Fallout 76: The Good, The Bad, and The Downright Ugly - By Brayden Duke

Fallout 76: The Good, The Bad, and The Downright Ugly

  When you think of a Fallout game, you are brought into a wasteland of single player

adventures and simply trying to survive amongst the super mutants, feral ghouls,
and raiders of varying gangs. Strewnamongst the wasteland are the leftover protectrons
and Mr. Gutsy’s of a time long past, and the last sight you would expect to see is a
human controlled player awkwardly running up to you to either A) Try to kill you,
B) Trade and then still maybe try to kill you, or C) Join a team and take on the

wasteland as a squad. But that’s exactly what Fallout 76 brings to the table in a
multiplayer take on the normally single player franchise, and in a three part series
I will go over The Good aspects of the game, The Bad aspects, and of course, the
Downright Ugly aspects.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

  In the first part of this series, I will discuss what I believe Fallout 76 got right
with this installment of the franchise as well as a general overview of the game,
and I truly don’t think Fallout 76 is as bad as the critics say it is. It definitely has
its issues, but the core of the game is solid and the fact that you can go and do
quests and fight everything the wasteland has to offer as a squad with some buddies
is something entirely new for the franchise. The best part of Fallout 76, in my opinion,
is going out with your squad and completing the main and side quests together and
progressing as a team, in addition to taking on other squads in PvP, in which your
perks come into play to be the deciding factor in a victory or loss. If your various
squad members are maxed out in perks as different specializations, such as a

melee build, or a heavy guns build, you will do well in West Virginia.

  The perks system has changed in Fallout 76, and now you can either choose to
pick a perk card, or move a S.P.E.C.I.A.L point amongst your attributes. I like this
system since you aren’t stuck with one build for your character throughout your
trek across the wasteland and you can adjust your perks to different combat scenarios.
I personally like a melee build and shotgun build, but with the latest patch

the explosive two shot weapons got their damaged severely nerfed due to the
massive complaints of unfair advantages in PvP combat. I’m not going to lie,
I miss the thrill of watching lower level players flying through the air as my
explosive shotgun rained hellfire down on them, and after I stacked caps from my
kills, I went and enjoyed a hard earned Nuka Dark after the bloodbath. Alas, the
PvP can be fun but the majority of players I’ve encountered are simply doing their
own thing in the wasteland and going through the main story or doing some events.

  

The main quest takes place across West Virginia as you follow in the footsteps
on the Vault 76 Overseer. The map in Fallout 76 spans across 5 regions, which
are The Forest, The Savage Divide, The Mire, The Ash Heap, and The Cranberry
Bog. The entire main quest, as well as side quests, are told through holotapes and
NPC robots so it’s a shift from the regular human NPC’s providing quests

as per the usual deal of the Fallout franchise. It takes some adjusting to, but
what is revealed from the story is an awesome tale of the first survivors out
of the Vault a mere 20 years after the bombs fell, and you will see some familiar
factions as you progress in the story. You’ll see how the Brotherhood of Steel
was formed, as well as get some of their technology and aid them in their search
for more technology across the wasteland. You will also get to work with the Enclave

and ultimately launch a nuke in a location of your choosing on the map, besides
the protected area of Vault 76. In addition to the main quest you’ll have the
opportunity to follow along the Overseer’s journey via holotapes spread amongst
the wasteland, but they are almost always located in areas that you pass through for

the main quest, and are hard to miss with them being Vault-Tec stash boxes. You can
also be initiated into the Order of Mysteries and they act as a sort of vigilante spy

organization, and by doing their quests you can get some sweet weapons and
gear, as well as an achievement. On the topic of achievements for Xbox, or
trophies for PS4, they are fairly easy to get in Fallout 76 and 100% completion
doesn’t take too long.

