E3 Predictions for 2016

NOTE: All bold words are predictions.  Any updates from now (March 2016) until publication (April or May 2016)  will be noted at the emboldened areas of the posts. 

When June comes around,you can bet I'm like a little kid again, because E3 announcements will be eating up my Twitter feed, and I'll see a boost in how many tweets I send out, while writing live on the Malacast Editorial, and doing full-on reviews. I'm also a fan of making predictions, not because I think I'm on the threshold of the gaming industry, but because I like to make more honest, intelligent predictions than what pipe dreams other reviewers expect are going to happen. Rather than shots In the dark, I'll admit the obvious like new titles in old IPs,  but it's more what a company will do, rather than a game that's named. It is a volatile market, and games supposed to be out last year, or in the case of The Last Guardian, thirty years ago (it's sarcasm, but not by much)  I tend to see trends rise from the people, rather than the sample groups. So here are my predictions for the a mojo emt a and moves made for this year's E3. I'll do a compare/contrast post a week AFTER I put up my review of E3, which will be several days after the last aired day of E3. 

   Firstly, let's discuss the big shows outside of the actual show, and discuss what will happen at the Press conferences. Usually Sony goes first, but with the add-ons of Bethesda, and the first software developer to hold such a large press conference: Ubisoft have ended the fray, it's interesting to see just how the order will fall. 

   So assuming Sony will go second to Nintendo, which is usually the middle between Sony and Microsoft, I'll start with Nintendo first, because it's more shoe-in, rather than speculation. Firstly, Nintendo is one of the few first-party developers that doesn't follow the trends as often as the other marketers. They can decide to release a new Legend of Zelda title tomorrow, (they've recently done an updated HD version of Twilight Princess for Wii U) but it will be a best seller no matter what time it's released, as most parents and children will play the game outside the box. 

   It's a tough company to pin down, but I'm certain their will be a memorial  for Myamoto, who recently passed away. This would not be surprising seeing the unique timing of his death, as it was somewhat mentioned at other shows, but it's not hard to believe they will discuss it to a degree, seeing as Myamoto was a major part of Nintendo Press Conferences. The sad news is still affecting many overseas, and here at home. The man who created Mario, Donkey Kong, and so many other great characters had a major impact on all gamers, despite their "console alliances".

     Getting back to predictions, Nintendo is a front runner in the console wars, so-much-so,mother have their own niche market. Most of the older gamers still play Nintendo-related games, and involve their own children in these games, so it is three, sometimes four generations deep in gameplay. Also, the Wii had expanded the demographic for gaming to include gamers as old as 100, and as young as ten months old. Generations are growing up with gaming being part of their lives, as it was with me, and Nintendo kills in the demographics. 

    I do expect their to be some major titles for the "hardcore" scene, but in discussing games In the Epic Yarn genre, and even a potential Mario Kart installment, I don't necessarily believe that is the hardcore market. Not because the games aren't for the core fans of Nintendo, but it just seems they will do more a Legend of Zelda installment. I think a new IP is plausible. A Splatoon! Sequel/update is another example of shoe-in, but of course the chances are the game is about to release either before, or during E3 is likely, but Nintendo tends to harken the bigger releases towards November and even early December for the holiday season, but seeing as "holiday" season isn't necessarily as vital anymore than say 100-200 years ago, being that religion tends to be less and less of the situation, and spending tends to be far more sporadic, as release dates tend to decide the spending trends rather than months leading up to a major holiday, it's pretty obvious that DLC for these games, and downloadable copies will be the overall trend for Nintendo sales this year. 

  I think that what holds Nintendo back now is DLC, not allowing third-party developers as much freedom as they have at say, Sony, don't allow for reaching that larger market. Nintendo also has made less stride over this year, rehashing older ideas, rather than creating new IPs, which in their market is quite dangerous, but also to not put new installments into tried and tested IPs seems to also be hurting them. I think that since they have sanitized their image as being as close to E-Rated now more than ever,  as T or even M ratings tend to do more harm than good, they will have to put R&D into coming up with new games that take risks, creating new IPs that tie into the world of Nintendo. They've done so with Disney IP rights they've purchased, like Marvel and Star Wars, as games like Disney Infinity(No new game this round, but there will be more support.) have helped, but I truly believe new, original stories and ideas for this upcoming generation will also them some separation from parents and grandparents. Something to call their own. Splatoon! Has helped, but it's not nearly as been impacting as the Mario and Zelda games of the world. I'm sure new Amibos will be out soon, but they're out every several months, but I'm going to predict Pokken Tournament will have rare Amibos that add characters to the game that will be exclusive to E3 several weeks earlier than official release. 

   With the potential Uinversal Studios partnership announcment, there could be a unique film announcement,mand that wouldn't be a stretch, as the film industry has reached out and bounced back with franchises pulling in tons of money. Could we see a Legend of Zelda film be in the making? Quite frankly, I don't doubt it! Seeing Full-Sail University is right down the road from Orlando Florida, and a potential Disney tie-in, a movie could be in the works. Also, this would be historical, as in it's history, no film has been officially announced at a Press Confernce in E3's history. 

  I could list the usual suspects 

  

  Animal Crossing

   Super Smash Bros. NOTE: I don't believe a sequel to Super Smash Bros. Wii U is in the makings yet

    Super Mario Bros. Wii U Sequel etc.

Regardless of what is the actual round of sequels, I think Nintendo will hint at a new console UPDATE: (Nintendo's code name for a new handheld/console system is being called the NX. I believe the actual name will not be Wii related, but be its own platform)and that will be the biggest announcement from them. Although I will end with this: other game publications have stated that Beyond Good and Evil 2 is potentially going to be released as an exclusive to Nintendo, I highly doubt that will happen, and again, it's to an overrated elitist game that few have played, and even fewer want a sequel to, despite outcry from a minority of gamers. 

Moving on to Sony's Press Confernce: this is going to be interesting regardless of what is announced. Sony hasn't really delivered from last year's promises. We are still waiting on Shenmue, and The Last Guardian, two games that really are for the hardcore gamer, but have been hyped beyond belief. These are games that quite frankly don't belong in this market, but seeing as that last year's showcase was about thing up loose ends, this was more to say good-bye, like Uncharted 4: A Thief's End's expected release, that it was the end of a Sony era. Naughty Dog is Sony's biggest exclusive. Quantic Dreams was a close second, but they have gone by the wayside lately with the mixed reviews for Beyond: Two Souls. 

   So I think Naughty  Dog will showcase a new IP, and have exclusive footage, even gameplay at the end of the show. I also believe that something will be announced to replace the God of War series, and judging by the themes going on with gaming like Ark, and Far Cry: Primal, I think it will involve either early tribal gameplay, or something more along the lines of Game of Thrones Medieval, pre Medieval era.  Speaking of Medieval, I believe there will be a potential sequel announcment revealed, although it may get tied up in years of development. Still, this is a game series I actually liked, but find it doesn't belong in this current generation of gaming. 

   Sony has to bring something to the table, and give us information on their V.R. Headset, (Orignally called Project: Morpheus) which was originally supposed to be on this genre ariid gaming console,mbut now is being speculated for the next-gen consoles. Remember, it was told to most gamers that the PS4 was capable of supporting 4K resolution, now I think we are being led to believe it doesn't have that capability.    

