Fallout franchise review

 The war never changes, but looking at the example of the Fallout brand, it has changed quite a lot. The series started out as a classically isometric role-playing role-play game and ended up as a shooter with RPG elements and a Minecraft-like addition. The latest part scheduled for this year is to be clean online. Here, I must admit that I am a bit amused by crying every now and then because the plans to create Fallout Online were already on the drawing board a long time ago, but the project did not materialize. If you want to read some of my whine about the fall of the series, please click here.

Okay, this is the pit on evolution, and the text should be about the first part, so it's time to get back on track. Fallout 1 was not, of course, the game from which I started my adventure with the series, because as you know - I despise all chronology and order. After choking on the enormity of the world and the multitude of options included in the two, I got a more intimate part. More modest in terms of content, tasks, etc. But let's start from the beginning ...Our start in the post-apocalyptic world begins with the exit from the crypt. Vault number 13 to be more exact. The aforementioned Vault 13 has a serious problem that, if not resolved, can lead to the extermination of its entire community. The water treatment hydroprocessing has kicked the agenda, and someone heroic enough must set off into the wasteland burned by a nuclear fire in search of a new one. Of course, that loser ... er, the hero is us, the player. At this point, it is worth mentioning a specific end date in which we must meet the delivery of the equipment. The clock is ticking, time is running out and if we don't make it, the whole community of the crypt will give up the ghost (yes, yes, I know what it sounds like). However, hydroprocessing is not the main problem of the post-Holocaust world, and in the background looms a growing army of Super Mutants led by a mysterious Master. About the plot, so as to avoid too many spoilers.

Immediately after embarking on our tour, we come across the first village inhabited by people. Several buildings on the cross, plus a dozen or so residents. You can see that living in the wilderness is not a porridge with milk and basically every place we visit is saturated with this muck and degeneration resulting from the collapse of civilization. In this world, being an altruist is synonymous with being a sucker who will be squeezed to the last cap (in-game currency) and will most often end his life with a ball in his head. There is no simple division into white and black here, this world is drowning in shades of gray. Even such a bastion of justice as the Brotherhood of Steel (one of the factions) is not crystal clear. Do they really care about the safety of the remnants of humanity, or do they only think about acquiring technology and arming themselves with power to finally catch everything and everyone by the murder? The answer is never unequivocal.

The game gives us a lot of room for action in terms of choice. We want to be the savior of the wasteland, saving everyone from oppression? No problem, we can play the game this way. On the other hand, we can also plunder an entire city, killing all the inhabitants. Our actions affect the Karma factor, which in turn has an impact on how we are perceived by other people. The world of the first Fallout gives us a lot of freedom in what we do and how we achieve our goals. For example, the first village offers a really hard task at the very beginning - clearing the cave of Radscorpions. 

Whether we are serious about it depends entirely on us, but it is worth bearing in mind that at this stage of the game it is a really demanding action. In the case of the Radscorpion quest, we only have an annihilation solution, but there are many quests that we can complete in several ways, using not only brute force but also intelligence and negotiation skills. This is where the real strength of this title and its continuation lies - in the multitude of options and potential solutions. As an example, I can mention one of the tasks in a larger town called Junktown. There is a clear conflict there between the local mayor and the casino manager. The moment we get to the city, we witness a failed attack on the mayor by a hired thug. How we solve a tense situation depends on us and our abilities. We can simply kill the mayor and his assistants, or catch the giver of the murder in the act of wiretapping. The key, in this case, will be to conduct the conversation in such a way that the lazy confesses everything and does not recognize that he is being recorded.

For completing tasks, we receive caps and valuable experience that will be needed to advance to higher levels. We even have the opportunity to earn our first million by wandering in the desert as a caravan bodyguard. A dangerous job, but worth the effort, because in addition to good money, there are additional benefits from the killed bandits who will try to rob us (sometimes they will be a real threat, but as it is in life - a big money does not come easily).

You think you're S.P.E.C.I.A.L, you doWhat would Fallout be without its trademark, i.e. the S.P.E.C.I.A.L system (first letters from the names of statistics: Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, and Luck) and perks closely related to it. In my opinion, this is one of the most interesting and best-performing systems that have emerged in the cRPG genre. Statistics have a real impact on the game, e.g. strength allows you to carry more equipment and is necessary to use the highest caliber weapons, charisma affects the ability to talk and persuade others to be right, and such luck can cause enemies to explode more often in the accompaniment of fountains blood and meat (increases the frequency of critical hits).

Perks are skills that we can choose every few levels. In order to get some of them, we have to meet the requirements for specific statistics. The bonuses they give are various, e.g. better accuracy in low light conditions, additional stat points, resistance to damage. My favorite perk in the entire series is not very useful when it comes to battle statistics, but it changes the enemy death animations to extremely brutal, and for this reason, it is worth "buying". The perk is called Bloody Mess and I don't need to introduce it to people familiar with the series. The only thing I could complain about in this system is a certain "bad luck" of the characters during the fights. This is visible in the measure mode, which allows you to perform attacks on specific parts of the enemy's body. Even with a 95% chance, the boxes happen far too often, and either we accept that even a seemingly trivial skirmish may end in our way or we use a certain trick with the save game. However, boxes can be quite funny sometimes, because if we completely kick the action, the character will hurt himself and, for example, drop his weapon on the ground (not so rare at the beginning of the game). Although most conflicts can be resolved peacefully, combat is an essential part of the Fallout world. 

We can finish the enemies in close quarters or at a distance, depending on the preferences and "hardness" of the material to be disposed of. We receive a wide range of means to carry violence - from knives, massive hammers assisted by pistols, sniper rifles, miniguns, and energy weapons. The choice is substantial and it will definitely be something to test on. Since we are already testing the machines of extermination, it is worth saying a few words about the local flora and fauna. Nuclear extermination always brings with it murderous consequences in the form of ubiquitous mutations, and it is no different in Fallout 1. Tiny scorpions grew in size to those of cows (possibly even larger), some of the people turned into repulsive ghouls - the effect of radiation sickness, where the human looks like a zombie risen from the grave, but retains his intelligence and does not eat brains (at least most Ghouls don't). Brand new species such as Deathclaws also emerged, standing at the top of the post-war food chain. They are one of the most dangerous creatures we will come across in the wasteland, and any such encounter can end in a lightning-fast death for the player. Another abomination traversing the wastelands is the Centaur, which looks like the result of a failed surgical operation that aimed to unite several human beings into one body. We will encounter a considerable number of such disgusting monsters in the game. The sands of the wastelands hide in their bowels also other, dangerous enemies, e.g. robots controlled by AI.

I don’t want to set the world on fire ...The Fallout world is also full of easter eggs, which has become one of the hallmarks of the series. In the wasteland we will witness many bizarre events, e.g. we will stumble upon a huge trail of a creature known from a certain Japanese series of films or we will find a crashed UFO ship. It is also worth paying attention to the locations inhabited by people, because also there you will find hidden content.

After these 20 years, the game still does not touch the audiovisual side of the mouse. In high definition, you can look at it without a scowl on your face. The only thing I would complain about is that the game is quite dark. It is troublesome, especially at night, because it is difficult to find passages between individual zones. The color used to mark them was very unfortunate. Dirty-rusty that blends with sand and is practically imperceptible at night. Character/monster movement animations and combat are fine, especially the ones showing finishing off enemies. In the case of models, there is also nothing to complain about. There is a lot of variety, and when it comes to monsters, I will say this - they are respectful.The music is minimalistic, very economical. Electronics mixed with tribal music perfectly match the image of the destroyed world that we observe through our monitor. We also have songs that evoke associations with desert lands. The soundtrack is heavy, dark, and evil leaks from some of the pieces, heralding still invisible doom and danger. It introduces us perfectly to the atmosphere of extermination. Compliments to the composer.

