This week I decided to finally write about "Fallout 76," but before I do, I want to go into detail about how this reflection will go. First of all, I will not be critiquing the game, after all, if I am being honest, it is a mess. Several quests and events are bugged and some enemy types (for better or worst) just stand there in a 'T' pose instead of attacking me, which honestly despite it making the game a little easier, is still a bug that should be addressed. With this in mind, what I will be discussing are aspects of the game I enjoy/like (pros) and elements I don't like (cons).
With that being said, let's dive into "Fallout 76!"
6. Pro: The Design of the World
Ever since the announcement trailer blared the John Denver classic "Take Me Home, Country Roads," I have been itching to explore the West Virginia frontier. The plains of Appalachia stretch out as far as the eye can see and features mountains to climb, Toxic Valleys to walk through, and a still heavily radiated area in the south called The Ash Heap. I haven't gotten to explore the latter simply because I haven't found a gas mask!
5. Con: No NPCs
I know, I know, this is something that Bethesda has told us since the beginning, but I still have to point it out. One of my favorite things about Bethesda's entries in the "Fallout" series is the wide variety of characters we, the Lone Survivor, meet on our journey, more often than not to find a lost family member, in the radiated terrain. But with that being said…
4. Pro: The Improved Function/Use of the Holotapes
The NPCs are instead replaced with the holotapes, usually only used in the series to fill in the blanks and provide context to the quests. In "Fallout 76" however, these tapes provide the full context of the quests we are on. The main quest outside of the vault is to find your Overseer's holotapes all across the Wasteland, not only giving the player something to do between building settlements, but also an excuse to explore the vast world around them.
3. Con: Photo Mode
Although I love the idea of photo mode in the game, it is almost always extremely frustrating to use. This is due to the player still being an active component to the game instead of it being idle like in other games such as "God of War." Nearly every time I have used it I have been attacked, not by other players (believe or not that hasn't happened to be me yet) but by enemies such as the Scorched. All I want is to take a selfie with Mothman without worrying about being attacked in the process.
2. Pro: Playing with Others
As I mentioned above, every other player I have encountered has been friendly so far, although now that I've written it I will most likely not have that experience again! Although I have to admit I was a little hesitant about a "Fallout" game being multiplayer (I was really worried it was just going to be a battle royale game) so far all I experienced are positives. If Bethesda offers private servers it would be incredible as nothing sounds more fun than exploring the wasteland with some of my closest friends.
1. Pro: Mothman
Is anyone surprised? Once I reminded myself that Point Pleasant was in West Virginia, my heart skipped a beat because that meant that one of my favorite cryptids of all time might make an appearance in one of my favorite video game series. And after exploring the small town of Point Pleasant and getting a photo with the Mothman statue, I am over the moon that they included it in the game. Although I haven't encountered the mysterious creature myself yet, I plan on hunting him during the next session.
