Fallout 4

Wow! I severely edited my spoiler-free review because it was originally so very long and I figured no one would read it, so I cut a lot of it.

178 Hours
2nd play through
5+ new games started
Not all quest completed
Not all locations, bobbleheads, or skill magazines discovered
Not all companions at full affinity, actually I pretty much stick with Dogmeat
I may have all the settlements, but I'm not sure at the moment, I should have all or most of all of them
36/50 achievements

At first, I wasn't fond of the music on the radio stations, but they've grown on me. I like them and find them in my head when I'm not playing. As for the game's score, that, too, gets stuck in my head, which is cool.

Great pics! I don't have a Bobblehead stand! My primary base is in Sanctuary Hills, that's where I started. I did create a building to store my Power Armor sets and another empty building after scrapping some junked houses that have no entrances. I've built more on some settlements, but not very much, usually just the necessary crops, beds, and defense turrets.

Yes, those never-ending Minutemen quests get old. After setting up all or most settlements (or discovering them), I give up on those quests.

Great review! I can't see how this game won't be our Game of the Year.

The highest level I've reached it was 51 or 52. I don't think I ever met Strong. I've now finished the game with two different endings. I'm going back to an older save to get another ending or two.

No, but I recall picking up the radio station and never listening to it.

That was really fun. Adam's comments were great! I think doing the live stream was a great idea.

About Fallout 4: People complaining about the graphics quality reminds me of when people whined about Wind Waker. I thought that was a great game and enjoyed the graphical difference. Fallout 4 may not have uber fantastic graphics, but it's style is very good, I think. To me, it looks a lot like Fallout 3, but better. As for bugs, I haven't seen very many, but I've seen at least a couple. Sometimes the weapon I'm carrying turns invisible along with my Pip-boy and I can't see either even though they're there. I've also seen things like the Ghoul glitch Travis mentioned. Still, I think Bethesda did a good job with it and the points you guys brought up (like not everyone having a "Greg-station") are excellent. Take, for instance, Ark Survival Evolved and look at that. The game is extremely graphically extensive and even PCs like mine have trouble with it, but it's also an Early Access game and not yet fully optimized. Back to Fallout 4, I'm not sure how I feel about it. I'm not sure I've really enjoyed it as much as you guys. It does seem more difficult, at least to me. I've also run into some issues (like being overwhelmed with the weapon choices and not being able to carry enough weight), which I think could be resolved once I'm more used to playing it. Still, I'd recommend it to fellow Fallout fans.

About the new Star Wars movie: I'm not planning on seeing it when it comes out. I'm sure I'll watch it eventually. So far, from what I've seen, it looks like it'll probably be really good. I also have low standards as I probably like the prequels more than most of you. I agree with Travis in that a light saber duel would still make me happy.

I'm glad you mentioned Jurassic World, since I just bought the Blu-Ray Jurassic Park collection to watch with my son. Jurassic World may not have been as extremely awesome as the original, but I thought it was cool enough to make me want to own it or watch it again. I was kind of disappointed with some of the JP sequels, though, especially the third movie.

Well, luckily it's easy to tell if something's better because the stats have a + or - next to them. I upgraded some armor, but only used the "Pocketed" mod which helps you carry more weight. I have bought and sold armor, too. I've started using more guns, but now I'm running out of ammo, so I should probably buy more when I can. Yeah, I'm glad I finally found a sniper rifle, which has been helpful. I also use the 10mm and shot gun, too. I've cleared the Corvega Factory a few times now since I've started a new game multiple times.

Steam says my Fallout 4 hours equals 48. My current save is for 10 hours and about 20 minutes. This is probably around the 4th new game I've started, so it wouldn't surprise me if I've only made it a bit over 10 hours into the game before starting over again. The good thing about this is that I feel like a bit of an expert when it comes to beginning. I don't die in the Vault or shortly after. Hahahahaha (I doubt anyone does.)

I'm aware of that museum only because Paul Soares Jr. has some Fallout 4 videos and he met an NPC that mentioned it. The game just recently told me that things get more dangerous the further south you get, which is where I was the last time I played. I have a lot of Fusion Cores some how (just less than 10 I think). Thanks for the tip. I've left my Power Armor at Sanctuary. I have found other pieces for it, but I haven't been using it.

There are baseball bats in the game?! I'd hardly call your post spoiler-free! Hahahaha I found a Police Baton and a 10mm gun by exploring the Vault further. There's also a gun in the Vault which has a Master leveled lock on it. Character said he'd come back for it. I just opened the door, so I'm ready to head out. I also noticed that there is a recreation terminal that has a game like Donkey Kong that you can play.

