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Fallout 4 - A Nuclear Disappointment

I still can't believe how they handled the leveling system. Fallout 3 had a half-decent system in place but New Vegas improved it by streamlining the weapon categories (getting rid of big guns entirely and making explosives more useful), adding new skills (survival being one, I think there was 1 more), making perks every other level so the balance progression was slightly better, adding brand new perks, using SPECIAL checks and skill checks in dialog and other scenarios commonplace.... and 4 shits all over that by removing it and then making the perks that are available in 4 boring beyond belief.
 

akira28

Member
Posting Kid in a Fridge.

After FO4 I felt worse than the kid.

I...will never ever ever play this game ever. This is so bad it hurts me. The kid was trapped in a fridge all that time, and adjusts pretty goddamn quickly, and his parents are literally just down the street?

It's like they wrote this with their asses.

the combat looks fun, but I can feel my brain leaking out of my nose reading that story.
 

Spinifex

Member
I'm still waiting for The Witcher 3 backlash to happen, but it hasn't come yet. The game is a triumph in terms of quest design, voice acting and narrative, but the world and gameplay are way too generic for the amount of praise the game gets.

Fallout 4 is literally the exact opposite, however. Crappy quests and questionable voice acting / dialogue, a blast to play and really fun to explore the world.
 

Zophar

Member
I've enjoyed my time with Fallout 4, but it's the definition of safe. There are plenty of complaints you could make about it but most of them, IMO, are just typical Bethssda jank that I don't mind nearly as much as others do.

The thing that bugs me about it is it barely even iterates on their past titles. Skyrim looks like a revolution by comparison. It's virtually identical to Fallout 3. This wouldn't be a bad thing since the core gameplay *was* strong, but it's been 7 years.

FROM ate Skyrim's lunch with Dark Souls when it came down to meaningful character creation and combat, and now CDPR's done it to them this year with a vastly more immersive and thoughtful roleplaying experience despite having *fewer* options for character customization. I hope it's a wakeup call for TES 6.
 
Fallout 4 was easily the biggest disappointment of last year. It may have launched on Xbox One and PS4, but it felt like a relic of last gen with nerfed dialogue. Such a poor first outing for Bethesda on the new consoles, but I have faith they can turn it around.
 
It's extremely rare that I don't get around to finishing a game unless it's just a replay of something I've played before, but this game is in the small list of stuff I never pushed through to the end on and possibly my shortest stint with any game. I played up to around some point where I had to go to the south west of the map for something and I just dropped it from sheer boredom.

I just couldn't find anything to enjoy in the game to be honest. The overarching plot was an awful choice in a Bethesda game, the characters boring and bland, the world feels extremely small since I crossed basically all corners in only a small amount of playtime without even aiming to and none of it looked remotely interesting, none of the cool stuff NV had in my time with it (mutant refuge/aliens). Shooting is better but still awful, dialogue choices pointless, character skills just boring compared to past games. The list just goes on and on. Character creator was kind of cool actually but that was just about my favorite part of my time with it.

To be honest I'm actually a little worried about what the next Elder Scrolls game might end up as. I really hope they're not planning to streamline that even further too.
 
Yup, such a generic and by-the-numbers game. I can't believe they went Bioware on the dialogue system. Probably my biggest disappointment of the year considering how much I wanted a Fallout 3 sequel.

The city building stuff is seriously a waste of time and I honestly don't know why they even put that in the game.
 
re: FO4, I enjoyed the companions, the cinematic camera, and the changes to VATS. The enemies felt threatening in a way they hadn't in the previous games. I also felt more engaged with the plot than FO3 due to the cinematic camera. On the down side, all the gutting of the RPG elements when it came to plot/dialogue was really disappointing, let alone the plot of the main game itself. (I did all four endings, against better judgement.) Using
Danse's
or Nick's stories would have been more compelling backstories for the protagonist than what we had. MacCready's plotline was more touching that the Sole Survivor's!

