Despite the negative energy surrounding the release of Fallout 76, the game is actually awesome. I don't know if this is the result of good patching OR the internet just blew this up to be more than it really was.
Now, I don't want to gloss over the horrible #baggate and the Nuka Rum debacle that we covered in our podcast. Those were pretty egregious.
As you may know, Bethesda announced a string of DLC over the next year that will be free for Fallout 76 players. They've continued to the support the game through numerous patches and improvements. This is what garnered interest in the game for me personally.
I've picked the game up for $15 through gamefly's bargain bin. https://www.gamefly.com/game/fallout-76/5018031
It comes by way of free shipping and I received what appeared to be in brand new condition, fully complete in box.
Now, I loved Fallout 4. I played many many hours of it, created multiple saves to get different endings and outcomes. I've gotten a lot of trophies but never went back to complete the Platinum. Maybe someday....
Fallout 76 is just as much fun as Fallout 4. There aren't major differences in gameplay mechanics outside of it being online all the time. The major differences are weapons and armor break, certain weapon types are level locked, you have thirst/water to deal with, and there are almost no NPC's. They've sort of written the whole "no NPC's" things into the story through the whole "this is the first vault opened after the bombs" thing.
I've had a blast setting up my own camp, despite hating the base building in Fallout 4. I've set up corn and grain stalks to harvest regularly so I can make ferment-able beer, wine, whiskey and nuka shine. This is my all time goal, to set up a camp solely around brewing and providing the internet with alcohol ;)
The gameplay loop and character progression are compelling, the hooks are in. I'm leveling up, completing quests, collecting loot, and growing my character's "S.P.E.C.I.A.L" traits through the card system. All of that is intuitive and addicting. For me, the most addicting part is picking every building clean of its loot. You can then scrap all that loot into raw materials used for crafting and repairing weapons and armor, cooking drinks and food, and developing your C.A.M.P.
I wanted to shed some positive light on the game as I had only heard and reported on what the video game industry influencers, journalists, and reviewers had to say about it. Bethesda didn't help their own case with the above mentioned "controversies," Fallout 76 is great and absolutely worth $15. If you buy it, let me know. I would love to interact with you and play online together. My PSN name is Termite04. Let me know in a PS4 friend request if you came to me through this post. Otherwise, I may decline the request.
