ImperialLegation
First time out of the vault
This is admittedly a semi-rant, and should likely not be my first thread in this forum, but here it is anyway.
To start off, I, as of yet, have not played the original two Fallout games, nor have I played Tactics. I plan to get around to it, but I use a Mac and console, and am too cheap to get a good gaming PC. A proper PC is an investment and I need to save up. Anyway, I started playing RPG's in 2006 with TES:Oblivion, and fell in love with the game instantly. I played the game for hundreds of hours, exploring as much as possible and even now when I return occasionally to make new characters, there's still so much to explore and so many new things to find. When Fallout 3 was announced in 2007, I wasn't terribly excited for it, as I had no idea what the Fallout series was. However, when the game came out in 2008, I loved every minute of it and have gone through about 4-5 entire playthroughs. When the DLCs came out for Fallout 3 I also enjoyed those immensely, despite being disappointed with Operation:Anchorage and a few aspects of Mothership Zeta.
Looking back on it now, I realize how the game was a bit too linear for my preference, and I would have enjoyed the ability to join the Enclave or the the Talon Company. But over all, I still think it's a good game and an above-average RPG, but not the perfect RPG that it could have been.
Then I realized how well the Fallout series was improved when Fallout: New Vegas came out in 2010. This caused me to prefer Obsidian over Bethesda when it came to writing, plot and character development. In New Vegas I had made 5 characters who's story I finished completely, I've even started a new F:NV character as of last week. When Skyrim was released in 2011, I again enjoyed that game, finishing around 3 characters that I played into the levels of 80-90, with a 4th character started up last week as well.
Now comes the part of Fallout 4. For eight years Fallout fans waited for another Bethesda Fallout game. I was one of the first people to get swept up in the 2299 hoax, assisting the decoding of morse code on the Reddit Fallout page back when it wasn't filled with Call of Duty-esque fans who ostracize you for having a different perspective on the series. For the few months that the 2299 hoax occurred I was so hyped for this game to come out.
Fast forward to October-November 2015. Fallout 4 was about to come out, and I was the most excited I had been in months. While I was wary of some of the details of the game (voiced protagonist, pre-made character backstory, bland dialogue, no skills, non-dynamic enemy leveling, etc.), I felt that Bethesda would create a game even better than Fallout 3. By assuming that Bethesda had learned from the positive steps made by Obsidian and the fans of the Fallout series, I assumed that Fallout 4 would be a game with the beauty and scale of a Bethesda game, and the complexity and plot intrigue of an Obsidian game. It was clear to me that within 2 months of Fallout 4 coming out that grandeur was present, but not any depth.
A statement has been made by other fans of the series that many Bethesda games "have the vastness of an ocean, but the depth of a puddle." Nowhere was this more true than in Fallout 4. I despised the 4-choice wheel dialogue and realized that it was either the result of the decision to have a voiced protagonist or lazy design on Bethesda's part. Perhaps it's the result of both. I thought the lack of skills would cause the perks to have a larger significance in the game. I did not know that only a grand total of 3-4 perk checks would be present throughout the game, as if the designers added the few in at the first stages of the game, but decided to take most, but not all out, for some asinine reason.
On Fallout 3 I've played the game for about 800-1000 hours, in Fallout: New Vegas, it's likely around 700-800. In Fallout 4, I've only logged in 40 hours in the entire game for my 1.5 playthroughs, in which I can't even force myself to play because while the game is truly beautiful and awe-inspiring in its' expanse, there is so little to do that is not settlement building and the bland, constantly nagging main quest that is present everywhere you go. Every time that there's a building or location that looks neat, the inhabitants just shoot at you, so you must shoot back. There is no extensity or magnitude of the plot in Fallout 4 for either side quests or the main quest. Everything is literally just the circle of you agreeing to do the "quest" and shooting your way to a solution, with the occasional unrewarding speech option out of direct conflict.
I'm worried for TES: 6 and hope that Bethesda improves their writing skills significantly. I know I'll be waiting at least 6-8 months after the next Bethesda Fallout games is released before I buy the game, so that the reviews have time to normalize and not everything is biased reviewers gawking about the game's "New and updated graphics, with a map 3 times the size of Fallout 4's, but half as empty!" as if it's a miracle for the Fallout fan.
