Fallout 4

 PlayStation 4
User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 6079 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3,504 out of 6079
  2. Mixed: 1,171 out of 6079
  3. Negative: 1,404 out of 6079
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  1. Tyo28
    Nov 16, 2015
    5
    Honest Review

    I made a meta critic account to review this game because I am extremely disappointed. I pre ordered this game weeks in advance because I am a if fan of the fallout series. I enjoyed Fallout 3 and yes even New Vegas. I couldn't wait to sit down for hours and tell everyone how good this game is...alas it isn't so. The graphics for one are mediocre at best with game such    Honest Review

    I made a meta critic account to review this game because I am extremely disappointed. I pre ordered this game weeks in advance because I am a if fan of the fallout series. I enjoyed Fallout 3 and yes even New Vegas. I couldn't wait to sit down for hours and tell everyone how good this game is...alas it isn't so.

    The graphics for one are mediocre at best with game such as witcher 3 and assassins creed pushing the envelope. There is no excuse for this at all. Honestly it's comparable to the graphics in Fallout 3

    The story, I know how could they screw this part up. This is what I was like looking forward to the most. They were very lazy in putting the story together. There is no back story or time to get in to the character which is a staple with fallout games. The reviewers say they throw you in to the story. I say they were lazy plain and simple. The result is I don't care about the character or his journey.

    The gameplay smh. It just isn't fun. There is no yes moment when you kill your last enemy or go through the dialogue which is all bad. The main character sounds like he is one word away from going straight to sleep.

    In the end I am very disappointed. Bethesda had enough time to knock this out the park but gave us something that feels unfinished . I read through the positive reviews no and I understand people want to like this game honestly I get that. As gamers though we can't settle for mediocrity lets reward companies who push the envelope and berate those who give us slop. This is the first game I ever preordered and I'm honestly amazed at how mediocre it is. I would rent it first if you like it then buy. Shame on Bethesda though for releasing this knowing it was half crap.    … Expand
  2. davedrummer88
    Nov 16, 2015
    8
    This is a review to negate my early review (of about 10 hours play) rated at 6.

    This game gets its hooks in you. As pro site reviewer said, "the details make it." That sentiment is right. The deja vu is strong in the first 10-20 hours, and it doesn't hold your hand–and that's when you realize that's what makes this game shine. The homesteader aspect of defending whatever garage/outpost;    This is a review to negate my early review (of about 10 hours play) rated at 6.

    This game gets its hooks in you. As pro site reviewer said, "the details make it." That sentiment is right. The deja vu is strong in the first 10-20 hours, and it doesn't hold your hand–and that's when you realize that's what makes this game shine. The homesteader aspect of defending whatever garage/outpost; treating the power armor as a "vehicle"–these are the little touches that makes me wish I had played this game with fresh eyes. But Fallout 3 colored my first dozen or so hours. Fans won't be disappointed; it just make take some time before you realize it.    … Expand
  3. Ozwald
    Nov 17, 2015
    1
    No choice on how to develop your character, no branching storylines in quest, no real RPG elements what so ever. This is one of the most dumbed down entries I've seen in a series that once prided itself on choice and consequence.
  4. et_phone_home
    Nov 12, 2015
    6
    STOP!

    Don't buy this game now and wait for the price to drop and buy it cheap. Cheap price for a cheap game. I'm not gonna repeat all that is said in the bad reviews, read them, it's all there. 1) Bethesda should fire all team. There is a clear lack of ambition and competence. You have the money, but you lack the professionals. Bethesda was a reference in RPGs but no longer.    STOP!

    Don't buy this game now and wait for the price to drop and buy it cheap.
    Cheap price for a cheap game.

    I'm not gonna repeat all that is said in the bad reviews, read them, it's all there.

    1) Bethesda should fire all team. There is a clear lack of ambition and competence. You have the money, but you lack the professionals. Bethesda was a reference in RPGs but no longer. There are emerging teams a lot better than you creating RPG games.

    Like in the Elder Scrolls series that afters a decade can't still even get a decent combat system.

    2) Get a new decent engine along with decent programmers, writters and graphical artists. Your employees suck. They lack vision, quality and ambition. This is 2015 and Bethesda no longer rule in the RPG kingdom.

    I should have bought Divinity: Original Sin for PS4 instead of Fallout 4. What a mistake...

    This game is no way a zero, but you get one has a punishment for trying to destroy what was in the past a decent game.

    Please Bethesda, if you ever read this, fire all your employees and get new ones. Why?

    I love Witcher as i love Fallout, Mass Effect or Elder scrolls, so i'm not defending or attacking no one...

    Witcher 3

    "Took 3.5 years to develope with a total of 240 in-house staff. The development and marketing costs was about $81 million USD."

    And they've created a great game techically, artistically and with amazing writting.

    So now, Bethesda, compare this values with your values to create Fallout 4 that has poor writting, poor artistic value and technically looks like a Fallout 3 HD Remaster.

    After all this years of waiting i must say i'm truly disappointed with this game.

    Now i have to wait another 7 years to review Fallout 5.

