Fallout 4 Reviews revealed

[Bob_McMillan]

Here' a link that contains all the links to most of the big name reviews, and more:

http://www.vg247.com/2015/11/09/fallout-4-reviews-round-up-ps4-xbox-one-pc/

Obviously its 9s and 10s for days. There were a few exceptions, but nothing below 7.

Praises are pretty much that its Fallout, but kinda better. The customization, the content, the longevity, the gameplay, etc. All of the expected.

The same could be said for the negatives. The game could use a lot polish and better performance (Hello, modders, yes, this Bethesda. I need a solid), and some noted that the game is a bit "more of the same Fallout"-ey. The last thing that most mention (oh here we go) is the graphics. Apparently in some places it really is just plain bad, but not enough to detract from the experience.

So yeah, what do you think? I know a lot of people here dont care about reviews when buying games, but I thought it would make for interesting discussion.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Thought this was a decent review:


This guy is usually pretty effusive/forgiving, so while it's definitely a critical review in places it's not going to put off anyone who wants to stay hyped.

 

[stormtrooper9091]

I wonder how much money they all got. For all I know, the marks may be justified, (I won't be playing it for a while now due to system specs and not being in a hurry anyway) but I find it quite iffy

 

[BloatedGuppy]

I wonder how much money they all got. For all I know, the marks may be justified, (I won't be playing it for a while now due to system specs and not being in a hurry anyway) but I find it quite iffy

I think you'll find it's less a case of bribery and more a case of industry standards...driven by reader expectations...mandating scores in the 7-10 range for every major release, with games only falling to the 7-8 end of the scale if they are significantly flawed.

 

[stroopwafel]

The reviews read like Fallout 4 is a slightly better Fallout 3, which is fine by me b/c I really enjoyed that game. My only slight disappointment is that they apparently still use that(albeit heavily modified) Gamebryo engine which was already falling apart at the seams by the time Skyrim(let alone Fallout 3) came out. Though I don't really want to judge the game too harshly on that before I play it myself tomorrow.

 

[SlumlordThanatos]

The reviews read like Fallout 4 is a slightly better Fallout 3, which is fine by me b/c I really enjoyed that game. My only slight disappointment is that they apparently still use that(albeit heavily modified) Gamebryo engine which was already falling apart at the seams by the time Skyrim(let alone Fallout 3) came out. Though I don't really want to judge the game too harshly on that before I play it myself tomorrow.

People in the Escapist thread on the review have already descended into petty arguing between long-time fans and people who have only been fans since Fallout 3.

I'm fine with a bigger, shinier Fallout 3; I loved that game. But there's an awful lot of people who won't take off their rose-colored glasses and instead complain that the game isn't what they think it should be.

Apparently I'm not a "true fan" of the series because I didn't play the originals.

 

[Elfgore]

Everyone has said it is Fallout 3, but better. That's all I need to hear to know I want this now, like right now.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Apparently I'm not a "true fan" of the series because I didn't play the originals.

I played the originals. Both of em! When they were new!

The modern games are better.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

To be honest, as excited as I am for Fallout 4, I'm more excited by the chance that Obsidian might get to do another Fallout game once Fallout 4 is out.

I've decided I'll get excited about new Obsidian projects when Obsidian discovers what a QA department is.

 

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

Apparently I'm not a "true fan" of the series because I didn't play the originals.

I played the originals. Both of em! When they were new!

The modern games are better.

Yup. I love the old Fallout games, I loved them back in the late 90's too, but the march of time has not been kind to them. While isometric view with description box might have some benefits, it is far, far better to just put the player in the middle of the world in first person view when it comes to atmosphere and world building.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

I don't think the divide in the fanbase comes from new vs. old, it comes from Bethesda vs. Obsidian.

Clearly you never spent time on No Mutants Allowed. When Fallout 3 was announced it was nothing but "Oblivion with Guns" scoffing from coast to coast among the die hard faithful from the first two titles.

In my experience Bethesda is just as bad for neglecting QA and releasing glitched out messes of games.

The main difference is Bethesda neglects QA because they don't care, while Obsidian neglects QA because they have no idea how to manage resources so their time and money usually runs out by the time the game is three quarters done.

A fair criticism, but I've been going through this song and dance with Obsidian since the inception of the company, and it's just gotten old at this point. When PoE was delayed for "extra polish" and they patched in a multitude of game-breaking bugs with their launch patch, my apathy towards them spiked to new heights. They didn't have Bethesda's timeworn excuse of "But our games are huge and complicated!" either. It's the same fucking engine for a decade Bethesda figure it out!

