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Fallout 4 - A Nuclear Disappointment

epmode

Member
I agree with everything in the OP except for the combat bit. The moment to moment combat and looting is an improvement over Fallout 3. Too bad the looting was ruined by the miserable crafting system.

*The crafting isn't bad on its own. It was ruined by a combination of factors: Virtually everything in the game has some kind of crafting value + shitty inventory manipulation that breaks down when you start carrying a variety of stuff + weight limit

edit: I still can't believe how much they dumbed down the dialogue and quest design from even Fallout 3. I hoped they'd take some inspiration from New Vegas at least. Instead, they doubled down in the other direction.
 

AlphaDump

Gold Member
I think you made some good points. In particular:

  • Crafting system causes you to horde everything you find. Which may not sound like a bad thing, but when paired with a terrible sorting UI and 500 different items that contain various different materials. Good luck finding a material that breaks down into the raw material you need. If I subtracted the amount of time I spent picking shit up, I'd honestly have about 5 hours less play time.
  • Armour is limited and very boring looking.
  • Gun modifications are decent, but really just limited the variety of overall weapons.

the lack of variety is disappointing considering this is the one area where they were not limited to anything but their own creativity. everything from settlement building, clothing, weaponry, and enemy types is a bit disappointing considering how much content "bloat" there is. it is especially glaring because most of the artifacts are a cut/paste from fallout 3.


but it is still pretty great despite these issues.
 

bobawesome

Member
B-Grade developer? My, my, that's pretty generous. I was a massive Bethesda fan before playing Fallout 4 and my opinion of them has dropped off considerably since. I certainly won't be buying anything day one again, if at all. It's absolutely ridiculous that they could release a game so buggy in 2015. If I didn't save compulsively, my game would've been broken at least 10 times. That's no exaggeration. That still didn't stop a few quests from bugging out completely and rendering them unbeatable, however.

Aside from the bugs, the most disappointing part of the game is easily the side quests. None of them are memorable or very fun. Go here, kill that guy, have some XP! No cool armor or weapons (for the most part). They're completely forgettable. It's like they thought they could pad out the game with shitty radiant quests instead of putting any thought into anything not part of the main story.
 
I agree that it was disappointing. I did not like how VATS didnt freeze time anymore, the story was embarrassingly bad, it felt like all of the charm the series had in the previous two games had vanished. It felt like just an open world first person shooter with remnants of an RPG thrown in. I rushed through the story towards the end to just finish it. Probably wont go back to do the faction stuff. I honestly didnt even get how that worked. I ran into brotherhood of steel at one point, did some missions. Ran into railroad, did some missions...then brotherhood wanted me to dead. I dont know what I did.

Oh, also fuck the settlement shit. Fuck all of that
 

AHA-Lambda

Member
Completely agreed, was my disappointment of 2015

I honestly didn't even want to cleanup the side quests and just turned the game off, put it back in its box and back on the shelf.

Same again, after completing the campaign, I've not touched it since, I just can't be fucking bothered with it after that limp as shit ending.
 

DJ_Lae

Member
I really enjoyed the time I've spent with it, but I totally agree that the pieces of the game have some serious flaws and many of them are embarassingly bad (dialogue system and character models in particular).

But I still get a kick out of trying to break the game and just messing around in it. Maybe they'll patch in some better functionality for the settlement system, as it's a neat idea without any real use.
 

Arion

Member
I agree with you op. I played around 10 hours and have no motivation to go back. Feels like a step back from Skyrim in many ways. Additions like weapon/armor modification and base building are under cooked. Dialogue system is BAD and worse than all their previous games.

I can still understand why people like this game but it is easily my biggest disappointment of 2015. I honestly don't know why I expected better from Bethesda in the first place. Maybe the mountain load of cash they got from Skyrim made me think they might want to better themselves.
 
I'm really enjoying it.

...... I could make a thread for all the games I didn't like.... but that would be silly.

Yeah, we should just hide our opinions about all the games we don't like. Don't want to offend people with our opinions.

Protip: you can make a thread about games you liked on GAF. Nobody is stopping you.
 

tuxfool

Banned
I agree with everything in the OP except for the combat bit. The moment to moment combat and looting is an improvement over Fallout 3. Too bad the looting was ruined by the miserable crafting system.

*The crafting isn't bad on its own. It was ruined by a combination of factors: Virtually everything in the game has some kind of crafting value + shitty inventory manipulation that breaks down when you start carrying a variety of stuff + weight limit

Truly.

It is baffling that they decided to keep encumbrance, when the game was encouraging you to be a Wasteland Garbage man.
 