I've been doing a good bit of exploring and searching and haven't found a baseball bat yet. Are you sure you aren't lying? Hahaha I'm just messing with you bro! I haven't found one though, that I wasn't kidding about that. I did find the dog and I've met up with some people in the Museum of Freedom.

I haven't crafted anything, what about you? I think I should have left some of my junk in a work shop, because the game said something about all work shops having access to whatever items you store in one, I believe. I haven't used VATS yet. I'm still in the process of getting used to the game. I think it does look good and it runs flawlessly.

So.....the new leveling system, something I'm also trying to get used to. It seems that Perks and SPECIAL stats are essentially the same. Instead of adding one to a stat and selecting a Perk, you can do one or the other. I've been upgrading my SPECIAL stats. When I created my character, I put 4 points into each stat. Now, I'm adding one point to each going from left to right. So, I've already added one more to Strength, Perception, and Endurance.

Is my understanding of the leveling system right? Is that what you guys see, too? What perks or stats are you choosing when you level up? I read that there's no level cap now, which is cool. I'd love to see a New Game+ feature, if it's not there then it'd be cool if they added it. Then, you could start over again with your current perks and stats and work on getting all of them.

So, picking a Perk instead of a SPECIAL adds to the SPECIAL? I don't know, I guess I'm kind of confused. I don't really know what I want to SPECIALize in. I guess I kind of want an even/well-rounded character. I'm really not sure yet. Perhaps after playing the game much more I'll have a better understanding of it and the new level system and figure out what I want to do.

I have noticed ways in which this game is like Skyrim. Using the Cooking Pot was one thing that seemed right from Skyrim. I do have a community in Sanctuary now and I did make them enough beds, gave them powered water treatment processing, and some auto turrets for defense. The only thing I'm really missing is in their food supply. I found a patch of melons, which I think I harvested, and then added another melon plant, but that's all I had at the moment. The patch of melons was already there.

Other than figuring out the leveling system and getting my Sanctuary community with enough of a garden, the thing I want to learn most is how to make power cells for that armor. It ran out of juice, so I decided to leave it by the work shop in Sanctuary. That Deathclaw was nothing in that armor!

I also like Dogmeat. Cogsworth can follow you, too, but it can only be one or the other or neither, so I picked Dogmeat. He seems really good at finding stuff. I'm not sure what Cogsworth SPECIALizes in. Anyway, I got encumbered and decided to give Dogmeat a bunch of stuff. I have no idea how much weight he can carry, but he was able to take a huge load of stuff and still function, so maybe it's near limitless.

Ok, I watched the following video. So, I think it's that when you level up you can choose a SPECIAL to add points to or you can choose a Perk, but many Perks require a SPECIAL stat of a certain level. One Charisma Perk requires Charisma to be at level 10. So, I think I get it now. Maybe I should take a look at the Perks and see what I want and grow my character towards those.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsFpH4jm-QI

Yeah, I get it now. It was confusing at first.

I was on a mission to clear out Raiders from some place, I thought I'd never find the rest of them. In fact, I thought maybe my game was bugged. But, it turns out I missed a stair way that went up. So, that's done. Near that place is a stair way you can go up and get killed by a Raider with a rocket launcher. I also later found a couple of robots that killed me, too.

I found out that your companion does have a limited amount of weight they can carry. I've filled Dogmeat up a few times already. Since I don't particularly need anything right now, I fill him up and then I end up putting a bunch of junk in some random storage container when we get full. I should probably try to sell a bunch of stuff because I'm running out of Stim packs. Oh and I found out that when your companion (Dogmeat in my case) gets hurt too badly, you can use a Stim pack on it. I've had to do that a few times already. It seems their HP replenishes over time. I'm not sure whether or not they can actually die.

After helping out a couple of settlers, I was granted access to the work bench. When I went to store stuff in it, I found out that what I had in the work bench in Sanctuary seemed to be in its inventory, too. That's pretty helpful.

It seems there are places to get new energy packs for the powered armor, but I haven't found them yet. I still have my armor in Sanctuary. I thought maybe you could some how craft them, but I'm unsure about that.

Wow, that's amazing Jon! Anyway, I *still* have not yet found a baseball bat.

The game really pissed me off, I kept dying. So, I created a new character to start over and take a different path. Hopefully that helps, otherwise I really suck at this game.

Anyway, not only did I find a baseball bat, but it's blue!

Yeah, some how it's stronger than my machete! Again I evened out all of my stats, but have since been throwing more into Strength because one of my problems is carrying too much stuff. I get too many weapons to use and not enough ammo. I also run out of Stim packs easily, but luckily I figured out that cooking can help you make things to recover HP instead of relying on SPs.

