Metascore
52

Mixed or average reviews - based on 46 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 46
  2. Negative: 13 out of 46
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  1. Nov 17, 2018
    Fallout games have long struggle with interface issues, but with the many other open-world games that offer a more streamlined experience, it’s hard to keep picking the one that bumbles something so essential...The problem is at its worst on PC. While aiming is easier due to the precision of a mouse, everything else feels designed with a controller in mind. The Pip-Boy is a real nuisance. You’ll find yourself constantly activating the wrong menu even after hours of play.
  2. The whole play experience seems set up to make you feel as if you’ve arrived just after the fun is over. Indeed, the game’s opening, where you wake up having missed the start of Reclamation Day, and must trudge to the vault’s exit alone through drifts of spent confetti, couldn’t set the tone more succinctly. The party’s over before it’s even started.
  3. Nov 15, 2018
    It never seemed likely that Bethesda was capable of handling an online Fallout game, and the dreadful mess that is Fallout 76 only validates one’s cynicism. Which is fine, because Fallout 76 is, itself, a cynical game. A cynical game that barely works. Lifeless, archaic, and featuring a totally mangled VATS system, this desperate trip on the Live Services bandwagon is an utter waste of time.
User Score
2.8

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 6754 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Nov 14, 2018
    10
    I playing fallout series games since 1997 (i guess) this game is something different that we was having in F1,F2 and now F3 :) but game isI playing fallout series games since 1997 (i guess) this game is something different that we was having in F1,F2 and now F3 :) but game is still good, story and investigation quests are interesting :) and you will find yourself here playing solo as well, world is beautiful and huge :) Bugs? - almost all games have bugs at start, mmo=bugs :) but do not judge it for that , balance maniacs and perfectionists will have to wait for few months :) Full Review »
  2. Nov 15, 2018
    0
    As a lover of the franchise I had to create an account here in Metacritic just to write the following lines:

    Bethesda doesn't care for its
    As a lover of the franchise I had to create an account here in Metacritic just to write the following lines:

    Bethesda doesn't care for its costumers, at all. I tried so hard to defend this game and give this installment a chance, but after playing a few hours after release and getting bored as hell, I had to ask for refund just to find out they won't give your money back after the release date of the game.

    This is the last time I buy a game as a pre-order. And probably the last time I'll ever buy a Bethesda game.

    What is Fallout without the factions fighting for power, heartbreaking stories and awesome companions?

    The game strongest point - its combat system - is unresponsive and laggy. Meelee build is just impossible or not worthy.

    God forgive me for paying this sick joke of a Fallout 4 multiplayer mod the price of a full retail game. Costumers, speak with your wallets.
    Full Review »
  3. Nov 16, 2018
    1
    It's time to stop giving Bethesda a free pass on awful bugs, bland content and putting the money above their customers. It's time to put ourIt's time to stop giving Bethesda a free pass on awful bugs, bland content and putting the money above their customers. It's time to put our foot down and demand better for our $60.

    Post-Skyrim, Bethesda has turned ugly. They've taken the same sociopathic hyper-corporate road as EA and Activision, chasing that sweet cash money to the nth degree while ruthlessly exploiting their fan base and making inferior games.

    For some reason they've been allowed to get away with this for years. The bought-and-paid-for reviewers seem to find "Bethesda bugs" charming and quaint, even joking about how they're "part of the experience".

    Maybe if you get a free review copy of the game they are terribly amusing, but when I'm paying $60 for the privilege I expect the game to run properly and not have to hack the .ini files for hours myself to get it to work. Top "journalists", how much is Bethesda paying you again?

    Anyway, to the game; Fallout 76 is more of the same bland, buggy tripe that we got with Fallout 4 (to the extent it's essentially a multiplayer mod).

    It comes from the same school of cash-grab thought as Metal Gear Survive. Fallout 76's ancient engine is poorly diguised with a flaking new coat of beige paint.

    Unlike single-player Betheda releases, they can't rely wholly on unpaid amateur modders to fix their bugs this time around and so they're likely here to stay. At least it means they won't get to exploit their dedicated community to do their work for them for free.

    Continuing on from Fallout 4's hollow stripping down of the Fallout franchise, Fallout 76 goes another step further, removing all NPCs and replacing them with the cheap, boring terminals and holotapes of Fallout 3 and 4. You know, those excruciatingly boring and meaningless quests people hated (yet are very easy to make)...there's a whole game of those now. Yippee!

    The MP component itself is underwhelming, with castrated PvP (because they didn't want it to be too harsh for the ultra-casuals they're appealing to) and boring co-op. It's no fun to run around in an empty world where there's nothing to do and no real plot.

    Ignore the inevitable 10/10 IGN and "actually I quite like the politics" Kotaku reviews, as they excitedly kiss the rumps of their masters. Bethesda have churned out re-release after re-release of Skyrim, tried to force "Paid Mods" into their games and now they've moved into cynical cash-grab territory. It's time to push back.
    Full Review »