With a clear conscience, I can recommend the first Fallout to everyone, be it people who have not dealt with the series yet, or those who have played a long time and are thinking about refreshing the series. Despite over 20 years on the neck, this grandfather of the species can still do a lot and will offer long hours of fun.

Older players probably remember the sensation that Fallout made (and more precisely in July 1997). This game was said to bring the necessary breath of freshness to the then ossified RPG genre, and it even saved it from collapse (because it was possible to find those who predicted the imminent end of computer RPGs). 

Fallout's success was primarily due to the climate - set in a faithfully devoted post-nuclear world, it showed with amazing precision almost all aspects of human society after the nuclear annihilation. With such a great success of the game, it was an open secret that sooner or later the men from Black Isle (Fallout creators) would release a "two". Indeed, after more than a year, it saw the light of day and although apart from an even larger and more faithful game world, it did not bring anything new to the genre, it immediately overshadowed the splendor of the first part. Fallout 2's plot is a logical continuation of the "one". After saving the world from the Master (which all fans of the first part probably remember), our hero is cursed from his Vault. 

He wanders north through the Grand Canyons to settle in some small, unknown village. You, as a player, take on the role of a descendant of the legendary Vault Dweller. Your tribe is in a very difficult situation - famine and pestilence reign. The village is dying and only you can save it. The tribe elder sends you on a difficult mission to find a device called the Garden of Eden Creation Kit, the only salvation for the village. The trail leads to Vault 13 - your ancestor's half-legendary home shelter. The location of the shelter remains a mystery; your only clues, or rather souvenirs of the Vault Dweller, are a "company" blue jumpsuit with the inscription "Vault 13" (considered a relic in the village) and canteens with the same Shelter 13 logo, which, surprisingly, were recently sold in the village by a traveler trader, Vic. It is him that you need to find, which is not so easy because the merchant has disappeared like a stone into water.

 Of course, finding Vic is only one of the stages of reaching your goal, because the story unfolds in the game like in a good detective story - like in a ball. Before we start the game, you should create your computer alter ego. The lazy authors have three predefined characters at their disposal - the skillful thief Mingan, the brawny Narga, and the charming, charismatic Chitsa. Unhappy with their default settings, they will be able to modify them. However, I personally recommend creating your own hero from scratch. This way we get exactly what we want. And there are many possibilities. In addition to such "details" as name, gender, and age, our hero describes seven basic characteristics (strength, perception, endurance, charisma, intelligence, dexterity, and happiness) and eighteen different skills (from proficiency in using all types of weapons, through medical skills). for gambling). From these eighteen skills, we choose three flagship skills that will develop for us twice as fast as the others. Additionally, we can choose two out of sixteen features. Each of them, however, has advantages and disadvantages. For example, finesse increases the chance of a critical hit by 10% but reduces the amount of damage dealt with a weapon, and sex appeal makes our hero attract people of the opposite sex, but at the same time arouses envy among members of his sex. The interface is simple and clean, but it may take some time to familiarize yourself with it. By clicking anywhere with the right mouse button, you can switch between walking and action modes. 

When we are in the latter mode, hovering the mouse over an object and holding down the left mouse button causes a menu to expand, from which we can choose, respectively: conversation (if it is a human), moving a person (again only if it is a human, this option is useful when some The NPC will block the passage), take a closer look, use a backpack item on a given object (this is how you recharge the energy in the car) and use one of your skills on someone or on something (e.g. theft, healing). As mentioned before, the game takes place in a post-nuclear world. I must admit that this specific atmosphere, known for example from movies such as Mad Max, was rendered almost exemplary. The world was presented exactly as it would most likely look after an atomic annihilation. In addition to the so-called "good side" of human nature, the game includes violence, sex, drugs, slavery, criminal gangs. There are towns terrorized by local benzos (often mafia delegates), where the ruin, both literally and socially, is visible at every turn. People, to forget about the world around them, plunge en masse into drug addiction, from which the mafia draws a lot.

 Dealers and prostitutes roam the streets. In turn, larger human agglomerations with a higher than average technological degree usually organize into city-states with authoritarian or quasi-democratic governments. Sometimes these cities try to incorporate smaller communities to use their inhabitants for slave labor or other unworthy purposes. Various religious sects are ubiquitous, and they are often mere deceptions to rob people of money or preach liberation through death. 

Fortunately, it is not so tragic; they come here and there in this inhospitable world, towns ruled by honest mayors or sheriffs, where people live fairly and peacefully, as in the old, pre-nuclear times (although it is often only an appearance, after a closer look, the "dirt" hidden by everyone comes to the surface ). The game takes place mainly in cities. I am writing "mainly" because every now and then we are attacked on the way from one city to another, by a gang of robbers, by some other monsters (or by a caravan offering their goods). It is in all clusters of people that we talk, fight, acquire items, and trade. At the same time, we quite naturally follow the development of the plot, doing a lot of side quests. Our reputation in a given place and karma depend on whether we choose to do good or bad. The greater the two factors, the more sympathetic ordinary people will be towards us. On the other hand, black heroes travel safer, because it is known that "he will get to know his" - bandits will trade with us first, and then attack us. 

By completing quests, we gain the necessary experience and advance to higher and higher levels, which translates into an increase in life points and skills. We can also improve the selected skill by reading a book about it. First, however, you have to find or buy such a book. Additionally, we can choose a perk for every three levels of experience. It is a bonus of our choice, which we receive permanently (e.g. the Awareness perk gives us exact information about the health and type of weapon of the opponent, and the HtH Damage Bonus deals +2 damage in melee combat). 

At the beginning of the game, when our hero is still weak, the ability to steal is very useful. It is sometimes thanks to it that we obtain the equipment necessary for survival - the first weapons, medicines, ammunition. During this period, money is also very important. They can be obtained in various ways - by stealing, selling weapons obtained from opponents, taking up gainful employment, and even by gambling. It is symptomatic that technology is at a premium in the game.

 After the atomic annihilation, most people moved back to the Stone Age. However, places, where the most modern technology has been preserved, have remained. And so, for example, an ordinary gun would be almost a relic for your tribesmen, while in such New Reno or in NCR it is quite commonplace. Beginning players can, at the beginning of the game, try to deviate from the route marked by the story (the more that there is no time limit in the game) and get a good weapon. It will be both a pass and an insurance policy for the rest of the game.

 One of the disadvantages of the first Fallout was the lack of proper control over the NPCs who joined us. The list of commands given to NPCs was limited to: the distance you want to be in relation to your character (short, medium, long), and orders to use his best weapon in the next fight. Additionally, each spec had restrictions on the weapons it could use. Therefore, with the Plasma Rifle in his backpack, he continued to use a weapon as before after using this command. The second disadvantage of the first part was that NPCs could not put on any armor. It was annoying when Ian, having Combat Armor under his arm, wears a Leather Jacket and gets hit by any slightly stronger opponent. Fortunately, in Fallout 2 the authors fixed these inconveniences. The ability to control the NPC has increased significantly. In addition to the distance, the player can decide how often the "buddy" should use stimulants and the burst shot mode, when to save by escaping, who to attack first (the closest, strongest, weakest, attacking your character, or any) or what the type of weapon to prefer (shooting, throwing, or white). Some NPCs still have restrictions on the weapons they use, but they can wear armor (this does not apply to dogs, deathclaws, robots, or super mutants, of course). 

