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Fallout 4: trip to the wasteland we’ve been waiting for

The wait for a new Fallout game is finally over and DANG it was worth it. This is a great game. A super game, even. A Super Mutant game!

Featuring some of the most exciting improvements seen in the series, Fallout 4 is a stunning showpiece of finely tuned gameplay, storytelling and crafting – so much crafting – and is wildly fun to play.

Set in a post-apocalyptic retro-future Boston, Massachusetts, in the good ol’ US of A, players take the role of a vault (fallout shelter) survivor destined to wander an irradiated wasteland, where bands of sadistic Raiders mercilessly terrorise settlers, murderous Super Mutants attack on sight and even the environment proves generally inhospitable.

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Fallout 4 reviewUnlike previous Fallout games, our hero is actually one of the last surviving inhabitants of a pre-war world, forced underground into Vault 111 literally as the bombs dropped and placed into cryogenic storage, only to be unceremoniously thawed to find everyone else in the vault deceased. Seriously, could you see this coming?!

It’s then up to you to wander and survive the wasteland, rendering assistance on fellow survivors or handing out punishment like a boss, and ultimately trying to find your young son, who was abducted by unknown assailants while you were still on ice.

What is instantly noticeable is the attention to detail in the environment and non-player characters (NPC) – a trademark for which game developer Bethesda is well known.

The landscapes, indoor environments and even the weather are all rendered in beautiful detail, making for some very special eye candy. NPC interactions and their idle behaviour are also a great improvement.

A quest!

fallout 4 reviewAs expected, the central mission in the game takes players through a sprawling story of mini-missions and investigation upon investigation, clearing out raider bunkers (squeeeee!) along the way and following the breadcrumbs that lead to your offspring.

But we didn’t just come here for the main quest, did we? Any Fallout fan will tell you there’s a veritable rabbit hole of side-quests to complete and plenty of good ol’ aimless wandering to do, with all manner of enemies to defeat, loot to score, and fellow settlers and wanderers upon which you can either rain pain or render aid.

Craft time

fallout 4 reviewCrafting is nothing new in the gaming world, but the extent to which weapons, armour and other items in Fallout 4 can be built and modified is brilliant.

One of the most exciting elements of this crafting system is the new settlement workshop, which allows players to build settler homes – buildings, furniture, crops of food, defenses, a dog house and more – from whatever materials are lying around.

Whereas in previous games the junk strewn everywhere was only good for hoarding, now, when broken down, it yields components and parts to create or modify other items.

Feel like building a wooden shack and pimping it out with disco lights? Not a problem. Just scrounge the raw materials and Casa del Mirror Ball will be yours.

Guns, guns, guns

fallout 4 reviewThis system also opens up enhanced weapons modification, evident after your first few Raider encounters, giving the retro-future style from previous Fallout games a hearty splash of Mad Max: Fury Road.

Likewise, the much-coveted Power Armour is back and highly malleable. Craft new armour plates, upgrade components or simply paint it fuchsia to personalise with flare.

User your Power Armour wisely, though, as fusion cores to power the suit are rare and used up faster than you can say: “Mel Gibson played the best Mad Max.”

The final surprise is an NPC element that ups the ante in battle: say hello to Legendary NPCs. Not only do they boast formidable strength, power or weapons to begin with, but knock them down to 50 per cent health and BOOM! they mutant a special ability and are back to full health. In a word, it’s sadistic. Make sure you’re packing a Fat Man (portable nuke) just in case the tide of battle turns against you.

Like coming home

Fallout 4 is a familiar experience for those who have played previous editions in the franchise, but with so many great improvements that it feels like a complete revitalisation; one that will undoubtedly draw in and inspire old players while also attracting those who have never stepped into the wasteland before.

But for everything that has improved, one thing is for sure … war never changes.

Fallout 4 is available now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows PC.

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