Fallout 4

 Xbox One
User Score
6.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 2300 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,367 out of 2300
  2. Mixed: 316 out of 2300
  3. Negative: 617 out of 2300
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  1. sonny2dap
    Feb 9, 2016
    6
    I've had a few months with the game now and tbh the game itself is good, shooting mechanics run well, the visuals when you consider the size of numbers of AI running around are acceptable, overall the shooter RPG hybrid works quite nicely and things like the weapon modding system and armour modification have been executed well for the most part.

    Sadly all the good work above is    I've had a few months with the game now and tbh the game itself is good, shooting mechanics run well, the visuals when you consider the size of numbers of AI running around are acceptable, overall the shooter RPG hybrid works quite nicely and things like the weapon modding system and armour modification have been executed well for the most part.

    Sadly all the good work above is undermined by the decision to go with a fully voiced protagonist which has led to a limitation in outcomes which means whilst there are different speech options they all wind up with basically the same result, a fundamental part of titles like fallout and the elder scrolls game is choice, or the illusion of choice and dare I say it the ability to role play which again is inhibited by the voiced player character, unfortunately for Bethesda the voiced player character has hurt their game and the high point of the modern fallout series remains New Vegas.

    Fallout 4 is worth a purchase and at least a single play through, the setting is fun and following recent patches the game is much more stable, if you go into this game knowing that this isn't another skyrim where you are going to immerse yourself in the game for thousands of hours you will not be disappointed, go into this game thinking the opposite and you will be.

    In summary a solid game that is overshadowed by the quality of previous titles in the franchise.    … Expand
  2. PAND3MIC
    Oct 14, 2016
    1
    The Post-Season pass review of Fallout 4 from a dedicated Fallout fan:

    I will be frank, I don't think Bethesda had the players in mind when they made the game. The initial release of the game was SOOO exciting for me, and I was met with a dilemma a couple weeks after playing the game a bit. Get this, I bought an Xbox One JUST to play Fallout 4 because my laptop isn't strong enough to    The Post-Season pass review of Fallout 4 from a dedicated Fallout fan:

    I will be frank, I don't think Bethesda had the players in mind when they made the game. The initial release of the game was SOOO exciting for me, and I was met with a dilemma a couple weeks after playing the game a bit. Get this, I bought an Xbox One JUST to play Fallout 4 because my laptop isn't strong enough to handle the game in its full glory; I loved the last 2 fallout titles so much that I didn't need to play the game to know it was incredible and full of gameplay.

    But I was wrong.

    At first, I was amazed by all of the new mechanics. I didn't particularly care for how they changed VATs, power armor, level up system, or how the every-playthrough-worthy companion Dogmeat was reduced to a dumb ass german shepard whose sole purpose is to get in the way of your walking path and line of fire, or the "Legendary Items" system. What they focused on were the aesthetics of the game- a giant, seemingly full map full of variety, and remodeling the creatures and weapons, and they left out crucial components that made Fallout 3, New Vegas, and even Skyrim amazingly fun, high-replay value games.

    After 2 weeks of playing it and accumulating around a hundred hours of gameplay, I stopped my wishful thinking that the game would get better and realized that they RUINED fallout. There were always missions and items that I had fun doing and obtaining solely from the knowledge and experience of my last playthrough, which added life to the game. For instance, in New Vegas, I always got Chance's Knife, Love and Hate, and the YCS gauss rifle as soon as I started the game- they were my favorite weapons in every playthrough, and were as powerful as the skill points I assigned to them were- much like The Terrible Shotgun in Fallout 3, or how I walked to get dogmeat immediately after entering the wasteland. There were plenty of unique items and interactions that I thoroughly enjoy and remember from both of those games- I could go on for hours and hours. The point being, the variety of experiences kept my interest peaked for long periods of time, and with so much to do in one save, it was never dull to see or do those things again, maybe differently in the next playthrough.

    Fallout 4 demolished that value. I played fallout 3 all the way through countless times, totaling about 1200 hours of gameplay. I played New Vegas almost 40 times- totaling abut 1600 hours. I played skyrim until I just simply couldn't have a new experience- for over 2500 hours.

    I.

    F***ing.

    Love.

    Bethesda.

    But fallout 4 is soooooo monotonous. They made a map that was way too big to fill and they bit off more than they could chew filling it with unique things to do. The glowing sea for instance takes up about 1/8th of the total map and literally the only thing there is a high chance to spawn monsters. There are no unique items to tiptoe through hordes of deathclaws to, nor are there even any items to pick up for that matter. Its a walkthrough gallery of CGI garbage- literally. There is a giant city, FULL of locations to discover and massive buildings, but most of them have nothing more than low-level enemies and scrap in them.

    When it comes down to it, the most substantial amount of your time with fallout 4 is collecting BS so that you can build a crappy settlement that serves no real purpose but to house your mounds upon mounds of worthless loot and trading for ammo which always seems to be in short supply- no matter how powerful your weapon- another bothersome aspect. I can't simply walk to Evergreen Mills and get myself a legendary weapon that is universally good against enemies, I have to make due with the OKAY weapons that you need a ton of parts and leveling to improve.

    The story of this game is trash. "Like, dude, what if in fallout 4, instead of a son wanting to venture out of the safety of the vault to find his dad, we had a dad in a vault he didn't want to be venture out to find his son?" On that note, I think enough is said. The idea of the institute and androids being connected- is just forced. It would be like finding out your dad was the leader of the enclave in fallout 3. It's just stupidly unoriginal.

    And to top off the rest of the disappointments, the season pass was about as worthless to improving the game as possible. It just forced a bunch of impractical devices and patch-worthy new items into the crafting menu, and included 2 very small, clearly rushed expansion packs known as Far Harbor and Nuka World. The rest of the DLCs were low-interest settlement upgrades that people would have just modded into the damn game if they really wanted them.