 Sony has got to make a vast statement his year, because it's the leading system, and it needs to reliever with huge announcements. We were promised vapor ware more than anything relevant last year, and we haven't even seen Final Fantasy VII yet. What's the lastest news? I believe we will see actual gameplay footage this year, because people kind of forgotten about it, and that is no-good for a timely franchise like Final Fantasy.  If I had to make any serious predictions for Sony, it would have to be that they will most likely expand their PSN store, and add more older games, that being said, the csjnces of seeing exclusive titles like Twisted Metal, which I believed would've been last year's big reveal, is still not likely to happen again this year, as games like GTA tend to be more robust and appealing. Although GTA VI is going to be a long, long way away; that doesn't mean Rockstar won't tease something for either Microsoft or Sony, but the latter seems the better place to show-off their works.  I believe that the Indie market will be slowing up come the next two years, and that trend will start up around the time of the show. 

    Sony has been very secretive these past few years, because they've been trying their hardest to keep the market in suspense, rather than coming up with ideas that won't be tangible until 2018. Microsoft has been surprisingly smart about this as well, giwever a lack of major first-party tiles has been hurting both consoles in equal measure. Sony has promised more, but they have also made good on most promises, as support for the PS4 with Playstation Plus, along with fixingnthenailments of the hacks that came several years ago were able to bring the company closer to their consumers. 

With a designated stance on making games for gamers, I would say that there will be several major moves done by Naughty Dog, with the release of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, it's allowing for the end of an era to taper off with I what made the Sony Playstation 3 a superior console. Although I'm wondering of the bigger announcment will be that the title will be released on the PS3 and PS4 simultaneously, or  a backwards compatibility vefsion of the game released later on in June. My best guess: only if the sales are superior on the Playstation 4 will they even think of making a version on the Playstation 3. However, becaue of such superior sales of PS4s, and HD collections of the first three games, it may not be in Sony's favor to eye-lease the game on the last-generation console. 

  Looking ahead for Naughty Dog, I'm fairly certain either a sequel to The Last of Us will be out, or perhaps new, longer DLC will be on its way. The game sold well on both systems, and has redefined what it means to be playing a video game. So many new concepts for the "hardcore gamers" have been made in the last ten years with PS3, like Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls, LittleBigPlanet, and the gaming world's overall concept of chapter gaming like The Walking Dead's Seasons 1 and 2, a Season 3 seems inevitable. Tell-tale could be releasing new ideas, and I believe it will be announced at Sony's Press Conference. Other chapter games like Life is Strange were rather larger, albeit more casual events last year. However, the gaming community, along with it's tastes change so drastically, so rapidly it is barely the mask gamers want to wear when finally brought to fruition in the mainstream. This is why I believe Sony will slow the game down, showcase several new titles, perhaps give more information on that  Dream game which was he aforementioned new title coming from Media Molecule. I believe we will also discover if many Steam games will be heading to console. With the iffy launch of Street Fighter V this year, I'm curious to see if more games will become Sony exclusives in the future. With Destiny, Bungie has made their first foray onto Sony's platform, but will there be a Destiny 2? I certainly don't believe their is a real concern for having a sequel out soon, as the game itself was met with subpar reviews. Although we can acclimate that Activision, (one of the four developers pulling out of E3 altogether) and it makes sense seeing as their bread and butter Call of Duty series hasn't grown nearly as much, nor in strides of competitors in that of Ubisoft, and other FPS developers. 

  Overall, Sony has to bring the games, and not just a limited amount of the rehash and rewind characteristics we've seen over the years. Unless there's a Medieval 2, I refuse to have any excitement for rehashed ideas, because it feel they are not nearly as buzz worthy as new IPs, which Sony needs, whether they agree with me or not. Shenmue wasn't even a promise, but a Kickstarter campaign that could succeed, but still never see the light of day. Also, despite such indie support, the game should look like AAA title, and it looks worse than the Dreamcast versions of the former titles.  Sony needs to bank on the fact they actually stand for what gamers want, or that's how they market themselves. I want to see games that will have me loading up on discs, and having to work double time on reviews, I want more originality, and something to push my PS4 to it's limits....why else did I buy something that's supposed to be Tier 1 in technology and have nothing even close to its full capacity? Time is not on the console world's side, as people already want new tech, which makes me worry that updating a console every tend years will be a gimmick only read about, and that consoles will be out every four years, and updated as often as computers.  Sony needs to impress, and perhaps take a bit more risk, or else they'll lose money in the next console cycle. 

  Microsoft holds a Press Conference either right after Nintnedo, or at the very latest after Sony, but due to Bethesda having held a conference the year prior, and probably hosting the best of the handful showcased at E3 2015, we are slowly being guided towards a less formal introduction as was seen nearly twenty years ago with what is appropriate, and what isn't. I watched last year, and the inter gratin of Virtual Reality headsets, with the Occulus Rift, and the expected Minecraft booze that  would later become Microsoft exclusive, seems to tell us that Microsoft isn't going down without a fight. They are also counting on splitting gamers into fandoms, which usually is a Nintendo tactic, as they are buying up exclusives. Sony did so as well with Street Fighter, but this is doubtful to have the same intense impact as Minecraft. 

   Minecraft 2 could essentially happen at anytime, but it would be aptly seen on next-generation consoles. Current-gen still have versions of Minecraft, even Sony has a console version of the game, which immsure comes with more in-app purchases, but doesn't necessarily play as well as the PC, or Xbox One versions. Microsoft would assumingly make the newest version of Minecraft exclusive to the next Xbox, so unless it's announced that the next generation consoles are coming soon will be at this E3, it's all vapor ware from here on out with all studios, platforms, and DLC regardless of whether or not there are any serious surprises. The gaming journalism community acts almost as semantic in their shock and political standpoints on these issues as would be found in most media these days, but what frustrates me most is making a bad show seem somehow....for sake of the tired pun..."game changing." This is where Microsoft is known to try and fail so often, it's not even playing sides pointing out what they've shown, and what has not ever gone to shelves. Firstly, the Kinect, a classic failure of marketing,mand lack of appropriate software to back it up. Even the gimmick is more for control rather Thani treaction on the other consoles, but a camera is mostly used for love streaming, not playing anymore. 

   Microsoft failed over five years ago when they showed that game of watching a boy grow into a man, and it ereactingmwith him,then it was later revised as more a demonstration,despite it being given the look of a full-fledged game. Sony had done this before as well, and they too have suffered for it, and Eye Toy is nothing more than a need for their other quasi-failure: the Playstation Move. Kinect games looks terrible, the concept of being in a clown body and jumping around, and marketing that as an actual game did not have Microsoft winning any hats in the race of the console war. Still, it's infallible to think that Microsoft doesn't learn from its mistakes....but they don't seem to quite get how marketing works....even throwing Master Chief's beloved helmet up on screen isn't cutting it anymore. Of course you have Cliff Belinzki, who to me is nothing more than an overrated, albeit talented, tool in the market, who I'm sure is a decent guy, is now an old fogey as with other developers that don't appreciate the streak of a few gray hairs. Face it! To the younger generation, anyone over the age of thirty is always going to be foolish and out-of-touch, and really even young developers and producers are having a trouble getting in touch with their demographics....because there's too many of them! 

   Microsoft will flop, not becaue they have an inferior product, but most likely a far superior one, but their marketing is treacherous, their game lineups are old and repeated, and in-comparison to what is being innovated across the street, they are always behind in the count. Unless they do something miraculous, inste of jumping on trends, they are going to be hurting badly. Another Halo or Gears of War announcment will only cement my beliefs, and I will never be a customer to them, period. 

 It may seem like I'm being unfairly harsh in my regards to Microsfot, but it's becaue I want them to be more competitive, Sony had to compete against Xbox with their PS2, and it forced some of the best games in history to be made on all consoles, except the GameCube, which essentially is one of few black marks on Nintendo's resume.  The Virtual Boy and Game Boy Advanced on the two others that should be considered failures. So I'm being critical of Microsoft, but that's because they need to do better, especially when you're so far behind in the game. 

