Fallout 4: Early Impressions

And that's not a bad thing. Any fans of Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas will feel right at home with Fallout 4. It looks and plays like you remember Fallout 3 playing that first time you booted it up, capturing the same magic, and giving you that initial purpose in the wasteland. On the other hand, those looking for a huge leap forward will probably be disappointed.

Seriously. It runs in front of the player all the time disrupting the menus, stands in doorways or behind counters getting in the way, and gives away the player's position while sneaking; there has been no positive to the dog so far and it's extremely tedious and difficult to leave it places. Bad design.

Not a Blank Slate

Fallout 4 is much harder to role play than previous titles; there is a much more structured story and rather than having a silent protagonist that the player shapes completely, the player character has a voice actor. The problem with voice acting, although well recorded and delivered, is that the subtle inflections of the actor can change how a phrase comes across. The freedom has been dialled back for storytelling purposes (certain NPC's can't be killed) which is not what is expected from a Fallout game; it doesn't ruin the experience, but does leave a bad taste in your mouth.

So well done compared to Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas. The feral ghouls really sneak up on you, lying half visible in the wasteland until you disturb one and then four are on you without you realising and panic sets in. They're still relatively weak, but the speed with which you can become surrounded in tight areas makes them a real threat; nice to see Bethesda taking cues from some of the iconic zombie flicks.

Surprisingly scary.

Customisation

Initially, the amount of customisation seems like the biggest difference between Fallout 4 and previous titles, and it's a positive change. The weapon and armour customisation is a nice touch for those who really want to refine their style, and the way power armour is utilised is another welcome change. The settlements are the big one though, as players will end up pouring hours into shaping those sections of the game-world to their whim. Customising Sanctuary early on is the first indicator that Fallout 4 is not just a glossy looking version of Fallout 3.

The construction tool is a little clunky, but well executed.

Early impressions are positive, but the many great moments are interrupted by moments of frustration; only time will tell if those frustrating moments mount up and end up ruining the experience. 

Keep an eye out for more Fallout 4 content as we continue exploring the commonwealth.