I also don't think they've done anything particularly inspired since Mask of the Betrayer. The writing just hasn't been particularly on point. Fortunately Fallout was never a repository for exceptional storytelling (at least not in a narrative sense, Fallout always thrived on "indirect" storytelling through mise-en-scene), so it didn't really hurt New Vegas, but Alpha Protocol was a complete ham sandwich, and PoE was a mixed bag of inspiration and concentrated bleh.

Personally I'm more inclined to forgive Obsidian on that one, at least they have a vision, at least they're trying to do something impressive. Rather than the middle of the road bullshit I've come to expect from Bethesda.

Eh. I think the two companies are equally ambitious, they just direct their ambition into different things.

 

[EternallyBored]

Apparently I'm not a "true fan" of the series because I didn't play the originals.

I played the originals. Both of em! When they were new!

The modern games are better.

Yup. I love the old Fallout games, I loved them back in the late 90's too, but the march of time has not been kind to them. While isometric view with description box might have some benefits, it is far, far better to just put the player in the middle of the world in first person view when it comes to atmosphere and world building.

Thirding this, played fallout 1 and 2 back in the 90's, still love the new games. Hell, I even still like the CRPG style game, wasteland 2, POE, and Baldur's gate 2 enhanced edition sitting in my Steam library are proof enough of that.

Recently replayed Fallout 1 and 2 just this year after the announcement of FO4, still good stories, though not as fantastic as 90's me remembered, combat now feels intolerably clunky, the isometric camera is a relic at this point,and those games can easily give Bethesda a run for their money in terms of bugs. New Vegas may like to crash, but it never wiped 40 hours of progress like fallout 2 did for me.

The story in 1 and 2 is way better than 3, but even the originals stories aren't that good that they warrant the slavish devotion some fans give them, they too haven't aged perfectly over the years. I can understand why old fans would be put off if they aren't into the change from old CRPG tropes, especially if they don't like shooters, but at some point you just gotta realize the series isn't going where you want it to and move on, I hate the direction call of duty has gone in for years, but I don't hang out in the Black ops 3 review thread telling everyone about how COD sucks compared to the old ones and bitching about "true fans

 

[Legion]

I just find it bothersome how many reviews seem to list an awful lot of flaws for a game that ends up as 9/10. I am not inclined to believe they are bribed or anything, but I do find it difficult to put any value in game reviewers when their reviews and scores are always so different from one another.

This also applies to other games of course, it's just Fallout 4 seems to be the latest one which fits this trend.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

I just find it bothersome how many reviews seem to list an awful lot of flaws for a game that ends up as 9/10. I am not inclined to believe they are bribed or anything, but I do find it difficult to put any value in game reviewers when their reviews and scores are always so different from one another.

This also applies to other games of course, it's just Fallout 4 seems to be the latest one which fits this trend.

This was always true of Bethesda titles though. I could literally sit here shit talking Skyrim for hours, but I also thought it was the best game of 2011 and one of the finest CRPGs ever made.

If the complimentary incarnation of "hot mess" could ever be applied to a video game, it would apply to Bethesda's offerings.

 

[dyre]

Boston is waaaay less cool than DC imo (and I've been to both several times). What do they have that compares to the ruins of the Capital Building? Fenway Park? [footnote]incidentally, is Fenway a gathering point for supermutants in the game? Green monster and all that[/footnote]Of course I'll still buy the game and sink 200 hours into it, but there's no replacing the DC Wasteland in my book. And yes, I've played the first two games...assaulting an oil platform with Marcus was cool and all, but it doesn't beat assaulting the Jefferson Memorial with Liberty Prime.

I don't think the divide in the fanbase comes from new vs. old, it comes from Bethesda vs. Obsidian.

Clearly you never spent time on No Mutants Allowed. When Fallout 3 was announced it was nothing but "Oblivion with Guns" scoffing from coast to coast among the die hard faithful from the first two titles.

I am confused why this the NMA community still exists...do they think that enough sour grapes will somehow result in the revival of Fallout Van Buren?

And yeah, other than Mask of the Betrayer, the last time Obsidian wrote a good story from start to finish was when they were called "Black Isle." And no, the restored KOTOR 2 ending is still disappointing!

 

[Tsun Tzu]

After watching a few reviews...

It's nothing I wasn't already expecting. Bugginess and some graphical meh'ery.

The overall opinion seems to be "This is awesome." So I remain unconcerned and eagerly await the package's arrival tomorrow.