By: Jack Armstrong 
Copy Editor

I wanted to start this review off in an honest manner by letting you, the reader, know up front that I am a huge Bethesda fan. I love “Doom,” “Wolfenstein” (yes, even the reboot), “Fallout,” and “The Elder Scrolls.”

So you can imagine how I felt picking up “Fallout 4” last Tuesday, Nov. 10. I was ecstatic to have another entry in my favorite variety of Bethesda brand, open world, first-person RPG goodness.

Of course, my excitement was tempered. Could the team who had brought me “Fallout 3” and Skyrim really suck me back into giving away 300 plus hours of my life?
I’m happy to report that they have done it again.

“Fallout 4” takes place in Boston, and in a welcome shift, the player actually starts in a pre-nuclear war suburb called Sanctuary Hills. After designing your protagonist, you are greeted by a Vault-Tec salesman who enrolls you and your family in the nearest nuclear safe vault.

As luck would have it, no sooner does your pen touch the contract than the alarm sounds, the missiles have launched, and war is upon you. You successfully rush to your vault with your family, but all is not what it seems. This is when your story begins.

The movement and player interactions feel comfortable and familiar, but if you didn’t like the way either “Fallout: New Vegas” or “Skyrim” played, don’t expect any vast deviation in the overall approach.

The controls are virtually unchanged, but the upgrades to the heads-up display and the quick weapon switch system are welcome.

The graphics have been at the center of discussion surrounding the game, but it looks like these worries were unfounded. Despite the slower frame rate, the console edition looks great and, most importantly, a huge step up from “New Vegas.”

Your trusty Pip-Boy is back in action, and the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats system returns as the primary method of determining play style.

With no level cap to limit progress, you could conceivably max out all the skills, but it still pays to focus on how you want to play the game.

Do you feel like Mad Max, like you want to tear up the wasteland with your bare hands, upgrade Strength, Endurance, and Agility to hit harder and take more punishment? Feeling more of a Han Solo vibe like you’d rather charm your way around? Charisma, Perception, Intelligence, and Luck are your tools.

Of course, combat plays a huge role, and “Fallout 4” has refined the Bethesda recipe with an emphasis on realism.

The Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System makes a return but rather than pausing the combat completely it just slows combat. So while you have extra time to target, your foes have extra time as well.

The combat really showcases the new customization system for weapons, by far one of the best new additions. Bits of junk collected around the wasteland can now be broken down into components and crafted into weapon modifications.

Channel your inner MacGyver and use the glass from an empty Nuka Cola bottle, the crystal and screws from a discarded watch, and a touch of nuclear material to create a glowing dot reflex sight for that handy shotgun.

The possibilities are numerous for all guns and melee weapons, and the more skills you unlock on your S.P.E.C.I.A.L tree, the more upgrades you can create and unleash.

The other big addition is a new companion, this time in the form of a dog. Shortly after beginning your journey, you come across a dog who can be recruited to follow you on your adventures. Even though you don’t get to name him, you can customize his appearance with armor and other accessories you pick up along the way.

Companions are plentiful, and actually extremely helpful, which is a nice change of pace from other Bethesda games.

Not only can they carry supplies, but they are easily given orders, and once you set up a base, they can be told to wait at a base until you need them.

You will need friends to ensure your survival out in the post-apocalyptic wasteland. The map is huge. I’ve already logged close to 24 hours in the game and I’ve only managed to explore about a third of its total spread.

While much of the scenery is colored in a similar palate, different areas all have a distinct feel. Which is helpful when you’re trying to get your bearings.

There are a few complaints.

When I first ventured out into the wasteland, I was overwhelmed, and the learning curve went from nothing, to having to do all the things too quickly. Realistic? Yes. Frustrating? Absolutely.

The default control scheme was just different enough from previous entries that I was confused, but a quick shift in the menus and I was able to play my preferred control scheme from “Fallout 3.”

Finally, the system of building both in settlements and at crafting stations is difficult and not explained very well, if at all.

It took me a lot of trial and error to figure out how to negotiate all the menus and control nuances involved in building and customizing, and I have played “The Elder Scrolls” and “Fallout” a lot. I also encountered the most glitches when trying to build structures in my settlements.

This felt the most unpolished of all the in-game experiences.

Overall, I had high expectations for this edition of “Fallout,” and it continues to exceed every one of them.

If you are a fan of Bethesda, the open-world genre, RPG, first-person shooters, or really just a fan of video games in general, I highly recommend you pick this title up as soon as you can.

3.75 out of 4 paws.