    THAT is why I think it deserves a 1/10. One point for keeping my stupid, gullible ass occupied for about 250 hours. Had they released the DLC all at once, I would have stopped after realizing there was nothing more to come. Here is 5000 characters worth of what I think of Fallout 4, summarized:

    OVERHYPED MEDIOCRITY    … Expand
  3. Morriarty
    May 30, 2016
    3
    So I'm a little late to the party as the game has already been out for a while but like many, I have been waiting for the price to be a little more palatable before investing. And to cut straight to the punch I wished I had waited even longer, perhaps until Fallout 5 is released.
    I get why many people like this game but it is just riddled with too many game breaking issues for me to be    So I'm a little late to the party as the game has already been out for a while but like many, I have been waiting for the price to be a little more palatable before investing. And to cut straight to the punch I wished I had waited even longer, perhaps until Fallout 5 is released.
    I get why many people like this game but it is just riddled with too many game breaking issues for me to be among them. Yes it is a large world to wander across and I guess you can at a stretch say that you can play it through in a couple of different ways but for a AAA release in this day and age to still have your main character jumping like a poorly animated clown and clumsily bumping his way through doorways and getting caught on debris as you fail yet again to avoid a hidden mine or an unlimited supply of grenades chucked superbly by idiotic AI enemies at your feet, there really is no excuse while you reluctantly reload your last save to do the clustercluck of a mission again, only to watch your companion blunder their way into your line of fire and set some maddening excuse for a combat scenario off again.
    Like many others have stated, the RPG elements are woefully over looked and really come down to collect this and make that but ultimately any weapon or armour that you may have spent an age lovingly crafting out of a chore of ingredients can be just as easily found after killing some random villain which makes the whole effort pointless and the storyline really cannot be defended by anyone with any imagination to be more than go here and kill some dudes. There are the shelter/sim section is painful to maintain and manage and I guess the worst crime that this game is guilty of is being boring, I have plodded my way through for 20 odd hours and am just sick of every character including my own and feel no connection with any of them. Now I know that there are gamers that obviously don't think that this is the case and I'm honestly glad that there are folk out there enjoying themselves but when you consider games with plots and characters like the Mass Effect series and sublime animations and character movements of titles like the previous Uncharted games, all of which came out years ago, then there really is no excuse for such a clumsy and ugly offering to be slapped on the shelves (and by ugly I don't even mean the shonky graphics but rather the nasty interface, debilitating controls and all-round laziness of the design)
    I am a long time gamer, I have played everything from the original Elite on my Acorn Electron to Angry Birds on my phone and everything in-between so I am not new to gaming or the flaws that can be found in even the best games but the very essence of this title really does just make me shake my head. We should be expecting better of such big releases and the studios should be a hell of a lot more innovative rather than just banging out something so very broken. Shame on them.    … Expand
  4. Jockaz
    Dec 26, 2015
    7
    I'm a big Elder Scrolls fan and also enjoyed Fallout 3 and New Vegas that being said Fallout 4 is just not what it could have been. They give you so many options like building your own town but its pointless since they do not give you any reward having an epic town worste theres no quest involving this, and that is just an exemple of many things they developped but did not use well.I'm a big Elder Scrolls fan and also enjoyed Fallout 3 and New Vegas that being said Fallout 4 is just not what it could have been. They give you so many options like building your own town but its pointless since they do not give you any reward having an epic town worste theres no quest involving this, and that is just an exemple of many things they developped but did not use well.

    When I first played I thought this was an unbelivable game then after 25 hours when I decided to go threw the main mission I realised ''well that's it'' I completed all the side quests in 25 hours, except for the minor ones. I spent hundred of hours playing Skyrim and this is only a mere 30 hours to complete pretty much everything.

    The perk system is just boring. It seems you have a lot to unlock until you realise 75% of the perks are pointless.

    Buy it under 40$ it is still a pretty good 25 hours of play time which is better than a lot of games.    … Expand
  5. usualben
    Feb 6, 2016
    6
    I don't know! This game probably has loads of good points. When I think about it on principle, its a really good game with a pretty good crafting systems, pretty good RPG character development, some really nice design elements even fairly nice feeling combat. It's just not very interesting. But then I suppose the post apocalyptic world wouldn't be. An interesting character, or a storyI don't know! This game probably has loads of good points. When I think about it on principle, its a really good game with a pretty good crafting systems, pretty good RPG character development, some really nice design elements even fairly nice feeling combat. It's just not very interesting. But then I suppose the post apocalyptic world wouldn't be. An interesting character, or a story with a hook - that's what it needs. But it doesn't have them so you will probably end up abandoning the game after 2 missions to wander about killing and collecting stuff, going back to sanctuary after dark so the annoying NPC's won't bother you while you dump your stuff and, when you have built a nice collection of weapons, you'll just build yourself a nice little hut somewhere out of the way and sit on the porch with your rifle, alone. And Then you'll play something else, something more interesting.… Expand
  6. alexmann
    Apr 7, 2016
    8
    Let's compare Fallout 4 to Fallout 3- as I feel it would be a good way to explain the flaws and strengths of Fallout 4.

    When I first turned on Fallout 3 years ago it was amazing to say the least. The open endedness of it, the deep levels of interaction, the heavy and depressing world- it all combined to create one of the greatest gaming experiances ever. Now Fallout 4 is good (maybe    Let's compare Fallout 4 to Fallout 3- as I feel it would be a good way to explain the flaws and strengths of Fallout 4.

    When I first turned on Fallout 3 years ago it was amazing to say the least. The open endedness of it, the deep levels of interaction, the heavy and depressing world- it all combined to create one of the greatest gaming experiances ever. Now Fallout 4 is good (maybe great) but fails to capture that feeling of Fallout 4. Lets start then with what Fallout 4 does worse.

