wysocki is a writer for VGChartz. You're invited to contact Brandon (username SpaceLegends) in the comments below or through private messages on VGChartz, or even at his barely ever used and effectively dormant Twitter account @BrandonJWysocki.
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Now for a new Elder Scrolls.
Im really enjoying the game so far
Got mine in the mail a day early from Best Buy. I played it for about 4 hours, so far with no freezes or any of the problems i has with the PS3 version. The wasteland has never looked so good.
What system?
We got Fallout 4, now we just need to wait for Half Life 3.
The day lord Gaben delivers HL3 is the day he learns to count past 2.
Maybe it's something ridiculous, but am I the only one that thinks the textures on the pipboy are a bit off? The thing looks barely used, it looks like its new.
I saw a trailer where the main character gets a brand new one: that might be the case with this one.
I thought the same thing when I saw it at one point. it needs to be a bit worn, at least I think so
The overseer probably only used the thing for a few months. It's not like you find this pip boy in the wasteland. It's just dusty.
After Metal Gear Solid 5 and Bloodborne the Goty 2015.
