At 3pm (UK time) yesterday, Bethesda reignited the Fallout 4 hype in the most exciting way possible, they launched a website. Okay, so that doesn't sound too impressive, but what was on the website could be described as a genius piece of marketing. No details, no launch dates, no trailers, instead it just showed the now famous amongst Fallout fans 'Please stand by' screen, in all its retro-futuristic glory. And in the center, a 24 hour countdown. (Nuclear) winter is coming!
So with the trailer now released , here's a list of things we'd like to see from Fallout 4.
Right, so by usable vehicles, I don't mean cars/motorbikes. A big contribution to the success of Fallout series is the bleak atmosphere of the wasted world, putting the player in a far more unique video game; giving them motor vehicles risks destroying the games uniqueness. Instead, why not take a leaf out of Red Dead redemption's book, and give players the ability to catch and ride horses, or Fallout's mutated equivalent of horses. Imagine the possibilities, you character crossing the Massachusetts(?) wasteland on your mutant horseback, a giant rad-scorpion hot on your tail (because those bastards are fast!).
In addition to this, let's get rid of the fast-travel system. 'Wha??' you might cry, but think about it, there are role-play games with dull landscapes, where fast-travel is completely necessary, But this is Fallout, the landscape and environment is as big a part of the game as the story, you never know what you're going to stumble across as you traverse the wasteland. Loose the fast-travel system, but give us greater mobility on the land.
Fallout 3 was a success on so many levels, it revolutionised modern role-play gaming, kicking the competition out of the water, with its progressive story arc and multitude of quests, not to mention its stellar voice acting, from a number of big names. Having Liam Neeson voice the PC's father, coaching them through their childhood, and helping is as players to transition to such a new style of gaming. Bigger still, however, was Malcolm McDowell's President John Henry Eden, the omnipresent voice of the Enclave, the new rulers of the Capital Wasteland, babbling on about the Great American Past-time, those who are trying to destroy his new world, and general mutations and 'abominations' of the wasteland.
Though Fallout: New Vegas didn't quite retain the level of big named stars, we still had notable vocal appearances from Matthew Perry, Danny Trejo and Felicia Day, as well as Ron Perlman as the all-seeing narrator. Let's hope Fallout 4 brings with it some famous voices, ready to entertain/creep us out on our journey of survival.
Talking of voice acting, one of my favourite elements to Fallout 3 & Fallout: New Vegas was the radio broadcasts you pick up from various locations throughout the wasteland. Whether you're listening to the Capital Wasteland's Three Dog, or Mr. New Vegas' smooth swinging jazz, the radio was the only constant companion in the wasteland, providing comfort and a distraction to the deathclaw infested hellhole.
The problem, however, was the song and speech selection was no where near long enough to span the length of the game, and you'd constantly find yourself listening to the same monologue, segue and three or four songs over and over again; and there's only so many times you can hear 'Johnny Guitar' before wanting to burst your own ear drums. For Fallout 4, let's have both a wider selection of quirky Night Vale-esque radio stations, and enough songs to last through the game.
Fallout: New Vegas built upon the weapon damage system we saw in Fallout 3, giving players the ability to upgrade and alter their weapons, using different types of ammo for different scenarios. On Nightmare mode, this was taken even further, as ammo became harder and harder to find, and players were forced to scavenge for components to make their own ammo, all adding to the survivor aspect of the game. I'd like to see this system taken even further in Fallout 4, but giving players to ability to crate custom weapons from every day items. This is a nuclear wasteland after all, and whilst I don't want it to be impossibly hard, the weapons you use should reflect the harshness of the world you're in. In a similar vein to Dead Rising, I'd like to see players have to ability to combine melee weapons to create competitive survival tools you have to use to survive in the desperate/naive early stages of the game.
With all rumours pointing to Massachusetts, specifically Boston, as the games setting, this lack of technology and need for makeshift weaponry could tie in to the main story, as MIT (simply known as The Institute) is supposed to appear as a technological powerhouse in the wasteland; could it's inhabitants have scavenged technology for themselves?
Finally, after the train-wreck that was The Elder Scrolls Online and Assassin's Creed Unity, let's give up on this idea of MMOs and story dependent multiplayer elements. There are some games for which multiplayer works perfectly, there's no denying that; the Call of Duty series would suck without multiplayer. RPGs, however, are a far more personal type of gaming, dropping you into an immersive environment, creating a gaming experience that you mold to suit your style. But with an MMO, that mystic/world changing quest that only you can complete, is being completed by a thousand other people, sacrificing any sense of story in favour of 'multiplayer goodness'. And let's not get started on Unity...
That doesn't mean there shouldn't be a multiplayer element though, and Fallout specifically lends itself very well to this idea. Instead of having multiplayer story quests, have location on the map similar to the Thunderdome, a battle arena where players go to test their skills against other players from around the world in various quest type scenarios, ranging from a straight of fight, to a team battle, to objective games. This way, it's an optional quest that has no effect on the story, and still appeases these multiplayer crazies. Everybody wins!
Excited for today's announcement?
What would you like to see from Fallout 4?
Let us know in the comments below!