    Worse
    -The world lacks the same heavy depressing feeling found in Fallout 3. This does not feel like a world ravaged by nuclear war- but rather a dirty city. It lacks that authticity that made F3 so great
    -There is almost no world interaction. The days of trying to find a way around a mission by pickpocketing, or hacking, or speech checks is over. EVERY mission is shot everything and leave. Without fail- every single mission.
    -The factions are less engaging, the plot less believable
    -Character motivations seem forced
    -Graphics, while generally better, are too cartoonish. It lacks that raw brutality found in F3.
    -No Karma system!!! Makes no sense
    -You'll never steal or even be temped to because the world of F4 is plentiful and provides all the **** you need. It lacks the feeling of a apocalyptic wasteland
    -Stronger story
    -F4 lacks the awesome RPG systems of F3. It lacks any skills- instead of upgrading your "big guns" or "medicine" skill and then picking a perk- you just pick a perk. It restricts the level of engagement with the character.

    Better
    -WAY WAY better shooting mechanics
    -The whole "pick your ending" thing was really cool
    -Great companions
    -More diverse and jam packed world
    -Great side missions, more developed
    -Power armor is better
    -Weapon crafting
    -General armor is better
    -No weapon degrading, thank god
    -Weapon diversity is great
    -Larger arsenal of weapons
    -Settlement system is cool but lacks any real use, seems half finished and undeveloped. Could be added onto and made better though

    Sadly Fallout 4 is not a step towards a better game. Rather it is a small step back. Don't get me wrong it is a fun game and I loved it. However Bethesda abandoned the deep RPG elements and involved world in favor of making a strong shooting game. It needs to have a return to form for the series before it becomes another COD shooter, in a long line of COD shooters    … Expand
  7. tomenigma
    Jan 5, 2016
    8
    This is my first Fallout game and I was glad for being introduced to this marvelous idea of having adventures in the wasteland of Boston. Amount of details in this game is truly astonishing. I was able to get inside any building, floor, underground tunnel to collect items, weapons, fight the enemy. The game has unique character which has appealing and addicting qualities. I could not putThis is my first Fallout game and I was glad for being introduced to this marvelous idea of having adventures in the wasteland of Boston. Amount of details in this game is truly astonishing. I was able to get inside any building, floor, underground tunnel to collect items, weapons, fight the enemy. The game has unique character which has appealing and addicting qualities. I could not put this game down until the very end where the whole story builds up and ends rather quickly. The end may disappoint many gamers.
    The RPG system is very washed down in terms that you may not be able to affect the outcome in most of cases but the dialog will give you more details about given situation. The game's engine feels very outdated at the beginning but after a while this may not bother much - well, expect very rough characters graphical representations.
    The "mmincraft/sims" feature is completely unnecessary but I can see many players having fun with building staff.
    Overall is a solid game, not so great RPG but it is definitely one of the best games out there.    … Expand
  8. TailoredSpace16
    Mar 19, 2016
    1
    The game is horrible. The quests are boring as f*** and always about killing everyone. You will die 100+ times while doing them. You don't even need VATS anymore, just point and shoot. The wasteland itself feels dull and empty.
  9. FilmSnob
    Oct 2, 2016
    3
    Disappointed with this game from Bethesda from whom I expected more. I spent 48 hours desperately trying to like this game. The lockpicking was as close as this game came to being anywhere near as good as Skyrim. I just couldn't immerse myself in my character and environment; the desolation, the cringe-worthy, irritating VATS sound effects, the endless & pointless goals (collect this,Disappointed with this game from Bethesda from whom I expected more. I spent 48 hours desperately trying to like this game. The lockpicking was as close as this game came to being anywhere near as good as Skyrim. I just couldn't immerse myself in my character and environment; the desolation, the cringe-worthy, irritating VATS sound effects, the endless & pointless goals (collect this, clear that), the cumbersome PIP boy interface, the lack of connection to other characters in the game. In a word, this game was depressing. I bought Fallout 3 years ago and never played it but now after reading that it was better than 4, I'll be going back to compare. It couldn't be worse.… Expand
  10. MANDIRIGMA
    Jan 10, 2016
    7
    This could have easily been a 6 but I chose to give it a 7 because there were quite a few things that entertained me. This is the first Fallout I have ever played. The graphics are subpar for a next Gen console game. I hated that there was no tutorial for a first-timer like me. The story was promising enough that I felt compelled to play it. However, the sidequests were painfullyThis could have easily been a 6 but I chose to give it a 7 because there were quite a few things that entertained me. This is the first Fallout I have ever played. The graphics are subpar for a next Gen console game. I hated that there was no tutorial for a first-timer like me. The story was promising enough that I felt compelled to play it. However, the sidequests were painfully repetitive and boring. The gameplay for combat gets pretty dull too as your "moves" are limited, relying heavily on VATS. I invested over 100 hrs of gameplay and slowly followed along the main story. Oh and building things for your settlement was annoying, and discourages players from building things properly as it takes a lot of time. I must admit, there were some choices that really test your integrity as a person. However having said that, in order to achieve the best bang for the buck in terms of experience and slices of more story content, you need to be shrewd and not act as high and mighty. I would have rated this game a 8 except the ending kinda suck. I get the message but I didn't get the any satisfaction. I wasn't like "what, that's it?". Was more of "what, that's the ending? Ok where's the real ending". Ok I said some not so good stuff about the game. Here are a few good points for it: choices of how you want this story to end. Despite of a lot of complaints with dialogues and voice overs, I found them decent. Good arsenal of weapons you can wield, depending on your preference. Good perks selection, all are useful and makes it really hard to choose which one to take and improve on. Pretty good score (sound/music). In my opinion, it is worth playing at a cost of $50, not $80 -- and Witcher 3 kicks Fallout 4's ass in most aspects.… Expand
  11. Pee
    Jun 12, 2016
    4
    Fallout 4 was a big disappointment to me. I, at the time of writing this review, have never played a single Fallout game, but I have played Skyrim and loved it, so I figured FO:4 would be like Skyrim in a nuclear wasteland, boy was I wrong. The game has no RPG element, other than designing what your character looks like. The new voiced dialogue is horrendous and gives vague optionsFallout 4 was a big disappointment to me. I, at the time of writing this review, have never played a single Fallout game, but I have played Skyrim and loved it, so I figured FO:4 would be like Skyrim in a nuclear wasteland, boy was I wrong. The game has no RPG element, other than designing what your character looks like. The new voiced dialogue is horrendous and gives vague options like, Choice = Sorry, Character says: "Sorry your daughter was too stupid to not run away", on top of that, practically everything you say is just another way of saying yes. Pretty much it goes like this: yes = yes, no = yes, sarcastic = yes, whereas in Skyrim, your choices would actually affect the quest. Also, the story in general is just boring. I had to force myself to play a bit more before just giving up. There were also some things that didn't make sense, like, how is it that your character's wife can easily use a power armor without any training? I understand how your military-veteran could do it, but his inexperienced wife? The game didn't come with choices as well. In Skyrim, you were the hero of the land, but you could still be evil. In FO:4, however, you can simply be slightly naughty in how you phrase things. The only thing Bethesda did well was in making a stable gun play system. In fact, FO:4 is mostly an adventure-shooter rather than an RPG.