Fallout 2 is generally a flawless game. Of course, there was always something to add, improve, and improve, but which game could you say otherwise? Actually, after a deeper reflection, I found only one caveat - all the "confirm" buttons (I mean those characteristic red round buttons) are too small, which makes it uncomfortable to click on them. In the early versions of the program, our teammates or even the car had disappeared (!) More than once, fortunately, these bugs were fixed in the patch. Well, it must be admitted that the game still looks great for its age. Maybe it does not dazzle with graphics and music, but this is not the most important thing in this type of production. It's just that Fallout 2 has "something" that attracts players for hours in front of the monitors. The great idea of ​​placing the plot in the post-nuclear world, the significant degree of development of this world, and good performance are all factors that determined the undoubted success of this position. I really recommend it to everyone with a sincere heart. But be careful, if you don't have much time, you might later regret running Fallout 2 - it's one of those games that requires a total commitment.

It's not easy to write a review of this game. First of all, as I write these words, eight years have passed since its premiere and one generation of consoles has passed. Therefore, it is impossible to judge certain technical solutions and graphics that are in the work of Bethesda studio. But, after all, what is this review without saying a few words about the technicalities? On the other hand, writing about this game is easier now. On the occasion of the premiere of Fallout 3, created by a completely new developer, fans shouted how much "three" is no longer Fallout and how much Bethesda deviated from the assumptions that made the series so popular ... Despite all these problems, I decided to evaluate this game in retrospect …The atmosphere of the post-apocalypse pours out of the screen. The colors are gray, the ruins of buildings and car wrecks are lying on the streets ... 

Here, of course, he would like to argue, because, after 200 years from the nuclear war, the wrecks of cars would fall apart, and the protruding stumps of trees would have decayed a long time ago replaced them with that new vegetation. But it doesn't matter. Fallout's colors are gray, desert, and sand. The three reflect this climate very well. The huge, open-world also deserves a plus. What likes what, but Bethesda knows how to make such games. There is a problem with this openness, however. Well, while in the wilderness you can move freely, in the city - the ruins of Washington, it is more difficult to walk. Finding a path between ruins can be quite a challenge. However, the vastness and possibilities are impressive.

Certain solutions are similar in many Bethesda games. Anyone who has played Fallout after Skyrim will feel that Bethesda's post-apocalyptic game is like Skyrim, but a bit different. Anyone who has played these games chronologically - will say that Skyrim is such a Fallout only improved and bigger. Healing by eating, unlocking locks with a lockpick, preserving NPCs ... The similarities are evident at every turn. This can also be seen in the plot layout. It gets going quite slowly, and the construction of the world makes it quite difficult at the beginning - because any opponent, even a rat, is able to threaten us. However, this changes quickly and our character becomes a real mighty man in the world. 

But an entire book could be written about the similarities between Bethesda's titles, and we are to focus on Fallout. As I wrote at the beginning - it is difficult to judge the graphics of the game after seven years, but I will say that it is pretty. While the ubiquitous greyness made me a bit tired, I rate the graphics of the game quite high, even from the perspective of the years. Of course - The Witcher 3 is not, but when I left Megaton at dawn, a nicely diffused light and the view of the capital wastelands in Fallout 3 pleased my eyes.It is the same with music. Unless we have any radio station set up on PIP Boy, the loudspeakers are oozing music adapted to the events on the screen, sometimes giving way to the sounds of the wasteland. Radio stations are, in turn, a completely different pair of wellies. Three Dog comments on events related to us on an ongoing basis and the music that this DJ plays is cool songs with a climate referring to the United States of years. 60. Other radio stations are a nice contribution to the side quests. This is perhaps one of the best things in building Fallout 3's vibe. It's fair to say that Fallout 3's visuals aren't deterred. I would like to add that I played on Xbox 360, without any mods to improve textures or models, and still this game did not scare me away with its appearance. The game made me tired, but not in a negative way. The plot, with a few twists and a strong ending - is great. However, it is tiring to deal with side quests, and especially at the beginning, you have to do them, because we will simply have too low a level to delve into the main plot. This led to me getting tired of playing when I seriously "sat down" to the main plot. 

Maybe it's my fault because I funded a few long series of possessions with the game, instead of playing longer and shorter games ... Wandering around the subway tunnels, finding your way among the ruins of destroyed Washington, encountering opponents every now and then - it was a frustrating, artificial extension of the game for me. And I wanted to rush after the story - because this one is great.

Fallout: New Vegas is not a perfect production. In fact, the game lacks a lot of this ideal. The most important thing, however, is that over 90% of any New Vegas flaws are not the fault of Obsidian, but simply the legacy of the developers of the engine and new mechanics. In all other respects, he puts Bethesda's work to the shoulder and is a worthy successor to his iconic ancestors. I don't believe what I'm writing myself, but ... it's the truth. The beginning of the story is probably well known to everyone who was even a bit interested in this title before the premiere. Our character, working as a courier, is shot during one of the tasks for unknown reasons. Miraculously saved by a robot, the protagonist wakes up in the small town of Goodsprings, where, set on his feet by a local ghost, he begins a kind of a second life. The beginning does not knock down in any spectacular way and does not herald a slowly unfolding but captivating story. I will immediately warn everyone who expects a "cinematic" narrative and a linear plot - this is not a game for you. You will be bored in the first three hours of play.

Everything else - myself included - will be overjoyed. Both the game itself and the main plot have an extremely open character. Every now and then we are faced with the need to make further decisions and choices that affect not only our fate, but also the balance of power in the area, the attitude of residents to us and the factions, mutual relations between some of them, and even such trifles as prices in shops. Example? We help a certain community to introduce law and order. We choose one of the options, people are happy, they thank us, then ... the shop owner raises all prices by about 50%. Well, the new government made him pay high taxes. And who is it after the pocket? We notice attention to this type of detail at every step. When we show up elsewhere for the first time, a slightly dodgy guy offers us a trade. However, if we become too famous in a given area, it tells us to simply fall on the next occasion. Doing business with someone so popular could, after all, expose him to interest from the wrong people. Logical, isn't it? Of course, the game mechanics can sometimes mess up a bit here, but never once did it spoil the fun in any way or spoil the atmosphere.

The decisions we make in New Vegas are the essence of the game. You really feel their importance and importance here. It is extremely important to understand the situation well, and often even guess what the consequences may be before taking any of these. Praise the creators for virtually no hints in the style of "completing the task will alienate you from group X." We just need to get to know the game world well. Without it, we can regret our choices more than once; the more that the interests of the majority of the factions (including those of the "background") are most often contradictory. What made me especially happy is that, in line with the fallout tradition, there are no pages in New Vegas clearly defined as good or bad. Gray, dull, sometimes a bit lighter - never black or white. This applies to both factions and people living in the world of New Vegas. Moral relativism popularized by a certain Yarpen characterizes practically everyone, and the independent characters themselves are a classic collage of different types of behavior, mentality and sometimes tragic stories for this series. Weeds and mean bastards are among the "decent" citizens, and an ordinary bandit may turn out to be more honorable than twenty paladins. 

