Of the many, many role playing game series I have played, from Elder Scrolls to Mass Effect, none have come close to matching the Fallout series in terms of how many hours it has taken from me. So it left me absolutely giddy when the 4th installment in the series, Fallout 4, was announced at E3 of this year.
For those unfamiliar, Fallout is a long running series of RPG’s from the early days of PC gaming, originally created by Black Isle Studios and Interplay, before being purchased by Bethesda Softworks, creator of the Elder Scrolls. Starting as an isometric point and click RPG, it evolved into a first person RPG mix under Bethesda.
The games, billed as “post-apocalyptic role playing games” take place in the far future, the 22nd and 23rd centuries. The games feature a bizarre future and setting with heavy retro futuristic influences, inspired by the culture and science fiction of the 1950’s post war America. In the games, after WWII, the timeline split from ours, resulting in a world where technology advanced immensely, but society and culture stagnated. Incredible technology such as robotics, energy based weaponry, and powered armor suits are seen alongside black and white TV and old time radio.
However, this world was destroyed by a combination of catastrophes, with resource shortages prompting worldwide war, an invasion of Alaska by China, the disbanding of the United Nations, the US forcibly annexing Canada, and finally a full out nuclear apocalypse between the world powers. Some people survive on the surface, while others find safety in large underground shelters called Vaults.
Fallout 4, like the previous games for the mast part, follows one of those who survived in the Vaults, who then leave the Vault to explore the wasteland above. Fallout 4 is set to be released after 5 years of work, the previous installment of Fallout New Vegas being released in 2010.
Gameplay is set to be similar to Fallout 3 and New Vegas, a mix of RPG elements and first person shooting. Unlike those previous games, the level system has been tweaked and changed. In addition, the game takes place in and around the ruins of Boston, now known as the Commonwealth. Fallout 4 also adds more customization with weapons, allowing players to construct weapons, mod them, and further interaction with companions.
VATS, an optional targeting system introduced in Fallout 3, returns as well, allowing precision attacks on enemies without the heat of battle to distract one.
As it stands, Fallout 4 is one of the games I am most excited for, and is set to be released on November 10th, on PC, Playstation 4 and Xbox One.
Leave a Reply