    As a shooter 7/10

    As an RPG 4/10

    I didn't like this and I just can't imagine how a hard-core fan feels, don't waste your time on this game.    … Expand
  12. delegate
    Dec 10, 2015
    7
    Fallout 3 and New Vegas are two of my all time favorite games. So, like most people, I was extremely hyped for Fallout 4. I think it is always good to start out with good news and improvements so here we go

    The Good: Graphics: While the facial animations and character movements are still mediocre to say the least, the environment of Fallout 4 is beautiful. The changes in weather, The    Fallout 3 and New Vegas are two of my all time favorite games. So, like most people, I was extremely hyped for Fallout 4. I think it is always good to start out with good news and improvements so here we go

    The Good:

    Graphics: While the facial animations and character movements are still mediocre to say the least, the environment of Fallout 4 is beautiful. The changes in weather, The skyscrapers of downtown Boston, and the barren wastelands of places like the Glowing Sea all look great. The map is large and filled with locations to explore.

    Combat: The combat in Fallout defiantly improves on Fallout 3 and New Vegas. I find myself now doing more hip firing than using V.A.T.S. in most situations. Shooting any weapon feels a lot smoother now and the upgraded V.A.T.S. is a nice touch.

    Settlements: The addition of settlements is defiantly something I was looking forward too. While clumsy at times, it still manages to bring a more interactive and addicting way of building your own homes around the wasteland. You can build your own major town and invite settlers to live with you.

    The Disappointing:

    As a pretty hardcore fan of fallout 3 and new vegas, I never would of thought I would be giving fallout 4 a 7/10. Sadly, there is a good bit that was disappointing as a long time fan.

    Perk and Skill System: This started off very confusing and overwhelming. The fact that everything was mixed together did not appeal to me at all.

    Main Story and Side Quests: No spoilers, but the main quest of Fallout 4 seemed very dull and quick. I loved how it started off, but after the "major twist", things started feeling rushed. Before you know, the game is over and the ending was bland. Main stories have never been Bethesda's strong suit, but I expected more out of a game this long coming. While there is a fairly large amount of side quests, most of them feel empty and not as in depth as the previous Fallouts. Most never have any large effect on the game or story, and over very quickly.

    Fallout 4 is still very much a great RPG and I am still enjoying my time playing it. Honestly, I did expect a lot more from it, based on the time it took to develop and the high expectations. I feel like Bethesda missed out on a lot of key things that made Fallout 3 and New Vegas so good.    … Expand
  13. dirkwedger
    Dec 10, 2015
    6
    I sorta like it but I really hope they patch it up good. A little too glitchy but I've found a guilty pleasure in the workshop. Time to explore the wasteland.
  14. TheWhoDoctor
    Dec 23, 2015
    7
    This is my first Fallout game, and i say it was an amazing experience. The game play felt right, i had a lot of playing it. The only thing that bother me was the story line, it was really bad, and felt forced, feels missing, like they will probably shove it all into DLC, but in my book that an 'F'. I still has fun though, and definitely recommend playing it.
  15. TheAkimboNinja
    Jan 3, 2016
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Fallout 4 is a game that fans of Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas will find overly simplistic and dulled down compared to its predecessors. however as a standalone game it is a perfect blend of tight shooting mechanics and simple to understand RPG mechanics, which allows the player to focus more on the story and their interactions with other characters, rather than worrying about skills and such. The story in the game is average, it's main feature is morality regarding AI, but it is ruined by the fact that 3 endings are just copy-pasted with different dialogue and the other one is lazy at best.

    To get full enjoyment, don't think of it like Fallout 3/New Vegas and focus on side quests.    … Expand
  16. InkstaindWretch
    Jan 6, 2016
    7
    The Pros

    1- The graphics and animations are more detailed and realistic. The framerate is higher and the definition better. It was based on the Skyrim engine -- and it shows. 2- The game is less glitchy than previous entries and operates a lot smoother. There are fewer load screens, for example. 3- The combat system is much improved thanks to the new slo-mo version of VATS, the    The Pros

    1- The graphics and animations are more detailed and realistic. The framerate is higher and the definition better. It was based on the Skyrim engine -- and it shows.

    2- The game is less glitchy than previous entries and operates a lot smoother. There are fewer load screens, for example.

    3- The combat system is much improved thanks to the new slo-mo version of VATS, the additions of a sprint function, a gun melee option and a grenade hotkey.

