Gamesplanet Review Round Up: Fallout 4

Fallout 4 is finally upon us, the question is does the game live up to the standards set by previous games in Bethesda's library or does it fall flat?

After sinking a few hours into the game it does indeed have a strong start, you start off your adventure as a man or woman that's thrown into a post-apocalyptic world that like other games in the Fallout series and your journey takes place this time in the City of Boston. As you travel the wasted area you come across all kinds of creatures and bandits with plenty to see and do (and loot). New to the series this time are things like weapon mods, improved V.A.T.S, a better perk system, building structures and for the first time in a Fallout Game, fully voiced player characters! While I am still digging my way into this massive open world adventure, let's take a look at some of the reviews out there.

Welcome back Fallout, we've missed you.

Quite a positive reaction from the media across the board. Eurogamer has given it a recommended stamp of approval but commented on various problems ”It's impossible to miss the glitches, bugs and downright broken bits in Fallout 4, and that can't help but dim its shine. I've watched my dog sink slowly into the floor.” Words like that shouldn't be surprising to many fans of Bethesda as people have became used to them - some with many hilarious and unexpected outcomes. All is not lost though because they did praise the enviroments being detailed and plenty to sink your teeth into.

Meanwhile GiantBomb have given the game a 4 out of 5 star rating. They also echoced much of the same things, ”Exploring the Boston-based wasteland ended up being my favorite part of Fallout 4.” from the wastes of Boston to the wonderful Diamond City. Choice seems to be a big part of RPG games and Fallout 4 is no different, it has multiple endings that seems to rely on the majority of the actions you take over the course of the game. ”The shooting's better and the slow-motion auto-aiming V.A.T.S. system isn't quite as necessary as it has been in previous Fallout games. Now you can play the game how you want, action isn't stopped any longer but slowed down - something that feels more tense as you react in a different way compared to previous titles.

IGN commended the perk system, ”they definitely have their distinguishing features that’ll make one playthrough feel different from the next.” Crafting also got touched upon, it's seemily the case in the Bethesda games that you'll find yourself looting every single thing you can, luckily this time they have added a system to allow players to breakdown items into useful things you can use to craft/upgrade. Weapon mods are varied, you can attach things to do damage over time, perhaps add one that increases the spread of the weapon or just add a scope to get better range. They gave Fallout 4 a 9.3 out of 10.

Elsewhere at GameSpot it was awarded a 9 out of 10. Inventory systems have not really been improved much from previous titles and it can feel a bit clunky, ”If you want to look for the best weapon that uses a certain type of ammo, you need to scroll through lists and manually recall details to draw comparisons.” Problems with travelling the world seems to be a common problem, fast travelling to certain points is useful despite the map screen being a limited tool for helping you figure out things.

Looks like we have another great Fallout game, bugs were to be expected and I'd be willing to bet many people will be able to put up with it for a chance to explore and experience the game first hand. Skyrim had it's fair share of problems but it was still a great game, this is no different. Graphics might not be everything people wanted, but I'd take gameplay over that any day. Modders will eventually be able to fix bugs and make it look gorgeous if Skyrim is anything to go by, the future looks good for Fallout 4. Let's hope they have exciting DLC with their upcoming Season Pass content.

• Craig Bishop