Most importantly, conversations with them are much more interesting than in the previous installment. The characters have their own character, often a recognizable style of expression, although, as it happens in life, not everyone is a master of orations and sharp retorts. The tasks themselves can be divided into three groups. Classic, multi-stage stories, which can sometimes drag us through half of the wasteland, side quests, usually with a much less complicated structure, and all kinds of "loose suggestions" that do not even reach our notes. Sometimes someone mentions a problem, spreads a rumor or suggests something. Some of these rumors later turn out to have a double bottom and turn into another, multi-stage task. Most importantly, we can complete most of the most important quests in many ways, including force solutions, deception, bribery, using our own charisma, or scientific and technical knowledge. Often, all at once within one task. Here it is really worth investing points in non-combat skills - I am not sure yet, but there is a good chance that you can play the game almost without bloodshed. Here we have a near-perfect diversity. It may also turn out that we will never receive many tasks. In fact, it is possible to miss the chance to complete many of them. Not because of bugs (there are surprisingly few of those for the multitude of tasks), but because of the aforementioned freedom. 

After all, if, for example, we don't like the mouth of one of the most important NPCs, we can shoot him. Someone forbid us to do this? Why do we only need to remember the consequences of this act? New Vegas is an example of a game in which we quickly stop chasing the main plot. The world around us, the people inhabiting it, strange events, secrets of pre-war technologies - all this drew me so much that I regretted that because of the review I had to "chase" the main plot. I have saved games, I will come back to them a moment after the publication of this text. 

Exploration is the keyword in New Vegas. Both the game itself and the area that we will visit are huge. Let me just say that when, after about 25 hours of very intense gameplay, I decided to make it to the title New Vegas, I discovered less than a third of the game world, only going through some places. Completing all the discovered tasks and visiting most of the locations is probably about 100 hours of fun. I confess without hitting - I haven't been everywhere yet. In such a short time, it's just not feasible, especially when you are playing two games in parallel. So if you get hooked on New Vegas, seriously think about some vacation. It's time to mention a few new mechanics that usually turned out to be good for the game. So we have a much more developed and quite interestingly designed craftsmanship, divided into three main categories. At the campfires, we will prepare our own meals, strengthen the effects of chemicals, or even create poisons (useful in some tasks). Another thing is the production of ammunition. A bit of gunpowder, shells collected after our own shots (automatically, but the climate is!), Appropriate forms for casting the ball ... and we will refill the ammunition. What's more, we can even dismantle unnecessary seeds and use the raw materials obtained in this way to produce the one we are looking for. It is similar with energy charges, which, in turn, can be easily converted to another type. Refilling empty batteries is also possible. Another issue is weapon upgrades, which (just like the guns themselves) are now a whole lot.

 Optics, enlarged magazines, reinforced locks, accelerators for energy weapons - whatever your heart desires. Of course, we can also find some unique weapons in the game, although most often they are rewards for quests, an expression of recognition from the faction, or getting into them requires considerable skills and exploring "non-quest" locations. Various types of ammunition of the same caliber have also returned. A novelty is magazines, which, unlike books, improve our skills only for a short time, but by as much as ten (with a special perk up to 20) points. Fortunately, it does not disturb the game balance too much, because the books themselves (yes, they still are) are very few.

The fight in the VATS system has basically not changed, but avid snipers should be happy. In real-time shooting, the game doesn't end up doing these bizarre skill-based calculations for us. Thanks to this, by shooting at a distance of several hundred meters, we are able to deal with most of the average opponents with one headshot.

Of course, there are a lot of these types of fixes, new elements, or items. It makes no sense to list them all here, but in my opinion, most of these changes are definitely in favor. The more that many of them were clearly inspired by ... mods for Fallout 3. Yes, as is the most important new mechanism in my opinion - Hardcore mode. I'll write it right away and without beating the bush - don't even think about playing it any other way. Compared to mods, Obsidian treated us very indulgently anyway, but the post-nuclear world now took on a completely different flavor and smell. The taste of contaminated water, of a fire-roasted gecko, and the smell of a musty mattress in some abandoned caravan. After deciding to turn on the hardcore mode, we have to drink, eat and sleep regularly. Obvious, and so rarely found in RPG games. Drastically falling statistics, or even death, will quickly force us to find a place in our inventory for food and drinks. In addition, we will think twice about a sip of booze for courage - after all, in a few moments, it will start to "dry us" ... In addition, we get some ammunition weighing something and a few other minor difficulties in the package. This is the essence of this game. Playing New Vegas in a different way is like going to a concert with stoppers in your ears. Good for mollusks.

At this point, I cannot fail to mention the new reputation system, straight from the classic Fallouts, but much better implemented. There is still, of course, Karma, the virtual image of our soul. Of course, this affects how the NPC perceives our character, but our reputation is much more important. It has been broken down both into factions and some localities, and it results only from our actions regarding these groups or communities. I don't think I need to explain to anyone that being loved by one group, we risk hating the other? It's obvious, isn't it? Yes, but not entirely. After all, no one is forcing us to take actions that are clearly against other factions. Diplomats will find many ways to slip through here. The level of difficulty of the game itself, however, is not very high. After a few hours, despite starting the hardcore mode, I regretted starting the game on the normal difficulty level. We usually have an abundance of ammunition, and with a bit of luck in the casino, we will quickly multiply our assets. Here, you can immediately see how well the development team knows the players. In casinos there is a mechanism that discourages the use of the "save & load" method - after uploading the saved game in case of loss, we have to patiently wait about a minute for the "reset" of machines and tables. In my opinion, this is a bit too little. But still respectful. New Vegas takes us back to the west coast, so there were all sorts of references to the first two, cult games. From very literal and obvious ones, such as famous characters, factions or "companies", through the flavors in computers, stories and memories encountered by NPCs, to various, discreet blinks of an eye. 

We feel that we have finally returned to the old garbage and we are very happy with it ... New Vegas, however, suffers from one very serious ailment. This is a legacy of the error-prone engine and specific mechanics mentioned at the outset. On the latter, Obsidian did what he could, but I have to stick to a few elements. I am terribly annoyed by the hints still remaining in the dialogues regarding the skill thresholds needed to pass the test without stress. Eliminating this one, hopeless element in my opinion, would give the game a lot more pure, uninhibited "energy". All hope in mods. Was it so hard to add a button in the options that hide it? Likewise with tags associated with tasks. I would like to turn them off, so why can't I do it? I also have the impression that awarding about 1000 XP for moments to simple stages of the main plot is a bit of an exaggeration. Although in this respect the balance is still much better than in Fallout 3, dividing the awarded experience points into half would only be good for the game. Of course, we still have to deal with the same technical ailments that frustrated Bethsoft's production - going crazy physics, levitating objects, collapsing and falling into textures and models, bizarre animations of fast-moving characters ... a defect inherited from F3 - artificial intelligence.

 During the fight, the opponents can get stuck in some place, not notice that we just took off a friend standing next to the sniper rifle, or kill each other in the corridor. It is similar to our companions, whom we quickly learn to leave in a quiet place. For safety. Theirs and ours. In this regard, the development team did not improve practically anything. However, it was never Obsidian's strong point, so it's good that the game behaves at least very stable (only one QTD after a long, eleven-hour session), and I found more serious bugs that could spoil the fun only twice during about 60 hours of interacting with New Vegas. Each time it helped to recreate the saved game. It's time for the audio-video department. Graphics as they are, everyone can see. Nihil Novi. A few new models, a few slightly sharper textures, warmer color tones, and neon lights screaming with colors. This is basically the entire list of changes in this matter. For me, however, it is of absolutely secondary importance. Fanatics of graphic ultrafireworks will probably never buy this game anyway, because it will offend their fancy equipment, and the rest of them will have it where the basic Jet component comes from. Nothing to complain about, however, is the sound. 

