lLast month, developer Bethesda released a major update for 2015’s Fallout 4, likely timed to welcome new fans eager to learn more about the inspiration behind Amazon’s hit TV adaptation. The base game and its expansions already offered hundreds of hours of gameplay, and this update expands Fallout 4 even further with new quests, experiential enhancements, and in-game items to collect. Fallout 4 is almost a decade old, but there’s never been a better time to jump into its nuclear wasteland.
The biggest addition is the most visible: new performance and quality modes boost the old game up to 4K resolution, running at 60 frames per second. The patch also brings widescreen support and Steam Deck compatibility, so you can play on the go. These are welcome additions that sharpen the visuals, adding new details to everything from rust to radscorpions, but they also highlight an uglier reality: Fallout 4 looks dated. This was arguably true even in 2015, but it is undeniably true now.
The discrepancy between what is now possible on modern video game consoles and what Fallout 4 offers is especially evident whenever the player initiates a conversation. The enhanced textures don’t help the game’s brooding humans, who put on wooden performances with blank stares. Worse yet, during my time playing, long-standing issues such as stuttering and sudden graphical pop-ins were still rife. The additions seem slight compared to other recent major overhauls, such as Cyberpunk 2077.
The update comes packed with new quests that are marked as soon as your character takes their first steps in the Commonwealth. These are tied to item packs that give the player everything from new power armor to fun weapons, like the baseball launcher. While it may be tempting to jump straight into this content after breaking out of the vault, playing it made it clear that it’s not intended for new players. The Enclave questline, for example, immediately pits you against guys in power armor and then takes you to an area near the Shining Sea, one of the most difficult areas in the entire game. In the end, the mission includes ultra-tough enemies that are designed to destroy the player.
All of the new missions focus entirely on combat, which may be disappointing for anyone coming across the TV show, packed with juicy new narratives and characters. Comparing the TV show to Fallout 4 really emphasizes what the games have lost over time. The first two Fallout games from the 1990s were very similar to the show, exploring the failures of capitalism and the American dream. These are heady ideas that, while arguably present in Bethesda’s versions, are overshadowed by humor and slow-motion gore.
Bethesda has a strong presence in the TV show’s DNA, of course. Amazon’s Fallout is equally comically violent and captures the enjoyable irreverence of Bethesda’s Fallout. Lucy’s go-getter attitude and high moral standards are emphasized not to flatten her as a character, as a Bethesda game would, but rather to draw a baseline of how much the world and humanity we choose to preserve in the face of it has changed. . impossible odds. In other words, the show is so good that it makes returning to Fallout 4 and its simplified dialogue and combat-filled scenarios a pain.
The Fallout 4 Creation Club features all kinds of player-made mods that alter the game. Of particular interest to returning players is a Fake Caps mod, which enriches the player in a way that makes opening hours a breeze. Just be warned: In typical Bethesda fashion, none of this is as sturdy as it could be. Some players report buggy quests that prevent progress. Some of these mods also cost real-world money, something that could completely put players off. On PC, it might be better not to use mods: players are reporting serious compatibility issues after the new update.
after newsletter promotion
What’s most evident about Fallout 4’s new updates is that Bethesda has rebuilt it to have the same kind of longevity as Skyrim: despite the problems, Fallout 4 is once again topping the sales charts. Then again, like Skyrim, Fallout fans don’t have many options. The first two games from the 1990s can only be played on PC, and are difficult to run on modern hardware; Meanwhile, 2008’s Fallout 3 and 2010’s New Vegas languished. For new players who want to try this series, it’s really between this and Fallout 76 online multiplayer.
It will probably be a long time before Bethesda gives players something entirely new in this series – development on a new Fallout game isn’t expected to begin until after the long gestation of the next Elder Scrolls. Until then, we at least have to look forward to a second season of the surprisingly upbeat TV show.