I don't know that we can alter the game's difficulty level. But, I do know of a way to cheat. I found an exploit someone posted online, but didn't use it.

Thanks! I didn't look at Gameplay settings before! I just changed it to Easy, so hopefully it won't be as frustrating.

Yeah, you can save the stimpacks for Dogmeat. Anyway, I started a new character again because I left some items on a dead raider in the Museum of Freedom and when I went back all those bodies were gone. So, if I leave stuff, I'll put it in a real container.

Anyway, I just found the baseball bat!

Good tips, thanks! I haven't messed with mods much. I did mod some armor, though not much. I think if you store things in crafting stations, they're probably safe. I am maxed out on Strength and I still fill up! I dropped off a bunch of guns in Sanctuary. I haven't been using them. I did when I initially started playing, but then there were times I was running out of ammo. So, now I'm doing melee. Oh, who took out the Super Mutants in the Hospital with a melee weapon? Me! Of course I got killed by others near by. I've also run into some enemies that take me out pretty easily.

Oh, one more tip....whenever the game tells you that you can press "Enter," you can get by with pressing "E" instead.

Ok, I found a list with much more, including what I need to set carry weight. Even with Strength maxed out, I'm still carrying too much. I think it's because of all the damn weapons in the game. I'm VERY tempted to restart again with God Mode enabled!

http://www.cheatcc.com/pc/fallout4cheatscodes.html

That seems sensible, Jon. There are just so many weapon choices, especially with mods. Then you have ammo shortages, too. I think in my latest game play I was carrying too much healing food, too. I've also failed to help out a settlement or two that was attacked after I helped them out initially. So, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed and tempted to either cheat or abandon it for now.

LOL @ Travis, I guess I'm a bit of a pack rat. Speaking of Terraria, you may have noticed that Vinny's been playing it lately. It's tempting to jump back in, but I'm still intimidated by some bosses, especially the Moon Lord. Too intimidated even to try it out on my own or with Vinny (in other words w/out the Cheerful Ghost crew). You may notice a recurring theme here where anxiety is interfering with my gaming life.

I think one way in which I erred was that I didn't follow the main quest telling me to go to Diamond City. Instead, I found some side quests, which ultimately lead to my demise. How did you guys play? Did you got to Diamond City right away or did you do some side quests first?

I started a new game yet again and that's where I am now (again). I killed the Raiders around and outside of it and then fast traveled back to Sanctuary to store my excess items. It doesn't seem as though you really need to repair armor, except for Power Armor. So, I thought I'd just not pick up armor that doesn't give me any advantage over what I'm currently wearing. Then, I decided I'd pick it up, but sell it. I haven't run into a merchant yet this time around, but that's what I'm thinking of doing. In other Fallout games, I sold a bunch of junk, but now almost everything is useful.

I also paid a bit more attention to perks and have found the one that gives you extra carrying weight, so I'm working on those and the ones that reduce the damage you take. I've also used the Laser Musket and am trying other guns as well. I'm trying to not get overwhelmed and to not carry so much crap.

*This comment may contain spoilers!*
I have taken The Castle back under Minuteman control. I strongly recommend Power Armor and heavy weaponry for that mission (Retaking Independence or something like that). I used the Fat Man for the boss you have to fight there, 3 Mini Nukes took it out. I had an issue trying to supply enough power to the place ("The Castle"), but a Google search revealed to me a power switch that needs to be connected to a generator. So, if you run into the same issue, you now know how to figure your way around it.

I've seen some other tough enemies roaming around. I know of one that's killed me, but I've avoided it. I thought about asking if you guys want to share some tips, especially battles or places you strongly recommend using Power Armor as Travis mentioned the Witchcraft Museum (I still haven't made my way there yet, my character doesn't know about it yet).

I was also thinking of asking you guys what weapons you like to carry around with you, even perhaps what mods you put on them. I kind of try to carry one of each, but sometimes it's hard to figure out. I don't carry around the Fat Man, Missile Launcher, Mines, or Grenades unless I know I'm going up against something huge. I do love the Combat Shotgun, 10mm, and a Sniper Rifle. The Gamma Gun is something I also found to be very effective against Sentry Bots.

I've found a few other sets of Power Armor or at least pieces for them. I have two, one at Sanctuary (the first you get) and the other in the Armory that I found (I had to use it, but I left it where I found it).

I've been doing missions about helping settlers. These seem a bit repeatable. I know one of them told me to clear out Raiders at the USAF Olivia station, but I know I'd already been there and done that. I went back anyway and more were there along with junk and stuff that I'm sure I'd already collected (except for the Fusion Cell I took the first time).