It's forgetful. And I can't get over how ugly it is. I also feel bad for anyone without an SSD playing it, I've seen the difference myself and the difference is MASSIVE. I don't think I've seen any other game have that much loading on a WD black up to a min sometimes and then take mere seconds on an SSD.
 

AgentP

Thinks mods influence posters politics. Promoted to QAnon Editor.
After playing Witcher 3, Fallout 4 was a breath of fresh air. I could make the character the way I wanted and level up with meaningful perks. Combat was fun and diverse and the world was not so boring.
 

water_wendi

Water is not wet!
There's one quest in which you use a science/repair skill. It felt really out of place among the "KILL EVERYONE" quests.

Thats like the complete opposite of New Vegas. There was only one quest in the base game where you need to kill things to complete it (the quest from Ranger Jackson to kill the ants on the road). Well, two with the arena quest in The Thorn.
 

RPGam3r

Member
Fallout 4 was my GOTY, just nudging out Witcher 3 and Mario Maker.

Love the game, and the settlement stuff was a great addition to the game that may me play a role, and invest in perks and Charisma in a way I never have in the series, at least not a first run.
 
Another one of these threads? Like others have said, despite all the negatives about the game that you listed, I still say it was easily in my top 3 GOTY. To me I just had so much fun playing it and keep finding myself going back for more even still.
So I don't know, I don't think I want them to take hints from any other dev's. Not to get into a versus thread but I can't think of another RPG that has come out recently that I enjoyed this much.
 
While I really enjoyed the game, even putting in over 100 hours of playtime, I am surprised at how quickly the game seemed to have dropped off of people's radars. For me, I stopped playing it weeks ago. I felt like I exhausted the game's content, and I still haven't even finished the main story yet. It's a weird feeling, where you get the impression that you're finished with the game before it's actually even done.

I'm just waiting for the mod support to drop. I have no doubt that'll get me back in it.
Exactly how I feel. Not close to done but haven't gone back to it in weeks now.
 

RPGam3r

Member
After playing Witcher 3, Fallout 4 was a breath of fresh air. I could make the character the way I wanted and level up with meaningful perks. Combat was fun and diverse and the world was not so boring.

The Witcher 3 is an amazing game, and would have probably been my GOTY had the skill system not be so uneventful.

Seriously can't recall another RPG where I had 6 skill points and I just sat on them because nothing seemed interesting or meaningful to how I play. Limiting how many skills you can equip also felt too restrictive, made me feel like most of the skill points I spent were a waste, and didn't make much sense as a concept of becoming more skillful/knowledgable.
 

LordAmused

Member
It is a good game, very addictive. Lots of loot (who doesn't love loot?), interesting setting.
But it is not a good RPG.
It lacks dialog options, it only gives you an illusion of choice, as many others have said in the OT before. That's the killer issue for me.
 
I honestly didn't even want to cleanup the side quests and just turned the game off, put it back in its box and back on the shelf.
Yeah, same here. Except for two side quests of which one (
Virgil
) has disappointed me just like the ending.

This was likely my last Fallout game. The two endings I've played felt almost like an insult towards the player. I wonder if Bethesda even took writing of the endings seriously. Either way, it was a big disappointment for me.
 
A massively disappointing game.

I expected a huge step forward from Fallout 3 and New Vegas and got a huge step back instead. Terrible story, awful dialogue system, uninspired setting, small map, poor visuals... the list goes on and on. It had it's high moments (the Salem Witch museum was awesome) but they were truly few and far between.

The worst Bethesda game I've ever played.
I agree completely. I was so sad. After about 12 hours of it, I just said to myself that it wasn't going to get any better and uninstalled it.
 

Acorn

Member
While I really enjoyed the game, even putting in over 100 hours of playtime, I am surprised at how quickly the game seemed to have dropped off of people's radars. For me, I stopped playing it weeks ago. I felt like I exhausted the game's content, and I still haven't even finished the main story yet. It's a weird feeling, where you get the impression that you're finished with the game before it's actually even done.

I'm just waiting for the mod support to drop. I have no doubt that'll get me back in it.
Radiant quest overload, I don't know if it's true but it certainly feels like there are less proper sidequests and fewer unique/memorable ones but I did enjoy it overall warts and all.
 

Mr Git

Member
I'm in a weird place where I completely agree with all the major complaints about the game, and pretty much everything you've listed OP, but at the same time I can't stop coming back to the game.

I am exactly the same. I've just been calling it Bethesda syndrome as it's kinda happened with every one of their RPGs since Morrowind.
 
I think it lacked good content. Most of the side missions were lame busy work. Skyrim seemed like it had way more proper missions to do. I remember each faction feeling like a main story, in Fallout each faction feels like two missions and then you're done.
 