    4- The expanded weapon crafting system is fun. Gradually improving your arsenal and customizing it to your preferences by rebuilding them is nifty innovation. Being able to name weapons is a nice add-on.

    5- The player can now romance companions. It is awfully chaste, but you can romance multiple ones including same-sex characters.

    Cons

    1- The graphics, while better, lack the proper "feel." The game resembles Skyrim more than it does a post-apocalyptic wasteland. It just isn't stark & desolate enough.

    2- The game is less immersive. The new stats and leveling up systems give the player fewer ways to customize their character. The removal of the karma system means player actions have less weight. Giving the player character one bland, generic voice no matter what race you choose for them doesn't help either. The player also doesn't know what exactly their character will say when they choose dialogue options, resulting in unintentional results at times.

    3- The storyline is problematic. Unlike in the earlier games the player character starts off with an extremely urgent goal, namely finding their kidnapped newborn child. This runs counter to the inevitable sidequest sidetracking the game imposes, inadvertently making the player feel like a **** negligent parent every time they return to the main quest.

    4- The removal of weapons & (most) armor degradation is a mistake. It may have clashed with the new, expanded crafting system, but taking it out removes one of the key challenges to playing the game and one of its most immersive elements. The fact that the designers did include it for power armor only highlights the issue.

    5- Many of the weapons look ugly. The designs are presumably intentionally meant to look clunky and purely functional as opposed to sleek and cool, but why is there nothing like a simple AR-15 or pump-action 12 gauge shotgun in the game?

    6- The new Pip-Boy system is actually less user-friendly. The layout is more cluttered and less intuitive, making it harder to navigate.

    7- Boston just doesn't provide as interesting of a setting as DC or Las Vegas. DC emphasized the game's politics, history and satire as well as providing some stunningly iconic visuals. Las Vegas allowed for a riot of different themes -- the wild west, rat pack-era Vegas, the Mafia and Elvis. Boston has baseball, the colonial-era history and ... that is pretty much it.    … Expand
  17. idikov
    Mar 22, 2016
    6
    Fallout 4 is not a bad game. It is a bad RPG and a misdirected installment in the franchise. Still, many Bethesda fans or just players who enjoy exploring unfamiliar worlds will be satisfied with it, as it has one of the richest, most detailed game worlds ever created. Lore is presented to the player in different ways around every corner of the game world. Together with the masterfullyFallout 4 is not a bad game. It is a bad RPG and a misdirected installment in the franchise. Still, many Bethesda fans or just players who enjoy exploring unfamiliar worlds will be satisfied with it, as it has one of the richest, most detailed game worlds ever created. Lore is presented to the player in different ways around every corner of the game world. Together with the masterfully crafted sound design it will help immerse even newcomers in the interesting world of Fallout. The game also has a lot to offer to gun nuts as the game features improved shooting and an expansive crafting system that takes resources from the clutter in the open world.

    However, Fallout 4 is a big departure from the franchise in terms of its way of storytelling and RPG mechanics, which will most likely disappoint long-time fans of the franchise. It is apparent that BGS have taken inspiration from other popular games. It seems to me that in the beginning of the development cycle of the game, the developers asked the question “can we” too many times and didn’t ask the question “should we” enough. As a result the narrative of the game suffers, as the actions of the player often contradict with or completely undermine the meaning of the main story of the game.

    For the first time in a Bethesda game, the protagonist is given strictly defining traits that force them to follow a linear path towards an endgame goal. This not only limits the possibilities for role playing, but it creates a pseudo narrative dissonance between the actions that the player makes during the main quests and the rest of their journey in the open world. On one hand the game tries to be an emotional story about family and difficult choices. On the other, it tries to tell a story about hope, building a new healthy community in the post-apocalyptic world. Unfortunately it does not spend enough time on any of these two sides and fails to tell a coherent story as a result of their inability to exist in correlation.

    This new way of storytelling is totally uncalled for and it betrays the philosophy of player freedom that BGS has always had. Fallout 4 is a lesser RPG in almost every aspect, even compared to Fallout 3: The removal of the karma system (and the ability to role play as an evil persona); The new “dialogue wheel” which only gives the illusion of choice but ultimately lacks any consequences; The voiced protagonist with defined traits and goals; The removal of skills making your character inexplicably proficient in any kind of weapon and power armor from the very start of the game; The overall lack of choice in quests or the illusion of such. All of these aspects were hallmarks of the franchise and, in my opinion, made the previous Fallout games one of the best RPG games of all time.

    Moreover, the quest scripts themselves are repetitive, uninspired and boring. In terms of their mechanics, the quests of Fallout 4 could very well exist in an MMORPG, just in bigger numbers. All quest objectives can be narrowed down to: Acquire X item, place X item, kill X NPC, talk to X NPC, escort X NPC. Inexplicably, 95% of the population of the Commonwealth consists of generic, respawning enemies to kill in an attempt by Bethesda to bring the franchise to the mainstream audience of action hungry FPS players.

    The lack of innovation in the mechanics of the game might very well be due to engine limitations. Unsurprisingly, Bethesda decided to use an upgraded version of the engine that they used for Skyrim. This is not the first time that the Fallout franchise receives this kind of treatment as Fallout 3 used an upgraded version of Oblivion's engine. It might have made sense at the time, as Fallout 3 was Bethesda’s first try at the IP and there was a certain amount of risk involved but it cannot be justified after the huge success of both Fallout 3 and Skyrim.