The Radiant Quests were also the worst, and I soon realised even outside of them there weren't many quests to even find. I stopped going into buildings/exploring, because there would never be much to find or do besides killing things. The radiant/half-assed quests were certainly an element I disliked in Skyrim that hadn't been there in FO3 - in FO3 there was worth and variety in exploring the world, even if the main quest wasn't the best. There were lots of interesting quests/characters/locations to find. Horrifyingly, Skyrim felt deep in comparison to FO4! (I went and checked to see if I missed quests - no, I'd done all the main side-quests.)

I did really, really enjoy the companions, though. They were a huge step up from FO3 and Skyrim, though it's hard to beat the NV gang. I miss you, Safety Danse. I have increased the use of outstanding in my daily vocabulary in your honor.
 

Betty

Banned
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944654_1740330246197144_9070144274723682479_n.jpg

I love this game.

I got tired of Witcher 3 about 70 hours in and ran for the ending. The writing/character/quests are indeed fantastic, but the gameplay and mechanics are so monotonous and boring.

Yes Fallout 4 has some of that too, but I can't seem to get tired of watching an enemy take the force of a sledgehammer, high calibre bullet or grenade and not feel extreme satisfaction.
 
Yup, such a generic and by-the-numbers game. I can't believe they went Bioware on the dialogue system. Probably my biggest disappointment of the year considering how much I wanted a Fallout 3 sequel.

The city building stuff is seriously a waste of time and I honestly don't know why they even put that in the game.

New Vegas exists and is the best 3D Fallout game.
 

kamineko

Does his best thinking in the flying car
It really was bad, TC. I was disappointed too.

I guess it's supposed to be like a shooter or something, now. F3 was a fun, sandboxy RPG with dumb writing.

Now it's a bad shooter with dumb writing. I mean, it's not like there aren't plenty of good shooters out there. Strange product, strange decisions. I guess there's enough money rolling in that we can expect more of the same.

I'm not going to even get into the whole NV thing, because it isn't necessary. F4 doesn't just look bad next to NV, it looks bad next to other Beth games.

So long, Fallout, you were good times.

typical dialog choices:

"I'm not going to give you a reason, but you need to murder a bunch of people or GTFO"

a: you got it, boss
b: no
c: hehehehe murder, lol
d: murder, you say?
 

15strong

Member
I...will never ever ever play this game ever. This is so bad it hurts me. The kid was trapped in a fridge all that time, and adjusts pretty goddamn quickly, and his parents are literally just down the street?

It's like they wrote this with their asses.

the combat looks fun, but I can feel my brain leaking out of my nose reading that story.

The only thing I would say is nothing else comes close to being as bad as that.
 

antitrop

Member
Excellent game even if not as good as fallout 3. Still better than witcher 3 and it's simplistic gameplay.

Considering you do more shooting in Bethesda's Fallouts than talking, I'll happily take the gunplay improvements in exchange for the dumbed down dialogue. Obviously I would rather have both good gunplay and good dialogue, but it is what it is.
 
My opinion is that if the game disappointed you that much, your expectations were too high. I went in expecting an improvement on fallout 3, and that's what I got.

I thought the companions were improved, the crafting, weapon and armor mods, and the settlement stuff were interesting additions. The combat was vastly improved. The perk system doesn't bother me all that much, but I also enjoyed the way fallout 3 handled skills and proficiency through use rather than through putting points in a perk chart. It's just different, not necessarily better or worse.

The story was ok, not great, most of the quests were ok, not great. Some were better than others. I think the main quest was better than fallout 3's, thought Bethesda is usually mediocre in this area and fallout 4 is not exception. Dialogue options were limited and I saw no point to charisma, but that is similar to Skyrim and fallout 3 imo. Bethesda's strengths are creating a big, relatively seamless world with a lot of freedom to wander and explore, and I felt that they nailed this aspect just as fallout 3 and Skyrim did. Game has a lot of atmosphere, environmental storytelling is interesting. Many of the locations have interesting backstories to piece together through audio logs and terminals if you take the time.

