Tag Archives: Video Games

February 20, 2026

Some Thoughts on Fallout Season 2

By The Sector M

When the Fallout TV series came out in 2024, I published my thoughts on it on this blog, including why I think that it was a fantastic adaptation of a game property. The sets, the acting, the story, all of it added up to one of my favorite shows currently on TV.

I rewatched it in the lead up to the release of Season 2, and it really held up. Sure, there were some weird things, like fusion cores being super rare and powering whole vaults, that were a bit weird, but overall it was better than I could have realistically hoped for.

I’ve now watched Season 2 in its entirety. Did I like it? You bet I did! Are there still some puzzling aspects of it (which I’ll get to in a bit)? Also yes. Regardless, I definitely tuned in to it eagerly every week, along with my family, to see what drama was brewing in the wasteland that week. Did I mention that we are a Fallout family? Yeah, this was a major event in our household.

Before I go on, here is your obligatory SPOILER warning. If you haven’t watched the second season, I highly recommend that you go and do so before reading this blog. We good? Okay, let’s talk about the strengths of this season first.

The Sets: I made mention before of just how incredible the sets looked in Season 1, particularly the interior of the vaults. This time, much of the events take place in New Vegas, and again, the sets were breathtaking. Walking into Mr. House’s audience room at the top of the Lucky 38 was spot on. The nearness of the Ultra-Luxe and Gomorrah, all felt right. We even got to see the Strip before the bombs dropped, which was really cool.

The Acting: I can’t say enough things about the acting talent in this show, particularly Walton Goggins and Ella Purnell, who both shine like diamonds here. Kyle MacLachlan gets a lot more screen time this season, and he turns in a chilling performance, being both a loving father figure and ruthless villain at the same time. We even got some really great moments with Aaron Moten as Maximus, particularly when he suits up in the NCR power armor while we hear the Fallout main theme play. There are so many great moments that I can’t quite recount them all here.

Super Mutants:  When I first heard his voice, I knew it was Ron Perlman, the famous narrator of the earlier Fallout games. The super mutants that have retained their intelligence, like Fawkes and Erickson, have always been of interest to me. They’ve been exposed to the forced evolutionary virus, but they haven’t just turned into raging barbarians who collect gore bags and decorate in twisted metal. It sounds like they will be a major force against the Enclave next season, and I’m all for it.

NCR Power Armor: This gets its own listing. I have a love of power armor, in general, and Iron Man is one of my favorite superheroes. So, seeing the iconic NCR Ranger helmet adapted to power armor was pretty spectacular, particularly seeing all of its built-in weapons and abilities. It’s too bad it got trashed to the point where Maximus might simply abandon it. I would love it if he were to join the NCR and for this armor to become his signature power armor.

On the other side of the coin, there were some things that didn’t quite resonate with me. Again, I liked it overall, but these were the things that often didn’t work for me.

Trouble on the Homefront: The story arc that takes place in the vaults was one of the weakest threads this season. I do applaud the writers for bringing back the broken water chip. One of my critiques of Season 1 was that this was mentioned then never followed up on again. We get some more movement on that, but it’s just kind of bleh. I am glad we got to spend more time with Stephanie Harper, as there’s definitely more going on with her than is apparent. Overall, though, there just wasn’t enough screen time or compelling beats for this to land. And what was going on with her marrying Chet and not even telling him? Steph has just kind of co-opted him, but we’re not entirely sure why.

Norm and Bud’s Buds: A close second for last, Norm’s arc to spring himself from Vault 31 didn’t seem to go anywhere, and that’s a true shame. Last season, Norm investigating what was going on in the vaults was something I found compelling. Norm himself being physically weak but extremely smart and perceptive was something I enjoyed, and his dynamic with Chet was fantastic. This season, he’s separated from Chet, and that’s not great. The Bud’s Buds group was ultimately a nothing burger as they all get wiped out by radroaches, except for Norm’s friend and potential love interest. Convenient, that. Norm is too good of a character, and Moisés Arias too good of a talent, for arcs with no real substance. Let’s hope Norm gets his due next season.

