Fallout: Where Bethesda Went Wrong

Fallout 4: A Streamlined But Flawed RPG Experience

In many ways, the fourth mainline instalment was hugely innovative. The heaps of junk you’d inevitably horde on your travels now played a crucial role in the gameplay loop.

Junk could be broken down into components and used in the revolutionary new crafting system that allowed players to customise their weapons, armour, and even build settlements to make the world and protagonist feel even more like their own. Likewise, refined gunplay and various other quality of life improvements would streamline the Fallout experience, making exploring this world and fighting hordes of ghouls more intuitive and engaging.

Unfortunately, this simplification of gameplay also extended to the dialogue system, which gave players four basic responses in conversations: yes, no, ask more, and be sarcastic.

Consequently, this design choice came at the drastic cost of player choice, a crucial component in any roleplaying game. Especially when compared to New Vegas, Fallout 4’s quests offer surprisingly little room for manoeuvring.