 When discussing Microsoft, and what they will have to do, being behind in the game currently, although that can surely change in the upcoming months. Although Sony has dominated the market for months, Microsoft does have a few opportunities to fix their current predicament. One thing that was suggested, and is supposed to be in the works is a sequel to the sleeper hit Alan Wake, as this was a much larger success than most other games released exclusively for the Xbox 360. Now I know that this particular title wasn't nearly as will received as most others, but the old axiom is that the sequel  will always do better than the original game in a series, and on most occasions, the sequel is seen as the better game: Mortal Kombat II, Twisted Metal II, Silent Hill 2, a point duly made historically, and throughout multiple platforms.  I do believe that an Alan Wake sequel will be coming soon, but not sure if it will be showcased at Microsoft's Press Conference.

     I think we'll like see more information on the latest Gears of War game, and perhaps Halo in some form, but doubtful Halo 6 is going to be hints at, seeing as the release of Halo 5 wasn't that long ago. Microsoft hasn't had much luck with getting gamers interested, they seem to look like the proverbial chicken with its head cut off, running around trying to add peripherals like Nintendo, or trying to compete with Sony in ingenuity, and they don't seem quite sure which route to take. Even when they showcased Rome last year....which I believed flopped as an attempt to take on God of War in-terms of style and gameplay, they tended to miss the point that most GoW fans have already tapped out the third installment. 

   The Xbox One, for all sense and purpose, has been a failure as a machine that cannot deliver even as a Videogame system. Nobody seems to care about the titles that have come out,a dn the same can be said for all the current generation systems, but first-party platform games are what's going to set the stage for the future of this console cycle, and with delays being the most popular game genre out now, even the likes of Doom coming out early next month (May) will not be enough to stoke the fires, and get people pumped for console gaming, regardless of system. Ironically Nintendo stands to gain all the rewards, becaue they are already pushing the limits, making gamers feel as though they are being heard in the development studios, but they have a long, long way to go to gain a following outside the digital kiddie pool. Microsoft needs to gain an identiy, Somy needs to showcase thwt it still has an identity after winning the console war, and Nimtendo needs to expand their identity. 

   With that being said, Microsoft will have to be strong, and snow up to play hard to even stand putting a dent in Somy's armor. Truthfully, they're dead in the water, it's not even a competition,mand that as a gaming fan, saddens me  

Next, I'd like to talk about Bethesda, because I do belie that they will be coming back for another round of press conference announcements this year, although I feel it will be truncated into several group showings with other software publishers/developers. Firstly Bethesda is going to have to tease a new Elder Scrolls, because Elder Scrolls V: has been out now for some time, and I wouldn't be surprised if VI wasn't scheduled for a release date sometime late next year, if not sooner. I would expect some add-ons for Doom, but as it's been announced that Bethesda will have five games in development for some time in the next few years, with an announced fifth insfallment in their Fallout series, I'm certain a Press Conference is inevitable. Also, Bethesda seems to need to showcase their talents,mas they are also publishers, like games such as Dishonored 2 being teased last year. Although it's been several months, nothing has been announced as to the validity of these new titles, or if liscencing and publication will be given to other major franchises.

     Bethesda has done the hard work this time around, and it's paying off. It'll be interesting to see if they continue to turn-out more surprises, but if they don't do a serious demo, I'm certain they'll showcase some software with Microsoft at their Press Conference. As stated above, the chances of being hinted a new Elder Scrolls game is inevitable. I'm not sure they will show-off actual gameplay footage, but I'm certain we are going to see this game out sometime next year. That is my prediction, but Bethesda is a superior company that's hard to pin down. I'm currently still trudging through the Wasteland in Fallout 4, and that has been one of the better videogame experiences in recent history. I'm really looking forward  to Fallout 5 now, but judging by the difficulty it is to get these games out there,,and not being adept to the new software enough to make legitmate "next-generation" console-looking games currently, I expect the fifth installment to be out for Playstation 5(?) and Xbox Two(?) Last year there was an interactive card game made for phones and tablets that was designed after Elder Scrolls mythos.  We may see an update to this, but those are more sporadic changes than expected updates. 

  

I don't normally discuss PC information for E3, simply because PC gaming is not usually the center stage of the E3 convention, and its associate at the press conferences. So I will finish this little teaser with several statements: Sony may hint a new console for two years from now, as Ninetnendo puts an accelerated release date on their NX prototype because that's the best way for them to survive the upcoming (and last, in this humble writer's opinion) console war. I have an idea that due to it's serious success, WB Studios will announce a Superman game, in answer to Rocksteasy's Arkham series. I also believe thee will be a sequel to Injustice: Gods Among Us, but it will have an M-Rating, following the trend set by Deadpool.  Mortal Kombat 11 will get teased, maybe not at a press conference, but it will be a distinct special for them. Bethesda will most likely rule the roost, and we may see that Fallout: New Oreleans tease everyone has been talking about that Obsidian will make, but with the huge success of Fallout 4, I'd like to see them at least state they will make Fallout 5

  

NOTE: I'm now being led to believe that EA, and Disney, who have stated they are not making a new Disney infinity game, but supporting the older software, are pulling out of the trade show. There were two more, but as of now I'm not sure if it's speculation, or fact, because there were multiple sources about Ea having a conference across the street called EAPlay, and that Disney will be tied to them. World of  Tanks studio World Battle(?) is also going to be absent. Will this hurt future E3 trade shows? More information after my review of E3 2016. It should be interesting enough to see what exactly will come true, and what will be completely out of left field in terms of what companies are willing to share ath this trade show. Here's to a profitable year for gaming, and an exciting E3. 

Fallout 4: The Review-So Far Part 1

    As I write this, it is but hours away until the midnight release of Fallout 4. For months, most of us have been figuring what exactly we would do the second we've breached Vsult 111. We've thought of wandering the Wasteland, or custimizig weapons. We thought of building settlements, or everything sbove, and more. I'm one of the few thwt actually like to play through the main quest, and actually finish it, even though that may not be everyone's idea of out-of-the-box gameplay. Still, this game is going to be destroying the buzzfeed of YouTube. There are the trolls who thought this game wasn't going to be up to par, and to be fair, their strives are not on what makes gameplay bad today: like day 1 patches, and even the most obvious bugs that will take five years to fix. Why preorder, and hold your money out for a game that will mostl likely be below par at release. The it net has made developers lazy,mand publishers greedy. I think Bethesda will have the bugs that make the game almost unplayable out of the box, and that terrifies gamers like me who want to play the game without internet connection. Still, this is going to be a very exciting experience, and it will be epic, whether that's an epic pass or fail is up to Bethesda. 

      Most people are getting ready as we speak to celebrate that which is Fallout, and of course, some of us are sitting by being skeptics, and although we need skepticism when kool-aid is being drunk, we should also note thwt sometimes kool-aid is nothing but sweet, refreshing kool-aid. Still, Fallput 4 has been a very, very intriguing want, a desire thwt mostl of us want, and some of us only hope we can have. I've been playing games for some time now, and although I've not been a huge fan of the RPG genre, my first play at Fallout 3 sold me, because I'm a wo seeing wanderer in games. I'm one of those people who search out the shady areas, and hope to crash the game into oblivion. I love to find the breaks in a game, because I secretly wish to be a game tester. I'm obsessed with finding some of the biggest breaks in games, and I've even done so on a multitude of levels playing games since the Ps2, slthough they wee never as prevalent on that system. 