Caesar’s Legion: This may have been more of a set design issue, but did it not look like someone could have snuck up that berm in the dead of the night to retrieve Caesar’s body? If it had been more separated, in full view of the other side so snipers are a constant risk, and more dead legionnaires who had tried and failed, I think I would have bought the scenario a bit more. But more than that, if no one knew what heir the original Caesar (Edward Sallow) had chosen, how did the two competing Caesar’s justify their taking up the mantle in the first place? And who put Sallow’s body out there and put barbed wire around it? That whole setup had me scratching my head. Having said that, seeing Macaulay Culkin as the new Caesar was pretty cool, and the fact that they want a “Caesar’s Palace” on the Vegas strip was a nice touch.

The Brotherhood of Steel: While it was interesting to see the different chapters of the Brotherhood assemble, and witness firsthand the differences between them, that part of the story ended early enough that I was surprised when we got the stinger at the end. I thought that was about all we were going to get of the Brotherhood for a while. Also, it’s a bit weird that Quintus had chosen Maximus as his champion, then openly insulted him in public, which clearly eroded Maximus’ loyalty. It’s also really weird that if the cold fusion diode were really the key to making unlimited fusion cores (which they established were rare) that it would be left entirely unguarded. It seems like multiple fire teams, each led by a trusted Star Paladin, all in power armor, would have been there to make sure one of the other chapters didn’t go in and seize it for themselves.

Also, the showrunners and Bethesda have had something of an allergy to establishing canon endings for Fallout: New Vegas and Fallout 4. The arrival of Xander Harkness from the Commonwealth chapter, however, would seem to imply that either the Minutemen or Brotherhood ending of Fallout 4 is canon, as the Institute and the Railroad endings see the Prydwen destroyed, and the Brotherhood almost entirely dismantled. Xander showing up was not as important for lore as, say, if Arthur Maxson had shown up on screen, but it does mean that the Brotherhood is still operating in sufficient force in the Commonwealth to still be a power.

Walking Back the Big Reveal: Last season gave us the jaw-dropping reveal that Vault-Tec might have been the ones responsible for launching the nukes that started the apocalyptic nuclear war. This was something completely new to the lore, which had previously left it ambiguous on whether the USA or China had launched first. This season, they moved away from that. Mr. House even says that it was ultimately “unclear.” We also see a seen where Siggi Wilzig from the Enclave instructs Barb that she should say that line in the meeting. All of the tension they established in that scene in Season 1 was largely undone in Season 2 with the rather vague reveal being “the surface was the experiment.” So, we’ll see where that goes, if they don’t walk that reveal back by next season.

The Tease of the Ghoul’s Family: I’m including this one for the fact that it was telegraphed in advance. For all the other cryopods we see, such as with Bud’s Buds, we can clearly see the figures inside them. Both Barb and Janey’s pods were opaque when we saw them, which told me that they were empty. So, no resolution there, but we do get a clue to lead the Ghoul/Coop on the next leg of his quest. Let’s hope there’s some resolution to this next season.

My Biggest Concerns: Really, I’m a little afraid Season 3 is going to be stretched too thin, especially if we’re only getting eight episodes per season. One of the main issues this season seemed to be that there wasn’t enough screentime to cover it all. More story arcs were opened than were resolved. If we take a look at what might be brewing for Season 3, we have:

  • The Brotherhood civil war/Liberty Prime
  • Caesar’s Legion vs. the NCR over control of the strip (along with Mr. House)
  • The Ghoul going solo to Colorado to find his family
  • The Enclave vs. the Super Mutants
  • The Pre-War arc of Cooper Howard and his family
  • The Vault-Tec/Enclave hidden control chips
  • Vault 32’s uprising against Stephanie Harper
  • Vault 33’s instability and water/food scarcity
  • Norman and whatever he winds up doing

That’s a lot of ground to cover to say nothing of any new arcs they establish that we haven’t heard of yet. If we had 12-episode seasons, that would be one thing, but eight episodes feels like they will be hard pressed to move the plot forward in a satisfying way. I hope Season 3 will start giving us some resolution, so they can really focus down on the major characters and what’s important.