    There has been an argument that the team behind these games is considerably small and they like to keep it this way because they are used to working with each other. This is possibly the biggest lie that Bethesda’s PR team has come up with and anyone with even a little knowledge about the game industry can pick it apart. I am totally fine with BGS keeping their artists and world designers and writers as they are. However, the choice by Bethesda not to hire more software engineers and graphics designers is a purely business decision since those types of employees rarely have any influence on the overall theme of the game. It is unforgivable for a AAA title in 2015 to have so many bugs, to look considerably worse than other games that came out in the same year while running poorly. This is not the quality that we should expect from the company behind some of the best selling games of the decade. As long as the community shows that they are willing to forgive poor mechanics, ugly, not optimized textures and game breaking bugs, BGS will keep releasing games in an unfinished state.    … Expand
  18. GameCritque
    Jun 7, 2016
    6
    This game is OK. But this just ins't my style of game. It takes why too much time to get invested into the game and the graphics aren't that good. I don't really like this game but it's not because of the graphics it's just too hard for me to be interested in this game. So I brought it back. If you have patience and like slow gameplay, buy this game if not, just ignore this game.
  19. TheQuietGamer
    May 26, 2016
    9
    It's a very experimental game. One that adds some surprising new features to the Fallout formula while also making changes to some of the already existing ones. While not all of the changes are for the better, Bethesda still gives gamers plenty of reasons to get lost in Fallout 4's world.

    I'm going to start off by getting the bad of Fallout 4 out of the way. A big aspect of this series    It's a very experimental game. One that adds some surprising new features to the Fallout formula while also making changes to some of the already existing ones. While not all of the changes are for the better, Bethesda still gives gamers plenty of reasons to get lost in Fallout 4's world.

    I'm going to start off by getting the bad of Fallout 4 out of the way. A big aspect of this series has always been player choice. I don't mean in just what kind of character you'll build or how you'll approach combat. Your influence on the story and world around you have always been significant to the experience. Fallout 4 still has all of that, but it's noticeably dumbed down.

    There's no karma system and the only big choices you make are which faction to side with in the end. Admittedly that is pretty big decision to make as whichever fraction you side with becomes the dominant force in the Commonwealth. However that still feels lacking compared to the previous games' ability to throw numerous morality decisions at you that really got you thinking. You genuinely felt that your influence on the world was more than just setting up who rules the land. It also doesn't help that you feel like you get locked into one group too early. Once you stick with one there isn't much chance to learn about the others. It feels less you're making the best choice based on the groups goals, and more like blindly following without knowing their full goal(s). Like I said this aspect of the game feels dumbed down. Like an afterthought compared to the rest of the gameplay options. A pretty significant hit to the series.

    However, Bethesda still delivers in just about every other department. While you influence on the story does feel lacking in comparison to previous Fallouts, you can still feel like you are influencing the world and your character. You get some exciting new abilities as you level up and dive into the massive amount of perks the game offers. You can really build any character you want. You can be a stealth master, melee tank, long to medium range gun expert, or the type of person who talks their way out of everything.

    The game also puts a big emphasis on crafting. You can acquire settlements and build them up however you like. The amount of armor and weapon mods allow you to customize your gear to your liking. However doing any of this requires a lot of resources. Those random items laying around the wasteland finally have some use. However the need to collect and break down so much of it kept me from really diving into it. Those with a taste for this kind of thing though are sure to be pleased with the amount of options available. Growing you settlements and keeping the inhabitants happy is remarkably sim-like and feels like another game inside your game.

    If that's not your thing Fallout still delivers plenty of quests, combat, and exploration to sink your teeth into. The new iron sights system makes the non-Vats action so much better. Exploring the world can still lead you to plenty of goodies and hidden surprises. You stumble on plenty of new enemy types and more difficult variations of the standard enemies. Outside of some repeating chains that ask you to do the same things over and over again, the side-quests are just as entertaining as ever. They often add cool new stories that take place outside of the main-quest. Unfortunately they don't add much more notable decision making.

    One thing you'll notice about the game is that it borrows a dialog wheel and fully-voiced player character from Bioware. While that falls short due to the, again, dumbed down decision making, you'll notice it's not the only thing they borrow. Your interactions with companions are more meaningful this time. Just like in Bioware games gaining your followers trust is important as they watch your actions. It doesn't reach the same depth, but it's a cool new addition. Especially since you can romance them this time around.

    Fallout 4 experiments with a lot of things. Most of which pays of really well. While the notes Bethesda has taken form Bioware appear to have been hastily scribbled and the decision making is lacking, the developers manage to deliver in other ways. It can be downright brilliant at times, and not just on the gameplay side of things. It stumbles with some of what made Fallout so great in the first place, but there's still plenty to love here for those who are willing to except it's faults or at the very least not blow them wildly out of proportion. In a time where gaming is becoming more and more multiplayer-centric, Fallout returns and delivers another lengthy single-player experience that's filled with content. The majority of which is excellent.    … Expand
  20. CapnRon
    Sep 26, 2016
    2
    In a word – boring. Game play sucks. You must quick save every 10 seconds. The game has zero flow. The story is worthless. You spend a lot of time running around looking for items to build things rather than having fun. The enemies you face are boring as hell. The dialog you have with in-game characters is tedious and does not change the game at all. Do not believe any positive reviews.In a word – boring. Game play sucks. You must quick save every 10 seconds. The game has zero flow. The story is worthless. You spend a lot of time running around looking for items to build things rather than having fun. The enemies you face are boring as hell. The dialog you have with in-game characters is tedious and does not change the game at all. Do not believe any positive reviews. This is a piece of crap. Bethesa phoned this one in for a quick buck. Avoid at all costs.… Expand
  21. whalepudding
    Aug 13, 2016
    6
    If you're looking for an honest review, look no further. Let's start with the pro's: The gameplay is immersive and challenging, if not a bit clunky. It forces you to get creative, which is an area that most games fail in. The variety in weapons and enemies are fantastic, and there have been numerous battles that have really got my heart pounding. The variety in builds are also great,If you're looking for an honest review, look no further. Let's start with the pro's: The gameplay is immersive and challenging, if not a bit clunky. It forces you to get creative, which is an area that most games fail in. The variety in weapons and enemies are fantastic, and there have been numerous battles that have really got my heart pounding. The variety in builds are also great, allowing you tons of options to customized your character through traits and clothing. Some people have complained about the graphics, but I think they're fine. If you use mods, like Springtime in the Commonwealth, it will greatly improve the landscape, and make it feel less baron and depressing. Mods in general greatly improve the game in my opinion, especially during a second play-through. The world is large like the other fallout games, but they learned from their mistakes and added more urban areas to make the world feel a little more dense. Being able to customize your weapons and armor is also nice.

