Fallout 4 - Codex Review

I finished FO3 (eventually)…but I only spent about 30-40 hours doing stuff in FO4 and then just ran out of steam. I simply can't face going back to it. It feels weird - but I have 0 desire and every time I think of trying to jump in again, I groan and play something else.
It's even worse in my case. When I think of recent Bethesda games, I just dread starting out into another one of these open world sandboxes that leave me with an empty feeling. I don't even feel negative towards the game. I just don't feel anything that would entice me to start it.

I guess it's some kind of overdosing. The last Beth game I truly loved was Morrowind. After that, things started souring.
 
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Testing Fallout 4 as a computer role playing game is like testing a rally car for formula one. What did Bubbles expect?

Fallout 4 is an open world sandbox adventure with some CRPG and shooter elements, not a full fledged CRPG.

That may be true but Fallout 4 does advertise itself as an rpg so really can't complain when its measured against this.
 
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That may be true but Fallout 4 does advertise itself as an rpg so really can't complain when its measured against this.
The vast majority of Bubbles's criticisms are valid regardless of the genre, anyway, but considering Fallout 1+2 was kind of a revival/revolutionizing of the RPG genre, I think it's perfectly fair to measure up a Fallout sequel to an RPG standard, at least for the purposes of a Codex article. The actual manufacturer's advertising terms don't mean as much to me because a game like Diablo 3 advertises itself as an RPG too, and that's a far bigger laugh.
 
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It's even worse in my case. When I think of recent Bethesda games, I just dread starting out into another one of these open world sandboxes that leave me with an empty feeling. I don't even feel negative towards the game. I just don't feel anything that would entice me to start it.

I guess it's some kind of overdosing. The last Beth game I truly loved was Morrowind. After that, things started souring.

Indeed, when I consider restarting FO4 I probably look like Homer Simpson with glazed, half-lidded eyes and drool running out of my slack-jawed mouth …uhhhhhhhhh (hope that conveys the extent of my numbness :p )
 
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Pretty accurate review. Bethesda's Fallouts suck beyond mesure. This new one is just a glorified shooter with atrocious dialogue and a worldbuilding that doesn't even make much sense (although this isn't new, Fallout 3 managed to actually make even less sense, so I guess they kinda did better here).
 
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It will be at least 2-3 years before a comprehensive overhaul mod is released (Where the hell is the GECK!?!?) and I bother with even trying to play this sorry excuse for a Fallout title again. I doubt even thousands of man-hours can really help it, however; the base content is simply so shallow that it would take a full rebuild of the game. We're talking Nehrim/Enderal levels of effort.

Fun aside, if you play with the UI overhaul mod to enable full text prompts instead of the 2-3 word braindead variants, you can clearly see, time and time again, that three of the four responses are always the same, with the fourth being your trite sarcastic response that redirects you back to the other three.

#3 2015 RPGWatch RPG of the Year. :rolleyes:
 
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mcdonalds_hamburger_03.jpg


Vs

BABurgers_BurgerBar_0279.jpg

Teriyaki_Burgers-580.jpg


vs.

151104111403-mcdonalds-premium-burger-780x439.jpg


Both burgers look good just that some prefer a Teriyaki burger and others prefer a southwestern burger.
 
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You guys all have way too high expectations. Y'all should know better by now. Don't build something up before you play it, helps you enjoy it for what it is rather than what you built it up in your head to be. To wit, don't pre-order or buy games on the day they are released, wait for other poor saps to do that, save yourself the money and the angst. If you aren't making the games don't be disappointed when they're not what you want them to be. Don't bemoan a company for aiming to get sales. It's a business, not a charity. If they aren't making what you want then move on, if you're lucky enough to have not gotten on the release day band wagon you won't have lost a thing and then in a few years someone will have overhauled it and you pick up a GotY Ed on the cheap.


-kwm
 
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I expected everything bad about Fo4 and it still managed to disappoint when I played it :D
 
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You guys all have way too high expectations.

A great American once said we should not buy into "the soft bigotry of low expectations."

Just because its Bethesda it does not mean that they do not have the the potential (however unlikely) to make a good RPG. If everyone just accepts the crap then all they will make is crap.
 
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That's not a review. This is a carefully collected negative thoughts about the game. That is one of the main reasons why I stopped reading game reviews and try to stay away from forums. I don't want that someone stopped me from playing the game. Codex man just made my position even stronger. I really don't like people who collect negative ideas about the game (any game) and call it review.
 
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One of the best supported and illustrated reviews I have read in a long time. You almost never see a reliever use such concrete examples to show why he liked or disliked a game.
As for F4 I think I will pass, this gives such good examples as to why it will not suit my tastes.
 
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I agree with Lev about the review.

Fallout 4 had faults, like any game, and I would have liked more RPG mechanics for sure. But I could say the same thing about pretty much any AAA RPG in the last decade or so. I'm glad they didn't go down the cutscene-cutscene-cutscene route that lots of folk like. I can understand some folk being a bit bored of the Bethesda formula, but that (for me) is not the way to go.

It was RPGWatch's #3 choice because a lot of people enjoyed playing it and therefore voted for it.
 
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Both burgers look good just that some prefer a Teriyaki burger and others prefer a southwestern burger.