    Over and out.    … Expand
  5. Remall69
    Nov 17, 2015
    5
    What a big letdown! Bethesda promised FALLOUT and RPG so I quickly went out of my way to freaking buy this game. What I got is FARCRY+BORDERLANDS!!!

    This is not an RPG but an open world FPS! Gone are the brilliant sidequests in NV where you can finish a quest numerous ways and you can even be an evil bastard. Instead you get a quest, kill X amount, and go back to npc and be the good guy    What a big letdown! Bethesda promised FALLOUT and RPG so I quickly went out of my way to freaking buy this game. What I got is FARCRY+BORDERLANDS!!!

    This is not an RPG but an open world FPS! Gone are the brilliant sidequests in NV where you can finish a quest numerous ways and you can even be an evil bastard. Instead you get a quest, kill X amount, and go back to npc and be the good guy everyone wants you to be. Bethesda what the hell happened?

    Granted, a lot of gameplay has been polished but the RPG elements really took a step back. This game is great without the Fallout name but what I wanted is Fallout not FarcryLands!    … Expand
  6. CR2803
    Nov 10, 2015
    5
    Ehhhhhh. Disappointed is an under-statement, thanks a lot Last of Us.

    I know it's not the same game, the RPG feature being the major factor in why people buy the majority of Bethesda games. But with the setting being quite similar it makes it very difficult for me not to compare the two (especially after playing in 3rd person mode). The game doesn't feel like it's progressed enough    Ehhhhhh. Disappointed is an under-statement, thanks a lot Last of Us.

    I know it's not the same game, the RPG feature being the major factor in why people buy the majority of Bethesda games. But with the setting being quite similar it makes it very difficult for me not to compare the two (especially after playing in 3rd person mode). The game doesn't feel like it's progressed enough since Fallout 3, certainly not enough for 7 years and on a new generation of consoles. The frame-rate consistently drops way below its capped 30fps, very frustrating bugs when playing and a broken autosave function that basically just doesn't.. save.. After about 4 hours straight gameplay, and after numerous "autosaves" I died. This returned me way back, literally missions back. I had trophies for missions I completed, then had to complete the missions again. After re-doing the missions, I found the only way to do it is to manual save, which can be quite frustrating as it's so easy to forget in 2015.

    Remembering when The Last of Us was released on Playstation 3, visually it was better than this is, the gameplay was a hell of a lot smoother and although it did have bugs they weren't game-changing, the gameplay was good enough to forgive and so was the story. For this being a story-oriented game, I expected a lot better after eagerly awaiting it since its announcements' teasing announcement. The last of Us, for me personally, has really set the bar for the whole post-apocalyptic theme and this game falls way, way short of it in any way.

    Despite this, the game is still playable to an extent and would hope that the game isn't so bug-filled and disappointing for others. I have full faith that Bethesda will patch the problems sooner rather than later, they really won't want to lose any more reputation on a big game leading up to Christmas. But until these fixes are popped-up in the top left corner of my screen with a v1.02 update, my copy is staying in the shelf.

    And people, I know it's bad right now, but giving it 0/10 implies it's one of the worst games ever made. We all know that award is a fight between the annual murder of the COD and FIFA franchises.    … Expand
  7. mreel
    Nov 15, 2015
    4
    Played the game for 10 hours, and I've got enough. The game unfortunately has suffered a serious dumb-down. What I hate most is that it could even be a decent game. Some of the changes aren't even really that bad. Sure the new leveling system might hurt a bit at first, but it's a good attempt to balance the incredibly broken skill system (I mean does anybody miss Survival, really?).Played the game for 10 hours, and I've got enough. The game unfortunately has suffered a serious dumb-down. What I hate most is that it could even be a decent game. Some of the changes aren't even really that bad. Sure the new leveling system might hurt a bit at first, but it's a good attempt to balance the incredibly broken skill system (I mean does anybody miss Survival, really?). Crafting system means instead of going to a vendor, you will scrap useless weapons of your enemies and modify your own. Radiation matters and it matters much. But well, that's it for the advantages of this game.

    Main issue of this game? You go to the nearest location of your vault and hear shooting raiders. Not thinking much you go shooting them, a obvious quest-giver hero figure shows and thanks you because you had a choice to go away. Oh, really? My only real choice there was to start a mission or not start a mission. I couldn't shoot him in the face, I couldn't just tell them to run away with me to the sanctuary, since I wanted to make a pacifist run. No the only real choice I had was to mow down Raiders with a minigun in a power suit, or go away. I couldn't even make a choice about how my character would behave. It was mostly yes, no, question and sarcastic, which half of the time is playful, half is annoyed. Which brings us to another great issue: lack of character creation. Sure I could sculpt faces of both of them however I wanted, but it was still a person capable of having a family. No psychopaths, no antisocial nerds. Wonder how he got such a good wife with one point of charisma. Part of what makes Bethesda recipe games good is how we forget about main quest while exploring surroundings, each having it's own story. No such thing in Fallout 4. You will constantly remind everybody (and game will for you) that you have a son you don't care about to rescue. The settlement mechanic is slapped on the game and provides you no reason to use it. Do you really care about some unnamed settlers who provide no reason to fight for them, only demanding really useful and rare resources like military grade circuit board, for some radiated fruits?