Anyway, I'm a bit more comfortable with the game now. I feel a bit better about and a little more confident. While waiting to level up to attain the remaining carrying weight and damage resistant perks, I've maxed out my Strength (for extra carrying weight) and Intelligence (for extra XP) stats. I've also been working on the perk that lets you find more ammo in containers as I'm running out of it. I also often see Carla in Sanctuary, sell her extra armor I find and don't want, and buy ammo from her.

Yeah, I'm wondering if perhaps I should just move on.

The National Guard Armory. There's also a full suit of Power Armor locked up outside of it, too.

It's near a settlement, but it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to move it.

Which Vault? I met up with a guy that said he was going to re-supply at a Vault, I think it was 118, but I'm not sure about that. I haven't visited it yet.

That might have been the one he mentioned, but I don't see any Vaults on my map except 111, so I may have died after meeting up with him. Thanks for the heads up, though! I'll most likely take advantage of the bug, hopefully before it gets "fixed."

Thanks for the tip about the Museum of Witchcraft, Travis! I went into the basement without Power Armor and it didn't take long to realize why I needed Power Armor to go to the floor above me. I have three sets, so I went in and up a floor. I got killed once.

I've decided to continue the main story, so I made it to Diamond City. I keep finding characters I like, I keep getting new favorites all the time. Right now, I think Nick Valentine is my favorite. I recognize the voice from Skyrim. When I first played the game, the Vault Tech guy that rings your doorbell is just weird. I can't explain why, just how he moved and stuff. Yeah, he has a voice from older Fallout games, which is cool, but the character is just....odd.

Anyway, I feel a bit more comfortable with the game now. I haven't been collecting much other than caps and ammo. I'm still carrying a lot of guns that I don't use, but I try to manage that inventory and store guns that aren't as good as the ones I have. A sniper rifle is one of my favorites, one I use a lot and I've found a few different ones, so when I find a better one, I usually switch to it instead.

I thought I recognized another voice in the game! Tim Russ is the voice actor for Lancer Captain Kells. He played Tuvok on Star Trek: Voyager. It looks like he's done some other gaming voice overs, such as The Elder Scrolls online. So that makes two Fallout games with two former Star Trek actors.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0750913/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t21

I'm still following the main quest/story and I'm seeing how this game could possibly be played differently. That's very similar to New Vegas.

That's a funny video! However "May the 4th be with you" can also refer to the 4th Doctor, one of the most popular and best classic Doctors! =)

Oh yeah, I forgot about Michael Dorn, I think I remember his character. I didn't notice Will Wheaton in the game, but IMDB says he was Robobrains. He was also in some GTA games. I didn't recognize Michael Hogan, but you did say BSG and my IMDB search showed me exactly who he is. He was Doc Mitchell in New Vegas. He was also in Skyrim, which I played long before watching BSG. Oh, William Sadler was the robot Victor. His face looks familiar, but I can't quit pinpoint where I might recognize him from. I am looking at IMDB (as previously stated).

I got to a point in the game where I had to choose between two sides. I chose and went to do the quest for that side. However, my game crashed and then it really messed up. I took an elevator to the top of a building and everything was black for a bit. Then I could see around the map, but when I moved, I fell to my death. Something was seriously messed up and I couldn't seem to accomplish my task. The quest marker kept pointing me to odd locations. So, I lost quite a bit of game play by going back to an earlier save.

Choosing sides is tough, but it gives me more reason to play again and choose a different side. In New Vegas, I sided with the House. So, I may have to play again and choose a different side.

I finished the main quest line today, but I decided to start over again afterwards. I want to play a little differently, this time choosing to side with the faction I didn't chose before. One thing I've already done differently is that I've allotted my SPECIAL stats different. I put 10 points (maxed out) into Intelligence and 2 into the others. I figured that would be best because Intelligence boosts how much XP you get.

I got to a point in the previous game where I stopped looting everything except for ammo and caps, since it became unnecessary and I ended up having a lot of caps. Now that I'm starting over, I'm looting everything so that I can be sure I have plenty of materials I'll need for things later (like setting up settlements). I'm sure I'll get to that no-need-to-loot-so-much point again, probably sooner than before.

I think once I finish with the quest line for that other faction, I'll start playing Legacy of the Void. Then after that, I'll probably play New Vegas again and side with a faction I didn't side with last time. The replay value is something cool about these Fallout games.