Correct as you may well be, you're now waaaay off point of the original point of posting burgers, something that evolved from an insinuation that sales figures = quality. I have no doubt that Maccy D's 'best' burger is likely their lowest seller… because it likely costs the most (though I'm not going to fully research that as maccy D has different menus across the entire world, it's just a 'safe' assumption, because they all sell the dollar burger). In fact, you're kind of reinforcing the point, even within Maccy D's there's options that are better than the biggest seller, so, cheers for that.

I agree with Lev about the review.

Fallout 4 had faults, like any game, and I would have liked more RPG mechanics for sure. But I could say the same thing about pretty much any AAA RPG in the last decade or so. I'm glad they didn't go down the cutscene-cutscene-cutscene route that lots of folk like. I can understand some folk being a bit bored of the Bethesda formula, but that (for me) is not the way to go.

It was RPGWatch's #3 choice because a lot of people enjoyed playing it and therefore voted for it.

What we have here is a thread about a very long and very detailed review that highlights the many problems someone had with the game and why they consider it important to share these problems. Much as you might like the game and feel it your divine duty to protect the game from any form of criticism, it would be much more interesting and useful to your cause if you (all) actually addressed the points provided rather than consistently repeated the line "well, I enjoyed it, so there" or stopped trying to turn this into some drama that requires "you're all so mean" claptrap as the only form of response.

The only people I've read provide any insight at all to the 'wonders' of F4 since its release are Wolfgrimdark, who provided an interesting post on a stealth character, and Mylander's excellent RPGWatch review, though even Mylander admitted that many of the best points aren't necessarily RPG points.

I know it's a long read, but are you suggesting people who like F4 simply don't like to read? I wouldn't say/infer that, I would consider that a cheap shot, but I know for sure when I want to contradict someone, because I think they're wrong (not just because I feel I have to because it's a buddy thing), then I usually attempt to address the actual points of issue rather than just make bleating sounds.

Also, even when I read a review I think is cruddy about a game I enjoy I can still try to look for points where I agree with the reviewer, just out of a general respect for their humanity and to prove I'm not just making bleating noises. I haven't even played F4, I don't even want to play F4, but even I can pinpoint some areas where I think Bubbles is likely wrong, but, for the most part, he seems to be highly accurate. So when all you can do is bleat in unisome that "well, I liked it so there", are you just saying that Bubbles is right, but you don't give a shit?
 
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I haven't even played F4, I don't even want to play F4

[sarcasm on] Say "thank you" to Codex. He's a nice talking guy who can easily change your opinion and stop you from playing the game he don't want you to play.
[sarcasm off]

Good review should have a good mix of pro- and const- points. If review has only pro- or only const- points it is not a review, it is a deliberate attempt to force you to play or not to play the game.

Now, I don't read reviews any more. I don't do it for years. I don't want any nice talking guy to influence my opinion and spoil my fun. I'd better play the game and make my own opinion than to listen to some shady person with black/white picture in mind. My rule is simple. Take any RPG that has been approved by community and you can't be wrong. And FO4 is definitely approved by community, like it or not. This rule works well for me.
 
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Good review should have a good mix of pro- and const- points.

Bullshit. A review is a detailed justification for the opinions you have of a game, nothing more and nothing less. Also, if you don't like the concept of forums:

That is one of the main reasons why I stopped reading game reviews and try to stay away from forums.

What in God's name are you doing here proving that you like to write your inane gobbledygook as much as the next guy… go ahead, bleat at me some more...
 
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What in God's name are you doing here

I can occasionally read a review or look into game's thread after I have finished the game. Sometimes it is interesting to compare my own game impressions with the impressions of other people. But visiting this thread was my fault. I regret it.
 
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So compare you're impressions with Bubbles', what's so brainachingly difficult about that? Do you come out in a rash if you find yourself reading something you disagree with?
 
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@lackblogger
Yeah that's fair - I was too short earlier (partly due to being on a shitty smartphone….)

I actually agree with a lot of points the reviewer is making. It is definitely a well written piece… and Bubbles has got many more hours on on F4 than I have. A lot of the flaws he finds are just 'eye roll' issues for me that didn't ruin my experience.

Specifically, I disagree in general about the ovrrarching narrative - I prefer to have a driving reason to explore the environment. It could have been done better in F4 but I thought it was a strong concept and the story twists with your kid kept me entertained.

I agree with him about the weapons (definitely a bit dull), and the community building stuff, which I didn't bother with. I found the combat and the enemies more engaging though, and didn't get bored of combat \ exploration until about 70hrs in, when I was happy enough to put it aside until expansions.

I disagree with making it more cinematic. I don't need companions picking up tea cups etc. Personally I'd drop the voiced protagonist and go back to a dialogue list. Cut-scenes and more cinematic stuff would probably kill the franchise for me.

Flaws aside, the exploration was great and I happily sank my hours into this. It was what I expected from a modern Bethesda game to be honest - no better, no worse. As I said previously, I can understand some people are bored with the Bethesda formula, but I'm quite happy with it. I don't look to Bethesda (or Bioware, or others) for my stat-heavy RPG fix anymore - that comes from elsewhere.
 
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