the best overall atmosphere i’ve ever seen in a bethesda property. someone on the dev team was reeeeally into john carpenter’s The Fog.
HOWEVER major points off for the miserable hour and a half i spent playing robot brain minecraft or some shit
HOWEVER major points off for the miserable hour and a half i spent playing robot brain minecraft or some shit
It's alright
This dlc genuinely surprised me, while most of its sidequests are very simple, they’re a very good way to get you exploring the island
However the main story choices felt as impactful and interesting as the Fallout games of old, very good
However the main story choices felt as impactful and interesting as the Fallout games of old, very good
This dlc sets out to introduce a new area, new weapons, new enemies, and a well crafted story that is far greater than the base game. Each faction is well designed and interesting enough to side with on repeat playthroughs along with good rewards. The new weapons really spice up what base fallout 4 lacked. And the new wildlife is some of the most intimidating and interesting yet. The only thing dragging it down is a dreadful hour long minigame sequence that feels very out of place.
This was really enjoyable with a really interesting main quest.
A great and fun expansion pack
Definitely a step up in terms of atmosphere over the base game, only a couple of main quests in and got distracted puttering around the new environs so I’m not done the story yet. Safe to say it’ll be more Fallout 4 but at least there’s some new music that’s a bit more interesting and way moodier scenery to look at.
Far Harbor is fine. The island is a nice change of pace from from the Commonwealth and the actually nuanced factional politics called to mind New Vegas in a nice way. That being said, the island is pretty homogenous and samey all over, and aside from a pretty neat Vault quest, a lot of the quest design outside of the main quest falls into the same trappings of "go here, clear the enemies, return." Additionally the more complicated dialogue-heavy quests in the critical path really expose how flawed the dialogue system is in 4.
Overall, it's just kinda fine.
Overall, it's just kinda fine.
Far Harbor was awful on release for PS4. I dunno if anyone else remembers it, but this thing dropped with absolutely HORRENDOUS framerates. 10fps, easily. Unplayable.
But as I have returned to FO4, and explored every inch of the island, and played it on a PC that could actually run it well, I must say that this DLC is the peak of all of FO4.
For one, the story actually involves player choice and consequence, something that the main game of FO4 pretty much entirely lacked. Also, the greyness in morality is such a welcome thing to have back in Bethesda Fallout...
Plus DiMA, the harbormen, and the children of Atom are all FANTASTIC factions, arguably more interesting than all the factions of the basegame with the exception of the BoS and Diamond City. And that murder-mystery quest too... awesome.
Far Harbor isn't without its issues though, as it still unfortunately exists within a game that has poor RPG mechanics. The story variability certainly is phenomenal, but the gameplay loop remains the exact same despite being in a new location. I dunno, other DLCs that released at around the same time as this one like Blood and Wine for TW3 introduced not only entirely new maps, but also gameplay conventions like all-new mutagen skills. If Far Harbor also brought in some sort of legendary-perk system a la FO76, we might have one of the very best Fallout DLCs of all time here.
But as it stands, Far Harbor is a phenomenal addition to Fo4 and features its best story available, with some incredible player choice options regarding the main plot to boot. Also, the whole island itself is such a joy to traverse through and explore, factions and all.
But as I have returned to FO4, and explored every inch of the island, and played it on a PC that could actually run it well, I must say that this DLC is the peak of all of FO4.
For one, the story actually involves player choice and consequence, something that the main game of FO4 pretty much entirely lacked. Also, the greyness in morality is such a welcome thing to have back in Bethesda Fallout...
Plus DiMA, the harbormen, and the children of Atom are all FANTASTIC factions, arguably more interesting than all the factions of the basegame with the exception of the BoS and Diamond City. And that murder-mystery quest too... awesome.
Far Harbor isn't without its issues though, as it still unfortunately exists within a game that has poor RPG mechanics. The story variability certainly is phenomenal, but the gameplay loop remains the exact same despite being in a new location. I dunno, other DLCs that released at around the same time as this one like Blood and Wine for TW3 introduced not only entirely new maps, but also gameplay conventions like all-new mutagen skills. If Far Harbor also brought in some sort of legendary-perk system a la FO76, we might have one of the very best Fallout DLCs of all time here.
But as it stands, Far Harbor is a phenomenal addition to Fo4 and features its best story available, with some incredible player choice options regarding the main plot to boot. Also, the whole island itself is such a joy to traverse through and explore, factions and all.