Fallout 4 (PS5) Review – War Hasn’t Changed

Fallout 4 has had its fair share of critics over the years. When it first launched, the post-apocalyptic RPG certainly delivered in some key areas where expectations tend to be highest with Bethesda Game Studios title, chief among them being its excellent open world and the seemingly endless gameplay opportunities it housed, but from its writing and its story to its dialogue system, its RPG mechanics, and more, there were other crucial departments where many felt that the game was a letdown. Now, nearly a decade on from its launch, the game has received its long-overdue native launch on Sony and Microsoft’s current-gen consoles- and though its updated version doesn’t make a ton of changes, major or otherwise, it does provide an excellent opportunity to revisit and maybe reexamine Fallout 4.

This is, however, a review of the game’s current-gen version, so let’s focus on those aspects first- though honestly, there isn’t an awful lot to talk about on this front. Chief among Fallout 4’s biggest additions on PS5 and Xbox Series X is the addition of graphics mode options- there’s a Performance Mode that runs the game at 60 FPS and a dynamic 4K resolution, and a Graphics Mode, which runs at a native 4K and 30 FPS. Personally, I always tend to prioritize frame rate, and on PS5, Fallout 4 runs well enough. In my time with the game’s updated version, though I have encountered some minor frame rate drops (mostly during combat), by and large the performance is pretty stable.

"While the conservative nature of technical upgrades on offer here is a bit of a disappointment, there’s at least solace to be taken in the fact that even in the form that it exists in, Fallout 4 looks good enough."

Visually, not much has changed here. Back in 2015, Fallout 4 was a solid looking game. Bethesda’s Creation Engine was, of course, beginning to show its age even back then, but its post-apocalyptic open world was a beautifully desolate and surprising diverse one, all of which is still true in 2024. By no means is Fallout 4 a graphical marvel, and I do feel that Bethesda could perhaps have taken this opportunity to implement more significant visual enhancements in the game. But while the conservative nature of technical upgrades on offer here is a bit of a disappointment, there’s at least solace to be taken in the fact that even in the form that it exists in, Fallout 4 looks good enough.

The game’s Next-Gen Update holds back in other areas as well. Little is offered by way of new content, which is limited to a handful of Creation Club items, including a quest, new weapons, new cosmetics, and the like. It’s also worth noting that though I personally didn’t encounter any major game-breaking issues in the handful of hours I’ve spent in the game on PS5 thus far, there have been reports of bugs breaking the Quality Mode, and PlayStation Plus Essential and Premium subscribers not being able to access the game, among other issues. Players on PC and Xbox Series X/S have also encountered crashes, deleted saves, and more.

Clearly, the Next-Gen Update is one that doesn’t stick the landing- but what about the game itself? Thankfully, Fallout 4 is a hell of a time when viewed on its own merits. Though the underwhelming nature of its facelift for new consoles will disappoint some, the game itself remains an absolute blast, which means first-time players in particular have every reason to jump in. Fallout 4’s open world is classic BGS- its massive, its diverse, and its begging to be explored. Straying off the critical path and just following your curiosity is always the best way to play Bethesda RPGs, and Fallout 4 keeps finding ways to reward you for your curiosity. From a bevy of side quests and whacky personalities to dungeons, valuable loot, incredible environmental storytelling, and more, exploring Fallout 4’s world never stops feeling rewarding.

"From a bevy of side quests and whacky personalities to dungeons, valuable loot, incredible environmental storytelling, and more, exploring Fallout 4’s world never stops feeling rewarding."

Bethesda’s brand of emergent sandbox gameplay has a huge hand to play in that as well, as you’d imagine. Fallout 4’s world is an unpredictable one, and it can’t be overstated just how good it is and consistently finding ways to distract you and lead you down some of the most engrossing rabbit holes you could imagine. It also helps, of course, that there’s a staggering amount of excellent side quests and optional questlines to discover and dive into. Even though Fallout 4’s main story isn’t necessarily its strongest suit, its side quests, companion questlines, and faction questlines do an excellent job of bringing its world to life with rich backstories, captivating lore, memorable narrative arcs, and more.

Also deserving of praise is Fallout 4’s combat. The actual, core shooting mechanics definitely don’t live up to the standards of a great first-person shooter, but shooting does nonetheless feel significantly better than it does in most other Fallout titles (even if the melee combat still feels a bit clunky). The VATS system, meanwhile, is an absolute winner, to no one’s surprise, and it’s this that truly elevates Fallout 4’s combat from being just adequate to being as fun as it is, especially if you’re taking on larger hordes of enemies, or more threatening foes like deathclaws.

Other areas of Fallout 4’s gameplay, however, stumble to varying degrees. One of its most egregious issues is its dialogue system. Admittedly, I do see a lot of its strengths- like the new framing of the camera angles during conversations, which feel much less stilted and much more involved in the absence of the first-person face zoom that BGS RPGs are known for outside of Fallout 4 (including Starfield, which dropped Fallout 4’s controversial dialogue system). But with the protagonist being fully voiced, the game makes concessions by severely limiting the amount of options available to you during conversations. As good as the improved camera framing of conversations is in Fallout 4, it would have been much better if dialogue options were much more expansive than they are.

The streamlined dialogue system is emblematic of one of Fallout 4’s biggest issues, in fact- that being how heavily it de-emphasizes role-playing mechanics compared to other BGS RPGs. Though you do obviously still get plenty of options on that front with everything from your SPECIAL attributes and perks to the crafting and upgrading mechanics, it doesn’t offer quite as many options as you’d want in a Bethesda RPG. That immersive sim feeling is significantly dampened here.

"If you’re heading into Fallout 4 with the right expectations – that it’s a really good, really fun game, but not the kind of deeply involved RPG experience that Bethesda is usually known for – it’s very likely that you won’t be disappointed by what you find here."

Beyond that, you have other issues that also hurt the game- like the settlement building, which, though fun in short doses, sometimes feels like a much more prominent part of the game than it should, often to the point where it actively pulls you away from the game’s best aspects. Meanwhile, in true Bethesda fashion, you’re also going to find a fair few bugs throughout your time with the game. Luckily, so far, the ones I’ve encountered have been quite minor (like subtitles not displaying correctly, or characters’ faces not animating properly during dialogue), so there’s that.

Nearly a decade on from its launch, would I say Fallout 4 was perhaps treated a bit harshly from many in the series’ fanbase? Perhaps. It boasts an incredibly immersive open world that never stops rewarding your desire to explore, and its combat, side quests, and emergent elements ensure that, more often than not, you’re going to be having a good time. On the back of nine years of reviews, analyses, and critiques, if you’re heading into Fallout 4 with the right expectations – that it’s a really good, really fun game, but not the kind of deeply involved RPG experience that Bethesda is usually known for – it’s very likely that you won’t be disappointed by what you find here. The modest nature of its enhancements and upgrades for current-gen hardware is surely a disappointment, but even so, when it’s firing on all cylinders, Fallout 4 is an absolute blast.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.