I’m also a bit concerned that the Ghoul is going off on his own. I think some of the best moments in the show are when Lucy and the Ghoul are on screen together. It doesn’t look like we will get much of that for a while since there’s about to be a lot of distance between them.

Final Thoughts

Even with my concerns, I am still onboard with this show. Fallout is one of my favorite game universes ever, and even with some of the flaws and missed opportunities, this team and these actors, are (in my opinion) able to do it justice.

I’m curious to see where they go from here.

Thanks for reading!

__________________________________________________

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September 15, 2023

Why Baldur’s Gate III is a Game-Changer for Me

By The Sector M

I want to start this post by congratulating Larian Studios on their launch of Baldur’s Gate III on the PS4 platform. Now Playstation players will have the chance to go on a grand adventure that PC players have enjoyed for a few weeks now. Welcome to the party, folks!

Before I get too far along here, this blog post will contain spoilers for Baldur’s Gate III, so be advised.

Absolutely everyone who has helped produce this game should be proud of their work. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this amount of heart and soul put into a game, and it shows. But before I get into the specifics on why I love it so much, I want to give you the genesis of how BG3 came into my life.

How It Started

About a year ago, I got into the BG3 early access. I was afraid that my aging PC wouldn’t be able to deliver a decent experience. While it creaked along, I was able to play through Act 1 a few different ways. There were many nights that I didn’t get much sleep. I thoroughly enjoyed my time back then, but once I exhausted all the content, I put it down. My interest remained, however, and I’ve been listening to the music from the game ever since.

Unfortunately, I wouldn’t be able to rebuild my gaming rig for a while yet. This put me in the unenviable position of having to wait to play this landmark game. I saw on NerdImmersion’s channel that Larian recommended that you uninstall the game and delete all your saves just so that there would be no problems with the new install.

Darling…

A few days after the launch date for PC, I booted up BG3 to do just that. I had been hesitant to do so only because seeing it all again would just reinforce that I was going to have to wait until I get a computer setup that could handle it.

To my surprise, Steam had already done that for me. The full version of the game was just sitting there, waiting. I wasted no time diving in. I found, to my surprise, that my existing PC could actually handle the game, perhaps even a bit better than it had during early access. Consequently, I have been playing my merry little heart out the last few weeks. Once again, I find myself burning the midnight oil to visit Faerûn.

And there are some good reasons for that.

The Immersion

Larian did an outstanding job of fusing story, setting, and stakes into one coherent whole. Besides the incredible volume of things you can go and do, as well as the dozen or more ways you can approach each situation, BG3 makes me care — about the world, the characters, and the aftermath of the choices I make. I think the last game that gave me that sense of place was Ghost of Tsushima, which will forever have a special place in my heart.

This game just hits all the right notes, and does so with a minimal amount of bugs and crashes. Your mileage may vary, but I’ve only encountered a handful of glitches.

Soldier!

Beyond that, BG3 presents us with a variety of weighty themes, including mortality, the uses and justifications of power, standing up for what you believe in, owning up to your choices, and (in places) showing us that the quality of mercy is not strained.

While the combat is certainly thrilling, and I do love it, I also enjoy being able to talk my way out of a fight while receiving XP without undue bloodshed. It’s just one of the ways that Larian has served up an RPG that gives us the feeling of being there.

The Dramatis Personae

Perhaps the most compelling and endearing aspect of the game is the way that BG3 presents the companion characters. This cast of characters, all incredibly well written, are what set this game apart. When I talk about the heart and soul of the game, the characters are what I mean.

And I would be remiss if I didn’t give the voice cast of this game a huuuuge shout-out here. They played their parts so well that I really felt it when something unfortunate happened to them, and elated when some bit of good luck came their way. I knew I would be invested in these characters, but I was not prepared for just how much that would be the case.