     So fallout 4 is no surprise to me if it decides to crap out every few steps, and I wouldn't mind seeing just how far the game will go until stuff goes apeshit, because least face it, the game's coming out rather quickly, and guess what....it's going to be buggy, sketchy shit, because it's designed to be so huge, even if a hundred game testers are playing simultaneously spread throughout the world, you will hit a glitch, and sometimes you will not. 

  Of course I ask too much when I want the game to work out of the box, because let's face it, I want to actually enjoy my game, but I know in 2015, that's asking to much.  I'm not a skeptic, personally I'd say this game has come out at just the right time to piss off other developers because game of the year is going to be a shoe-in, unless it's so bad,it's a farce onto itself. 

     Still, I've played Fallout 3 many times through, and it occasionally froze up....but, it also didn't completely kill a save one me, or make it impossible to make up for lost time. I also know to make it easy to save with every traverse through the open world. My suggestion to all of you: play this game with caution, and always be prepared for the occasional freeze, and make sure to save if the frame rate drops, which it will. 

Now onto the fun stuff, because all the negatives will be coming up, and it will be rather unfair of me to judge before I review. I've done many reviews, preview, and first impressions over the past year, but this is the game that I've given a great deal of my attention to...that and my ever-loving coverage of NaNoWriMo, which I've completed by doing 50,000 words in five days. I have taken a short hiatus on this novel, and will finish it in a week-or-two, but it will be finished in ine month. Thre reason for this hiatus was for personal reasons: I've lost the writing mojo because I had a tick on my back, and I've been down about it, because it hurt like hell. Also, I've written over ten thousand words a day, and I've written myself into a hole. Not saying I've writer's block, but I defensively have story block. I'm close to the end, and for me, that is where I need to spend special attention because this is the last book of two books.  Other than that, I'm now ready to play some Fallout 4, order some pizzas, and getting ready for some red eyes from lack of sleep. 

      I'm going to give you guys some tricks to play the game, because like most RPGs, there are a lot of ways to play this game through, and have it affect the game in a multitude of different ways. So let's start with the S.P.E.C.I.A.L.  attributes first, because those are the very first parts of bundling a stratagem for the rest of the game. Think of it like a chess match, and that you personal skills as a gamer must reflect those of your character in order to allow you the greatest chance of survival. I'll assume that  out of what you will be dealing with in this game in obstacles will NOT be leveled proportionally to your character. I have a strange feel that like Skyrim, your game will be unbalanced from the beginning, because if you think about it, if you run into a Deathclaw out of the vault, it will kill you without hesitation. This means if you travel too far out of reason, you will be dealing with a shitstorm of hell thwt will make you wish you never quick-saved so far from home. 

     So your S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes will come into play at the short game as long as the long game. Seeing that this game is going to be like a very awesome mutated chess match from the start,there are two ways to g about it....the shoot'em up route, which means high strength, high perception, and a fair amount of both endurance and agilty. This means low charisma, low intelligence, and low luck. Granted,it's a smart way to power though, especially a hundred hours in, but it's not the essential route I normally take. I take more the diplomatic route,  because it works for staying natural to any factions from the start. This means high charisma, which people think is a useless attribute, but I say no-way! 

    Intelligence works side-by-side with perception especially, but it raises all your mental attributes, and with Charisma, you're allowed to win more dialogue challenges,which usually unveils more ways around and out of trouble. It seems cowardice at first, but talking your way out of a fight is nominally smarter than hitting someone and then getting owned. Also, Bethesda rewards you more often for not killing,,and talking the time to decide for yourself just which sie to alligin with. Obsidian does the same in New Vegas, where taking your own side with Yes Man, yields the bigger rewards in the long-run. Still, I prefer to talk to my potential enemies, and that will better access to areas and accessories that would be nearly impossible to find otherwise. For more information,mi highly suggest you watch the Fallout 4 videos in-which the cartoon webisodes teach you how to use the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. atrributes to the best of your ability. 

     Granted, i like to throw down sometimes, and that is best for melee attacks, which gives you much better reward for risks. Firstly, melee is essential, escpially ath the beginning, because let's face it, guns are going to be mostly taken up, and found on enemies. Think of it this way: if all you have is a board with a nail,you best know how to whack super mutants with that board and nail. So Agility is vital I. Almost all cases, even diplomatic, because sometimes you need to run away as quickly as possible. Still, I think thwt eventually we will be able to turn our character into a God, but that's post-game, and quite frankly, there's still going to be a need for intelligent use of perks and skills. 

    Sneaking was always a great one for me, because being able to steal without killing a character was always essential in the game, and quite frankly, it's never a dull skillset to have in the game. Stealing allows you to lose karma, but without hurting friendships, similar to a critical sneak kills allows you to take out one pesky troublemaker without spoiling the bunch. Remember, the possibilities are rather infinite, even with no limit on leveling up, because characters can all play a certain way, and quite frankly, I like the subtle approach because it's skills that work in almost any given situation. I

   If you can't talk your way out,you can shoot your way out. Perception and agility are great for that, because if I can decide whether a silver tongue, or a sniper rifle is best to read a given situation,mathematics there's no need to take out the Fat Man, and FUBAR half the map. Mos ttimes I'll kill more animals until I can get the animal friend perks, because I really don't like to kill much while playing the game, because I take risk over reward. 

   Okay, so we all have our way to play,,and we all know just how we like to play, but there are things that even shot-game can't prepare us for in the wasteland, and Bethesda knows that we know it's almost unnatural to want to go into places that can turn out to be Yao Guai Sanctuaries. Exploring is not something I take for granted in this game. Yes, we can just go through and stay safe without backing ourselves into a corner, but where's the fun in that? In Fallout 3, I hated going through the metro tunnels, because even with that primitive map, I've had this worry that I was going to get lost,mor worst, run into something that I was not prepared to deal with such bullshit. Still, Fallout 3 was probably one of the best games ever made for the last generation system, it also had it's issues with discouraging you to do certain things, like talk to strangers. A you went in guns blazing, and pretty much ruined half the quests in the game. 

      D.C. Was instead with tunnels, but it had an immensity about it that made you wonder if you wanted to turn a blind corner. The Boston we know now is not going to be a proper model for what we can expect from the Wasteland, because something tells me that even with a shit-ton of detail, it'll be pretty apparent that we're not in Massachusetts anymore. The game has been under wraps, and I've avoided any major spoilers, because I really had none when I played Fallout 3, and that made the experience all the better. 

     So  first-thing-first.... I love the packaging job on this game. It's got one of the coolest looks I've seen in a while. The package is a close-up of the power armor, and it also has one of the best additives I've seen: a poster with each perk in the game, along with it's coinciding S.P.E.C.I.A.L  I would also like to add thwt I've purchased the Season Pass,mso I'll have to add that onto my system whenever it comes out. 

   The Season Pass is really intriguing to me, as most other games that offer one,usually screw you out of a big chunk of money, only to come out with yet a second season pass, which of course leaves you paying nearly quadruple the price of the game that you've started with,only to get very little bang  for your buck. Still, I trust Bethesda a great deal to put my faith in their vapor ware. Who knows exactly when the first round of stuff will come barreling in, but all I know is that I've put about thirteen hours into the game so-far, and have had it only die on me once. 

    Fallout 4 has a great appeal to it, which makes the hype surrounding the game all-the-greater. The Commonwealth of Massachussets, now simply known as the Commonwealth, starts you in the prewar era, but not necessarily for as long as you'd think. Realistically, the game is actually less than thirty minutes inside both the vault, and prewar Massachusetts. It took me longer to create a character, name him, and updates his stats, which actually doesn't matter, since you can put a level-up perk directly into a S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Attribute. 

