thoughts on fallout 76!
I definitely had Fun in the few hours I put in yesterday. It feels like fallout 3/4 and succeeds so far in spite of the multiplayer aspect. I think if I end up with the right players the multiplayer could be excellent, but so far it's mostly assholes playing around me.
I like:
- the construction stuff is very improved over 4 and being able to build anywhere is so cool
- the crafting is a little more interesting
- the nature is beautiful and they capture a semirural area pretty well
- there's plenty of narrative missions to tackle on your lonesome
- survival mechanics!
- music is a little more varied than in 4; lots of nice, atmospheric pieces
- you can block shitty players who relentlessly PVP to the point of harassment
I don't like:
- shitty players who relentlessly PVP to the point of harassment
- that even though a pleasant single player experience is possible, you have to play it online
- you can't harvest wood from living trees, only fallen trees (and you need SO MUCH WOOD)
- enemies are way easier
- VATS is nerfed to accommodate multiplayer
- map is a little too cutesy / the whole game leans a little too hard into cute vault-tec marketing without enough "look at the evils of the military industrial complex" to compensate
I'm on the fence about:
- the perk system. it's got this gross loot crate angle that i don't think i like? but i do like the variety per-level up.
- that magazines are only temporary buffs, not permanent buffs
- the lack of (living) NPCs. I actually kind of love playing a game where all the NPCs are dead (so far)? but it also means less narrative interaction. charisma also seems worth less as a stat.
- the textures are lower-res than 4 (at least on ps4) but the view distance is huge, so it's a toss up