Let me start out by saying that Fallout 4 is my first experience with the Fallout franchise. I've never played the games before or indulged in the hype, but I have of course heard a LOT of good stuff about this title's predecessors. Up until the beginning of November, these had simply been murmurs, but I finally started paying attention when I found out I'd be reviewing the game for the website.
Delving right in, all I knew to expect was an apocalyptic event which would send me searing ahead into the future and a world corrupted by destruction and war. Choosing the female protagonist to take through my story following my interview with the woman who voiced her - Courtenay Taylor - I was instantly impressed with the amount of creation options were available to me. At one point, I considered making a hideous character for comedic value, but before long my better judgement kicked in, and 'Miss Myers' was born.
Looking like a 1950s pin-up girl, I entered a parental world of bliss, finding my young child Shaun lay in his crib and my husband working on his own jawline and hairstyle in the bathroom mirror. At this point I regretted not spending more time also editing his looks because I feel as though that would have also been implemented into the gameplay rather than him keeping to the standard model, but future events had me feeling rather glad I hadn't spent another 30 minutes perfecting his features as well as my character's own.
Walking through the house and getting to grips with the standard control system of opening and shutting doors and the like, I wandered into the kitchen to find a rather friendly robot doing household chores called Codsworth. What a DELIGHT he is - voice actor Stephen Russell has really done an incredible job with this one.
A knock on the door from a salesman allows you to get to grips with the conversational system in the game, and shape your character's personality whilst doing so. Signing up for a Vault (Vault 111) in case of a disaster which would bring the world to its knees, this is where you'll be allowed to choose a name for your character and spend your first skill points.
It's worth noting that there are 1,000 names that Codsworth will recognise from the one you choose, so this list - http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Codsworth/recognized_names - is definitely worth taking a look at if you'd like to add yet another novelty layer to your game. Almost instantly,
Before too long, Shaun calls for attention from his crib, and when Codsworth does nothing to ease his temper, the parents have to go and coo over him a bit before he'll settle.
'There's the mobile I got for Shaun, why not give it a go?' your partner will ask - and of course Shaun is mesmerised when you twirl the little rocket ships around. It's a moment parents will be familiar with and those without children should be able to relate to despite the subject matter. But of course, all of that has to be shattered. Luckily, the game developers have already ensured that you're fully enveloped within the characters' lives, so emotional impact whilst making your way through the rest of the game is intensified.
To kick the game off, atomic bombs are dropped and you are rushed to your Vault 111 that you signed up for just moments before. Bellowing to get in at the gate is the man who signed you up to the Vault program - he's not quite as lucky as your family who are ushered in with very little questions asked. As you stand on a circular platform with your partner and child in their arms, you see chaos in the distance before descending underground. You're safe! Jokes, there's something bigger at play here.
Put in your Vault uniform and told you're going to go through a process which will purify you for your new life in Vault 111, you climb into a tank only to be chryogenically frozen, waking up at one point to see your partner shot dead in front of you whilst a strange man runs off with your child. Eventually you fade back into unconsciousness, and when you do eventually wake up you realise you're the only living person left in the Vault. Note, not living THING, as hideous bugs will fly at you and attempt to tear the skin from your limbs. Not the best wakeup call, but punching them in the gut is very satisfying.
Exploring, I was at a loss of what exactly it was I should be keeping an eye out for, so, naturally, I stuffed everything I could find in my pockets. It ranged from a toaster, to empty bottles, to duct tape at one point. If I were coming out of a store with these items I'd be sure to get some funny looks, but hey, it's the apocalypse, anything goes. Armed with my toaster and empty bottle, and of course my partner's wedding ring which I pried from his cold, dead corpse (eBay!), I escaped the Vault, picking up a Pip-Boy in the process, which means I've done better than around 12% of players on Steam who haven't even gotten that far... yay for progress!
Here I was introduced for the first time to the Wasteland. It's a wreck, but a beautiful wreck. Graphics are stunning and minor details are attending to with as much attention as some of the bigger attractions. An outstanding and forever-changing world is yours to explore, and there's a lot of variety out there. You're soon reunited with Codsworth who couldn't be happier to see you, but shares your upset at the loss of your family. You also come across game companion Dogmeat - an adorable canine who'll trust you impeccably and go to war for you.
People in the Wasteland are interesting to say the very least. Some will attack you without warning, whilst others will provide depth and insight into what exactly has happened to the world whilst proving to be great allies. The main quest line is an interesting one, but side quests are also to be given the time of day. Brilliant writing here should be applauded.
Having to go into my Pip-Boy to change my weapon at every instance is a little grating, but I imagine there's a simpler way of getting around this which I just haven't figured out yet.
Skills are another interesting concept. For now, I'm trying to balance everything out equally, but I am considering in the future going full 'strongwoman', or turning myself into an intellectual force to be reckoned with.
Fallout 4's crafting system, whether it be for weapons or entire holdouts and settlements shows a lot of promise. I've not yet been really able to get stuck in with this side of things, but glancing over what other people think of it leaves me excited.
With a couple of stuttering frames here and there, I'm hugely impressed with Fallout 4, whilst also aware that I've barely scratched the surface with my four or so hours gameplay. With over 400 hours available here, I'll carry on at a methodical pace. At times it can feel a little overwhelming, but I'm not going to get butthurt that a game is giving me a wealth of stuff to do. It'd be like sending your food back with a complaint because you got too much icecream.
So bravo to Bethesda. Whilst just last month I didn't know much about the world of Fallout, I now fully feel a part of the experience, and better for it.
Fallout 4 is out now on Xbox One (reviewed on), PS4 and PC.