     Next, we find out that our wife and son have names. I also think the sex of the child changes depending on which sex you come out of the bathroom mirror.  This is probably true, but I personally don't far which character I choose,mall I know is thwt they look amazing. I know most people judge games these days by graph is, but if you want to compare graphics between this game, and say, Fallout 3, there is a huge difference, and you couldn't imagine there being even a comparison the last-generation graphics. The story from what I've gathered is much thicker than that of Fallout 3, meaning it has multiple arcs, and probably doesn't ever actually end, and with DLC eventually, I doubt most people will be able to even get into the thick of it before the first DLC rleaaes. This game is about the size of Fallut 3's map, but it's thicker, and far more sense, as most buildings can be navigated. The game loads surprisingly fast, and although it'll hiccup like it's predecessor, it has an overall steady framerate , which hasn't dropped noticeably in most of my time through the game itself. 

      I don't want to give much always about the story, because most of it would still be speculation at this point,mbut it appears that you can visit a witch museum in Salem, and it also appears to hint at aliens being present in the game prior to DLC, but again this is all just speculation.  Bethesda makes you feel weak though, but I'm barely pushing level 13, and I don't feel any stronger or more capable than I had at level 1. If you roam too far in this game,it'll make you pay for it, there doesn't seem to be. Balancing system. I ran into a behemoth already, and I didn't even struggle, I just accepted I made a boo-book and let the bastard swat me like the pesky fly I am. 

     Yes, there are behemoths in the game, and they are large, and rather easy to find. I found one literally a few hours in, and of course I didn't kill the thing, I could barely kill them without help in Fallout 3 without being at least level 50. Still, they are literally a hit-or-miss opportunity, so nothing much has changed there.  The game is fun, I played eight hours today, and it felt like I was just getting started. This game is going to eat up whatever pithy of a life I had, and chew it up,spitting it across the room.  It has a great deal of secrets, and I have to say, some of them are a mixture of funny, horrific,mand the ghouls have more diversity. Even the feral ghouls look to have a certain diversity to them that makes them all the more dangerous. Therre are random encounters, and I think that the relationship status helps you out, because it allows you to see where you stand with a companion,mas it replaces the more well-known karma system. 

      The companions are probably more diversified in this game than ever before. I can of course get Dogmeat, and there are perks that even make Dogmeat a more versatile companion. Garvey, the man you meet early on, and where you pick up your power armor is one of the better companions, like Boone was in New Vegas, and Fawkes was in Fallout 3. He's a good guy, and although many of you out there like to play the baddie, I tend to believe it's best to keep it neutral until the mid-game. 

   The Mr. Handy named Codsworh is the very first companion you meet outside the vault, and who-so happen s to have been your prewar robotic butler. There are rumored to be over a dozen companions, one being Piper, a sort of whistleblower who writes a paper in Diamond City (Fenway Park) and is trying to uncover a plot to remove people's internal organs, and replace them with synthetics. There a ton of crazy shit that is going down in the game, and most of it has to deal with the Minutemen trying to come back from mass extinction. If you follow Garvey, then he will essentially put you in charge if the Minutemen, which allows you to go out and recruit more fighters that will come to your aid if you need the by shooting off a flare. Personally, I like this whol e faction concept, and it is attributed into a great deal of quests; however,  there are plenty of side quests that have nothing to do with your faction,mor recruiting more fighters to be down with the cause. The game is so huge, it's a living world, and I have to say, just getting through the second day is enough to make me think thwt I could play this game for years, and not see every single thing it has to offer. 

       The enemies are interesting to-say-the-least: even the bloat flies have stronger versions of themselves, and even the radroaches have glowing versions that cause major damage. Yes,you will be a bit unnerved fighting actual radroaches in this game. The ridiculous amounts of enemies, including the super mutants having several new variations,minlcuding legendary versions of themselves...are ridiculous. That may mean that somewhere out there is a legendary Super Mutant Behemoth.  Even legendary mutated wild mongrels are difficult to kill. Yes, you've read right, some of the legendary creatures mutate, making them even more impossible to kill.  This is also on normal difficulty if I must stress that, but it does make e game far more challenging, and the new V.A.T.S. System insist necessarily the best measure to counterbalance the beasts either. They're kind of like boss battles that you can find by random chance.  There are also areas that seem all nice and safe, but then you find yourself in-between a Yao Guai, and a group of Raiders, and then suddenly,they'll see you as the larger threat. Yao Guai are relentless as ever, and if you back up into a tree, or anything for that matter, you're  dead, and rightfully so. 

       There see also Rad Stages, which we two-headed deer, that will attack you,mbut mostly stay away. Does are more hesitant to attack than bucks. Still, they're more dangerous than I even imagined,mbut most things in the wasteland are usually dangerous enoug to avoid.  The most dangerous creature in the game still seems to be the Deathclaw, which wasn't terrifying enough,MIT now has the ability to grab you, and toss you like the paper doll you are, making sure to shred a few holes in the process.  I've only seen on so-far, but now they're going the Doom route, and implementing chameleon Deathclaws,mshich basically means that they're invisible Desthclaws, and will likely kill you over, and over,mand over until you stop going that way. 

      Another thing I've been able to fight again, happily, are the mirelurks. They are so fun, because they require you to a improperly,mor use V.A.T.S. to hit their face, which is the only thing not aromored on their body. The game feels like Fallout,mbut a new type of Fallout, perhaps what the game was supposed to be originally,mbut the enemies are better this time around. I'm also excited to say that the weapon customization is a welcomed addition,mand helps with taking down enemies, especially with the new edition of melee attacks with almost every weapon. This means you can melee with almost every single gun. 

     AP is what you use to melee, run, V.A.T.S., and it's also a vital part of sniping. The weapons themselves allow for an intense amount of trial and error, but most modifications have been fun, but I really am not a fan of doing all my weapons at once. I did, however, like the edition of renaming your guns and weapos a that you've customized or mode because it gives them the sort of individuality they rightfully deserve.  I'm interested ton seeing if and when mods are available, this will allow some unique weapon customization,,and for people to create and share their creations with other players. 

      The missions are good so-far, I got stuck on the halluciGen one, so I still need to complete that, but I love doing the missions. I'm glad this particular game encourages you to complete missions,because it helps you rank up faster,mand ranking up is vital to surviving in this game.  With Fallout 3, I felt it was a very long game, and it took but a few minutes to get to the end and best if thoroughly, but even I think this game will have to be hacked and/or glitches to ever properly do a speed run. It seems there no actual fictive for this story, not withstanding the obvious one, which is to ffind your son, but it seems the character we play as, has a very unique given the situation. 

       I went high intelligence this run,mso I'm. Of sure if that affects the game dialogue much like it did in past game,mbut it would be interesting to see if he talks like Hulk. Somebody will probably have already posted that video up by the time I releases this review. Yes, this is the review to break all other review if you're wondering. The game has me thinking that I'll need to raise all my stats up to ten, and btw, there are nearly seventy perks,mand most can be increased multiple times, so there is very little limit to what will happen once you've maxed everything out,mbut you keep on leveling up. There is no limit though, so I'm sure that will cause a nasty break in the game eventually.  