    Game isn't even immersive, does not make you care about what goes on the screen, only to push your armor to protect you against more damage. No illusion of autonomy, you either go a one specific way designers expect you to, or you don't go at all. It's worst sin is that unlike Skyrim, which had many similar problems, it's also unengaging of all things.    … Expand
  8. ButcherPete
    Nov 12, 2015
    5
    Atrocious settlement mechanic, **** dialogue wheel reducing every conversation to yes/no/sarcastic, zero nuance to quests or factions, hamboggled crafting system, lack of memorable characters rendering most of the npcs as props instead of people, and a forced role to play really make it hard to appreciate the fun aspects of this game.

    "streamlining" really soiled the game for me.    Atrocious settlement mechanic, **** dialogue wheel reducing every conversation to yes/no/sarcastic, zero nuance to quests or factions, hamboggled crafting system, lack of memorable characters rendering most of the npcs as props instead of people, and a forced role to play really make it hard to appreciate the fun aspects of this game.

    "streamlining" really soiled the game for me.

    disappointment/10    … Expand
  9. ringontherail
    Nov 10, 2015
    4
    Thank you, Bethesda, for providing us the clearest picture yet of the "professional critic" landscape. Between the obvious lack of heart involved in this cash-grab glorified Fallout 3 DLC, the use of a tired, buggy engine and the "streamlined" dialog one realizes that 90% of these review web-sites or magazines are clearly in Bethesda's pocket.
    We consumers need to do each other a favor,    Thank you, Bethesda, for providing us the clearest picture yet of the "professional critic" landscape. Between the obvious lack of heart involved in this cash-grab glorified Fallout 3 DLC, the use of a tired, buggy engine and the "streamlined" dialog one realizes that 90% of these review web-sites or magazines are clearly in Bethesda's pocket.
    We consumers need to do each other a favor, and stop visiting web sites that continue to rain 8's 9's and 10's on every high-profile, large studio release.    … Expand
  10. AlexLas95
    Nov 14, 2015
    4
    *First of all, to all the people giving this game a 0, 1 or 2 rating... really? You have no idea what a 0, 1, or 2 rating game really is... Now my impressions of the game:

    Bethesda what happened? I'm so disappointed by this game. The graphics are just meh... but that doesn't matter, but then with the mediocre graphics the game has, how is it that the game has some FPS drops? HOW?!?!    *First of all, to all the people giving this game a 0, 1 or 2 rating... really? You have no idea what a 0, 1, or 2 rating game really is... Now my impressions of the game:

    Bethesda what happened?

    I'm so disappointed by this game. The graphics are just meh... but that doesn't matter, but then with the mediocre graphics the game has, how is it that the game has some FPS drops? HOW?!?!

    The story is not really interesting neither but that didn't catch me as a surprise to be honest (Haven't finished it yet though, I have played it like 24 hours or so). The problem is that not only I have to deal with the mostly dumb dialogues this game offers, I also have to suffer the worst voice acting I have heard on a huge triple A game. Spanish voice actors I mean, don't know how the English voice acting is for the game, but I wish I could, because guess what, I CAN'T CHANGE THE F***ING LANGUAGE OF THE GAME!! WHYYY!!!

    And the decisions you make on the game are:
    Option 1: YES
    Option 2: NO
    ^ That's exactly the kind of decisions you are going to find on this game. Awesome right?...

    It took me quite some time to get used to the controls of the game because they are not what you would consider good...

    I'm not going to play the game right now any longer, I'm going to wait for some patches because the game needs them. So right now I give the game a 4, when they release some patches maybe it will go up to a 6 or even more. I hope so...