  The enemies you encounter in Fallout 76 are your standard ghouls, super
mutants, and robots, butthere are some awesome new additions such as Scorched.
The Scorched areinfected with a disease of some sort that results in them
being controlled by a hive mind, and some of the first enemies you encounter
in the game will be Scorched. They are similar to feral ghouls, but can mutter
words and use weapons with surprising efficiency and a new creature that is
introduced is the Scorchbeast. A giant bat-like creature that can destroy low
level players without much effort, and you’ll encounter these creatures near
fissure sites , or randomly throughout the world. The ultimate encounter in the game

takes place at the very end if you launch a nuke at Fissure Site Prime, in which
you fight the Scorchbeast Queen and the game recommends using 8+ players, and you

definitely should. What happens when the Scorched Earth event starts can be an awesome

example of the potential of teamwork in Fallout 76. High level players from across
the server can spawn near the the event and all go headstrong into the event to fight
every high level creature in the game, in addition to the Scorchbeast Queen, and
you’ll need all the Rad-X, RadAway, and Stimpacks you can carry to beat this

event. Once you are victorious, you’ll reap rewards of the highest caliber, and
go out into the wasteland with a bunch of cool new gear.

  The bobbleheads and magazines make a return in Fallout 76, but unlike
other games in the franchise, the effects aren’t permanent and only last for
a limited amount of time. There are plenty of locations for

bobbleheads and magazines in the world and they will respawn over time,
so keep looking for them in confirmed location or server hop until you find
your desired bobblehead ormagazine. Tales of West Virginia are a cool series
of holotapes that will explain the lore of various cryptids you can encounter

in Fallout 76, and I personally find them to be the most intriguing holotapes
of the whole game. Overall, the story of Fallout 76 is still intriguing, even
without human NPC’s and I can’t wait to see what DLC is released throughout
2019 to continue to expand the West Virginia wasteland and lore.

  

In conclusion, the good aspects of Fallout 76 are the teamwork abilities and
rewards for working as a team, the new creatures to fight, and the expansive
world to explore. I truly look forward to the future DLC and hope you enjoyed
my quick overview of Fallout 76, stay tuned for my next two reviews which
will rip off the blinders and highlight The Bad and Downright Ugly aspects of

Fallout 76 that the global community is in an uproar about.

Video Game Review: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Title: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Developers: CD Projekt Red
Publisher: Warner Brothers Interactive
Genre: Action Role-Playing-Game
Platforms: PC, Playstation 4, Xbox One
Reviewed On: PC
Price: $69.99 ($46.99 on GOG.com, for you PC people)

I've been playing video games for years now, and have played through dozens of titles, from indie titles to massive AAA releases. Drawing from this experience, I can say, with confidence, that The Witcher 3 is some of the tightest, most well thought-out gaming I have experienced in years. Not since The Elder Scrolls 3 or Dragon Age: Origins have I been this addicted and drawn into a fantasy world, and if you've got an Xbox One, PS4, or a decently powerful PC, you need to play The Witcher 3.

The game's strongest point is its atmosphere, and in this regard, it hits the ball out of the park and straight to the moon. There's so many little details in every scene, from the trees along the trail you travel blowing from the wind, to the little conversations the city people are having as you pass by. CD Projekt Red put a ton of work into this regard, and it absolutely shines through, it recreates the low-fantasy atmosphere of The Witcher flawlessly.

The atmosphere may steal a lot of the show, but that doesn't mean the writers have slacked off either. For the huge amount of conversations and questing in The Witcher 3, it's impressive how the quality of it all has been kept at a high bar. The conversations all feel at least interesting, and all work towards some purpose, be it the main story, character development, or just an NPC telling you details on your next job, it's all kept up with spot-on writing, and great delivery from the voice actors.

Before I touch on the gameplay, I should mention the storyline as well, this being an RPG and all. The storyline is a great send-off for The Witcher trilogy, bringing back some familiar characters and introducing some new ones as well, each having some side quest for you to complete, letting you see how they're doing now. The main plot mainly concerns Geralt of Rivia's newest contract, to track and find the daughter of a prominent emperor, her name being Ciri, with the daughter also having a personal connection to Geralt. He has to work fast though, as the spectral riders, the Wild Hunt, are chasing Ciri, and it probably won't be good if they reach her first. While the main story can sometimes be overshadowed by some of the side quests, it's still kept interesting, and will keep dragging you back, even when you want to go out messing around in the open-world.

