Fallout 4 offers a ton of great new things to the already hugely popular Fallout saga including a brand new radioactive wasteland just begging to be explored and looted, as well as some new key features in game such as the ability to scrap and salvage materials and apply these materials to constructing shelters for the poor citizens in between. Sadly, it also comes with a ton of hard-to-ignore issues and bugs that have plagued the Fallout series forever on the next gen consoles. If they weren't so constant and huge gameplay affecting problems, it would excel to even greater heights. Regardless, there is still plenty Fallout 4 does to sway players attentions and keep them enthralled in this curious land of horrors known now as the Boston Commonwealth Wasteland.
As always, players have the option to build their own playable character from scratch, male or female with slight differences applied to the background story, but as for the male story, you will begin life in a seemingly perfect existence... Wife, newborn baby Shawn, a Mr Handy Robot called Coddsworth who is a very loyal and kindred servant of your family, and even a pretty German Shepard dog at your service. Life is perfect until the knock on the door leads to a stranger offering a position for you and your family a spot underground in Vault 111. Uh oh, doesn't sound good, and its not. Nuclear bomb threats have been announced globally on television and before you know it, you your wife and kid (without Coddsworth) are shuttled in a Vault and are thought to be safe from the horrors of nuclear destruction when scientists separate you from your missus and son and demand each one of you to get in cryogenic stasis modules. Long story short, your wife is shot in front of you and you watch powerlessly, as baby Shawn is ripped from her arms by mysterious looking strangers. Your character will shortly thereafter fade into a deep cryogenic slumber and wake up 300+ yrs in the future without a clue to go on your search for the men who took your son. And as to be expected, the surface world is deeply affected by radiation and nuclear activity that Boston is gonna be a completely different world than before. This is where Fallout 4 shines. The Commonwealth or Boston Wasteland is a thriving huge area with TONS of locations, buildings, villages and etc. to loot, explore and roam at your behest. Never before has Fallout world been so deeply detailed, from the Atlantic Seashores to the downtown streets of Boston, and packed with hideous mutations and creatures suffering from radiation poisoning, the world is at your disposal. And trust me, there is plenty to be done and uncover on the map. While lots of the map you will be navigating is actually underwater and the ocean, the depth that Bethesda poured into these areas makes each location feel legit and thriving with life that you can't help but feel how devastating the affected areas are and there is much to be appreciated in the detail that was put in. The map is packed tight with tons of shopping markets, science labs, and actual Boston staples and just when you start to think you have seen it all you uncover a whole new community.
While the open world theme may not be a new feature to Fallout, the ability to establish forts and basically build your visualized village from scratch is new. It works surprisingly well and can be way more addictive than it may first seem. Each item you find scattered throughout your travels from a can of Nuka Cola to an umbrella can be stripped down to the bare elements it contains such as aluminum or copper, wood or even concrete, and can then be used to fortify towns, rebuild communities for residents, whatever you very well please. It is a huge addition to the gameplay and is a wonder to dabble in once you establish your presence and start gaining materials. You may have to find copper wire for stringing lights and electricity, or find fertilizer for Brahmin troughs, Bethesda literally gives players the free option to do whatever you fancy with each area that is establishable. As time goes on, you will notice that (or I did at least) that this will take up a lot of your time you normally would be pursuing story based quests, and is a hugely welcoming addition to the Fallout world.
As always, choice is key in the experiences you will encounter on your travels and factions you ally yourself with and fail to impress will act accordingly and the path will be forged for whatever players decide. Brotherhood of Steel is here, the Raider bandits as well, including an introduction to a new Fallout faction, the mysterious and much feared Alliance Group. The Minutemen is another huge addition to the world and will be a key quest factor in the story. And of course, you cant please em all and just offering your allegiance to certain ones will automatically terminate your "cool points" with others, so player choice and reaction is vital. The Railroad is also a huge new force in the Commonwealth and offers their own benefits should you show loyalty to them.
The enemies are mostly the same, Super Mutants, vicous Mole Rats, with some newly introduced and utterly disgusting bugs such as the cringeworthy Bloodbugs and gigantic Mirelurk mutations. These creatures can be vicious and downright menacing and are all very interesting to encounter. And of course, the Deathclaws make a nasty return and should be approached with extreme caution and a quick saved game!! There aren't too many new creatures to be seen but its diverse enough for players to encounter something fresh and new feeling at least for the first half of the game.
The newly revised Perk system is a huge plus too, doing away with the old and aged system and putting a new huge chart system full of new and special Perks for players to level up and strengthen their character with. There are some returning perks but this list is so fresh and diverse that players may have trouble choosing which to get first. It is a highly advanced and welcomed addition to the level up process and offers plenty of new abilities and "powers" to bestow.
The ONLY hiccup Fallout 4 suffers from (and suffers frequently) is the dreaded bugs and gameplay altering errors that Bethesda has had trouble with in the past. Its not nearly as dooming of an experience as Fallout New Vegas suffered from, but it can still be a bothersome and repetitious pain. Some quests will never be completed although you have done it several times, the glitchy and bug addled screen loads, not to mention other huge story affecting issues will slow down the experience and hinder the fun factor. It is advised to frequently save your data and make sure one of the annoying bugs hasn't inadvertenly got you in disputes with former Allies (all to you unknowingly) or that your quests show up completed. I found myself doing certain quests several times before the game would recognize my completions and many many more irritations and headaches. Fallout 4 would be a stellar and near perfect gem if not for these constituents. However, it is still an epic and hugely rewarding experience that offers interesting and legendary pieces of Boston's long history all over and will sway players attentions for the most part. The story is so-so, but the new features and Perk systems on top of the amazing locations and buildings that await plundering and reconstructing will be enough to win 90% of the crowd. I recommend this as a must for any RPG/shooter fans who love to uncover all the secrets and horrible wrongdoings that are present in the wastelands of the Fallout universe and to any open world explorer fans who just like to discover what happened at each locale. Fallout 4 is a huge step in the right direction for the franchise and the RPG open world genre!!!!!!!