War. War Never Changes... but it can be patched!
[I dropped the score a full point because of constant PS5 crashes. It's no exaggeration to say I probably experienced 50-70 crashes over 150 hours. It's a talked about issue but Bethesda claims it doesn't exist. It says something that I kept booting the game after each crash...]
Fallout 76 is a game about civilization picking back up after nuclear war ravages the world. It's about not giving up in the face of certain defeat and destruction, and about the resilience of humankind.
Fallout 76's development, unfortunately, followed the same path. I remember pre-ordering the collector's edition way back when the game was first announced, being so very excited - finally, a Fallout game that can be played online with friends! That has the same level of enjoyment and world-building we've seen from the series in previous entries, but this time online!
Only... that wasn't the case. There was a closed beta for those who pre-ordered a few months (maybe it was weeks?) before release, and I cannot really describe how gut-wrenching that beta felt, how devastated I was on how little this game resembled a Fallout title. From the lack of NPCs (Really, who thought gamers wanted to talk to computers to get quests for 40-60hrs? Where's the roleplaying element in that?) to some of the worst bugs and glitches seen pre-Cyberpunk 2077.
I did what any responsible gamer does after an experience like that and canceled my preorder.
So fast forward 5 years later, and I decided to give it a shot. Probably got it free from PS+ or something and wow, what a difference! The changes they've made and the work put in by Bethesda Game Studios really do show. It may not be a totally new game, but it immediately at least felt like a Fallout. NPCs greet you the moment you leave the opening vault, giving life to the Wasteland from the start. Such a change from before.
The story picks up with a pretty standard Fallout narrative by now, having you wander the Wasteland of Appalachia looking for your son, no your dad, oh wait, no your overseer! It takes a slight twist in that this time you aren't the only one out there. Your fellow players are engaging in the same quest, to find the overseer. This should add to the overall story arc, but sadly isn't referenced enough, or even used.
Imagine how different this experience would be with things like dungeons requiring teams as part of the main story. Sure, you can have friends join the team leader on their quests, but that's not the same thing you'd find in, say, FFXIV and its main story. FO76 doesn't have any needed player interaction throughout the entirety of the game. Truly it's not until the endgame and the events that take place server-wide that you are in more of a forced PvE type situation.
The gameplay feels good, though, probably the best shooting seen in a Fallout title yet. At first, VATS feels... off. It's no longer slow-mo like in Fallout 4 or stop time like 3 and New Vegas. It's fully real-time now and, once you get over the difference, makes the combat feel just so smooth. It's basically auto-aim on a meter, and I don't know how I can go back to the old school versions again. Battles can get very frantic, especially in the middle to late game where you don't yet have a fully realized build but are still fighting "end game" enemies.
When it comes to character building and leveling, again I think Fallout 76 hits the mark very well. Rather than any starting SPECIAL allocation or perk points, you start fresh with 0 in all SPECIAL and 0 perk cards. Every level up from 1-50 sees you adding 1 SPECIAL point, allowing you to slowly build out your stats. In addition, you get a perk pack, which is a 4 card perk pack that are allotted to SPECIAL stats. Those perks are standard fallout fare, and they are how you further build your character. Some are great, some are average, and some sadly you will have no room for in any given build.
The idea here is that you can build your character as you play, finding how you want to play, and change it (after level 20) if you don't - with nearly no downside. You continue to get perk cards past level 50, so you truly can respec as you go and try different builds with no penalty. This works for much of the game, up until reaching end game when it's more than just your given SPECIAL and perk cards you would change for a build.
Appalachia is great, also one of the better Fallout worlds with many different sites and locales to see. I just wish there was more of a reason to explore. The change to Bobbleheads (1hr buff vs. permanent stat boost, and they are more random now) and the Legendary weapon affixes we saw in Fallout 4 vs. finding powerful versions of weapons as seen in Fallout 3/NV means there are a lot of locations that, unless you have a quest or a daily mission, really don't serve much of a purpose. A real shame. Still though, a fun map to explore and trek. Especially with the threat of nukes from other players. Very cool mechanic!
