700+ hours in, 180+ mods installed, dozens and dozens of hours spent building & perfecting settlements...yeah, you could say I kinda, sorta, maybe dig this game.

From the atmosphere, to improved gunplay, to a fantastic feeling of exploration in a dead landscape, I absolutely adore this game. For diligent explorers and curious minds there is so much to love in this bombed out Boston even if the game does have it's flaws. While the critisim regarding the scaling back of RPG elements compared to previous Fallout titles is definitely an issue, there are still PLENTY of character driven moments that bring this post-apocolyptic world to life better than ever. To use an example or two, some Fallout fans really seemed to struggle with somewhat more limited conversational options, but I found the voice-acting for the PC (and others) helped draw you in like no Fallout game has before and makes up a bit of the difference in conversational/narrative flexibility. Other players have pointed to the repetitive nature of the radiant/fetch quests and while those 'can' be frustrating to deal with, choosing to focusing critique on only those completely ignores SO many other great storytelling beats! Stalking the streets of Boston as a costumed super-hero. Following and decoding the Freedom Trail for a bit of history. Uncovering and discovering the history of a Vault populated by almost entirely children. Figuring out where Brotherhood of Steel supplies are mysteriously disappearing to. Sure, I wish there were a few more conversationally oriented questlines to talk/bluff my way through, but there's still a ton of intriguing details to unpack and explore in the Commonwealth.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm heading back to the wasteland.

Oh, and one last piece of advice: if you plan to use mods, do yourself a favor and get the "Salvage Beacon" add-on. You'll thank me later.