Fallout: New Vegas is a game we should have seen a few years ago. Obsidian did what Bethesda could not. Feargus players proved that it is possible to do a real Fallout in 3D, with real-time shooting, FPP view and a sandbox world. If you like post-nuclear climates, open world, you are not scared by making many decisions yourself, you have a tessellation somewhere, you like a lot of different tasks, collecting thousands of rubbish, numerous conversations with interesting NPCs, shades of gray are closer to you than black and white, you can turn a blind eye for inherited imperfections and you have several dozen hours of free time, Obsidian has a wonderful gift for you. Fallout: New Vegas computer game. It is impossible to point to a title that has been more anticipated in the last few years. 

The announcement of Fallout 4 caused euphoria in many, and in others, it raised some concerns, but regardless of attitude - the game was on everyone's lips. After taking over the rights to the brand, Bethesda made this post-apocalyptic world one of the most recognizable universes among video games, and although these developers can be accused of various things, if it were not for them, we would probably never set foot in any crypt again. Not everyone liked the changed formula in Fallout 3, but a moment later we got New Vegas, which gave fans hope that the "classic Fallout storyline" is still possible. Hopes that some people also transferred to the "four". In Fallout reality, I spent a good several hundred hours throughout the series (and paradoxically, the top of this small ranking is not at all "three" or its extension), so as such I have an understanding of the subject after all and - honestly? At the time of the announcement of Fallout 4, I was terrified of what it would be. I was scared watching the first and subsequent trailers. I was scared when I installed it. I was afraid when I started to play ... and I was afraid when I ended. In the latter case, though, the fear was due to entirely different reasons than at the beginning.

The adventure in Fallout 4 begins as befits a real Fallout - with character creation. A short, relatively atmospheric intro puts you in the right mood and we see it - the main character and the protagonist. When standing in front of the bathroom mirror, we have the opportunity to accurately model the appearance of the protagonist and in this place, without unnecessary wrapping around the bush, we must admit that the wizard is absolutely amazing. By dragging individual parts of the face, we are able to create virtually any character. The tool works fantastically, is very intuitive, and allows for an infinite number of combinations, and it has been known for a long time that the process of creating your own alter ego in the virtual world is one of the greatest attractions for RPG fans. Going further, we get the option to choose the initial statistics, but due to the fact that this is a much more complex issue, I will discuss this aspect a bit later. For now, let's focus on what happens to our hero when we finally "accept" what he looks like. This time we do not start as a child in a crypt, a descendant of the hero who lives in a small village, and no one sends us on a mission to the surface to save the inhabitants of the shelter. In Fallout 4, the story begins just before the great war, i.e. in 2077. 

The opportunity to see the reality before the apocalypse is a real treat - and although everything around it seems overly plastic, it has its own unique charm. The idyll does not last long, however. A moment later, a TV announcer announces that the first atomic bombs have been struck, and we and our family rush to a nearby vault, which we are happily admitted to. However, there is a slight surprise waiting for us - we find ourselves in the cryogenic chamber. We only come out of hibernation after 210 years and we have to face a dramatic situation right away - our son is kidnapped. Without thinking too long, we set off in search of a descendant.

The beginning of the main plot intrigued me a lot. The diagram may be a bit similar to what we know from "three" (we looked for a father instead of a son), but the way it was presented meant that the story simply sucked me in. Vault 111 is not particularly big, after a few minutes of hanging around in the corridors, I finally came to the surface, ready to be drawn into the rest of the plot, but ... I quickly realized my hopes for a captivating story were illusory. What was served in Fallout 4 is mediocre at best, and although there is an unexpected twist from time to time, after the first excitement about the search for the missing son, the spell is broken. 

The story turns out to be clichéd, without any panache, often with only loosely connected and meaningless threads. There are several endings to the main plot, but the one that happened to me after joining the Brotherhood of Steel was probably one of the biggest disappointments I've ever had in my gaming career. I don't want to reveal anything, so let me put it this way: “we've seen it somewhere before”, but - worst of all - we don't feel that we've changed anything. Someone died, we destroyed something, someone survived and that's it. The narrative is conducted in such a way that it is difficult to empathize with the role played and let yourself be absorbed by the events, but ... Exactly. I would be lying if I said that Fallout 4 never impressed me once. I will return for a moment to explore the world, which is exactly where Fallout 4 shines brightly. Interesting locations with their own, unspoken history are, of course, not all that awaits us while traveling the next kilometers of the Community. Sooner or later, the goal of every traveler is also collectibles, and these are really a lot - comics, books, retro games, or figures that improve our statistics are difficult to find, but finding them gives great satisfaction. It is different from the hero's equipment. Just as the aforementioned collectibles do not spill from the screen, the same cannot be said about the other items. In Fallout 4, weapons, medicines, and armor are falling from the sky on us. This applies to both ordinary "garbage" and much better equipment. 

Take, for example, the "Fat Man", which has always been one of the iconic weapons, winning which gave a huge advantage in fought duels. This time I came across at least a dozen of its copies, and at different stages of the game, and you can also forget about running out of ammunition. While traversing the "newest" wastelands, we get the feeling that the apocalypse never really happened, and instead, there is hardware prosperity in every corner of the community. We have too much of everything and after a dozen or so hours of gameplay, I stopped picking up even the most powerful items - which was once completely unthinkable in the series. This ubiquitous prosperity is also associated with another, in my opinion, even killing some "fallout magic", solution. It's about power armor, of course. Winning it was always a specific culmination of our efforts in a series, a great prize that you simply dreamed about when passing by members of the Brotherhood of Steel. 

This time we get our first copy within the first fifty minutes and if we play everything properly, we don't have to part with it for most of the fun. As if that was not enough, the multitude of parts of the armor and its skeletons knocks you to your knees. While traveling the world I came across at least a few pieces, some I brought back to my "base", and the rest after some time I simply stopped paying attention. One thing has to be admitted to Bethesda - the power of the armor itself was absolutely sensational. The moment we enter it (it no longer replaces ordinary armor, but functions similarly to a vehicle) and we start to run, we even feel a few hundred kilograms heavier and almost indestructible. Of course, it was decided to limit this reliability of the steel - the new proposed mechanics are based on the patent that power armor needs special fusion cores, which are initially rather difficult to find. Honestly, it works very well and balances the gameplay properly, but don't worry - the longer we play, the easier it is to find fuel. Cores not only lie in all sorts of dungeons but can also be found in some super mutant outposts or simply bought from selected traders. As "wasteland sweepers" we run as much as we want. If it were not for the fact that the armor reaches us so quickly, I would have absolutely nothing to complain about this aspect of the game.

An equally interesting option seems to be the possibility of upgrading the aforementioned armor. At special stands, we not only decide on the color of individual steel elements but also add amenities such as jetpack to them. There are quite a few combinations, and the workshop in which we assemble and improve weapons is even more impressive. The number of components that can be added or improved is scary at times and - given that the game offers no meaningful introduction to this matter - it is initially overwhelming, but through trial and error, we quickly get what it is all about, having fun with this perfectly. Importantly - the introduced changes do matter, so it is not only art for art's sake.

