I'll be the first to say that I typically don't like shooting games that much. While I've covered "Doom" and "Resident Evil: Biohazard," the first games that I reach for on my queue of unplayed purchases are usually not games where you shoot things, whether they're first-person or third-person. The former two I mentioned are in third-person, and while I can appreciate the genre of shooting games very much, they just don't appeal to me as much as a role-playing game, a fighting game, or an action game. Despite this, there are some exceptions to my general distaste. "Fallout 4" is definitely one of them.

"Fallout 4" debuted in November of 2015, and I didn't get to play it until Christmas of that year, though. I played the game the first time and was immediately hooked. I know that this review is quite late, but those who have read my stuff regularly know that I really don't have any rhyme or reason to the order I review games. I even give my opinions on games that are more than a decade old. I digress, though.

"Fallout 4" is a survival shooter adventure game published by Bethesda, the same company responsible for "The Evil Within" and its sequel. While there are other games in this series, they all follow the same timeline. You play as a man or a woman living in a cute, rural area that has a style reminiscent of the 1920-1940s era, except the year is 2077. You have a wife (or husband if you play as a woman), an infant son named Shaun, and a unique-looking robot butler named Codsworth. You are enjoying a normal morning until the someone comes to the door, claiming to be a representative of Vault-Tec, a company specializing in creating underground sanctuaries if there would ever be a national emergency. You tell him your name and distribute points to your stats, which will be used later. After he leaves, a disturbing broadcast comes on the TV and alerts that nuclear missiles from China have begun to strike the east coast and Washington DC. You and your family escape to the vault nearby, just in time to see a huge mushroom cloud blossom on the horizon. Believing that the war is just temporary, you are placed under cryogenic sleep. You then awaken to your infant son being stolen and your spouse shot and killed. You awaken a second time later and emerge from the vault, sworn on revenge.

"Fallout 4" is one of those games that gives you a short premise, and then lets you run around like a lunatic for the entire game if you want. Seriously, you can take off all your clothes and throw grenades at civilians, but there are always consequences for your actions. Despite this very, very loose opening, there are so many things to do in the game. Your main form of gameplay will be using weapons to defeat hostile targets, anything from humans to massive, mutated monstrosities that lurk the wasteland. There are what seems to be a billion and one guns in the game, with some of them being unique and hilarious to use. There are alternative weapons too, like pipes and boxing gloves.

The map of the Commonwealth is huge and sprawling, and going to every corner of it you will find and meet new allies that will help you in your missions. You have a partner system that allows you to have a partner with you that will fight with you and help you do other things, like pick locks. These partners all have their own likes and dislikes, and pleasing them will allow you to receive bonuses. You can even convince some of them to be your significant other.

The story of the game is interesting, but it doesn't really do much for the game itself as it's so intertwined with the gameplay. Once you find your son, you have to choose how to dictate what happens to the Commonwealth and whose leadership it's under. There are four main factions: The Minutemen, The Institute, the Railroad, and the Brotherhood of Steel. Those who have played the other "Fallout" games will recognize the BoS, as they are main characters in "Fallout 3." They have returned to the Commonwealth to seize control of the technology there and rule with an iron grip. The Railroad wants to free all Synths, which are synthetic humans, from the control of the Institute, who wants to use science and artificial intelligence to help rebuild the Commonwealth. Finally, the Minutemen are a group of men and women who earnestly want to help those in need and purge the Commonwealth of evildoers. These factions are all good and bad in some way, and it's up to you to decide who to side with and who to eliminate. Just remember what I said about consequences.

The soundtrack is awesome, with lots of great fighting music, ambient wasteland music, and then an array of 1940s style jukebox music that you can hear on the radio in the game. The music matches in the entire aesthetic of the game really well, and I found myself enjoying how the quaint tones of the golden ages of America juxtaposed really well with the doom-and-gloom reality that was present in the game.

This game is so replayable it hurts. With around five or so endings and many different dialogue paths to take, you can do so many things over again. Also, stats play a huge part of the game. In one file you can play as an idiot sniper that has high charisma, or you can play as a sarcastic, sneaky assassin hacker. Those are just two examples of playstyles to choose from.

I do have one, maybe two complaints. One is the lack of dialogue options. When speaking with people, you are prompted with four responses: yes, no, maybe, and sarcastic. These are typically used during quests, but during the story the responses are different. While the sarcastic responses are often hilarious, it's just boring after a while. Despite this, the game is fully-voiced, so that's probably why they didn't provide as many options.

In the end, "Fallout 4" is a great game that I highly recommend to anyone looking for a decent challenge or an FPS with a unique twist. Since this game is a bit older, all of the DLC is available on one disc in the Game of the Year Edition, or you can buy the base game for around $20. Check it out!

Pros :

+ Great gameplay with a variety of playstyles

+ Great graphics that are almost too realistic

+ While a bit restrictive, the voice acting is superb

+ Replayability is incredibly high

+ Awesome '40s aesthetic that is entertaining as it is nostalgic

Cons :

- Dialogue options are a bit narrow sometimes

- The story can be dumb in some places

- "Go here and kill this thing" gets repetitive after a while

Final Rating: 8/10