Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

After reading numerous mixed reviews I decided to write one that should clarify a lot about this latest installment of the Fallout series. I have played every fallout game, from fallout 2, through New Vegas. I have also played Morrowmind, Oblivion, Skyrim, and Elder Scrolls Online. I have enjoyed every Bethesda game for it's time. That being said....This is not like any fallout game you have ever played, nor is it like any of the Elder Scroll series games. This game is it's own. You may see similarities to the other Fallout games because the setting is the same, a post-apocalyptic landscape with many factions of survivors vying for control of the local populace. That is the only connection Fallout 4 has to the other titles mentioned above. This is a brand new genre of gaming, FPS/RPG/SIM/Builder. Now that we have clarified that I will NOT be comparing this game to the other Fallout's or The Elder Scrolls games, and I will try my best to not have any spoilers to the story, so lets jump in to the review. My first impression of Fallout 4 was of awe. The character creation is unique and versatile, sculpting the facial features to you exact preference, choosing you sex, race, and body type, all while the game is actually beginning to build the story around you. There are thousands of preset names in the AI database so when you name your character (i.e. 'John') the AI in the game respond accordingly calling your character by the name you have given him/her. There are pre-loaded faces and body types that are varied and stunning. The landscape in the game is beautiful, even for a radioactive wasteland. The world is vast, and intricate, every detail sculpted to please the ocular palate. Most buildings (I's say 85%,) you can enter and scavenge through for materials, weapons, ammo, food, and trinkets. The open world concept truly applies here, having only run into those pesky invisible walls on the far edge of the given map. I have been able to traverse all the landscapes in the area provided to explore, and have not been stuck, or had any screen tearing/pixelization in the 40+ hours I have played. The graphics are not by any means sub-par, but are slightly less charming then some of the more recent titles for the ps4, but are better then dragon age origins, and the previous Fallout titles for ps3. In case you don't believe me fire up your ps3, pop in New Vegas, play for an hour or so, then go to your ps4 and load up F4 and if you still don't see the gaping chasm of graphical improvement then buy a new TV. There are some graphical flaws in the game like NPC's hair going through their clothing, and seeing an arm come through a wall here and there, but absolutely nothing game breaking, or even enough to warrant it to be a "con". The leveling system is streamlined there are no skills, only percs. As you gain experience you are granted perc points, that can be applied to your base stats, or placed into a new area of expertise that by extension, are akin to the seven base stats that you have available. The leveling system is all new, and completely unique to Fallout 4. No other game will have anything like it, it's different and takes some series getting used to. All in all leveling is still fun and exciting, I look forward to each new level, and seeing how my character will develop as I apply new percs. Weapons and Armor are all new, customizing all but the color. Armor is placed on head, arms (left and right), chest, legs (also left and right) and face. I don't understand why there is no foot armor, I would really like a new pair of kicks, but it's intricate enough that I honestly didn't notice there weren't any shoes until about six hours of playtime in. All weapons can be customized provided you have the appropriate mod, and materials. These customizations require you to have a Armorer/Weapon workbench to work at. Once again a new way to do things has been introduced and also take some time to get used to. Once you figure out that required materials can be tagged for search and then highlighted with a little magnifying glass out in the world it make collecting materials so much easier. That brings me to basic crafting. You can build whole settlements, also provided you have the appropriate materials, once again that tag for search tool comes in mighty handy, and the space required to build, whatever it is you want to build. From walls to houses, guard towers, radio towers, electrical grids, defensive structures, like turrets and traps, water systems, farms, and stores. The better provided your settlements are, Food, Water, Shelter, Defense, the more people will come, the more people you have the easier the town will be to defend against raiders, as you can assign people to guard duty and policing the area. Character interaction is also new, there is virtually no cut away when talking to an NPC, it all happens in real time so you might find yourself walking away from a dialogue box before it pops up, or selecting a dialogue option you didn't want, trying to get the NPC's attention. This can be somewhat frustrating, but once you get the feel for how the dialogue/interaction system works, it's much more conducive to total game immersion. There is so much more I could go on about with this game is ridiculous. I will say it is an awesome new approach to the RPG genre, I have enjoyed every single minute of gameplay, even when I'm getting gunned down by a group of Super mutants, or building farms for my people. This gets a 5/5 from me, it has everything one could ask for in an RPG, great gameplay, great stories, great combat, fantastic exploration, and almost limitless options. Kudos to the Bethesda development team, and if you do get this game, just call out of work for a few days and play at least ten hours before you give it a thumbs down. Have fun gaming!