That's, by far, the biggest change in The Witcher 3, compared to the first two, the game is set in an open world, letting you go wherever you want, whenever you want (though the monsters you find may not agree with that). This formula works surprisingly well with The Witcher, as Witcher's within this world are wandering monster-slayers, and it's very satisfying to wander into a medieval style farmer village, and grab a monster contract from the nearest billboard, only to continue wandering after you slay it and get your pay, kinda like a lone wandering cowboy from some Old West fiction.

But these are monsters you're fighting after all, and being monsters, they like to make sure killing them isn't easy. Many times, a monster is stronger than Geralt in a direct fight, so that's not always an option. Geralt wouldn't be a century old if he was an idiot though, and so he has a few tricks up his sleeve to even the odds. Geralt has two swords at his disposal, a steel sword for humans and more mundane beasts, and a silver sword for the more fantastical variety. It's important to know which one to use, as many monsters in The Witcher don't take a lot of damage from steel. Not only that, Geralt also has a variety of bombs, potions, blade oils, spells, and even a crossbow. With proper preparations, you can take on all the monsters in the world.

The game does have it's flaws though, like all games. I've had a few random crashes at places, which are rather annoying, and there are a few visual glitches, though those don't really interfere with the actual game. The biggest flaw though, is the inventory system. There are a lot of items you can pick up, for crafting, alchemy, etc, and the game clumps a lot of it together, which can be a huge pain to sort through. The movement can also feel clunky at times, and while the combat functions fine, investigating or picking up items can be a bit of a pain.

There's just so, so, sooooo much to this game, and all of it is kept to a premium quality, from the strategic card game you can obsess over, Gwent, to the monster slaying contracts you can find in the peasant villages. I've put about 30 hours into the game since release, and I'm nowhere near complete. While Assassin's Creed's and Far Cry's activity's in their open world's feel like obstacles to jump over, the side quests in The Witcher 3 all feel so fun in their own right, and are a joy to complete. While you'll enjoy the game a whole lot more if you have played the first 2 games, and I recommend playing them, you can still jump in at The Witcher 3 and have a blast playing it. Games are very expensive, and The Witcher 3 is no exception, but it's one of the few releases on the new consoles that I truely feel is worth the asking price.

he Pros:

• Great Combat
• Amazing World and Presentation
• Great Characters and Storyline
• Great....Well Everything

The Cons:

• Some Glitches and Crashes
• Messy Inventory System

Final Score: 9 out of 10

Video Game Review: Hand of Fate

Title: Hand of Fate
Developers: Defiant Development
Publisher: Defiant Development
Genre: RPG, Card Game, Roguelike
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Playstation 4
Reviewed On: Xbox One

Lately, I've been fairly disappointed with the AAA game market. Very few of these blockbuster titles have offered something truly new and creative, with a few exceptions. I've had to look towards the much more fragmented indie market to really see the creativity of developers flow, and I've definitely found a good choice in Hand of Fate, the new Kickstarter-backed release from Defiant Development.

The premise of the game is a bit complicated, so bear with me. The game is a combination of deckbuilding, Batman: Arkham style combat, and tabletop-style adventuring, with you building a deck of custom cards, and the game generating an adventure based on that deck. You can have two separate decks to construct an adventure, an equipment deck, which includes things like weapons, armor, and shields, and an encounter deck, which contains the events that will create your adventure. Sound complicated? It really isn't, but it's much easier to grasp while playing, rather than having it explained. The deckbuilding doesn't need to be done either, if it doesn't interest you, as the game can generate a recommended set of decks, allowing you to jump right into the game.

Once created, the adventure starts. You move your character to each card in the adventure, through various combat and non-combat encounters. The non-combat encounters have a choose-your-own-adventure style choice to each one, providing different rewards or challenges based on what you choose. There are a huge amount of these encounter cards in the game, and many encounters will give you more cards at the end of the adventure, allowing you to diversify the adventure more and more, the further you get in the game.