Shar’s blessings upon you.

So, (in no particular order) I’d like to thank Amelia Tyler, Jennifer English, Devora Wilde, Neil Newbon, Tim Downie, Theo Solomon, Dave Jones, Emma Gregory, Samantha Béart, and so many others for bringing such life into these characters. The performances here are ones for the ages.  

A few times, the screen got awfully blurry as the events unfolded before me. The end of Shadowheart’s story line, and the heartrending choice she has to make, springs immediately to mind. Karlach’s speech after seeing her tormentor defeated totally wrecked me. I thought about that one for a few days afterwards.

Then, there’s the whole cut-scene where the Nightsong takes flight that gave me strong vibes of King Arthur riding across the land to one last battle while Carmina Burana plays in Excalibur. There are so many perfect moments that it’s hard to believe it’s all in one game.

The Music

I have been listening to the BG3 OST for more than a year now. I write to music, and any time I’ve needed to get into a fantasy mood, this has been my go-to score. Heck, I’ve used it to write science fiction or in just my regular writing. In fact, I’ve been listening to it as I write these words. It’s excellent for all occasions.

When it’s playing in tandem with the game, it is, well, magical. This may be the best game soundtrack since Skyrim, which was transcendent. The composer, Boris Slavov, has really given us a musical experience that propels BG3 up among the stars.

*istik…*

This game would have been marvelous even if the musical score had just been so-so, but the haunting beauty, passion, and poignancy it delivers is akin to throwing rocket fuel on an already blazing bonfire.

I’ve heard music sometimes described as ‘speaking all those things that cannot be put into words.’ Of course, it’s hard to capture the essence of what I’m talking about just through text. So, I thought I might point you in the direction of the music so you can experience it for yourself. Here is a sampling  of some of the tracks that have moved me the most:

I encourage you to check out Boris Slavov’s YouTube channel for a full track listing. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did.

Final Thoughts

Love — that’s what I see when I play this game. There’s such an incredible amount of care, time, and attention put into every aspect of Baldur’s Gate III that it has redefined the video game RPG genre for me. So, when I say it’s a game-changer, I mean it quite literally. It has recontextualized what a game could and can be.

Ultimately, this game is about a bunch of broken, morally grey people (though some are definitely greyer than others), being forced together by circumstances beyond their control to become the point on which the fate of millions turns.

They’re from all walks of life, from many different places, and most of them of had some pretty horrible things to contend with in their lives before the tadpole arrived. Half of them barely tolerate the other half.

But when it counts, despite their differences, they come together anyway, knowing that time is short and that they should act while they still can.

And you know, I think there’s something really beautiful about that.

__________________________________________________

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August 21, 2020

On Catharsis and the Ghost of Tsushima

By The Sector M

One act of kindness can make all the difference.

This year has been one of loss and uncertainty for many of us. In the last eight months I have lost three people close to me, all pillars of my world. One of them was my grandfather. As you might imagine, I was devastated.

At the time that he passed, I threw my grief into the proverbial drawer and slammed it shut. Not the healthiest approach, I’ll admit, but one I felt was necessary at the time. In the weeks following his funeral, I became withdrawn and depressed. I found myself stuck in a cycle of what-ifs and what-might-have-beens.

Then, out of the blue, a friend of mine reached out to me. “Have you played Ghost of Tsushima yet?”

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I had seen the trailers. It looked like a dream game, but it was a PlayStation 4 exclusive. I didn’t own that game system. I had to put Ghost of Tsushima on the list with Horizon Zero Dawn, Marvel’s Spider-Man, God of War and a bunch of other fantastic games that were out of reach.

When I told my friend that I didn’t have a PS4, he replied. “I’ll hook you up.” I thanked him, thinking that he was going to send me a copy of the game for when I finally did get the system. A few days later, a brand-new PS4 showed up on my doorstep along with a copy of Ghost of Tsushima and Marvel’s Spider-Man. I was floored by his generosity.