Overall it's a good game that is easy to get lost in for 50-100 hours but nothing mind blowing. Feel the same way about it as I did about Skyrim and fallout 3. This is what Bethesda does.
 

Vaux

Member
Also disappointed with FO4. I got to a point where i just wanted to beat the game and just be done with it. I don't know why it never clicked with me like FO3 did. FO3 had me wanting to beat every damn quest the game had to offer.
Honestly they should've kept out the build your own camp thing. It was just a distraction from the main game, every time i was done customizing my camp i left with a 'i just wasted my time doing this'.
 

HotHamBoy

Member
I've been racking my brain trying to figure out why Fallout 4 hasn't grabbed me in the way Fallout 3 and NV did. Actually, Fallout 3 is easy to explain - first Bethesda RPG, first Fallout, new PS3, never had a good gaming PC, etc. So The better question is why did NV satisfy my so much when it was just as iterative, more so even, than 4?

There are many things I find superior about FO4. Obviously, the graphics are much better than PS3 Fallout 3/NV, the shooting is much better, the crafting system is cool... hmm. I guess that's it? I mean, some aspects of the leveling system are neat, but it also makes the game way too easy and you don't really need a specific build, especially without a level cap.

Plenty more is upsetting. The dialogue and choices seem more inconsequential, the characters remain bland. The main character isn't interesting enough to justify voice over, yet completely destroys the ability to roleplay as a more personal character. I find going from housewife to wasteland badass and leader of men is jarringly quick.

Why get rid of condition and stat distribution but leave other relics like encumberance? Going back to the homebase to drop off materials and weapons kills the pace of the game. Equipment condition made the game world feel more realistc and made survival feel more desperate.

I guess, though, when I really think about it, the game just feels really last gen in too many ways but doesn't add enough meaningful changes or evolutions to hold my attention through another 100 hours in this series. And where NV made roleplaying more immersive, FO4 makes it more difficult.

Currently I've played half of FO4 since launch day and I have completely lost steam. Every attempt to return results in tedium at this point.
 

antitrop

Member
It's fun, but not good, and a lot of people don't get that.

I agree. It's a pretty mediocre game that I had a lot of fun with, purely because the single player FPS genre is in such a dire state.

Like, I legit feel bad that I had to play fucking Fallout 4 to get my FPS fix for 2015, but whatever.
 
I loved it (and continue to play it). Can't wait for the mod kit. Games like witcher 3 and mgs burned me out, but I keep finding stuff to do in this game. Sorry the op didn't but maybe you should focus on games you like instead of those you don't.
 
mentioned it before: i play bethesda rpgs for the intentional (& unintentional) wackiness/laughs. &, on that level, i felt fallout 4 seriously delivered. funniest game of the year, hands down...

if i needed great graphics, or a satisfactory story, or characters i cared about, i'd probably have problems. but i don't. so i don't :) ...
 

AColdDay

Member
I totally agree that the game is a massive disappointment. I'm glad that people enjoy it, but damn did Bethesda pick the wrong things to de-emphasize in their follow-up to Skyrim. I can't believe how gutted the role-playing systems are now. The dialogue and quest design is a massive step backward from even Fallout 3, much less Skyrim (without even mentioning New Vegas).

I'm glad that you dudes that are out there enjoying it who love solving every objective by killing everything the map marker points to, but I wanted more. Where is the player choice which has been a staple for Bethesda games? What kind of shitstorm is going to be unleashed when the next Elder Scrolls game is released as streamlined and soulless as this?
 
If you disagree with the OP, try to actually elucidate WHY. Posting merely "I enjoyed it" or something like that is pointless white noise at best, and a passive aggressive attempt to drown out criticism at worst. Stop.
 

void666

Banned
Different people like different games for different reasons.

If you just want to explore and shoot raiders and don't care about story, quests, consequence, you will enjoy fallout 4. If you want to play an rpg with good story and quests you will probably enjoy witcher 3 more.
It's like comparing bioshock to call of duty.