Although I do not fully believe what I am writing, I also spent quite a good time building my own settlement - another, a new element introduced in Fallout 4. We transform the rubbish collected during an exploration into raw materials, we also process the immediate surroundings of the town and provide the right amount of wood, steel, concrete, and electronics, we can start building more houses or fortifications. Entertainment is moderately profitable in terms of experience points and at times it may even seem secondary, and acquiring the necessary elements takes a lot of time, but when I was already starting to build a "place", I did not leave this mode for several dozen minutes. And this is despite the fact that the very mechanics of placing individual objects are extremely inaccurate. I can't fully explain it logically, but despite all my flaws, I just liked this aspect of the game. And since there are quite a lot of options as part of playing Bob the Builder, I will certainly spend a lot of time on "mayor" my settlements.

Just as the creation of settlements and modifying equipment can be considered surprisingly complex, the same cannot be said about the character development system. Unfortunately, this is another key element of RPGs that the new Fallout has been brutally stripped of. 

Although SPECIAL is still functioning, it has almost completely lost its importance due to the new progression system! From now on, we can add points to the statistics with each level gained (unless we decide to invest them in perks), so nothing stands in the way of making our hero "Mr. Perfect" with almost perfect parameters in each category. Unfortunately, the famous "skills" that determine, for example, how well we deal with a specific type of weapon, are gone. 

The aforementioned perks try to close this gap somehow by offering various bonuses, but how their board is designed leaves a lot to be desired. One is that the whole thing is extremely illegible, two - the vast majority of it completely does not affect the way we play. Aside from isolated cases, such as the ability to increase the life of fusion cores, perks have such imperceptible benefits that I just forgot to spend points on the most of the time. A little celebration for every RPG fan, that is, the promotion to a new level, in Fallout 4 is simply of minimal importance. I ended up playing at level 36, and to be honest I didn't feel any more powerful about it than at, say, the tenth level. The development of the hero is not helped by the fact that even investing in SPECIAL is not overly profitable. Apart from unlocking individual perks, high charisma or intelligence practically does not change anything - for example, an attempt to persuade and so depends on the role of dice and we can convince someone as well, having 1 point invested in this parameter, if we are lucky. And this leads to an unpleasant conclusion - no matter how we "layout" the statistics, in the end, we will play in an almost identical way. Simplification of this type in Fallout is simply a scandal. With scandals - it's time to do what pisses players off from the very moment of the premiere: graphics and errors.

 As for the visuals themselves, I have to admit that they are much better in action than I expected. The game looks tragic at times, but most of the time - especially in open spaces and with adequate lighting - the world looks pretty good (yes, despite its "colorful" nature!) And I do not intend to complain too much about this element. The animations, however, are a completely different pair of wellies - I haven't seen similarly stiff figures for a good few years, and although such ghouls can throw left and right surprisingly agile, the rest of them apparently swallowed a broomstick. I don't even want to mention what the facial movements look like - in a game in which every dialogue has been presented in a somewhat cinematic perspective, it is simply not acceptable for the characters' faces to look like stone.

 Unfortunately, this is the case here.PROS:great character creator;slightly smaller than expected but still a huge world to explore;nicely made locations that encourage exploration;atmospheric sound setting;lots of side quests to complete and collectibles to find;a nice shooting model and an interestingly modified VATS system;well-made mechanics of power armor;the crafting and settlement building system takes a lot of time and gives a lot of satisfaction;the main plot and additional missions have their glimpses ...CONS:... but most of the time they are cliche and shallow to the pain;record number of worms;image smoothness problems;tragically banal system of dialogues;shallow character development;"Too much shooting, too little talking";completely unintuitive interface;the world around us rarely evokes any emotions;animations and some textures stopped at the stone age.

More than three years have passed since the premiere of Fallout 76. The premiere, which became the source of many memes, jokes; but it was also a kind of lesson for the publishers and creators of our favorite entertainment medium. Some of the lessons learned from that lesson, while others were clearly too busy designing modifiable sex venues. However, we must ask ourselves a very important question here. 

Did Bethesda do her homework and save her multiplayer child? Unfortunately, the answer to this question is not clear. So is it worth getting interested in Fallout 76 these three years after its premiere? You will find the answer to this and other questions in the review below!

It's been a good twenty-five years since the nuclear war broke out in the world. Most of mankind has evaporated along with the atomic mushrooms, but some part of society has survived thanks to shelters built by Vault-Tec. The character we are going to lead was one of the lucky ones who did not come across any sick experiments taking place inside the shelters. The bunker itself was located in the Appalachian Mountains - a real mountain range that crosses West Virginia, the state where our adventure takes place. Since the basic information is already behind us, it is imperative to ask whether the area we are exploring is worth our attention?

Well, absolutely! The map prepared by the creators is in my opinion very good, and the exploration of its nooks and crannies was easy and an undisguised pleasure. The world is diverse and quite colorful for a nuclear wasteland. The dense fauna that adorns the first location visited by the player has a very positive eye for every traveler. Small buildings also provide a great atmosphere and fulfill a very interesting and at first glance task. The relative calm that accompanies us when we first enter the world of Fallout 76 introduces a kind of false sense of security. The previous installments of the series have thrown the player into the action very quickly. However, Fallout 76 does it - for the representative of this series - extremely slowly, which may be largely due to the fact that it is a purely multiplayer game. However, thanks to such an introduction, West Virginia comes to the fore more than the Mojave Desert from New Vegas or Capital Wasteland from Fallout 3.A very big advantage of the map we explore is its diversity. In total, the map has been divided into six regions, each of which is characterized by something different. The initial forests can delight us with their fauna, and the nearby Ashes will completely change our perception of West Virginia. Thanks to this diversity, I was able to explore each of these regions for a total of over fifty hours, discovering some really interesting flavors and easter eggs. Fallout is not just an open world, however. 

The interiors of buildings and various types of undergrounds or instances have also been carefully prepared. Of course, the closest to Fallout 4 in terms of details, but due to the genre that Fallout 76 represents, most of the rooms or tunnels are much wider for a group of players to freely explore them. A very important change from the original Fallout 76 release is that we can finally meet NPCs and talk to them. People who've dealt with the game at the time of its launch will know how empty West Virginia was. Fortunately, with the addition of Wastelanders, Appalachia are finally teeming with computer life. Of course, as much as life can pulsate after a nuclear war. During exploration or during quests, we will be able to easily come across NPCs stationed somewhere, representing various factions in the game world. Of course, the main element of the expansion was the appearance of the beloved Brotherhood of Steel. Their return has a very strong and positive impact on the vitality of the world. More than once I came across the flight of the Vertibirds and a massive air attack on the mutant positions.

Since its premiere, the map and the entire world presented in Fallout 76 have made a very big progress. The changes introduced by Bethesda had a very positive effect on this aspect of the game. And since we are talking about the game ...In 2018 - when Fallout 76 was still crawling - one of the main complaints about this title was very light gameplay and general boredom. Has anything changed in this matter? Definitely yes, but that doesn't mean the game is no longer having any problems - what is it, no. However, let's not anticipate the facts and find out for now what the title is.