There are also combat encounters that appear in the game, with the combat itself performing in the vain of the Batman: Arkham series, or Shadow of Mordor. You have the ability to attack, dodge, stun, and counter, should you find a shield. It's functional, but not much more than that. It simply lacks the production values of either of the aforementioned series, which leads to the combat feeling floated and not very satisfying.

The combat, however, doesn't affect what is by far the best part of the game, the presentation. Over the course of the game, you will be playing the game with a mysterious cardmaster, and he breathes so much life and personality into the game. He reacts organically to the cards drawn, and makes various remarks as you play through the game. Cards fly across the screen and shuffle, cards equip your character as you spawn, and enemies spawning from cards. It creates a sense and atmosphere of playing a tabletop card game, and is by far the best part of the game.

That being said, the game has some definite flaws, mostly technical, and a few design issues. On the Xbox One version, I've noticed a fair few framerate drops, particularly when there are a large amount of cards floating on screen. I've also noticed these drops happening during combat, albeit rarely. The combat, mentioned above, feels floaty, due to the animations and sound effects, although this most likely has to do with financial limitations of independent development.

I stated above that the independent game developers seem to be the ones with the creative, ambitious ideas in the gaming industry, and Hand of Fate is a perfect example of that. In a AAA gaming industry filled with uninspired clones and fun base games with no content, the independents are more and more stepping up to the base, and I will gladly support them. If you enjoy card games, RPGs, roguelikes, or table-top games, Hand of Fate is by far worth the $20 price tag. If you're looking for a new, interesting experience, give this one a shot, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

The Pros:

• Great Presentation
• Addictive Card Collecting and Deck Building

The Cons:

• Some Technical Issues
• Floaty Combat

Final Score: 7 out of 10

Video Game Review: Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!

Title: Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!
Developers: 2K Australia, Gearbox Software
Genre: RPG, Shooter, Role-Playing Shooter, co-op shooter
Platforms: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC
Reviewed On: Xbox 360

Well, the addiction kicked back in, that same addiction that kicked in when I first started playing the original Borderlands, and the one that came right back when I started Borderlands 2. For those of you worried about the The Pre-Sequel, about whether the new developer, 2K Australia, could make Borderlands properly, you can put most of those worries to rest. Despite a fair few flaws in the game, this is Borderlands, through and through.

The game is set on Elpis, the moon of Pandora, the one that was all cracked, and had a Hyperion moonbase on it that shot robots at you, and on that moonbase itself. The storyline, as the name suggests, is a prequel to Borderlands 2, showing just how Handsome Jack became the hilarious sociopath he is in Borderlands 2, and just how he came into control of Hyperion, and the moon base, Helios. This creates several interesting gameplay changes, and map changes, that 2K Australia have put to use, both for good and bad.

If you have played Borderlands 2, you know almost exactly what you are in for. For those of you who haven't played Borderlands, here's the rundown. The game plays as a shooter version of Diablo. You create a character, choosing from 1 of 4 preset characters, along with 3 other friends, if you like, each with their own abilities and skill trees that are all interesting in their own right, with different abilities to help you fight, or help the team fight. As you level up, you get stronger and stronger, building the skill tree of your character. All of this, is in service of the loot system at the heart of the game. This game, is about guns. Guns here, guns there, guns EVERYWHERE. There are millions of guns in the game, and each gun chest is randomized for which it gives you. No two players will ever have the same loadout of guns, shields, and class mods.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel has not changed the base gameplay. The great looting and tight shooting are here, unchanged. 2K Australia did add several elements, that fit great into the moon setting of the game. Due to the low gravity, players can now jump much higher than in the previous games. This adds a great element of verticality to the gunfights, and provides more options for the player when their shields run low, rather than just ducking behind cover. Being on the moon, there is also the fact that there is no oxygen on the moon, which means that an O2 helmet is required, and adds oxygen as a resource, which slowly drains when outside on the moon's surface. The extra oxygen also allows for an extra boost in mid-jump, which makes it easier to reach taller or farther ledges, and allows for the self-titled "butt slam", a slam which, when done high enough, creates an area-of-effect shockwave. This is great for dealing with groups of lower level enemies, instead of wasting bullets on them.