      If you growntired of running around the wastes, you can set up nice little settlements,mand build like Minecraft, but you will also have random raider attacks happening here-and-there to contend with. Think Fallout Shelter not just on steroids,mbut instituted throughout most of the wastes. The bulding aspect is rather fun,mand I've enjoyed a great deal of it, but it feels like wasting time on something that is primarily about wasting time...games. Still,building whole structures from scratch,mand making a house of it is pretty sweet. People are comparing it to Minecraft, but it's really nothing as such, it's more developed than that,mbut limited as it cannot span whole continents, yet it's more refined. It's also very easy to pick up and start doing. You can scrap nearly anything in the game,the problem is you really can only scrap in the designated areas,mso it's going to be a lot of carrying back to your settlement, and building itmup from scratch. I do love those turrets though, they look cool, and keep the your mind at ease. I kinda wonder if the DLC is going to somehow incorporate it into the game as well. Also, the Brahmin are back! And apparently you can keep them happy with a feed trough. 

         If bulding up settlements really isn't your thing, I get it,mand you can use pre builds instead of doing it all by hand. The game is overly fun though,mand you can attract more settlers to your land, but this also means raiders will come out to get you. Personally,mid rather be playing it thanwriting this, but I'll be going back and forth. 

       Then there's the one thing I really love to do in a Fallout Gsmes: scavenge. I love discovering new places,mand scavenging through old ruins to find some amazing loot. Then again, there's a hell of a lot more enemies this time around. I've personally found the game harder than before, and I find there're less to look, even with all my gear.  I've had a feat deal of fun going through and doing missions, both main missions, and a few of the side quests, but I like setting up settlements, and it seems with the more I make, and the more people I gather at them, I'll be able to shoot off a flare, and have them come to my aid. There's a lot in this game....a lot of stuff you can do, and a ton of places to explore. I don't want to give always any secrets, because I've only found a handful, but they're good ones, but also think the game is designed a great deal like Skyrim. In many aspects. I love playing the game,mand even thoug it's difficult to get further with few resources, it's fun to just walk through the Commonwealth. 

      The behemoths are back, and they too get this wonderful treatment of individuality. I met one on a mission, and I gotta say, it was a pain in the ass to take it down by myself. The game was glitchy a this point, and probably will be for the rest of the game, as I've had trouble after the one mission to continually use my companions. There are a ton of companions so-far that I can use, and most of them are good for different jobs, but eac time out with them is a new experience, and your actions determine their relationship towards you. You can flirt with each character, but this doesn't necessarily mean sex. It may come in handy to boost perks,mor boost the individual companion. Either way it seems I won't be using them anytime soon. I went into the game without any patches, and I must say the game holds up well, but a game of this size is expected to crash and burn every-so-often, and that's just a fact of life. 

       Legendary characters are back however, and putting in the hours that I have so-far, I ran into a few of them, and was even able to take a few of them down.  I'm now at level twenty, and it's pretty much the mid-game for me. The main quest is rather disambiguous in comparison to other quests in most RPGs, but Bethesda have done an incredible job at not highlighting any one quest, and they feel more fluid than they did in three where everyone just asks you to do their bidding like a lapdog. I like the fact the game feels more like an immersive world now, as things will explode and go off like crazy in the background. The fact that you can also leave Boston to other surrounding areas like Concord and Salem, is a plus as well, and kind of what I was hoping to have happen on-disc. I must say, Bethesda pretty much delivers, and you can't fault the few glitches and issues at launch, because those are expected. Nobody wants to pay game testers much, and they only catch the real buggy things, not the subtle errors, and even some of the errors they catch, aren't necessarily easy to fix once they're found. 

        I went to the midnight release at my local Gamestop, and it was fun, and rather a comradarie of sorts between individuals that Share a common love of an historical franchise. The fanbase was large, and it has many faces from so many backgrounds around the world. They've all come together to share in a similar experience (I say similar because not everything in each game is necessarily the same around the world.)  and it was genuinely fun. Does the game love up to it's hype, however? It's hard to tell, because story was important, and this game's story is unique, yet cliche so-far in many ways. I kind've loved and hated certain parts, but I always see things now through an objective perspectives, whereas a fan is just going to be psyched by everything they see in front of them. Would I recommend this game? Yeah, I would, I would say it needs to be played by the general population of gamers. I know they hype surrounding this game has illegitimately made it a sacred cow, but this has also given many people time to attack it with pessimism early on. I'm not saying Fallout 4 should not be scrutinized, but it also deserves a fair, honest, and open review.

        The environment of the Commonwealth is marvelously done. The graphics are far superior to anythijgnive seen in past franchise titles, and it feels like a genuine wasteland, rather than a desert on the East Coast.  As I write this part,mi have just reached level 30, and I have now come to feel I'm at a midway of being very powerful, but also very, very weak.  Fallout 4 is a huge area, and it basically comes down to deal with raiders, growing communities, and there is, at least to my knowledge, one particular mission that requires you to make haste,mor else it's failed, so you can't sit on it. I had also experienced a problem with my companions that seemed to rectify itself after completion of a mission, but it hasn't officially been tested. 

    

Now comes the part of the review where I deeply analyze the game, and for that reason I am giving a fair warning of SPOILERS coming for the rest of this review, if you want my official scor of the game, read the last paragraph of this review. 

SPOILER ALERT

       The story is a good one: your son, Shaun has been kidnapped from Vault 111, and your wife/husband has been killed.  Apparently you are left alive because you're the backup for the Institute, which is seen as the last remnants of C.I.T (actually MIT I believe) apparently your son is very useful for some reason, I don't precisely know why just yet, but we'll divulge as we continue this review. So you are bravely in the vault for a few minutes, even thought in game time, you have been in there for over 210 Yesrs, and means you we just in the same timeline as the lone wanderer from Vautk 101, although I'm not sure what the canonization of that storyline is so-far, if it tells you in Fsllout 4, it may be divulged in DLC.  A quick sidenote: I will review DLC whenever I can get to it, but I will definitely review each DLC individually as I get to them, and I assure you If I get mods, I will be sure to mention them separately as well. For now I'm only discussing the main game. 

   

     So after you leave Vault 111, the world is truly your oyster, and I cannot believe just how far out into the distance you can actually travel, just recently I went to the edge of what is know as the Glowing Sea, and I must've walked a good hundred yards past the world boarder to get to a cave. On the edge of the world, you can find some weird things, like the Children of Stom,am reference back to earlier titles of a cult that worship the nuclear fallout like a god. There seem to be less groups as the were in the Capital Wasteland. The first place you seem to go right out of the vault is back home, where you are met by the first of many companions, Codsworth, which I probably mentioned earlier on. Aside from the raiders, gunners, and few other mercenary groups, therre seems to be far more Super Mutants, and wuite a few more Desthclaws than in the previous titles. 

      You meet the Minutemen, which you become the general. Preston Garvey is also one of the companions. Later on you can hire guns to follow you, and you also just happen upon a few of them, and they offer unique perspectives to particular quests, so I'm sure with the attention to details that Bethesda is known for, they may just be able to give you a unique humanistic experience throughout every single playthrough, not including the unique aspects, which comes from choosing the opposite sex as your protagonist. 

      After you meet up with Dogmeat at a Red Rocket station, there isn't much more you're tied to, you literally can walk a narrow line through the main quest, or you can go off and become the king of the Wasteland.  The main story is the finding of your son, who had been taken by the Institute. The institute seem to be the opposite of the Brotherhood of Steel, which are the preservers of technology and humanity prewar throughout the multiple wastelands. The Institute are the main anatagonists, and the Brotherhood of Steel seem to be the main protagonists, while the minutemen are also just trying to get the Commonwealth back to par, and the main way for you to establish a settlement. 

