Try as they might, Bethesda were always going to be fighting an uphill battle with Fallout 4. Years and years of speculation had built to one hell of a polarising expectation-popper of a reveal announcement at E3, where just as many people came away picking up their jaws off the floor, as the rest raised questions as to how unimpressive various aspects looked to be. Graphics in particular got the most immediate reaction, as Bethesda have chosen to focus on in-world detail, volumetric and dynamic lighting effects, character models and in-depth loot mechanics. Personally I really love what they've done, and now I've gone hands-on with the retail code for a sizeable amount of time, I'd happily say it reinforces every aspect of what was already a solid game formula. It's not all Diamond City-style sunshine and rainbows though, many fans aren't happy - even from the introductory cutscene, various hardcore followers of the franchise are finding things to complain about. It's not anything new - the whole "Let's dogpile on a popular game" shtick - but the following 10 points do have merit, regardless of where you stand on the final product. Either way, one of the most hotly-anticipated games of all time doesn't skate by without having quite the wealth of talking points, and I guarantee what's contained in this article will go on to define Fallout 4 in the many years to come. Note: Introductory/initial plot setup spoilers within.