One can only hope that Obsidian releases another Fallout game within 3-4 years to make up for this disaster.
To start off, I, as of yet, have not played the original two Fallout games, nor have I played Tactics. I plan to get around to it, but I use a Mac and console, and am too cheap to get a good gaming PC. A proper PC is an investment and I need to save up. Anyway, I started playing RPG's in 2006 with TES:Oblivion, and fell in love with the game instantly. I played the game for hundreds of hours, exploring as much as possible and even now when I return occasionally to make new characters, there's still so much to explore and so many new things to find. When Fallout 3 was announced in 2007, I wasn't terribly excited for it, as I had no idea what the Fallout series was. However, when the game came out in 2008, I loved every minute of it and have gone through about 4-5 entire playthroughs. When the DLCs came out for Fallout 3 I also enjoyed those immensely, despite being disappointed with Operation:Anchorage and a few aspects of Mothership Zeta.
Looking back on it now, I realize how the game was a bit too linear for my preference, and I would have enjoyed the ability to join the Enclave or the the Talon Company. But over all, I still think it's a good game and an above-average RPG, but not the perfect RPG that it could have been.
Then I realized how well the Fallout series was improved when Fallout: New Vegas came out in 2010. This caused me to prefer Obsidian over Bethesda when it came to writing, plot and character development. In New Vegas I had made 5 characters who's story I finished completely, I've even started a new F:NV character as of last week. When Skyrim was released in 2011, I again enjoyed that game, finishing around 3 characters that I played into the levels of 80-90, with a 4th character started up last week as well.
Now comes the part of Fallout 4. For eight years Fallout fans waited for another Bethesda Fallout game. I was one of the first people to get swept up in the 2299 hoax, assisting the decoding of morse code on the Reddit Fallout page back when it wasn't filled with Call of Duty-esque fans who ostracize you for having a different perspective on the series. For the few months that the 2299 hoax occurred I was so hyped for this game to come out.
Fast forward to October-November 2015. Fallout 4 was about to come out, and I was the most excited I had been in months. While I was wary of some of the details of the game (voiced protagonist, pre-made character backstory, bland dialogue, no skills, non-dynamic enemy leveling, etc.), I felt that Bethesda would create a game even better than Fallout 3. By assuming that Bethesda had learned from the positive steps made by Obsidian and the fans of the Fallout series, I assumed that Fallout 4 would be a game with the beauty and scale of a Bethesda game, and the complexity and plot intrigue of an Obsidian game. It was clear to me that within 2 months of Fallout 4 coming out that grandeur was present, but not any depth.
A statement has been made by other fans of the series that many Bethesda games "have the vastness of an ocean, but the depth of a puddle." Nowhere was this more true than in Fallout 4. I despised the 4-choice wheel dialogue and realized that it was either the result of the decision to have a voiced protagonist or lazy design on Bethesda's part. Perhaps it's the result of both. I thought the lack of skills would cause the perks to have a larger significance in the game. I did not know that only a grand total of 3-4 perk checks would be present throughout the game, as if the designers added the few in at the first stages of the game, but decided to take most, but not all out, for some asinine reason.
On Fallout 3 I've played the game for about 800-1000 hours, in Fallout: New Vegas, it's likely around 700-800. In Fallout 4, I've only logged in 40 hours in the entire game for my 1.5 playthroughs, in which I can't even force myself to play because while the game is truly beautiful and awe-inspiring in its' expanse, there is so little to do that is not settlement building and the bland, constantly nagging main quest that is present everywhere you go. Every time that there's a building or location that looks neat, the inhabitants just shoot at you, so you must shoot back. There is no extensity or magnitude of the plot in Fallout 4 for either side quests or the main quest. Everything is literally just the circle of you agreeing to do the "quest" and shooting your way to a solution, with the occasional unrewarding speech option out of direct conflict.
I'm worried for TES: 6 and hope that Bethesda improves their writing skills significantly. I know I'll be waiting at least 6-8 months after the next Bethesda Fallout games is released before I buy the game, so that the reviews have time to normalize and not everything is biased reviewers gawking about the game's "New and updated graphics, with a map 3 times the size of Fallout 4's, but half as empty!" as if it's a miracle for the Fallout fan.
One can only hope that Obsidian releases another Fallout game within 3-4 years to make up for this disaster.
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