     After looking over all the settlements I've obtained, there are at least a dozen currently, I have to say, they become a pain when they have to be defended. I get that it continually plays on, and after being past level seven hundred, the game will probably be more like overkill rather than survival, but I had few issues other than the fact that I want to do actual missions without dealing with, say, a raider attacking my settlement. Sure it's fun, and it doesn't happen too often, but the game pretty much is designed for you to eventually make the settlements self-sufficient.  Overall, it's a fun addition to the series, and really, it's going to be intesting to see if this trend will continue. The game's building system is interesting, and I can see it is pretty much forced upon you, although you probably could destroy every settlement you create if you so choose. 

        I've discovered a great deal of the map though, and I love discovering soemthing random out there in the middle of nowhere. I personally cannot wait until DLC, as it will probably live up to the original game. The companions are great though, and I'm certain I've not  found all of the yet. Most of them have their pros and cons. Garvey has his laser musket which will put down enemies without much effort. He also helps in the ambassadorial areas of the Minutemen.  Piper writes for the newspaper located in Diamond City, and she's okay as well, but I find her a bit pretentious as a character, and not nearly as useful as the other companions. Then there's Macreedy, who you find in Goodneighbor, and I have a sneaking suspicion that he has something to do with Fallout 3, but I could be mistaken. There was a Mayor Macreedy of Little Lamplight, and it would be intesting to see if he went off to the Commonwealth after Big Town. However, I think that it'd be interesting  to see if other characters from the third game will make cameo appearances in Fallout 4. There may have already been a few, but I didn't notice any names thwt rang a bell so-far. Still, of that's MaCreedy from the original game, that makes a lot of sense how he turned out. I still laugh whenever I think of the fact he would always call me a mungo. 

       Other notable companions see Strong, a Paladin Knight named Danse, I believe, a synthetic detective called Nick Valentine, who is probably my favorite companion so far, and there's bound to be several more I will run into over my travels. I just came to the Slog, which is entirely ran by Ghouls, I also came upon Greygarden, which has nothing to do with Greyditch, but that is ran by multiple Mr. Handys. 

     I'll put it this way, there is no way anyone, other than the developers, and even then it would have to take most of, if not all of them to  write the review, because there is no way that anyone has completed the game wholly with both sexes in such a short amount of time from release unless the game was handed out well before launch. I've traveled a great deal of the game, but I know it is also verily layered throughout, and I've not done most of the metro tunnels, although there are very few of them in-comparison to the D.C. Ruins of the Capital Wastelands. It's a rather large game, and it even stretches going on the Prydwin, which is a giant derigibel driven by the Brotherhood of Steel. 

   

  Overall, Fallout 4 is what a Videogame is supposed to be: it has drama, virtual,interaction, controls that are actually responsive, graphics that surpass those of it's predecessor, and carry a great deal of realism, however, they still host a more comic book, old Sci-Fi style that comes off more like an historical record than a futuristic video game. It's fun, it's entertaining, and I would go so-far as to say this is one of the reasons to buy a next-generation console. This is going to be a difficult game to top, and it's probably going to be one of those games that goes down in history. I've been video games for twenty-seven years, I've attested to many great, and not-so-great games being some of the best games ever made.....I can tell you without any doubt, that Fallout 4 isn't just Game of the Year, that's a given, this is a game that has few flaws, but even those flaws are overshadowed by such astounding story and gameplay,  that this is probably game of the decade. 

        I'm sorry, but this game has outshined every other game Bethesda has done, even Skyrim. This game is amazing, it has challenge,even on normal, the unbalancing system makes it fun, and thrilling when you're faced with a creature that can out-fight, and a raider that out-guns you, and the satisfaction of putting the in the dirt. Fallout 4 rivals so many great games in a stellar year, and nothing comes closer to being deserving of a game of The Year, which sounds presumptuous, but this is the last great game of 2015,  out titles pushed back their games just so they didn't have to compete with this game in the same fiscal year. I don't know what the sales are for Fallout 4 currently, but I'm sure they're far from lacking. 

        If I had to rate Fallout 4, if I had to put a number on it, I'd give it a perfect score: 10/10, five stars, whatever rating system you need to justify a buy. Since I don't like those systems,ironically I use them regardless, I would just like to say that if you are a fan of gaming, not FPS, not RPGs, but gaming. As a whole, Fallout 4 is what we as little kids making Mario jump, or scrolling through a Contra wanted for our future gaming experience. The Fatman is still as satisfying an experience now, as it was in Fallout 3.  The game is perfectly imperfect, and I for one have found several glitches, and breaks, but the game is still better than most games half it's size with double the glitches, and ghosting. This game is the game of your dreams, and yeah,the hype was not only real, but it has made the DLC hype even that much more real. I respect Bethesda, I think they are a third party title to lead us into the future. I respect their games, I like them all actually, but this is their best game, despite the naysayers. If you're a gamer, play Fallout 4, you'll find something you love about it....hell! The soundtrack is worth the price of admission alone! Bethesda gives the fans what the want, and this game is no different. 

Thank you for reading the Malacast Editoral, I will be doing separate reviews for DLC, or one big one for  all DLC released, this game is still feeling the heat, and a year from now, we'll still be  talking about it with the last of the DLC, and the midpoint of mods. 

     

Fallout 4: First Impressions

With less than a month away, Fallout 4 looks to be one of the biggest releases in console history. The Pipboy version is pretty sweet, and will probably go for more money on EBay than a Joe Dimsggio Rookie card. However, because we are so close, I figured I would give my unbiased, well, maybe. Little biased, perspective on Fallout 4, with this First Impressions. 

    Now, normally when I do a First Impressions, I'm almost positive to do a full review. I will be doing a full review on MGSV eventually, as I finally best the game, and see pretty much everything their is to see to base it on fair and unbiased analysis. Still, Fallout 4 is right around the corner, and that leaves us to deal with a game that may be so large...and now there is a season pass that is going to cost and extra thirty dollars, that it may just be impossible to complete within a given time. I did my Fallout 3 review years after buying the game, and even. Or years after it came out, and it's still a game I've not completed a hundred percent, and why the internet is a great source for information. 

     Fallout 4 is going to be one of those moments in time that makes you realize we are one unique creature. We fear our own self extermination, but so badly want to go to a wasteland of anarchy and just roam around with little-to-no law. This isn't new to Fallout, or video games in general. The game is based on the cult classic: A Bly and His Dog, probably one of my favorite cult classics to watch. I also love Spider Baby which pretty much was the basis for most of those crazy family horror shows that came out in the late sixties. Still, I want to say that I love what I'm seeing, and I know my complaints on the game will come from my anti-DLC stance, and the fact that the numbers they show hide the fact that they need to add onto a game, becaue production is a billion times harder to complete nowadays, and companies are faltering in the crazy market. The gaming industry is in shambles, but Bethesda is one of the few companies that actually wants to make games that people want to play, and they load in a shit-ton of detail, and game, even without the DLC. Still, something tells me that if thenDLC on the Season Pass is worth it, Bethesda may just give you the money's worth it. Time, and footage will tell. 

     So let's break this bad boy down: so-far we know thwt the characters are completely customizable, and you can play a man, or a woman. You can also customize the name you give your character, and you can play some prewar gameplay, which is new to the series. The dog you meet in the wasteland is actually called Dogmeat, again, the references to A Boy and His Dog are truly captivating. We know that VATS is coming back, and with authority, meaning it's going to be brutal, although time only slows down during VATS, rather than stops completely, it seems more affective. 

      We know that characters will refer to your character, we also know that you as the player will be able to I tract however you choose with the world around, such as building settlements, or shooting someone in the face during a conversation. The anomalies of the game seem so broad, that it is more about the limitations of what you can do, rather than what you can't do. The design looks impressive, a bit comical, but still fun to watch. 