    So this is not a review since I haven't finished it yet, just my impressions.    … Expand
  11. braddog1988
    Nov 12, 2015
    1
    I registered with metacritic just to write a review on this huge disappointment. I never played fallout 1 or 2. I however, fell in love with the game based off fallout 3 AND fallout new vegas. All the create your own path elements are completely removed from the game. As with many other games, when you "simplify" and "streamline" games that were already wildly popular, you are basicallyI registered with metacritic just to write a review on this huge disappointment. I never played fallout 1 or 2. I however, fell in love with the game based off fallout 3 AND fallout new vegas. All the create your own path elements are completely removed from the game. As with many other games, when you "simplify" and "streamline" games that were already wildly popular, you are basically dumbing it down to the lowest common denominator, and ignoring the fact the game was wildly popular before without having done so. What once was a great game is ruined. The fact you could kill almost anyone was a reflection of the make any choice feel to the game. Now, 90% of NPCs are invincible, but are able to remember your bad actions and kill you even after you have respawned from the fact they just killed you. No weapons are armor degradation. Boring repetitive dialogue wheel. I would rather have kept no voice for more depth of dialogue choices, outcomes, consequences, and funny responses. You could be whoever you wanted in the game, but of course with consequences. Now, besides your looks, every character is the same bland character at heart. Yes the previous fallout had general endings, but at least they were ranged based on what you've done and the kind of person you had been throughout the game. The things that made the game an enjoyable challenging, like actually have consequences and rewards to having certain special attributes, skills and perks, to weapons and armor degradation, to having to or choosing to alter your playstyle to fit your characters unique skill set and personality, was what made the game so immersive and made you feel as if you were a part of the game, telling your own story. I find the biggest irony to be that the game is rated mature but gutted out, dumbed down and simplified enough so that small children can follow along. The thrill of finally getting your hands on power armor midway or late in the game is quickly replaced by a deflated instant gratification of being in armor 20 minutes into the game. Yes the FPS elements are improved, the settlement idea is cool if that's your thing, and it makes the massive amount of random items more useful, but it also makes them potentially more annoying and tedious to collect. I could care less about the graphics, and even some of the bugs, if the story, choice and gameplay elements were as great as before. Bethesda failed to realize that the very same thing that allowed them to get away with what has turned out to be a massive hype train cash grab is exactly what they have abandoned. The overpriced McDonalds happy meal quality pip boy that needs a phone to work with the game, otherwise its a cheap fragile prop. The t shirts, the figurines, the collectors edition vault dwellers guide, etc., etc., etc. this game was so commercialized from the beginning I should have seen the quality coming. No I have nothing against Bethesda, well at least not up until now. I never played and elder scolls, skyrim, or mass effect. But apparently this is a common theme from understandably pissed repeat victims of Bethesda. As much as the COD sheep crowd and professional critic crowd want to dismiss us as unpleasable, stuck in the past "metacritic troll" curmudgeons, this game is a siginificant downgrade to the series. I also find the critique of saying its a remastered fallout 3 or a fallout 3 dlc to be too kind. Fallout 3 and IMO especially Fallout New Vegas, are superior in every way to fallout 4. The only way I will ever consider buying another fallout is if obsidian is put in charge of development again. Wasted money on a watered down disappointment, that sacrificed the awesome intricacies for superficial "mass appeal upgrades" like a voiced character and improved FPS elements. Sadly and ironically the game already had mass appeal without these horrid "tradeoffs" and now in my opinion, never will have the same hype. Franchises always do this. Ditch what made you an awesome game in order to have more mass appeal, but in the end never realizing that what you chose to ditch is exactly what gave you mass appeal. People don't buy franchise games because of how much they are exactly like other franchise games. They buy franchise games because they are their own unique game, yet they are similar to other games in the franchise, but with improvements, without detracting from or sacrificing old elements that made the game a thrill in the first place. If I want to see COD elements in every game, I will keep playing COD. If I want to see GTA in every game, I will keep playing GTA. If I want to see fallout elements in every game, well I guess I cant play FO4, I need to go back to new vegas or FO3. People don't buy different games to keep playing the same generic game with different studios and names plastered on front of the game. I thought I was buying fallout 4, not fallout of duty black ops. GOTY? no, more like disappointment of the year.… Expand
  12. fuzzyy
    Nov 16, 2015
    4
    It's sad. I made a metacritc acc just to do this, sad release, sad game. How critic reviews are so high? That is impossible that a professional human, evolved in all context that's this game represent give it a 7+. It is a 7 on max, for a fps with crafting.
    How could Bethesda said that's the most ambition game ever? It is completely a lie, theres no point in game that's flag his ambition.    It's sad. I made a metacritc acc just to do this, sad release, sad game. How critic reviews are so high? That is impossible that a professional human, evolved in all context that's this game represent give it a 7+. It is a 7 on max, for a fps with crafting.
    How could Bethesda said that's the most ambition game ever? It is completely a lie, theres no point in game that's flag his ambition.
    The game is fallout new vegas on a upside down perspective,
    just about everything is wrong. It has MINOR improvements from Fallout 3 and is just that. Seven years later, seven.
    Total shame. Be good with you and go play Witcher 3.    … Expand
  13. tastierax
    Nov 12, 2015
    3
    No longer an rpg the game,dialogue, skills and perks overhaul was a huge mistake and the game becomes boring very quickly
    if you buy it fo PC ask a refound
  14. jaydee91
    Nov 11, 2015
    2
    I am really disappointed and slightly deflated to be playing this after so much hope and excitement.
    I don't know if it's purely my expectations based on the fact they've had years and a massive budget to produce a game more polished than what Skyrim looks like today with mods, but judging by many of the other reviewers here (not paid companies and journalists) I'm not the only one by    I am really disappointed and slightly deflated to be playing this after so much hope and excitement.
    I don't know if it's purely my expectations based on the fact they've had years and a massive budget to produce a game more polished than what Skyrim looks like today with mods, but judging by many of the other reviewers here (not paid companies and journalists) I'm not the only one by far.
    I literally stopped playing last night as I had work this morning and I cant be bothered going back. Instead I've downloaded the new DLC for Witcher 3.
    I would try and say to those ho are massive Bethesda, Skyrim, Fallout 3 fans to try it out, but honestly I really can't recommend it, I shouldn't. I feel really let down and we're all pretty much just contributing to our own disappointment. They know we'll just buy these games no matter what.
    I wouldn't be surprised if in 4-5 years they try to sell us a new elder scrolls in the form of a mod kit for £50 and just continue to laugh as the money pours in :(    … Expand
  15. RoyMustang
    Nov 13, 2015
    0
    A quick summary for any of you page scrollers: If you're a fan of fallout (particularly NV), you're going to be majorly disappointed. If you're someone whos a big RPG fan, you're going to be disappointed. If you're neither of those you might have a good time with the game but if you do i strongly advise you whip out the last gen systems and play FO3/NV (Especially NV).
  16. WasaStar
    Nov 12, 2015
    5
    Quite disappointing game. Pre-ordered the game well before launch and was waiting for release date.
    The graphics is okay in best case but rather ugly. In some scenes ever lagging.