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Toshiro Mifune set the bar pretty high for on-screen samurai.

My friend knew that I have a life-long interest in Japanese culture and samurai history, that I had been involved in martial arts at an early age (both my parents were teachers), and that I have a particular fondness for Akira Kurosawa films.

That is how the Ghost of Tsushima came into my life. One act of kindness.

[What follows contains major spoilers for Ghost of Tsushima, so turn back if you don’t want to know major plot points and/or how it ends.]

Everything about this game hit the mark for me, right from the start. The story, the cinematic cut scenes, the haunting soundtrack, the combat system, and most especially the breathtaking visuals — all spot on. This is one of the most beautiful games I’ve ever played.

Landscape

In it, you step into the role of Lord Jin Sakai, a Kamakura-era samurai fighting against the Mongol invasion of the island of Tsushima in 1274. In the opening moments of the game, Jin and his beloved uncle, Lord Shimura, make a desperate charge to prevent the Mongols from taking Komoda beach. It’s hopeless, but they fight on against all odds. One by one the samurai around them fall, until only Jin and Lord Shimura are left standing. The Mongol leader, Khotun Khan, takes Lord Shimura captive and believes he’s killed Jin in single combat. (That’s a gross oversimplification, of course, but I don’t want to give everything away.)

Jin Sakai

Lord Jin Sakai.

Saving Lord Shimura thus becomes your first major goal in the game. To achieve this, Jin has to employ tactics and methods that his uncle believes are not honorable, such as stealth and assassination. This marks Jin’s transformation into ‘The Ghost,’ a figure that strikes terror into the hearts of the invaders.

The relationship between these two characters is at the heart of this story. When Jin’s father is killed, Lord Shimura raises his young nephew as his own son. We get to see how their relationship grows over time. One of the combat tutorials is cleverly presented as a flashback to Lord Shimura’s lessons with the sword. These scenes show us what they mean to each other, even up to the very end. Lord Shimura represents the pure samurai ideal. He is a monolithic presence in Jin’s life. To go a little D&D here, he is the shining paladin that Jin aspires to be.

Lord Shimura

Lord Shimura.

Some of the best digital acting I’ve ever seen is between Jin and Lord Shimura. You can see the gleam of pride in the older man’s eyes. One of the most touching moments in the game is when Lord Shimura tells Jin that he has petitioned the Shogun to make Jin his legally adopted son and heir. He will cease to be Jin Sakai and instead become Jin Shimura, the eventual jito (territorial steward) and leader of Tsushima.

Unfortunately, it’s never quite that simple in a story like this one. Jin’s role as the Ghost eventually brings the two of them into direct conflict. It’s absolutely heartbreaking to watch these two fall out. They both love and respect each other, but the course of events has put them at odds. Lord Shimura believes that Jin has lost his way; Jin believes that Lord Shimura’s inflexible code cannot answer the realities they face.

The Ghost

The Ghost.

This is where real life crossed over with my experience in the game. What I just described is similar to the relationship I had with my grandfather (though, admittedly, there were far fewer Mongols involved). He was this larger-than-life figure when I was growing up, like a force of nature or a rock star. He was a cowboy as well, and those who follow the genre know how well Westerns translate into samurai stories, and vice versa.

I never fit into that mold. I tried to, I wanted to at times, but it wasn’t for me. As I grew older, we disagreed more and more about almost everything. You name it, we debated it. Sometimes things could, and did, get heated. We never came to blows, thankfully, and neither of us could stay mad at the other. Even if we saw things from vastly different points of view, I will always remember the times he helped me when things got rough, when I thought I couldn’t go on.

Ghost of Tsushima_20200720022004

So, at the time that I crossed swords with Lord Shimura at the end of the game, I had no idea that I was subconsciously working through the complicated relationship my grandfather and I shared. So much of it feels unresolved between us, both the good and the bad. It’s clear now that this lack of closure had become a major impediment to coping with the grief I had bottled up inside.