Theoretically, Fallout 76 can be described as an MMORPG, but - for me - only theoretically. Of course, the game is based on the multiplayer component, but the element under the first "M" of the MMO acronym - massively, is very limited here. There are only twenty-four players for the entire server, which greatly limits any interaction. For some it will be an advantage, for others it will be a disadvantage. Unfortunately, I am leaning towards the disadvantages here rather than the advantages. As for me, Fallout 76 is an introvert simulator unexpectedly. Virtually every interaction I had with another person was limited to just waving to myself, and that was it. Of course, there were also people who were much more open to cooperation and I even managed to assemble a permanent team, consisting of one Pole, a Czech and two French. Why such a group size? Because the party system is limited to only four people. The game itself, on the other hand, encourages you to actively join open teams, because they provide us with very good profits in the form of faster experience or increased statistics.

Interaction with others is of course not limited to creating a party and avoiding all contacts on the map. In the game - as well as in every self-respecting MMO - there is also an instance system. They are related to daily quests, periodic events, plot or just a repetitive quest. It is thanks to this that we will be able to meet the largest number of players in one place and I must admit that these instances were fun for me. Although there are not that many of them, a feeling of repetition may appear over time, but the human factor negates this feeling very much. By the way, you can catch a very nice loot here, which is even more a plus and encourages you to participate.

Fallout 76 is equipped with two more typical MMO elements. Both are rather lame, but for completely different reasons. First - PVP. The combat system between players is simply weak, I will not charm you and throw sweet words. During normal gameplay, I fought with another player twice. So what does fallout PVP look like? The player who wants to initiate a match must fire the first shot at his opponent. It takes a minimum amount of health points from him, and the attacked player has two options at this point - responding with fire or ignoring the opponent. So, going back to the thesis that Fallout 76 is an introvert simulator, you can guess which option is most often chosen by players. Additionally, such a system stripped the fight of any element of surprise and gives a very big advantage to the person attacked first. I can only say that I did not do anything about such a PVP system.

The second MMO element that I did not like is endgame. It is only based on acquiring more and more perks - which I will tell you about in a moment - until they are exhausted and constantly farm the final boss, here called Scorchbeast Queen. Here, my objection - contrary to what you might expect - will not be repetition, but rather poor protection against fraud. Well, this boss is theoretically available to everyone who happens to be on the server where the nuke was dropped on a specific location. Overall, it is a plus, but unfortunately, it is also the greatest curse of this opponent. Unfortunately, Fallout 76 suffers from a high vulnerability to "hackers" who modify the stats of the weapon to such an extent that it is able to kill the boss in just two or three seconds. Until this precedent is fully set aside, it is unlikely that this endgame element will be enjoyable. I mentioned perks a bit above - special cards that increase the player's statistics or allow you to perform special activities. Fallout itself - as most of you probably know - is based on the old S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Each of these letters is respectively: strength, perception, endurance, charisma, intelligence, dexterity, happiness. 

Here, we get a certain number of points at the start, which we can allocate to the skills we are interested in and develop by another stitches until we reach the 50th level. In addition to the S.P.E.C.I.A.L.points themselves, special skill cards will also randomly fall into our hands. Each such card has an effect assigned, and most of them can be combined with duplicates to create a stronger version of the original card. Each such card has its value in points S.P.E.C.I.A.L. In order to be able to use a given card, we must have as many points available as the given card requires. Consequently, if we have a total of eight perception points, we will be able to use cards with a total sum of points equal to a maximum of eight. It may sound complicated on paper, but in the game itself, it's very intuitive and simple. Personally, I think this system is a very good springboard from the typical perk lists to choose from.

In addition to the perks themselves, the game also features a mutation system. Mutations rely on the fact that after a sufficiently high body irradiation, our character may gain additional skills or receive negative effects affecting the statistics. Mutations are in a way connected with skill cards, because thanks to cards we are able to maintain only positive effects and get rid of the negative influence of radiation on our health.

Now that we've covered a bit more technical aspects of the gameplay, let's ask ourselves another crucial question. Are the guns fired well? Well, it is not that it is good or that it is not good. In other words, it's rather average with glimpses. I've never been a huge fan of how shooting in the Fallout series feels, and there's no exception to the rule here.

 Most of the weapons are properly made, and shooting them is not all that much fun - but neither is it discouraging. On the other hand, the instantaneous glimpses concern a few weapons when we combine them with the VATS system. I enjoyed the most when a weapon called "The Fixer" fell into my inventory, which was lovingly translated into "Rąsia" in the Polish language. Combined with my character build and the VATS system, this weapon was terrifying to my opponents, and every headshot was an enormous pleasure.

Another very important part of Fallout 76 is building your own shelter. This is done through the well-known Fallout 4 building system. We can erect various types of walls, floors, structures or even ready-made structures and underground shelters. The mechanic itself is also connected with the possibility of trading with other players. Thanks to special machines, we are able to put up for sale items that are in our inventory. I made quite a fortune myself selling toilet paper and ammunition. Incredible as it sounds, the West Virginia economy of the time valued scarce toilet paper very much. In a way, the crafting system is also related to the construction industry. We have to create each element of our future place by hand from the elements found during the exploration. The same largely translates to weapons and ammunition. In order to be able to create a powerful weapon, we will have to learn about its accessories by disassembling the weapon model above the appropriate table. Fortunately, we know the formula for the ammunition from the beginning. This system is almost identical to what Fallout 4 offered, so anyone who played the title for a while will also find their way in the world of crafting of the seventy-six.

The game also features a very simple survival system based on the need to eat and drink. I personally took care of it only at the beginning, or before more difficult missions. This system is very forgiving and it does not mean that failure to take care of these needs will make the player face any great inconvenience or difficulty; just such a small, annoying thing.

At this point, it is also worth mentioning a very controversial thing related to Fallout 76, and more specifically, with the Fallout 1st subscription. To this day, this topic divides players into two camps - supporters of an expensive subscription for our realities and staunch opponents. I personally did not use this subscription, so I am not able to describe its advantages in detail. Unfortunately, my wallet does not contain enough caps to pay for the next subscription. 

 At this point, this concept is probably known to every player. Since probably all the most important elements of the game have been discussed, let's move on to definitely shorter sections. The graphics in Fallout 76 aren't that great, but they're not ugly either. It represents the level of a typical average, but at times it can surprise you very positively. More than once I found the world looking so nice that I stopped to take a screenshot. Unfortunately, it also happened that I wanted to take the screen because of the not the highest quality texture that stood out from the environment. Overall, Fallout 76 looks good enough to have something to hang your eye on at times; but not so much to admire the scenery as in Read Dead Redemption II. The audio layer is on a much better level. The voices of the characters have been selected perfectly, and the acting does not break the rhythm of the game and the world. The sounds of the surroundings that accompany us during our journey through Appalachia look just as well. Depending on our surroundings, we may hear the sound of the wind brushing the treetops with the accompaniment of birds chirping, which may merge with the slow guitar, or we will hear the overwhelming ambient of the ashes. And here I have to worry a little again. I had to play Fallout 76 on the basic PS4 console but from a newer series. The game worked most of the time at a stable 30 frames per second, but at times the number of fps dropped to a maximum of 10. This happened most often when cleaning an instance or when too many enemies appeared on the screen. These problems often made the game very difficult. It was almost impossible to aim at such moments without VATS. 