    The quests are boring and dialogs are rather stupid. Mostly Yes, No.
    SPECIAL skill tree is pretty worthless.

    Will finish the story mode quickly and resell the game while still worth anything.
  17. TribeMeladee
    Nov 12, 2015
    4
    I pre-ordered this ... what a mistake.

    I find it difficult to believe, with the new generation consoles, that i have to put up with clunky graphics. I reload Witcher 3 and then go back to Fall out 4 and wonder if the people at Bethesda are watching their competition. Why doesnt my hair move ... The narrative gets lost. I am supposed to be searching for my baby but why don't i    I pre-ordered this ... what a mistake.

    I find it difficult to believe, with the new generation consoles, that i have to put up with clunky graphics. I reload Witcher 3 and then go back to Fall out 4 and wonder if the people at Bethesda are watching their competition.

    Why doesnt my hair move ...

    The narrative gets lost. I am supposed to be searching for my baby but why don't i care?

    Why do i look like someone put varnish on my face ...

    The UI is hard to handle with no improvements to inventory and the map. Frame rates, when there are too many people on the screen, are intolerable. I have even encountered areas free of NPCs, that i have frame rate issues ... seriously disappointing.

    Immortal NPCs ..... nuff said. They should have given the dog a cape and painted a huge "S" on it. One of the things that was set as a feature was all of the voice acting but it doesnt help me engage with the characters. When i played Witcher 3 i felt i was part of the story and it didnt matter minor the quest was. The dialogue and how the dialogue was introduced by my character made me feel as though i was a part of the story and that i was important. Fallout in contrast is quite the opposite in that i just dont care and i am having difficulty connecting to the story.

    Best thing about this game is that its new and i can sell it to someone at work, probably at a loss. Bethesda, i am going back to replay Witcher 3 +mode.    … Expand
  18. masterchief247
    Nov 16, 2015
    3
    Unlike many others, this is my first time playing a Fallout games. I truly enjoy games where I can create my own character, which is why I was looking forward to this game. Even reserved it. Unfortunately, the story is bad. Why am I fighting to save people 30 minutes after leaving the vault if I am supposed to be looking for my baby? Why should I risk my life for these people withUnlike many others, this is my first time playing a Fallout games. I truly enjoy games where I can create my own character, which is why I was looking forward to this game. Even reserved it. Unfortunately, the story is bad. Why am I fighting to save people 30 minutes after leaving the vault if I am supposed to be looking for my baby? Why should I risk my life for these people with guns, which jeopardizes my main goal? Also, I am encountering game bugs. For example, I like to play with subtitles on so I don't miss any of the dialogue. At times, a subtitle already spoken will remain on screen after being spoken, while the audio voice of the characters continues on. The only way to correct it was go into the options, turn subtitles off, go back to the game, than back to options to turn them back on. Very frustrating. The hit detection on enemies while aiming down the sites is terrible. Very often, buy aim site will be right on the enemy, but the shot doesn't hit. Frankly, a game like Saints Row has more depth and a better story, which is kind of sad. At least in that game, the story progresses logically toward my end goal. I only gave it a 3 because I liked the in game music, and being able to create a neat character of my own. Will be selling/trading In right away before the price goes down.… Expand
  19. GOODFELLA87
    Nov 14, 2015
    0
    One of the few games i've every bothered to pre-order without waiting for reviews and boy did i make a mistake. I don't understand all the critic reviews they have to of been playing a completely different game, have been paid-off or are too scared to lose access to future early access with developers.
  20. LudwigA
    Nov 10, 2015
    3
    Overall: sub-par.

    The game is basically worthless as a RPG or a Fallout game, so if that's what you are after, this is not for you. Play something like Witcher 3, Pillars of Eternity or replay F1/F2 instead. But even as a action shooter, the game is not actually good. Mediocre is the word that keeps popping into my head as I walk around the wasteland and shoot stuff while listening to    Overall: sub-par.

    The game is basically worthless as a RPG or a Fallout game, so if that's what you are after, this is not for you. Play something like Witcher 3, Pillars of Eternity or replay F1/F2 instead. But even as a action shooter, the game is not actually good. Mediocre is the word that keeps popping into my head as I walk around the wasteland and shoot stuff while listening to 50s music.