At the end of the duel, you have the choice to either spare Lord Shimura’s life or grant him a warrior’s death. While so much of what I’ve learned told me to honor Lord Shimura’s last request, I found in that moment that I couldn’t do it.

This is where we part

This is where we part.

After everything the two had gone through together, for the bond that they shared, and because Jin’s name (仁) can be found as one of the virtues of bushido to mean mercy or compassion, I chose life.

How could I not?

As Jin walked off into the distance to the sound of “The Way of the Ghost,” something in the soulful sadness and beauty of Clare Uchima’s performance moved me, and my long-absent catharsis came at last. To give full credit to Sucker Punch games, I would have been greatly moved by that ending even without the underlying metacontextual ties to my real life.

It took me several days of soul-searching to understand why that moment in the game had affected me so strongly. Then it hit me: Ghost of Tsushima, to me, is a story about letting go of the past while still honoring it, about becoming who you really are rather than who you were expected to be. That’s exactly where I was emotionally.

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I saw myself and my struggle mirrored in the story, if just for a moment. And seeing it play out before me like that gave me just the jolt I needed to break the cycle and start working through it. Like Jin, I may never have the full closure I seek, but in the end maybe that’s not necessary to accept the loss and continue living.

Life is strange like that. Sometimes it takes playing as a fictional samurai to teach you something about yourself. I won’t lie here, folks, opening up the floodgates has not been easy. Some days are easier than others, and I still have a long way to go in the grieving process.

Quiet Time

Just…breathe.

I’m a big believer in the healing power of art. In the past, books, music, and fandom have seen me through times of emotional hardship and loss. This time it was a video game. It’s often debated whether or not video games should be considered an art form. For all that it accomplishes, for all that it means to those who play it, I’d say that Ghost of Tsushima is the most compelling evidence yet for a definitive yes to that question.

And to think, on my previous trajectory, I would never have had the chance to see the world through the eyes of Jin Sakai and, in turn, learn to say goodbye to one of the brightest stars in my sky.

One act of kindness, folks. Sometimes that’s all it takes.

 

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November 20, 2015

Fanboy Game Review #1 – Fallout 4

By The Sector M

[Note: I do not consider myself a game critic. What follows is just one fanboy’s opinion. Oh, and there are some mild SPOILERS ahead, so take heed.]

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War never changes, but the UI certainly does.

Fallout 4 is big news in the media. It’s all over YouTube, news outlets, and TV. There’s a promotional Nuka Cola Quantum soda available at Target (if you lined up at 8:00 am on the day the game came out). Conan O’Brien even donned a Vault-Tec jumpsuit and Pip-Boy to give his take on the game. While reviews overall are mixed, with passionate viewpoints on both sides of the fence, I decided to put my two cents in about this blockbuster video game release.

So, here we go…

First Impressions:  Bethesda has a pretty good track record. Let’s see…Oblivion, Fallout 3, and FREAKIN’ SKYRIM! That last one is in all caps for a reason. SKYRIM is one of my favorite games of all time. So, the developers are going next generation with the Fallout series, one of the most beloved IPs in modern gaming. Okay, Bethesda, you have my attention. Let’s see what you’ve got.

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You are S.P.E.C.I.A.L!

What I Liked:

