Fallout is a classic franchise by this point. The post-apocalyptic series is generally beloved, but it got put on fire at points. For example, Fallout 4 was somewhat divisive when it first came out back in 2015. Some criticized it for the dialogue tree, the graphics, or the more action-oriented gameplay instead of roleplaying features.
Despite these criticisms, however, tons of people have enjoyed the game throughout the years, and that is for good reason. While not perfect, Fallout 4 does some things way better than other open-world games, even by today's standards.
10 Monster Design, From Ghouls To Deathclaws
Fallout has given us some of the best monsters in gaming since its jump to 3D with Fallout 3, and Fallout 4 expanded on this a lot. You have many variants of the classic ghouls, super mutants, and the deadly deathclaws.
There are scary, creepy, and even flying bugs sure to have you screaming, "Kill it with fire!" The game will surely have your heart pounding when you see a new version of a disfigured creature running at you at full speed.
9 Music, Diamond City Radio Bangers
Music is essential to immersion when playing any sort of game, especially an open-world RPG, where it's all about losing yourself in the world. Fallout 4 does this beautifully with the ambient music. The score is perfect for an eerie, post-apocalyptic wasteland, and you'll never not feel the nerves when walking into a spooky-looking ruin.
Additionally, the oldie-but-goodie style radio songs are just as captivating and unnerving as ever in this game. There's nothing like listening to some Betty Hutton when blasting bandits and deathclaws. You'll be listening to some Diamond City Radio hits long after you finish the game.
8 Weapon Modification, Build Your Dream Weapon From Scratch
One of the unique mechanics that Fallout 4 introduced is the weapon modification system. What makes Fallout 4 stand out in this area is the sheer customizability it brings. You can change the barrel, stock, scope, and all modular parts of a weapon.
You could, in fact, go so far as to turn a pistol into a rifle into a shotgun into a sniper rifle.The weapon modding capabilities of this game are sure to accommodate any gun build you could potentially have in mind.
7 Voice Acting, You'll Feel Like You're In A Movie
Fallout 4 got a lot of fans riled up with a voiced protagonist. According to the more critical fans, the protagonist being voiced hurt the immersion of a self-insert character. While the jury is still out if it was a good decision, many fans and critics consider the voice acting itself superb.
The line deliveries, emotion, and natural feel of the voice acting for characters like Father, Kellogg, and Piper are all incredible. The dialogue with Fallout 4 has always been a point of debate, but the drama and the delivery of those lines, regardless of the content, is absolutely praise-worthy.
6 Companions, Friends To Watch Your Back
Lots of open-world games give you the option to have followers of some sort. Whether they are more of resources or characters themselves, they always add a feeling of camaraderie to the game. Few games do this better than Fallout 4, even to this day. With memorable characters like Piper, Nick Valentine, Cait, and the eternal meme Preston Garvey, Fallout 4 gives you tons of exciting and unique characters.
Each and every one of these characters has their own struggles, lives, and interests as well, which makes them even more remarkable. Add to that the fact that you can have companions ranging from a robot to a human to a dog, and you've got quite the selection for companions.
5 Gunplay, As Real As It Can Feel
While Fallout 4 was constantly criticized for being more of an action FPS than an open-world RPG, one thing is for sure: the game does what it does perfectly.
The gun combat in this game is impeccable. You will practically feel like you're shooting a real gun with fantastic recoil, aiming, and sound effects. As real as a sci-fi gun can be, in some cases, of course. Unique weapons with special properties also add a lot to the combat and make the world feel lived in and real.
4 Worldbuilding, A Toxic Wasteland Full Of Memorable Things
Many open-world games throw you into a vast area with tons of side quests, collectibles, locations, and NPCs and call it a day. While that's not necessarily bad, Fallout 4 does something a little more, and that is tonally consistent world building. The wasteland, while being a literal nuclear wasteland, is full of life.
The factions, characters, and lore hidden in terminals, and notes scattered around all make the world feel real. You can stroll into a random building looking for loot and find yourself entangled in a web of side quests about the wildest things several hours later.
3 Mods, When The Game Becomes A Digital Playground
The modding community has been putting out amazing content for more than a decade for a large variety of games. People transform, improve and even reinvent games like it's nothing.
Fallout 4 has a giant library of fun, weird and awesome mods itself. It also has mods across platforms, which is great for console players especially. The game welcoming mods of such variety is sure to add tons of replayability to it.
2 Survival Mode, For The Hardcore Gamers
Looking for more of a challenge? Survival mode has got you covered. In this mode, you can't save the game willy-nilly, can't fast travel, take more damage, face more formidable foes, and much more.
In a game about surviving the nuclear wasteland and making your way through tons of danger, it increases the immersion when you have to deal with tedious sounding problems such as ammo weight and illnesses. You even have to eat food and drink water regularly. Of course, this is not for everyone, but if it is, it can elevate the experience to incredible heights.
1 Atmosphere, A Truly Beautiful Apocalypse
Fallout 4 is not a perfect game for sure. It has strengths and weaknesses like any other game. However, what Fallout 4 does, is create this incredibly unique, intriguing world and let you play around in it.
The characters, the music, the gameplay, and the weird little mysteries all combine to make you lose yourself in the world. You'll only realize how much time has passed when you finish that one last side quest and the sun is already up.