    It's a generally clunky game, while the AI of both enemies and companions is a joke. "Hey we got some cover right there, but let's not use it and instead run straight at the enemy that just has mowed down my four buddies!" The story is weak, the characters one-dimensional and the dialogues are down right cringeworthy. And the whole conversation wheel is just dumb. The graphics are improved from previous Bethesda titles, but is still several years behind even when you take into the account the large environments. Witcher 3 has vastly superior graphics, for instance.

    The gun play is better than FO 3, but still clunky and uninspiring and still not on the level of your average first/third person shooter. The whole construction bit just feels pasted on and not really part of the game. The fact that all the game-play mechanics that New Vegas added and improved over FO3 have been removed, is just stupid. No one forced you to play hardcore mode in FNV, but the option was there for those who wished it.

    The world is basically the game's strongest aspect, and it ranges from somewhat interesting to dull. Many locations are nothing but enemy spawn-points with loot. Sometimes there is some sort of story or background attached to a location, but often it just feels like a waste of time to explore them. I like many of the power armor mechanics in the game, but Bethesda made the armor itself so easy to get and so prevalent in the world, that it didn't feel like anything special in the end.

    So all in all, I'm not at all impressed. I regret my purchase.    … Expand
  21. iceman00n
    Nov 16, 2015
    3
    I am sure that Bethesda worked some long and crazy hours for this... Haha, just kidding. So I loved New Vegas, and Put the time in to beat Fallout 3. As games progress, you should see definite improvements in graphics, gameplay, and pacing. This game falls so short. This game is UGLY!!! Character animations are off (and sometimes Laughable), gunplay is just as lagging, and my god, thisI am sure that Bethesda worked some long and crazy hours for this... Haha, just kidding. So I loved New Vegas, and Put the time in to beat Fallout 3. As games progress, you should see definite improvements in graphics, gameplay, and pacing. This game falls so short. This game is UGLY!!! Character animations are off (and sometimes Laughable), gunplay is just as lagging, and my god, this crafting/upgrading takes so much away from the fallout experience it is stupid. This game is not a next Gen Game, and is riddled with so many annoying bugs. Really Terrible game.… Expand
  22. spikearg
    Nov 11, 2015
    1
    No longer an rpg the game would deserve more but considering that this comes after the amazing new vegas it is sad that they take so much of the rpg elements and dumbed down the conversational elements of the first two fallouts.
    Soon it will hapen like in mass effect that every game had even less choices because it was a pain in the ass for the developeners to voice everything
  23. SURYASHEKHAR
    Nov 11, 2015
    4
    Average at its best to be honest. The game looks a bit dated and a bit boring but overall, again, pretty average. I had high expectations from fallout 4 considering all that pre-release hype it had.
  24. stickypete
    Nov 10, 2015
    0
    It is disappointing to see how people who know nothing about the depth and complexity of fallout are not only okay with, but also ask for the simplification, or 'skyrimification' of the franchise. The removal of karma and skills, the latter being a fundamental part of the special system, are unacceptable. As if the invincible characters and terrible writing hadn't dealt a bad enough blow.It is disappointing to see how people who know nothing about the depth and complexity of fallout are not only okay with, but also ask for the simplification, or 'skyrimification' of the franchise. The removal of karma and skills, the latter being a fundamental part of the special system, are unacceptable. As if the invincible characters and terrible writing hadn't dealt a bad enough blow. At this point, fallout fans who primarily enjoy the classics will have to wait for obsidian to make a game with substance (If Bethesda lets them).… Expand
  25. BushKidScoped
    Nov 10, 2015
    0
    I played 10 hours of the game and kept an open mind but I can say that after reading what the reviewers have to say along with my experience of this game, nobody has pointed out the real problem of why this game just doesn't cut it. Being a Philosophy major, I'll help people understand the problems here. Fallout 4 is not a good game because it was created not with the content or art of theI played 10 hours of the game and kept an open mind but I can say that after reading what the reviewers have to say along with my experience of this game, nobody has pointed out the real problem of why this game just doesn't cut it. Being a Philosophy major, I'll help people understand the problems here. Fallout 4 is not a good game because it was created not with the content or art of the game in mind but the money. There is evidence to show, and in fact business/accounting majors are taught this phenomenon that happens globally, that when money becomes a reward for doing an action, intellectual involvement decreases as well as detail oriented work and consideration decreases. This corresponds to the game in that this was an anticipated blockbuster hit. Because the money came first probably since the marketing team oversees many projects within a company, the game lost what would have made it a "True" fallout game like that of New Vegas and 3. Intuitively, this is easy to see from the marketer's perspective, "Do I pay this story writer three times more than I do now for a good story in this game and get payed less or do I just make sure the bells and whistles work long enough to make more money and cut out a story?" Simple answer, the marketer is taught how to make money. Don't expect a mathematician to work with artists about how to make art theory more rigorous. Don't expect a theologian to try to give arguments against the existence of God. Don't expect the marketer to worry about the aesthetic value of Fallout 4 in dealing with choice, determinism, literature, story, and experience. He worries about cash. Extend this to other games. Call of Duty franchise after CoD4, League of Legends with not well thought-out champions, World of Warcraft after Wrath of Lich King with bland armor designs, dumbed down lore, etc... Bethesda will learn that people didn't come to see cheap county art fair drawings. We came to see the next piece of art that guides the gaming community and creators. Money is easily forgotten, but destruction of reputation is a deep scar. Let this be a lesson for any company that thinks a marketer can do better than a chef, musician, programmer, engineer, scientist, painter, mathematician, or a philosopher. Leave those arts to their masters, not a person looking to make a profit off of it.