    Now for the cons: Like fallout 3, the game suffers from a sub-par story, an unsatisfying ending, and non-memorable characters. They also dumbed down the dialog system, making it so you can only respond with Yes, No, Sarcastic, and what the hell are you talk about? This makes it so you don't actually know what your character is going to say in a conversation, not like it really matters because the choices you make don't really make any difference. This is a game that brags about have a **** ton of dialog, but it's mostly post-apocalyptic psycho-babble that gets tedious very quickly. They also destroyed the desire to go out on your own and discover new locations. You'll come across a cool building and go inside and clear it, but later on in the game you'll be given a random quest that sends you there anyway, making it pointless to have gone there before the quest. Pretty much all the side quests are dumb, randomly-generated fetch quests, and you'll have to do a bunch of them if you want to progress in one of the 4 factions. Like all of bethesda's RPG's, the companions are a joke, and you're better off just going it alone. Like I said in the pro's, upgrading and modifying your equipment is a nice touch, but actually pulling it off is the most tedious thing in the game. You'll spend half the game looking at broken selves, lockers and desks looking for items like duct tape and glass. Because a lot of the items you need to upgrade your equipment are heavy, every 10 minutes you'll be fast traveling to your settlement to unload all this junk. You'll constantly be plagued with "You're carrying too much to run" notice, making it you have to reorganize your inventory every 5 minutes. The crippled limbs system is still in place and is as infuriating as ever. All of these issues would be tolerable if it wasn't for the game-killing crashes. As I write this I am currently stuck in a building where it crashes if I try to get to the top, but also crashes when I try to descend and leave the building, making it so I have to load an old save. Seriously Bethesda? This game has been out for almost a year now, these kind of issues shouldn't exist.

    I vented about the con's a little more than I meant to, but overall I think this game is more good than bad. I just hope in future versions of the game that Bethesda will fix these issues instead of patting themselves on the back because of these ass-kissing critics.    … Expand
  22. scbane
    Jan 9, 2017
    3
    I have 1564 hours in FO3. I have 2169 hours in FO:NV. So I am definitely a FO fanboy. I have 44 hours into FO4. Haven't played in weeks. Bethesda killed Fallout for me.
    "Mediocre" is an exaggeration for the action and gunplay, which feels so f******g Call of Duty that I want to tear my hair out.
    Good graphics. Like the loot system, even light as it is. Hate the new perk system. Not a fan    I have 1564 hours in FO3. I have 2169 hours in FO:NV. So I am definitely a FO fanboy. I have 44 hours into FO4. Haven't played in weeks. Bethesda killed Fallout for me.
    "Mediocre" is an exaggeration for the action and gunplay, which feels so f******g Call of Duty that I want to tear my hair out.
    Good graphics. Like the loot system, even light as it is. Hate the new perk system. Not a fan of most of the pathetic weapon sounds.

    Bethesda killed the immersion of a well-written dialogue system, which kept me so engaged and immersed for literally thousands of hours in previous FO games.. Story is such **** that I turned off my xbox one 44 hours in and haven't been back.
    They also lost the 50's apocalyptic feel of previous titles. They took my beloved series and crammed so much mass appeal into it that I fear the franchise is just going to be game after game of similar b******t, churned out COD fashion every couple years.
    I will not spend money on DLC. The game has little replay value, unless you really love pointless, shallow grinds with unending slaps in the face every time you have to dialogue with NPC's.