I did some side quests and stuff. I ran into quite a few radiant quests. I got tired of them once I realized the Minutemen settlement quests were never-ending. So, I skipped some quests that I found out were radiant. I looked up quests on Google to see if they were radiant. I'm sure I missed out on stuff. I never saw that Vault you mentioned, for one. I'm playing a bit differently this time. I want to level up and explore a bit more before getting into more serious stuff.

Are you talking about Legacy of the Void, Jon? I know we're actually talking about both games here. Either way, my answer is the same, I'd love to and will do! Perhaps I'll take a break from Fallout 4 and play Legacy of the Void. It might not be so bad to take even a slight break, especially since I've just finished the main story for Fallout 4 as I mentioned above.

Opps! I meant to include this in my last comment, but hit "Post comment" too soon. Travis! My game hours now are exactly 110!!! I think it was 108 when I saw your comment, though.

I thought you meant Legacy of the Void, so I started playing it. Actually, I again started out with Whispers of Oblivion. I failed the first time I tried it today because one of the objectives is that a structure can't be destroyed. It got destroyed (not by me). But, I found the Robotics building for the Protoss and made a bunch of better units and accomplished the mission the next time around. I stopped there and started playing Fallout 4 some more. But, yeah, sure I can write something about it. It might in a way be a recap of things I've said here. I'll get to work on it soon.

Wow 61!

Yeah, I spent about the same amount of hours as you did and I didn't make it to that level! I'm willing to share with you about what my level was, but you know...."spoilers!" =)

I think you're pretty much right or close I honestly don't think I accurately know. Those beginning saves probably didn't make it more than 20 hours, some were probably significantly less than that. My current total time on Steam is now 111. I think I "finished" about 108. The save I was playing on went from hours to days and hours, though it didn't seem very accurate. I think that save lasted two to three weeks perhaps, but that's not what the game said.

That is funny! In 3, I collected junk to sell, in 4, I collected mostly to build. I didn't use my Power Armor much in 4. Also, not only do you have to key and eye out for Fusion Cores, but it's also the only kind of armor that needs repair, so that becomes another reason not to use it.

I used it that first time, too, of course that's a given. Then I used it at The Castle for the quest "Taking Independence", then at the Museum of Witchcraft, and then when I had to take a trip to the Glowing Sea (for rad resistance). I think I ended up having about 4 sets of Power Armor. I didn't use any mods, but I thought about the paint that you mentioned.

Wow! Actually, I'm thinking I may have had 5, but no more than that I'm sure. I also used the one at the National Guard Armory that I found. I just remembered it because I just picked it up again and had to use it once I exited the building. I forgot about the crashed Vertibird near the north that I found the first time around, so I gotta go look for it again.

Oh! I have a "pro-tip!" I got tired of fast traveling to Sanctuary and running all the way over to the cooking station. So, I figured out that you can move crafting stations! So, I moved it closer to the work bench and I also moved the hidden chem station closer, too, though I almost never use it.

I was wondering about the frames, if you could equip them and not have to use Fusion Cores. I haven't used any frames that didn't have pieces attached to them.

Ah, I suppose that makes sense.

Yeah, it took me too long to think about moving those crafting stations.

I didn't know about a fast travel mat. That could come in hand when encumbered and having the perk that lets you fast travel even when encumbered.

By the way, have you met Travis yet? Haha There's a Travis in the game. I absolutely sure you've heard him by now at least, maybe you haven't met him yet though.

Oh and is dog armor worth putting on Dogmeat? The stats I'm seeing have 0 for damage resistance. I thought about seeing if I could mod it, I probably can, but I apparently can't craft anything on my armor crafting station yet.

Yeah, I thought that was stupid, too, that Codsworth can't say "Travis."

Well he apparently can't say Greg or GregoPeck, looks like FuckFace it is! LOL (I'm totally not naming my character that for real.)
Are you guys ready for the game?

I pre-ordered it on Steam. I don't know what time it will start to download. I'm not sure if I'm ready for it, but I'm going to jump in anyway. I've been playing the hell out of Ark for a while now and I recently wiped it off my computer and re-installed it, so I have a relatively new game there now. I'm still going to follow Ark's development, but I plan to start playing Fallout 4 when I can, assuming it all goes well.

(Travis and others should answer this, too.) Did you upgrade your PC? If so, what'd you get? If not, do you think you will? Do you intend to play it and see if you need an upgrade?

Thanks! I just got it started.

24 Gigs and my Blizzard client is also downloading updates. I haven't even gotten the driver updated yet, so it's going to be a while!

Yeah, I saw a bit of the "Breaking News" that they're doing maintenance at that time. Although I cannot seem to read the full announcement, it seems that LotV will be available to play right after that maintenance window. I now have Nvidia updating.

Nice!