5 out of 5 stars.

After several years of waiting, the end of days is here. Bethesda’s Fallout 4 released to a shockwave of positive reception. Combining the open-world post-apocalyptic feel of the Fallout games with several streamlined enhancements to keep up with the modern gaming industry, Fallout 4 is a groundbreaking title not only in the series, but in gaming as a whole. Despite apprehension amongst fans amidst its release, Fallout 4 breaks the mold for a Fallout game and delivers a satisfying and enjoyable experience from start to finish.

Fallout 4’s theme plays heavily on sci-fi movies, perhaps more so than its predecessors.

The story plays like an amalgamation of Blade Runner and Mad Max, with your character being a vault dweller tasked with locating your kidnapped infant son. Throughout their journey, the player character can discover and interact with numerous locations and factions throughout the world, from the revolutionary Minutemen to the legendary Brotherhood of Steel, and several groups in between. Moreso than previous Fallout games, no two factions are explicitly the ‘good’ or ‘bad’ choice to go with; morality is one of Fallout 4’s main themes, and the question of bad or good is one the player ultimately decides the answer to.

Fallout 4’s gunplay has been massively tweaked. Playing upon the weapon modding introduced in New Vegas, 4 allows for the almost full scale modification of each weapon in the game, from simple knives to complex energy weapons. Several guns can be modified to suit different weapon archetypes, such as modifying a pipe pistol into a rifle, or a plasma rifle into a plasma sniper. Armor is also able to be modified, and is now separated by body parts instead of being a single piece, allowing for perfectly crafted builds and more unique loadouts than ever before.

Instead of reinventing the wheel, Fallout 4 reinvented the entire chassis of it’s gunplay and gameplay.

While the gunplay tweaks seem like a welcome addition, several fans may be left with a sour taste in their mouth regarding the streamlining of several of the game’s RPG elements. Skills are basically eliminated, and instead your character is a ‘jack of all trades’ of sorts, who is proficient in each skill but can choose to enhance which skills are important to your playstyle. While there’s a bit of a disconnect in being able to pick up an experimental energy cannon for the first time and knowing how to use it effectively without training, ultimately the change feels good and a step forward. Systems such as weapon condition or karma wouldn’t feel right with the rest of Fallout 4’s gameplay, even if they are interesting features on their own.

Bugs. Yes, Fallout 4 has bugs.

To any Fallout fan this doesn’t come as a surprise, but those playing the game on consoles will likely experience some serious frame drops from time to time. Fortunately, the game itself isn’t very buggy, beyond some weird dialogue bugs that may end a sentence too soon. While the bugs are there and they can be very irritating when they choose the wrong time to happen, they don’t happen often enough to consider shelving the game.

Bethesda has never been known for being strong storytellers, and that much is still true in Fallout 4.

The plot is mostly predictable, and the main questline doesn’t take very long to complete. Fallout isn’t just a questline and an ending though, and never has been. What it lacks in an engaging main plot, it makes up for in tons of irradiated bunkers, hostile enemy camps, struggling homesteads, and countless other unique locations that offer hours and hours of sidequests, loot, and character interaction.

Fallout 4’s success speaks for itself. Fallout is a perfect example of a classic gaming title that has been revitalized several times, for better or for worse, and it’s certainly better in this case. While fans may miss some of the more RPG heavy mechanics, the game has stuck true to its roots and delivers an immersive, enjoyable, and massive new wasteland for players to explore, conquer, and change. Whether you’ve been playing since the first Fallout or just learned about the series, Fallout 4 is an excellent title in the series in terms of gameplay and innovation.