FO76 still has some glaring issues, many of which don't appear until end game. One of which is inventory and space. 76 storage allocation is by weight and not total item count, which makes sense on the player and enemies, but doesn't really track in your base, and it doesn't really make sense from a server-load sense either. 20 power armor outfits or 250,000 items of junk? You will run out of space in your storage, and it will happen faster than you probably think.
There is a premium subscription you can get that gives you a scrap and ammo box with unlimited storage. At 14.99 this is worth every penny, as you also get some premium currency every month that you resub. Additionally, you get a handy survival tent that you can drop anywhere in the world, which is a godsend when you've finished an event and are massively over encumbered. Still though, even with these amenities, inventory management is a real pain late game.
The weird limits on daily play really drag the experience down too. Your end game loop is kind of standard gambling/item creation. Collect garbage legendary loot to scrap for material to try and craft better gear. You know, the one that we've been doing for a while because it scratches that primordial experience that "Surely, this TIME I'll get lucky!" The whole reason people buy lottery tickets despite unfathomably bad odds. But with that daily limit, there are events that give you enough loot to cap out, in less than 10 minutes. It's really unfortunate because it goes against the loop and can discourage playing, even when you really want to.
There are fun events to be had with others, some world boss encounters, daily instance operations (think run to objective, kill horde, run to next, rinse and repeat) and some DLC off-world map expeditions that are fun... once. If you like the settlement building/Sims aspect in FO4, you'll probably really enjoy it in FO76. Lots of plans to collect to make new stuff at your base.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my time playing this live service title. However, I can't help but wish there was more substance to it. It leaves you wondering what the game could have become if it had launched in a more polished state, allowing Bethesda Game Studios to focus on enhancing it over five years instead of just fixing it. While it's still worth playing in 2024, don't expect the same daily engagement typical of a live service model.
[I dropped the score a full point because of constant PS5 crashes. It's no exaggeration to say I probably experienced 50-70 crashes over 150 hours. It's a talked about issue but Bethesda claims it doesn't exist. It says something that I kept booting the game after each crash...]
Fallout 76 is a game about civilization picking back up after nuclear war ravages the world. It's about not giving up in the face of certain defeat and destruction, and about the resilience of humankind.
Fallout 76's development, unfortunately, followed the same path. I remember pre-ordering the collector's edition way back when the game was first announced, being so very excited - finally, a Fallout game that can be played online with friends! That has the same level of enjoyment and world-building we've seen from the series in previous entries, but this time online!
Only... that wasn't the case. There was a closed beta for those who pre-ordered a few months (maybe it was weeks?) before release, and I cannot really describe how gut-wrenching that beta felt, how devastated I was on how little this game resembled a Fallout title. From the lack of NPCs (Really, who thought gamers wanted to talk to computers to get quests for 40-60hrs? Where's the roleplaying element in that?) to some of the worst bugs and glitches seen pre-Cyberpunk 2077.
I did what any responsible gamer does after an experience like that and canceled my preorder.
So fast forward 5 years later, and I decided to give it a shot. Probably got it free from PS+ or something and wow, what a difference! The changes they've made and the work put in by Bethesda Game Studios really do show. It may not be a totally new game, but it immediately at least felt like a Fallout. NPCs greet you the moment you leave the opening vault, giving life to the Wasteland from the start. Such a change from before.
The story picks up with a pretty standard Fallout narrative by now, having you wander the Wasteland of Appalachia looking for your son, no your dad, oh wait, no your overseer! It takes a slight twist in that this time you aren't the only one out there. Your fellow players are engaging in the same quest, to find the overseer. This should add to the overall story arc, but sadly isn't referenced enough, or even used.
Imagine how different this experience would be with things like dungeons requiring teams as part of the main story. Sure, you can have friends join the team leader on their quests, but that's not the same thing you'd find in, say, FFXIV and its main story. FO76 doesn't have any needed player interaction throughout the entirety of the game. Truly it's not until the endgame and the events that take place server-wide that you are in more of a forced PvE type situation.
