@davillain-: Same boat as you. I'll probably sink more hours into Fallout 4 due to mods and the vast amount of content it has. But The Witcher 3 is just such a fresh experience and I think it deserves it much more.
@AzureBonds76: I agree, the game would be so much more enjoyable if it just ran that little bit smoother. I haven't found much in the way of bugs but some serious performance issues such as mouse lag and an inconsistent frame rate, which are driving me nuts.
@khankalili: I'll gladly end this conversation actually. Of course it can be done, I never said it couldn't but that doesn't mean a game isn't an rpg just because it doesn't adhere to your ridiculous standards as to what an rpg should be. That level of choice was much easier to replicate back when all it took was a few extra lines of text, I wouldn't expect it today. "Not recommended" is a strong statement for a game with as much content and detail as Fallout 4, I think Bethesda deserves better than that level of hate for the 4+ years of development that went into that game. It has it's flaws, I agree, but I don't think it's any less enjoyable than Skyrim which was so widely acclaimed. The hate that it's getting, it's getting because of a loud minority of people with unfair expectations such as yourself.
@khankalili: You seem to have very high expectations as what an rpg should be. The text based, tabletop rpg level of choice from the 80's 90's would be impossible to replicate in a AAA title with combat, decent graphics, storytelling and a gigantic open world. Unless you spent 10 years developing it. The ability to choose everything about your character (ie. whether you start as a dad who loses their child or a raider, a scientist etc.) would be great, I don't doubt that, but no one has the time or money to create such a game. And having that level of choice certainly doesn't determine whether a game is an rpg or not. Games like Pokemon, The Witcher, Fable, SW: KOTOR and Dark Souls are all classified as rpg's, and they all give you a predefined role and story to some extent. You don't need every aspect of your game to involve choice to be called a role-playing game.
To say Fallout 4 isn't an rpg is just wrong, I don't know what else to tell you. The game clearly gives you choice, and not just in the main quest but in various side quests such as "Last Voyage of the U.S.S. Constitution" or "kid in a fridge". And to say that the game holds your hand is absurd beyond anything, if you really want to see hand holding, go play a Ubisoft or Bioware game where everything is there on the map for you and there's nothing off the beaten path to reward you for exploring. I even remember some quests in Skyrim which I would never have encountered unless I had randomly decided to waltz into a dungeon I happened to pass by. Play Fallout 4 or 3 in survival mode and it becomes a completely different experience which is far from a casual, spoonfeeding experience.
User reviews on any site are far from trustworthy, being a fairly mainstream developer, of course Bethesda's games are going to get hate. Imagine if we'd never heard of them before, the game would be universally praised just like Morrowind and Oblivion were years ago when no one had played a Bethesda rpg before.
@khankalili: And choosing your appearance and your approach to combat situations isn't role-playing? A definitive factor of rpg's is the ability to choose different classes and playstyles (rogue, mage warrior etc) as well as create your own character. Choices are important, yes. But they don't boil down to your romance options and which faction you side with. Choosing the way you play and who you want to be are equally important.
"There are no evil choices (you're always the hero, always the concerned father)"
This tells me that you haven't finished the game. Spoiler alert, you can easily side against your own son. I myself had a very difficult time choosing a faction because it wasn't black and white, each one had elements of good and evil, it actually came down to my own view on synths and who I liked most. Much better than being told "here's good and here's evil, pick one". And there's no freedom? You can literally walk away from any conversation at any time, kill any npc and go wherever you want in the map from the get go. Most devs are too scared to give players that level of freedom whereas it's expected from Bethesda.
This notion that the improved shooting mechanics (which were much needed) came at the cost of in depth role playing is utterly misguided. Yes it could be argued this game is less of an rpg than Fallout 3. But if anything, it's the new 4 option dialogue system and voiced protagonist which watered down the role-playing, not the new shooting mechanics which are completely unrelated. Most quests when it comes down to it in any game are go here, kill everything, return (except for maybe the Thieves guild in Tes or attending various parties in The Witcher 3). It is a combat based game after all, they don't put all those guns in there for nothing.
@khankalili: Seriously? Massive open worlds that encourage you to explore are the norm thanks to them, even to this day, no one puts the same amount of detail into their games as Bethesda. I wouldn't say they're over simplified as rpg's either, for me role-playing is more about my characters appearance and playing the way i want to play in terms of combat and open world. Creating my own story, if you will. And if you've played Fallout 4, you'd know player choice has a huge role. I don't think any of that just appeals to the lowest common denominator, you don't get that kind of freedom in other games.
@jeffreybernabe: That is the most ridiculous thing you could say about them. They do a lot of things wrong, but having no confidence in the player's intelligence is not one of them. Bethesda is one of the few open world developers who don't hold your hand and tell you where to go. They leave you to explore the world on your on without leaving map markers saying you should go here or there. Player freedom in their game's is unparalleled.
@legitpetehines: I don't understand this Bethesda hate, they were just like CD PR once, before Skyrim they were underrated, ambitious developers. Now with Fallout 4, everyone loves to hate them and considers them overrated because they became mainstream. They deserve more credit for what they've done for the rpg genre imo.
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