Fallout 4 IS a mediocre game. There is nothing wrong having fun playing mediocre games though. I have around 190 hours and i'll play more when the mod tools are released.
But FO4 is a disappointment. It could have been so much more.
 
I'm still waiting for The Witcher 3 backlash to happen, but it hasn't come yet. The game is a triumph in terms of quest design, voice acting and narrative, but the world and gameplay are way too generic for the amount of praise the game gets.

Fallout 4 is literally the exact opposite, however. Crappy quests and questionable voice acting / dialogue, a blast to play and really fun to explore the world.

totally disagree about TW3's world. it feels lived in, and sometimes it's almost heart-achingly beautiful. Novigrad is arguably the most realized city in a modern game.

FO4's world is also great (game's biggest strength), but there are too many shortcomings. perhaps the most surprising is how after about 40 hours, I'm not sure a single side quest has ended in any way except me finding an item for someone and/or shooting someone.
 

Das Ace

Member
I dunno why improving the combat ended up stunting their quest design. Most of the quests are generic shoot 'em ups. The vaults are crap. I liked the dunwhich mine and salem museum i guess.
 
Looks like I stepped into a post apocalyptic thread with all those greyed out names.

I'm looking forward to playing this eventually to see how I feel about it. The only Bethesda game I've played was Oblivion which I had fun with but ultimately only got about 20 hours into it. I actually think I might enjoy it a lot because I haven't been burnt out/set my expectations up from previous games. Should be an interesting LTTP whenever that happens.
 
I have not played the game yet and will not anytime soon because of all those criticisms. I am crossing my fingers that by the time the Definitive Edition comes out, either Bethesda or the mod community will have fixed some of the most glaring shit in the game.
 

cakely

Member
I respect your opinion, OP, though I don't believe the flaws you bring up are enough to justify disliking Fallout 4.

For example, I actually enjoy the very simple settlement system, and I find the combat much more enjoyable than Fallout 3, mainly because I don't feel the need to turn on VATS for every single battle. The derpy plot is Bethesda through and through ... it's just about what I was expecting going in.

Also, I'm super-glad I didn't find this thread an hour ago.
 
I dunno why improving the combat ended up stunting their quest design. Most of the quests are generic shoot 'em ups. The vaults are crap. I liked the dunwhich mine and salem museum i guess.
I never played fo3 if you are claiming they improved the combat for four, then bethsoft really lost their minds. The combat was terrible.
 

Acorn

Member
My biggest disappointment is act 3 and the lack of
anything really coherent about the institute
. It felt like a rushed inclusion for them on the ending front. The ending slide show was lacking also and left me feeling deus ex hrs 3 button ending crap.

Atleast BOS and RR have a telegraphed idea of what they stand for other than SCIENCE!
 

RedAssedApe

Banned
was new vegas > fo3 the concensus at the time? for whatever reason i thought people were saying fo3 > new vegas or just more of the same so i never bothered with that game
 

Euron

Member
It was my most anticipated game of 2015 and I really tried to enjoy it, since I liked the past games and the Elder Scrolls series so much. Like Dragon Age Inquisition, I wouldn't call at a disappointment but simply disappointing.

To put it as simply as possible, it didn't just not elevate the series with next gem technology, it stepped backwards. Loading times were longer than ever and still occurred almost every time I wanted to open a door. The dialogue system is so simplified that I can't exactly tell what I'm saying (something you mentioned that really needs to be said again). It's one thing trying to make grey characters but every faction was simply unlikable.

The crafting system was a nice addition at first but once it began to mesh to much with the main quest, requiring you to find certain parts and have certain perks, it became a collectathon, the very open world trap I wish to avoid by playing Bethesda games.

There are certainly good aspects to the game: It's filled to the brim with content, works good as a straight shooter, and has more color than the rest of the series however its flaws taint the experience far too much.
 
I wouldn't say I was disappointed, but that could be because I wasn't expecting too much. I thought the settlement thing was absolutely stupid and didn't add anything for me, but then I see tons of streamers and other people having a field day with building and doing all this crazy stuff. It just never clicked with me.