Therefore, if you own the base PS4 as I do, expect a huge drop in liquidity during the game. Crashes were also a slightly less serious problem. The game in - it would seem - accidental moments failed completely. Fortunately, however, this was not a common problem. In total, for over fifty hours of gameplay, the game crashed up to four times. So it is not, as you can see, a common problem; however, it would be much better if it did not occur at all. The game itself was also a problem for me. More than once, the item needed to complete a quest did not appear during my session. I can't finish one quest even now, because the supply drop for any treasures won't show up. 

This is my happiness, apparently, Fallout 76 is a title that evokes extreme emotions. His loyal fans will defend him to the last drop of Nuka-Cola, and the proverbial haters will ridicule every initiative taken by the creators. However, is it worth investing in this game after so many years from its premiere? You have to answer this question for yourself. Do the mistakes described scare you away completely? Is the idea of ​​the game strong enough that you want to give the game a chance? I answered these questions myself and with a clear conscience, I have to admit that I played Fallout 76 very well. I will come back to this title and probably visit West Virginia regularly. So if, after answering the above questions, you are still not sure whether to give the game a chance, I say that it is worth giving it this chance. Fallout 76 is available through Bethesda Launcher, Microsoft Store, on Steam, Xbox and PlayStation, and for new players, the creators have prepared a special guide to make starting the adventure even easier.

WHAT FALLOUT 76 COMES TO TODAY HAS A LEGENDARY SOUND. IT IS HARD FOR ME TO REMEMBER ANOTHER GAME THAT HAD BOTH RANDOM TROUBLES AND VERY BAD DECISIONS BY THE DEVELOPERS. IS THE OUTPUT OF THE WASTELANDERS EXTENSION, FALLOUT 76 SUITABLE FOR COMFORTABLE PLAY?

Leaving behind the entire envelope related to the controversy, such as poisonous mold in the collector's edition helmets or banning players for finding bugs in the game, Fallout 76 itself was simply unplayable for the premiere. It had a lot of bugs and was just boring and unstable, liked to crash into Windows, lost frames even on powerful hardware. Long to exchange. I played two hours then, wrote a very negative review that you can read here - Fallout 76 Review. After almost two years since its release, dozens of updates and the first big free expansion for this game, I decided to come back and see what Fallout 76 is today.The Wastelanders expansion pack introduces, first of all, NPCs, which is something that was sorely lacking in the basic version of the game. They appear in various places on the map and are immigrants from neighboring locations who have come in search of a better life and a mysterious treasure, which will be related to the main new storyline. 

The old thread has also been expanded. If you remember, we had to find out beforehand what happened to the overseer of Vault 76, collecting crumbs and traces in various parts of the Apalachian Mountains. Now even this thread has been expanded because we will also meet a supervisor who will help us find ourselves in this world. So we received not one, but two extensive storylines, and I must admit that they are pretty good. I started playing with Wastelanders without much expectations about the story, rather hoping that I would get a sandbox with a pseudo-plot, as was the case with e.g. Conan Exiles. And it was this quite interesting post-apocalyptic story that kept me to the screen the most. The introduction of NPCs also made other quests more interesting. Do you remember the airport where the rescuers used to work and you had to find out what happened to them? Now there is an NPC there who will tell us an interesting story. Fallout 76 is a really cool written quest. The game has also become stable, no longer tearing or losing frames, but has some strange lag on the connection. You could see it more than once on a live twitch when I hit the enemy with a firearm, and he fell after a second, which made me concerned for a moment - I did not know if I managed to hit the enemy or not. The shooting is generally weak and I have a hard time feeling it, the weapons have poor recoil and poor feel, and most enemies have a hard time telling if the hit was successful or not. If it wasn't for the opponents' health bar, the fight would be much more difficult.

 Paradoxically, all kinds of sniper rifles and perks for sneaking work very well. A headshot from a distance while hiding in the bushes extinguishes even the biggest super mutant, his head splashes beautifully, and his buddies are starting to look for us, but we will still have a moment to give a few headshots. Really, it's been a long time since I had so much fun shooting sniper rifles.I think the game has become much more beautiful. Fallout 76 is now a really lovely-looking apocalypse presentation. This is not a gray, desert, and dirty apocalypse. The entire map is covered with forests that take over the last buildings and objects of human civilization. Cities disappear among trees, and sometimes the roads are gone. Thanks to radiation, the fauna also received a number of natural defenders, and even ticks became a nasty obstacle for people trying to find their home in the radiation-free parts of the Apalachian Mountains. But that's not all, as the map has been cleverly divided into segments. Near the beautiful forests in which we start the game and perform our first tasks, there are not only deserts but also entire spaces of contaminated areas covered with folds of irradiated ash. And in fact, no one keeps us in place and punishes us to do additional tasks - we can immediately go to more difficult areas, trying to get better equipment and more experience, risking more. However, I do not recommend this path, because the tasks, apart from an interesting plot, will also present us with many useful items, experience points, caps (which are still very difficult to find), or diagrams for building our own corner.

I'm not sure if I'm lucky or if I'm just a good gamer (lol), but I have the feeling that all of Fallout 76's PvE is too simple. The enemies are very stupid, even human bandits do not use covers and either stand still or charge us. 

Even elite opponents at higher levels fall for a few shots, and other players are very nice and helpful, many of them come to my house, greet me, leave some ammunition or other useful items. Once, I even made a soup for another player from homemade mut fruits.

Because here too many changes have appeared. Now it is much easier to move the whole house to the other end of the map (it costs as little as nothing) and we do not have to build from scratch as we cannot find the right place for the foundations. Now it's easier to move the entire building. Building itself is very simple and in the basic version of all the elements, it requires few raw materials, mainly wood, which is literally everywhere. Of course, more advanced segments will require much more resources from us, but also here in 90% of cases there will be no major problems if we collect scrap scattered everywhere, especially the one that looks valuable like integrated circuits or old tools. In this way, every homeowner will quickly build a place where he will be able to rest, prepare a soup or other stew, repair the equipment, spread out the garbage, and store it in a box. A good place to go to sleep or prepare for the next trip. The entire housing in Fallout 76 is not only a nice addition but an important element that significantly increases the comfort of play and makes the world take on colors.

The issue that puzzles me is the Atomic Store. There are hundreds of items, both for housing, as well as costumes, other skins or paint patterns, e.g. for power armor. There is a lot of it, and each item that is not unlocked from the store is displayed in the regular building or upgrading menu with the buy now an icon in the atomic store. The game is by no means pay to win, but definitely, a very annoying element that literally screams at us all the time, buy, buy, buy. The most irritating is when we spend a lot of time expanding our four angles. Interestingly, the premium currency can be unlocked by completing daily tasks, but these are ridiculously small amounts and in order to unlock a poster on the wall, we would have to complete all stupid tasks for a few days, such as get three levels or collect five different mushrooms. These are not tasks that you will do by accident (it sometimes happens), if you want to do them, you have to check the menu of daily and weekly tasks and read there that your epic quest for today will be to build ten walls. For such a task, we will receive 10 points to spend on an atomic store, and the cheapest home decoration costs 300 points. Well, it doesn't look very nice in a game that we pay for anyway, right?

Bethesda behaved very nicely in all of this, which made a copy of Fallout 76 available to anyone interested for free on the Steam platform. As a result, the game had a flood of decent reviews for the premiere, and to this day it remains at the level of mostly positive. I think that's a decent rating for this game, and to be honest Fallout 76 has become a pretty decent game today. It is a pity that it was not in this condition for the premiere, but there is no point in looking in the teeth of a donated deathclaw, right?