    After everything that made Skyrim, and previous FO's great, I have lost my faith in Bethesda with this offering. I am not even angry...just overwhelmingly sad.    … Expand
  23. rockon
    Apr 14, 2020
    1
    The game just seems empty, dull and bland. It's basically go to this location, kill everything there and take article A. And go around looking for loot. Especially ammunition. That's it. That's the whole game. It's a bad shooter trying to be an RPG. And the shooting action? It just seems slower than other games. For example I've been playing shooters in which your characterThe game just seems empty, dull and bland. It's basically go to this location, kill everything there and take article A. And go around looking for loot. Especially ammunition. That's it. That's the whole game. It's a bad shooter trying to be an RPG. And the shooting action? It just seems slower than other games. For example I've been playing shooters in which your character really has fast reaction times. With Fallout 4 it feels like your character's reflexes are moving slowly like he's underwater. It just doesn't feel responsive and quick. The shooting action and movement seems lethargic. I realized early on that I wasn't going to like this game when I shot a raider four times in the chest at point blank range with a 10MM pistol. And he wouldn't go down. Your enemies are always stronger than you and they are bullet cushions. Ammunition is always in short supply because only head shots will bring them down. So you'll spend a great deal of your time just looking for ammo. Also, what passes for a weapons wheel isn't a wheel at all. You're instructed to pick up a laser cannon to defend the museum but it doesn't show up on the weapon selection when you do. A weapon selection wheel is supposed to show all of your inventory. Every other modern game has a detailed weapon wheel. But not Fallout 4. And every other modern game on Xbox One has the "B" button designated as "crouch." Not Fallout 4. As such the controls are unfamiliar and clunky. The controls and menus differ so far from other games as to be alien. I can usually go from one developer's games to another and have familiar or same control functions. Just bringing up menus with Fallout 4 is clunky.… Expand
  24. pichu441
    Jul 28, 2016
    7
    The game has much more emphasis on FPS combat and the controls for it are vastly improved over previous game. The storytelling is vastly inferior to New Vegas, and it would benefit from a lot of things New Vegas does. Maybe hiring some of New Vegas's team to work on this would've made it in the end, a better game? The story is pretty contrived but still manages to have good moments. TheThe game has much more emphasis on FPS combat and the controls for it are vastly improved over previous game. The storytelling is vastly inferior to New Vegas, and it would benefit from a lot of things New Vegas does. Maybe hiring some of New Vegas's team to work on this would've made it in the end, a better game? The story is pretty contrived but still manages to have good moments. The dungeon crawling loot-a-thon aspect of Fallout 3 and Skyrim is here and is pretty fantastic. It's the gameplay that's compelling here, over the story. It's the opposite for New Vegas, and I can understand being disappointed with that, but its just not this type of game.
    Some things are just downright broken, though. The abundance of overpriced dlc, emphasis on broken-ass settlement building, quests being unfinishable due to bugs... Yeah.
    It's still a fun game that I'd reccomend to people. I've put 5 days of gameplay into this game across two save files and I have no intention of stopping playing it any time soon.    … Expand
  25. Xbox1Guy
    Jun 8, 2018
    3
    Worst game in the franchise: Very tiresome, boring, and character interactions are lame. The plot in this game is dull and it's the same map as previous games with nothing fun but agitation. Disappointment of a game, no good story at all, the beginning, however, was okay.
  26. MichelleBelle
    May 9, 2016
    6
    Fallout 4 is a perfect game for the casual player. The story is creative and keeps your attention and there is a lot to do in the game. However, this is where the fun stops. Once you complete the game the first time I really didn't find a reason to play it a second time. I had about a week played time on it and I think I did everything. Once I got to the end and pretty much had to choose aFallout 4 is a perfect game for the casual player. The story is creative and keeps your attention and there is a lot to do in the game. However, this is where the fun stops. Once you complete the game the first time I really didn't find a reason to play it a second time. I had about a week played time on it and I think I did everything. Once I got to the end and pretty much had to choose a side to end the game with I was disappointed because I did quests for all of them yet I have to pick one at the end? That's not fun at all. I was discouraged from playing it again and haven't touched this game in months.… Expand
  27. speralta
    Sep 6, 2016
    10
    To me, this is one of the best long play RPG's ever made. Most of the complaints are by people who want solely a first person shooter. While this game can be played as a first person shooter, it finds its fullest expression when the character uses the tools provides to rebuild civilization, sim city style. If you think that scavving a radioactive wasteland for materials to rebuildTo me, this is one of the best long play RPG's ever made. Most of the complaints are by people who want solely a first person shooter. While this game can be played as a first person shooter, it finds its fullest expression when the character uses the tools provides to rebuild civilization, sim city style. If you think that scavving a radioactive wasteland for materials to rebuild villages, forts and outposts and then defending them against hordes of ghouls, super mutants, robot raiding parties and other nasties sounds like your idea of fun then this might be the game for you. The game also rewards characters for changing apparel and interacting with npc's so the net effect is that of a super hero with an alter ego persona. My relatively low-level character is by day a burgeoning industrialist raking in thousands of caps every day. By night she is a fully mechanized-suit wearing superhero. F.O 4 has an average play time of over 100+ hours and counting which ranks up there with Skyrim, so the people who "get" how it is meant to be played really love it.… Expand
  28. JA58
    Dec 21, 2016
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Fallout 4 a boring and broken game that offers nothing new or interesting to the table, Unlike its predecessors fallout 3 and new Vegas that have offered something unique and interesting. Fallout 4 is good in that you can explore a big open world with a few fun side quest like the Siver Shroud mission and finding the death claw egg. Otherwise 95% of the side quest are either helping settlements or killing targets for caps. Many times you have repeat the same god dam quest over again. Talk about lazy and uncreative. The story and game itself offers no real choices or dissection to make that give you consequences for your actions. You are stuck doing the something over and over again with a clichéd story. The worst part that brakes the game completely is the Underground Undercover main quest that prevents me f… Expand
  29. Smc88
    Sep 12, 2018
    10
    Awesome game one of the best open world explore/survival game. Awesome crafting with weapons good difficulty settings and the npcs are a lot of fun definitely a must play!!
  30. tjcrochet
    Jul 21, 2020
    6
    Fallout 4 seems to have an identity crisis in that it can’t decide whether or not it wants to be a long story/lore-centric game or a dumb but fun shooter with story as mostly just filler. And because of this, the game suffers. The story feels like its trying to be great and epic but it just isn’t. Side Quest are mostly boring and uninteresting. Although the combat is pretty is good, and isFallout 4 seems to have an identity crisis in that it can’t decide whether or not it wants to be a long story/lore-centric game or a dumb but fun shooter with story as mostly just filler. And because of this, the game suffers. The story feels like its trying to be great and epic but it just isn’t. Side Quest are mostly boring and uninteresting. Although the combat is pretty is good, and is definitely much better than previous Fallout games.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

5
#5 Best Xbox One Game of 2015
2
#2 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2015
2
#2 Most Shared Xbox One Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
88

Generally favorable reviews - based on 39 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 39
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 39
  3. Negative: 0 out of 39
  1. ICXM
    Jan 8, 2016
    90
    Fallout 4 is truly a remarkable experience and you need to play it.
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  2. Games Master UK
    Jan 3, 2016
    90
    Sometimes beautiful, a bit broken, and really quite brilliant in many places, forgiving fans will adore Fallout 4. [Christmas 2015, p.60]
  3. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Jan 3, 2016
    90
    More Fallout 3.9 than 4, but still absolutely essential. Skyrim 2 has a hard act to follow. [Jan 2016, p.67]
    Read full review
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