    Sincerely,
    A gamer.    … Expand
  26. leugim696
    Nov 10, 2015
    0
    dumbed down rpg mechanics, horrible voice acting, atrocious graphics, a story that seems like it was written by a grade-schooler, and that fps. wait for the GOTY version, at least then you'll get the full story with less bugs.
  27. Guasimodo
    Nov 11, 2015
    0
    The game is horrible compared to Fallout 3, almost all the fun features have been removed or dumbed down.
    All there is a left is a boring, empty world with nothing meaningful to do. Not to mention all the technical glitches and slow downs that make the game nigh unplayable themselves.
  28. Merfy
    Nov 11, 2015
    1
    This is my first review on Metacritic, I felt compelled to set up an account purely to warn people about this game. Im a long time fan of the Fallout series and I keep an open mind to most games that come out, but this instalment had me gutted after 14 - 15 hours of playing(PS4), I just was'nt bothered going any further with either the story(yawn...) or the exploring of the landscape. IThis is my first review on Metacritic, I felt compelled to set up an account purely to warn people about this game. Im a long time fan of the Fallout series and I keep an open mind to most games that come out, but this instalment had me gutted after 14 - 15 hours of playing(PS4), I just was'nt bothered going any further with either the story(yawn...) or the exploring of the landscape. I was expecting Bethesda to release a wonderful game, I had never been so excited for a game release and I had been picturing how amazing it would be for a long time(Just like most of you im sure).

    I give this game a 1 which is a true reflection of the garbage that is Fallout 4, I am disgusted to be honest that it actually made it to the shelves in the state it's in and feel like an idiot for buying it outright thinking it would be the best game ever made. This is the last time I buy a game from Bethesda, also the last time I pre-order a game, I have finally learned from my mistakes in recent years. Ok so ill try keep it brief:

    - Graphics are a joke, they look similar to games I played on 360 and PS3. I dunno about you guys but I was expecting much much better than this. Some of the textures are laughable and borderline offensive by today's standards. The NPC's and most of the characters are also lifeless in appearance and the guns dont look great either despite the hype about crafting/customising, they all look like scrap metal in the end. This game looks like it was made back in 2008 or 2009, so outdated in appearance.

    - Gameplay is pretty annoying and sluggish, I grew so frustrated with the shooting it just feels strange. I dont think I enjoyed a single exchange in the whole game, the fights were so boring and there are huge fps issues when the larger gun fights break out. Dont even get me started on perks and the protagonist, no matter what you choose/say it all feels and sounds the same there is a glaring lack of effort put into this part of the game. That stupid dog annoyed me greatly as well and the new V.A.T.S was also meh...

    - Performance is really poor, as I mentioned above fps issues a plenty and I encountered enough bugs to piss me off enough to give up on Fallout 4. Some of the bugs had me incensed, where you will be forced to reload an earlier save which can mean you need to repeat various tasks/missions all over again. Such a mess I recommend manually saving if you somehow like this game and want to play it further

    Its a broken game, its lacking creativity on all fronts and the AI will drive you insane at times. The entire game is lazy and poorly made, its not functioning properly on all platforms from what ive read and in my eyes it is a colossal failure. All the mods in the world wont fix this sorry excuse of a game, save your time and money if you haven't already made the same mistake I did.

    There are multiple PS4 titles out there which are far more deserving such as Dying Light, Bloodborne, Borderlands, Uncharted Collection and Last of Us to name a few, all of which I found very enjoyable but hey that's just me we all have our preferences. I cant really put into words how I feel about Fallout 4, its not what I thought it would be but I didn't expect it to be this bad. Literally no positives to mention, except the bobble-head figure I got for picking it up at midnight which looks cool.

    Yours sincerely,

    A heartbroken gamer :(
    I    … Expand
  29. meddude
    Nov 11, 2015
    0
    Shockingly bad game. Bad Textures. Poor game mechanics. Horribly annoying interface. How can this game get such positive reviews?!?! Ill never trust another IGN review again. User reviews only - at least they seem to have less bias.
    Bethesda you ought to be ashamed!
  30. Whelp
    Nov 11, 2015
    3
    One of the biggest disappointments in gaming I've seen in a while. There are so many simple mechanics that were senselessly sabotaged for the sake of streamlining the experience, and ironically, the game fails to do so most of the time. When the game does manage to streamline the experience, it ends up dumbing the mechanics down to the point where they aren't fun anymore.