Sou Da

Member
Thats like the complete opposite of New Vegas. There was only one quest in the base game where you need to kill things to complete it (the quest from Ranger Jackson to kill the ants on the road). Well, two with the arena quest in The Thorn.

I believe that's one the taglines on the back of the box for Fallout 4.
 

Dysun

Member
I've had more fun with the gameplay elements in FO4 than Witcher 3.
The weapons all feel different and the shooting is responsive unlike Witcher 3.

In terms of storytelling and quests it doesn't compare, but considering the large amount of gameplay/exploring to be had I think its great
 

Raven117

Gold Member
I wouldn't' say its a Nuclear Disappointment, but I share many of your sentiments OP.

They really need to overhaul their formula. (and not just tack on a building game...though I must say...was a clever way to use the "junk" in the game...even though I didn't use it at all). What worked awesome in 2003 is no longer cutting it...

We are in a post Witcher 3 world...IMO that game has set the standard for open world RPG's (truly open...not Souls...I love Souls...but not Souls).

I enjoyed my time with...but was happy to put it down after I had completed all the side quests I had in my log...About 40 hours...

Witcher 3...I hit 100 and was sad I didn't have anything else to complete. I liked the world that much...That sense of place. I didn't think Fallout 4 hit it. (Though Skyrim kind of did).
 

BouncyFrag

Member
I had a similar experience, but I did have a good time exploring outside of the quests. The game lost me when
I reached the Institue and my son was some old man. I kept waiting for the commentary from the Mystery Scince Theatre people to kick in as this was such a terrible story point.
 

alexbull_uk

Member
Definitely has (a lot of) flaws, but I still loved, and am continuing to love, every minute I spend playing.

Didn't care for TW3 at all though.
 
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Chillz0r

Banned
Fallout NV and to an extent 3 had craptastic gameplay but were redeemed by a great open world with fun quests and great characters.
Fallout 4, instead of improving on his predecessors shortcomings, keeps the same flaws and manages to add new. Im not sure how can someone be happy with stuff like the dialogue wheel.

Now, disappointment doesnt mean its a BAD game that should be thrown into a fire and people who play it be jailed for the rest of their lives. But unless you enjoy your games having less and less theres no way that people who like the Fallout saga arent greatly disappointed by 4.

Maybe thats just the thing, to me, FO4 just looked like an RPG for people who dont really like RPGs.
 
The dialogue was penned in shit coloured crayon, I simply can not with Bethesda's writing.

It's the most disappointing game since Mass Effect 3 for me, i loved New Vegas and not only did they fail to live upto that, they managed to go backwards. A comical effort in comparison to the Witcher 3.
 
I'm sorry, I didnt know a rant required feedback.

Also, you are welcome....

You could have also just not posted...


My biggest issue with modern Bathesda games are that they're being constantly dumb down for the lowest common denominator but seeing as their sales have increase its not like I can blame them.
 
After playing Witcher 3, Fallout 4 was a breath of fresh air. I could make the character the way I wanted and level up with meaningful perks. Combat was fun and diverse and the world was not so boring.

None of them were meaningful. The perk system being locked behind levelling facilitates a jack of all trades character instead of specialization. The world was dreadfully boring outside of The Glowing Sea. I was really disappointed with how bland it felt.

Combat is unsatisfying. It has the typical terrible Bethesda melee combat and a stealth character is less viable than it should be. Gun combat sucks compared to dedicated FPSs and VATS feels like autowin.

It's one of the easiest games I've ever played. It never presents a semblance of challenge even at the beginning of the game. You're already handed power armor and a minigun from the start.
 

Gator86

Member
Played the game nearly a hundred hours and I must admit, everything in the OP is true, albeit, I enjoyed the combat as a stealth, sniper character. The core loop of kill, loot, return was addicting for a few weeks when I had zero energy for anything that required any cognitive effort after work. Having beaten the game now, I have zero desire to play or even think about iit for the most part. Definitely one of the most forgettable games I expected to be mind-blowing. They completely punted on all writing and quest design. Even though it's been years since their last title, the game screams churned out, annual sequel somehow.
 

Kaako

Felium Defensor
I definitely feel you on on most of these, OP. Game was such a damn disappointment for me personally as well.
 

Lazulic

Member
its so painfully mediocre. for every thing it does right it does about 2 more things wrong.

only reminds me never to pay 60 for a game
 

Pillville

Member
Yeah, we should just hide our opinions about all the games we don't like. Don't want to offend people with our opinions.

Protip: you can make a thread about games you liked on GAF. Nobody is stopping you.

There are plenty of places for your opinions, but I don't think each one deserves a thread.
 
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