I rarely use power armor and I have a bunch of them just chilling in Sanctuary Hills and a ton of fusion cores to boot. I didn't like the dialog option at all, but I did like having a voiced character which I thought I wasn't going to like at first.

In the end, I agree with a lot of your points, it was far from a perfect game and shows that there is room for a lot of improvements
 
Problem is that in many ways it is a regression over fallout 3.
In which ways exactly? The dialogue system? Perhaps, but there wasn't a whole lot of options or choice in the dialogue in fallout 3 either. The leveling system and perks? I talked about that in my post. Fallout 3 also had perks, fallout 4 just changed the entire system into a perks system rather than basing skills on usage. It's different, but I don't see that as being a regression. It's a bit simpler, but it also allows you to change your character and pick up new skills rather easily, instead of having to train up skills you'd been neglecting or start an entirely new character. Doesn't really seem like a regression to me.
 

Ledhead

Member
The game is good, but the writing is pretty bad, and the main plotline dips hard near the end. Replaying the Witcher for a third time now. A much better game, especially in the writing department
 

Acorn

Member
was new vegas > fo3 the concensus at the time? for whatever reason i thought people were saying fo3 > new vegas or just more of the same so i never bothered with that game
Here yes overwhelmingly in favour of NV. Outside of here not really or atleast not that clearly.

I loved both but preferred the setting of washington dc more.
 

DocSeuss

Member
Yo, OP, I thought the combat was actually pretty good. The feedback on the weapons, the way enemies explode when I shoot them... it feels right. Heck, I'd be happy to say that Fallout 4 has some of the best feedback of the year. I like how you can do things like, say, wound a guy by shooting him in the leg and then getting him to come after you. I can't think of another recent shooter with the level of complexity this game has.

Is it bad as an RPG? Oh yeah. But, like, as a Far Cry game, it's really good. Doesn't even have radio towers or anything. That said, I liked a lot of the quests (barring the repeatable ones; they sucked), and was glad to see that Bethesda actually hit us with more quests than New Vegas did.

If you disagree with the OP, try to actually elucidate WHY. Posting merely "I enjoyed it" or something like that is pointless white noise at best, and a passive aggressive attempt to drown out criticism at worst. Stop.

I gotta be honest: it's weird to see straight-up "fuck you" posts go by without a problem, but "I liked it" is bannable. I get the context--it's white noise--but I've seen way worse behavior, even downright trolling in other threads. I mean, how many Rise of the Tomb Raider threads have been shut down because people who didn't get it on the platform of their choice have to pile on and ruin things. Are they banned so easily? It feels like the threads get locked instead. "I liked it" is so benign in comparison.
 

captainpat

Member
was new vegas > fo3 the concensus at the time? for whatever reason i thought people were saying fo3 > new vegas or just more of the same so i never bothered with that game

I've heard a lot of people on gaming forums say new vegas but it's always because the story.
 

Meowster

Member
They really dropped the bomb (pun unintended) with that ending or lack thereof. People say that Fallout 3's was bad but at least it told you the outcome of your actions, the futures that would await based off how you reacted to things, you could see how the Wasteland grew. This? Nothing. I didn't even want to go back but I still enjoy playing it. Hopefully a DLC (lol) will put in a proper ending someday.
 

Gurrry

Member
Not sure what the deal is with those posts on pg 1. About 9-10 different people saying exactly the same thing. Bethesda bots? (kidding).

I liked the game, but I too fell off. Idk, its probably just me not being able to stick with a game. I didnt hate it or feel overly dissapointed, but I guess if it didnt keep my attention long enough, then its not really my fault. I started feeling like I was doing the same stuff over and over and my OCD makes me check every single door, every single crevice of the game to make sure I dont miss anything.

Looking back, if I play it again, im not gonna loot every thing I see. I probably spent more time doing that than actually playing.

The lack of change in an inventory system is really bizarre though. In a game that penalizes you for encumbrance, yet wants you to pick everything up as well, its really a downer that were stuck with such an archaic system on console.
 
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