    First; the    One of the biggest disappointments in gaming I've seen in a while. There are so many simple mechanics that were senselessly sabotaged for the sake of streamlining the experience, and ironically, the game fails to do so most of the time. When the game does manage to streamline the experience, it ends up dumbing the mechanics down to the point where they aren't fun anymore.

    First; the good. The gun-play is improved from previous games. The enemies are very fast and aggressive and the guns don't have perfect accuracy, which is a great incentive to use VATS despite the weapon handling being vastly improved. The character creator is also fantastic. You have a solid amount of control and sculpting the face rather than using sliders was very inspired and makes creating a character a blast, although, I feel like it's hard to make any face that deviates too much from the default model you have; despite this, it's still a great addition to the game. The settlement building gives purpose to picking up junk, and it can be interesting to see some of the most useless items end up having a legitimate use later on. The way radiation chips down your max health was another great subtle touch, making radiation a legitimate concern unlike Fallout 3.

    Now the bad. The opening of the game sets the tone for the rest of the game as far as story-telling goes. It's rushed, it lacks personality, it's generic, shallow, and it fails to establish even the smallest emotional connection to any of the characters or the universe. For whatever reason, we're supposed to care about this ensemble of characters despite knowing nothing about their backstories or personalities. These aren't characters, they're character models spouting out exposition. Once tragedy strikes and your main character gets out of the vault he seems remarkably unaffected by what has happened. When you explain you're over 200 years old, the other characters are also unaffected. The dialogue is simply there to progress the bare bones plot and lacks any personality or character. I couldn't tell you anything about the main cast of characters aside from the fact that they send me on incredibly basic "clear the area" and "pick up the item" quests. I have a massive excess of caps already, and I have nothing to spend them on. The settlement mechanic would be good, but assigning members to certain tasks is beyond un-intuitive and is a complete hassle. Rather than having a list of members in the settlement and a list of things to assign them to you have to walk up to one and walk back to what needs assigning. This would be monotonous if the settlements were small, but they generally aren't, making them beyond monotonous. The first buddy you come across, meatdog, is a stimpack guzzling moron that runs into combat only to immediately get knocked down. The friendly AI is way too aggressive, and they rarely ever follow the limited commands you can give properly. The way charisma works is awful. IT's not intuitive, it makes no sense gameplay wise or logically in the context of the universe, and it is very obviously inferior to what was previously in place. The new dialogue wheel is bad, but it suits the writing well since all of your responses are very generic yes or no replies or cringe worthy jokes/sarcasm. Rather than having your character be a blank slate for you to *role play* as, you play a set character, and he/she couldn't be more boring if he/she tried. So much emphasis was put on humanizing your character, with fully acted dialogue and an attempted personal story, only to provide one of the most boring/shallow experiences I've had in a long time. To say this voice acting wasn't utilized well would be an understatement. If anything, there's more of a reason for the dialogue to just be text in this game considering how boring all of your responses are. As for the technical side, this game is loaded to the brim with bugs which is absolutely unacceptable. Warping around rooms for no reason, grenade indicators pointing the opposite way, enemies shooting into the sky after being hit, bad AI, bad graphics, you name some sort of technical issue and this game has it; It's a buggy mess. It seems animations are missing as well, such as an animation for holstering your gun.

    I don't like throwing this word around, but I honestly think Fallout 4 is simply unfinished. There are mechanics that make no sense, it's way too dumbed down, and there's no way any QA department approved of the game in this current state; the graphics are bad, the animations are stiff, the gameplay is boring, the writing is mediocre at best, and the world is not interesting. Fallout 4 is the most disappointing game I've played in a very long time, but at least Bethesda made it very clear to me very quickly that i shouldn't buy their games anymore; rather than giving this game any redeeming value and making me stick around for the next one, I know to just give up now before wasting any more of my time or money.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

16
#16 Best PS4 Game of 2015
3
#3 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2015
2
#2 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 58 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 52 out of 58
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 58
  3. Negative: 0 out of 58
  1. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Dec 16, 2015
    80
    A strong return for the franchise, boasting incredible customisation, a fascinating world and brutal yet brainy shooting, slightly tarnished by lacklustre AI and tedious inventory management. [Christmas 2015, p.88]
  2. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Dec 15, 2015
    90
    Feral Ghoul ugly in many ways, but beneath its iffy exterior beats the heart of one helluva great RPG. Get past the graphics deficiency, and the sheer thrill of Fallout 4’s combat, crafting options, and exploring will hold your attention for months. [January 2015, p64]
  3. GameOver.gr
    Dec 11, 2015
    70
    Fallout 4 leans to the Shooting side of things. It strips down the gameplay from the actual RPG elements and offers a meta-nuclaer shooting gallery which of course keep its charm and gameplay wealth but also feels a little too friendly for the new comers. The Base builder mode is unnecessary, boring and irritating. Unfortunately, overall, there are no steps forward for this Nuclear Holocaust Behemoth of the video games industry. Only steps sideways.
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