The team also added new weapon types to the already stupid amount of weapons in the game. One is a new elemental type for all weapon types in the game, and that would be Cryo weapons. Cryo weapons do exactly what they sound like, they freeze enemies. This can be extremely useful for both crowd control, as you can freeze various enemies in a fight to stop them in their tracks, and for damage, as you do extra damage to frozen enemies, and shatter them when they are killed. The other weapon addition is an entirely new subset of weapons for use, lasers. Lasers have existed before in Borderlands 2, as E-Tech weapons, but they were extremely rare and powerful. Lasers have been bumped up to a regular use weapon. There are a variety of different ones for use, everything from shotgun lasers to rifle lasers to a Ghostbusters style laser, which is dependent on the manufacturer of the weapon. Laser weapons can also have elemental damage attached to them. If you looked at me and told me you wouldn't enjoy a Ghostbusters laser gun that freezes people, I'd call you a damn liar.

I'm sure you're also curious about the classes available for you to choose from. Like the past two games, there are four classes to choose from. Unlike Borderlands 1 and 2, that had some common classes between them, the characters present in The Pre-Sequel have totally unique skills between them all. First is Wilhelm the Enforcer, a character that was present as a large robotic boss in Borderlands 2. Wilhelm's special skill is Wolf and Saint, this allows Wilhelm to throw out two robots for combat. One robot, Wolf, is the combat bot, and assists in combat, while his other robot, Saint, acts as a support for the players. The second character, Athena, who made a cameo in the General Knoxx DLC from the first game, uses the skill Kinetic Aspis, which allows her to pull out a kinetic shield which charges from gunfire, and can be thrown. The third character is Nisha, a boss from Borderlands 2, uses the Showdown skill, which lets Nisha lock on to enemies when firing. The final character, Claptrap, a character present through both games, has arguably the most interesting skill, VaultHunter.exe. This skill reads the battlefield, choosing several variables, and gives the player a skill based on the variables. Claptrap has a large variety of different skills available, and the developers made sure to make each one useful to the situation, including causing the team to be uncontrollably bouncy. The only issue I have with the characters, is that Claptrap is the most interesting, while the others are rather ho-hum. This means you'll probably see a lot of Claptraps when playing online.

It's not all bouncing and butt-slams though, as the oxygen resources leads into one of the games biggest problems, namely, the environments. There are large expanses of the moon that, while pretty to look at, are empty. While the new Moon Buggy and Stinger do help somewhat with this, there a a fair few areas that do not allow vehicles, and the areas that do allow them are full of death pits. These lead to a lot of frustration and time spent driving around the pits, or dying in them. There are also geysers littered around the moon that can fill up your Oxygen, and while the dev team tried to make these geysers plentiful, there can still be times that you will need to backtrack again  and again, just to fill your oxygen. At least until the second half of the game, the map design is the weakest part of The Pre-Sequel. Its a shame, since the maps can be quite fun to jump around in and admire, when they are not killing you.

This leads to another flaw of the game, the storyline and characters. There are many new characters introduced in The Pre-Sequel, most of which have an Australian accent and use Australian slang. This may get a laugh or two, but many of the new main characters are fairly hit-or-miss, leaning more to the miss category for me personally. The quests are fairly creative and fun to play through, but the characters are a mixed bag. There are many returning characters however, and their writing is as fun and creative as ever. This really shows in the later half of the game, when the dialog leans more towards the returning characters, rather than the new ones.

All in all, I really liked Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. It's still damn fun to grab a few buddies, a few beers, and play split-screen/system link through the game, despite the fairly large flaws in the gameplay. That said, this one is for the Borderlands fans, as this game carries the same gameplay from Borderlands 2, flaws and all. For those of you that enjoyed Borderlands 1 and 2, feel free to pick up The Pre-Sequel, you'll enjoy it. As for the rest of you that don't enjoy Borderlands, don't bother, The Pre-Sequel won't change your mind.

Final Score: 7 out of 10