The gameplay feels good, though, probably the best shooting seen in a Fallout title yet. At first, VATS feels... off. It's no longer slow-mo like in Fallout 4 or stop time like 3 and New Vegas. It's fully real-time now and, once you get over the difference, makes the combat feel just so smooth. It's basically auto-aim on a meter, and I don't know how I can go back to the old school versions again. Battles can get very frantic, especially in the middle to late game where you don't yet have a fully realized build but are still fighting "end game" enemies.
When it comes to character building and leveling, again I think Fallout 76 hits the mark very well. Rather than any starting SPECIAL allocation or perk points, you start fresh with 0 in all SPECIAL and 0 perk cards. Every level up from 1-50 sees you adding 1 SPECIAL point, allowing you to slowly build out your stats. In addition, you get a perk pack, which is a 4 card perk pack that are allotted to SPECIAL stats. Those perks are standard fallout fare, and they are how you further build your character. Some are great, some are average, and some sadly you will have no room for in any given build.
The idea here is that you can build your character as you play, finding how you want to play, and change it (after level 20) if you don't - with nearly no downside. You continue to get perk cards past level 50, so you truly can respec as you go and try different builds with no penalty. This works for much of the game, up until reaching end game when it's more than just your given SPECIAL and perk cards you would change for a build.
Appalachia is great, also one of the better Fallout worlds with many different sites and locales to see. I just wish there was more of a reason to explore. The change to Bobbleheads (1hr buff vs. permanent stat boost, and they are more random now) and the Legendary weapon affixes we saw in Fallout 4 vs. finding powerful versions of weapons as seen in Fallout 3/NV means there are a lot of locations that, unless you have a quest or a daily mission, really don't serve much of a purpose. A real shame. Still though, a fun map to explore and trek. Especially with the threat of nukes from other players. Very cool mechanic!
FO76 still has some glaring issues, many of which don't appear until end game. One of which is inventory and space. 76 storage allocation is by weight and not total item count, which makes sense on the player and enemies, but doesn't really track in your base, and it doesn't really make sense from a server-load sense either. 20 power armor outfits or 250,000 items of junk? You will run out of space in your storage, and it will happen faster than you probably think.
There is a premium subscription you can get that gives you a scrap and ammo box with unlimited storage. At 14.99 this is worth every penny, as you also get some premium currency every month that you resub. Additionally, you get a handy survival tent that you can drop anywhere in the world, which is a godsend when you've finished an event and are massively over encumbered. Still though, even with these amenities, inventory management is a real pain late game.
The weird limits on daily play really drag the experience down too. Your end game loop is kind of standard gambling/item creation. Collect garbage legendary loot to scrap for material to try and craft better gear. You know, the one that we've been doing for a while because it scratches that primordial experience that "Surely, this TIME I'll get lucky!" The whole reason people buy lottery tickets despite unfathomably bad odds. But with that daily limit, there are events that give you enough loot to cap out, in less than 10 minutes. It's really unfortunate because it goes against the loop and can discourage playing, even when you really want to.
There are fun events to be had with others, some world boss encounters, daily instance operations (think run to objective, kill horde, run to next, rinse and repeat) and some DLC off-world map expeditions that are fun... once. If you like the settlement building/Sims aspect in FO4, you'll probably really enjoy it in FO76. Lots of plans to collect to make new stuff at your base.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my time playing this live service title. However, I can't help but wish there was more substance to it. It leaves you wondering what the game could have become if it had launched in a more polished state, allowing Bethesda Game Studios to focus on enhancing it over five years instead of just fixing it. While it's still worth playing in 2024, don't expect the same daily engagement typical of a live service model.
3 Comments
@Detectivefail so grateful for the super quick loading we got with this generation of consoles. It's the only thing that makes constant crashing remotely bearable.
You reminded me I still have to give Cyberpunk 2077 a proper shot now that it's been updated time and time again... The backlog never ends! Heh.
You reminded me I still have to give Cyberpunk 2077 a proper shot now that it's been updated time and time again... The backlog never ends! Heh.
You are very forgiving. If a game crashed on me 50 times, it'd be a 0 star automatically haha
Detectivefail
1 month ago
Anyway, nice write up on FO76. Been interested in playing it, but uhh after it got patched rather than at release lol. Good tip with the premium subscription. I need the unlimited storage.