  • Since the original Legend of Zelda, I have always loved open-map games. Don’t put on me on rails, just turn me loose and let me decide where I want to go, and the order in which I tackle objectives. Fallout 4 gives me this freedom. Even when I’m not sure what to do next, I appreciate the ability to set my own course and blaze my own path.
  • Junk is useful. Pretty much anything you pick up can help you do something in the game. I have a suit of power armor optimized for carrying capacity so I can ‘clean up’ areas after I’ve cleared them of baddies. Nary a coffee cup or battered clipboard escapes my clutching grasp.
  • VOICE ACTING. Bethesda is known for their incredible voice talents and Fallout 4 does not disappoint. The male/female protagonist talent is top-shelf all the way, and the supporting cast is diverse and rarely if ever repeats. And Lynda Carter is in it as a character you can flirt with. By all that is right and holy in this world, my dreams have finally come true!
  • The story. I know that this is a problem for some folks, but I find it engaging. Now that I’m a parent in real life, the very thought of someone taking my kids away is a strong motivator to me, and very personal. Give me powered armor and I would hunt the Institute to hell and back if that’s what it took.
  • Fallout 4 avails itself of the rich lore built up and established in previous titles. I love reading through the journal entries and letters. Every location has a story and creates something of a snapshot of how things were as the bombs fells. I love unraveling the mysteries and finding those hidden pre-war caches of goodies. Love it, love it.
  • Powered Armor. I AM IRON MAN. *da-duh-da-duh-da-duh-da-duh-dun-dun-DUN-dun*.
  • The Perk System. I know is this a sticking point for some, but I enjoy it. Deciding upon which perk to get in SKYRIM was one my favorite parts of leveling up. This is just taken one step further. I didn’t mind the skill point system from Fallout 3 and New Vegas, but I like the perks system quite a bit better. Nothing is wasted, and it’s all useful.
  • The crafting system. Wow…the permutations of this are staggering. Weapons, armor, powered armor, settlements…it’s adult, post-apocalyptic Minecraft. I was never this much of a kid in a candy store even when I was, in fact, a kid in a candy store.
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Why is there never enough Aluminum? Or Adhesive? Gaaaah!

What I Didn’t Like:

  • For a game with such a robust crafting system, there is virtually no tutorial for how to use it effectively. And for things like establishing trade routes, I had to look that up. It’s not intuitive at all. Or when you retain mods for weapons that can be used again.
  • Settlement crafting is seems like it is really meant for building entirely new buildings with almost no consideration for making repairs to existing structures. Try putting a door in a door frame that you didn’t build, or patch a roof that isn’t flat. Nope.
  • I’m in powered armored but sheets of particle board shoddily nailed across a door or window are utterly impenetrable. Can I build my settlement defenses out of that stuff?
  • I have an Agility of 9, but I can’t climb. At all. I have to go waaay out of my way, jumping on shipping containers like Super Mario to get to higher ground or onto a rooftop. Really?
  • The lack of non-violent/diplomatic solutions to problems. If there are raiders attacking a nearby settlement, your only real option is to hunt them down and kill them all. I get that this might be the case for the worst of the lot, but for all of them? Without exception?
  • The Dialogue Wheel. I know, this is has been beaten to death in other reviews, but there is often a dissonance between what I think I’m going to say and what actually comes out of my character’s mouth. It feels like this greatly cuts down on the role-playing aspect of this RPG because you can’t carefully consider your words ahead of time.
  • The facial animations are behind the curve. As cool as Piper is as a character (and I love her), hers seems worst of all. I realize the open world means that the graphics can’t be as photorealistic as Rise of the Tomb Raider, but here the facial animations seem only marginally better than SKYRIM.
  • The type on the screen is sometimes hard to read. Every time I find a comic book, I immediately have to swivel it around to the back so I can actually read the benefit it gives me. There are also a few times when trading with an NPC will cover up key parts of the trading interface.
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Maybe, but I bet the Spartans would have welcomed powered armor. Just sayin’.

Conclusions:  I love this game, and don’t kid yourself – it is highly addictive. Be prepared to lose sleep and make apologies to friends and family. It’s immersive with a sense of place that is wonderful, terrifying, and rich. The attention to detail is off-the-chain nuts. Seriously. This isn’t a ‘once a year’ title that you’ll play through in a week or two and then put down for months or years. No, this is a game, much like SKYRIM, that you’ll be playing for years to come. Considering the breadth of content in the base game alone, Fallout 4 is utterly worth the price of admission.  You’ve done it again, Bethesda. My thanks.

And that’s the way this fanboy sees it.

 

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