     Bethesda also is releasing a weekly video of the S.P.E.C.I.A.L attributes wheree it tells you a little about what each one does, and with a classy, old-school design cartoon to go along with it, acting like happy-faced propaganda. As of the publishing of this post, I will be certain that each of the seven perks videos will be up on YouTube, and most assuredly bethsoftworks.com. Also, it's smart to sign up for Bethesda newsletter, which is an excellent resource for all things Bethesda. Still, the videos are professionally, and aesthetically relevant to Fallout's mythology, and a fun little tidbit to watch in anticipation of the new game, which is now only weeks away! I remember back in early June when the announcment was first made, and the game was teased for the first time, and now we are approaching the end of October, and the hype, for me at least, is not on,y still real, but the idea that mods will be allowed over the consoles, makes me wonder if there is a ton more about this game that won't be released, but discovered on the launch date. Bethesda seems to have a talented, way of making games near-completion by launch, and the pessimists will shout the game is not nearly complete, and I am one of those pessimists, but I'm excited still for this title. 

          Let's talk about the characters returning, as you know, there are a ton of characters making their way into this game. The Mr. Gutsy and Mr. Handy androids are returning to the game, as well as the Protectertrons. It also seems apparent that the Deathclaws are not only back, but are more terrifying than the first time around. Radroaches, mole rats, and even the Vertibirds seem to be back in play. Of course, we've barely scratched the surface of how large the game will actually be, and speculation says it could be as large as Skyrim, but this is a clustered, world full of skyscrapers and street cars littering it like the bones of freedom, rather than long spaces between dragons. So the game will most likely feel overwhelming, and I'm c retain the first few hours will be spent on just getting through the prologue and seeing the story unfold for the first time. Remember, we don't know how long precisely we stay in the pre-war part of the game, nor how long we stay in the vault, or how the vault even works. Seeing as the vault was such an important aspect of the game, and seeing as vault exploring was some of the kookiest parts of Fallout 3; I'm most certain that Bethesda has done their oat to make the vaults in Fallout 4 that much more engaging. 

        Super Mutants, and their Behemoth cousins are also set to return,a and it makes me. Wonder if this game is going to be overstocked with villains, or so well spaced, that the villains will sneak up and surprise you, especially when raiders will seek to be the cannon fodder they throw at you during the crafting system. 

       I'm not too fond of the crafting system, and although it's limited, I feel that it will be much more limited than the game play shown so-far makes you believe. Either way, I'll most likely leave it until the end, because Bethesda claims they won't force you to build a settlement, but seeing as the theme for this game is looking to be rejuvenation, and I'm certain it will involve the Geck, and Vault 101 as well, it might be far more likely to believe that eventually the game will throw you a task, or mission of sort to force you to build a settlement. Then again, Bethesda is usually a trustworthy developer, and a discriminating publisher,who only look out for the integrity of their product, or so far that a has been the truth. 

       The game is not gihtly under wraps, but footage is, as little footage has leaked, and there are people like MrMattyTalks on YouTube,Moho basically makes a new video with "news" every single week, although most of it is either rehashed information, or speculation, but to be fair, he has reiterated a great deal of truthful information. I don't have anything against MrMattyTalks personally, but it is clear that he, along with Open World Games, and many other "YouTubers" are prevalating the hype for this game for a much longer period of time than expected. I remember the hype for Snakeeater, and it really was a great game,mbut the hype truly didn't live up to the expectation. Hype makes bad games sell well, and in a vexing market,,that's good for indie studios. 

     Nevertheless,  these  shows  tell me firsthand that there is a lacking integrity in Videogame journalism, which is practically a dying, if-not dead medium. Oh I am a pot, and I'm calling that kettle over there black, becaue I know I too man not a sinceere journalist either, but I can acknowledge the lack of professionalism, no matter how they paint up the unsullied banter of those with a political axe to grind, rather than an unbias perspective on the genre. Still, with the death of printed magazines, the dying infrastructure of online paywalls, and EGM and Playstation The Magazine having their images tainted, and their journalistic integrity ruined, it's quite a shame that substance has to come from a sixteen year old gamer with a Droid camera phone. 

       The point of that rant is that Fallout 4 will, ironically benefit from this new style of Videogame journalism, as pages like The Angry Joe Show, which is more bias commentary than a legitmate review, will have at least some critique, before  making a complete fanboy of himself over the game. Still, pages will limit the extent of information,and the written word....ironically, unless made into a ten-fifteen page review,,will never do justice the full-on reviewing of the game. As stated in past posts, the one I did for Fallout 3 took me a week to write and gather information, and it was about twelve pages in length,  the irony is, even with twelve pages of just straight forward discussion, the review barely scratches the surface. 

       To conclude, Fallout 4 is coming out very, very soon, and you can find the Perks sheet online, and you can study it, but really the best place to get information is from bethsoft.com, and those seven videos tell you a lot more in substance than you first realize, so give them multiple views, and you'll be surprised what you're able to piece together well-before release. 

E3 2015: Bethesda Announcements

      E3 is forever the spectacle that we as "gaming journalists" take to be the pinnacle of news for the development community. Every name in the industry comes to E3 to bask in the glory that is the multi-billion dollar game industry. Of course the politics are also therre,with the same rhetorical statements that make me gag when it comes to "legitimate" gaming journalism. However, I tend to ignore my fellow colleagues in the industry, and yes, the politics sicken me, especially when it comes to playing favorites on this particular stage. Granted, I make it a point to go out of my way and say I write this blog with a particular bias. I am not a fan of Microsoft, never have been, and I never will be. Even I know that when it comes to the Electronic Entertainment Expo, I hold no harsh feelings towards Microsoft, unless of course they do a piss-poor job with their press conference. The same goes for Nintendo, and Sony, alike. I even said Sony had a lasckluster showing last year, and it was a bad year for current generation title launches. Still, this year is looking to be ferocious, and not coming from the major players of the console war, but rather from the third-party developers, who blaze the trails to push these consoles into market. 

     This is going to be a lot of information, and I'm certainly going to have to place it out over several blog posts. Despite the obvious issues this entails, especially with my master craft of organizational skills, hence my sarcastic tone in the last sentence, I'm going to split these up by what I saw, not the particular order of the said convention, which, quite frankly has been expanded to take up a good chunk of the week.  So for this particular post, I'll be going over the Bethesda Press Confereence, although it was more of a sneak-peek party, and i will also take note of Xbox's Press Conference, which I assure you, will be reviewed with the same discrimination as any other press conference. 

     Firstly, let's get to the team in Bethesda, doing their first press release, and showing that Ubisoft and Square Enix are not the only third-party developers that can host a snow. For me, I've always found Ubisoft's Press Conferences to be rather dull, never mind the fact that most people do not play them often in the sates, with the exception of Assassin's Creed III. Still, Ubisoft is a major player overseas, and the European market cannot get enough of Assassin's Creed. Bethesda is very much a world-renounced studio, with Softworks as their great development house, but one thing I take for granted is Elder Scrolls. I'm not much a fan (blasphemy!!!) of Elder Scrolls, I find it to be rather opposite of my tastes. Yet, I absolutely adore Fallout, as it really represents one of my favorite cult films: A Boy and his dog, and pretty much every other Science Fiction classic ever created. 

     Bethesda showed off some interesting ideas, and some that basically made me yawn. However, their overall presentation was one of the best I've seen from any company at E3 in the past several years. I've not been this excited for an E3 since it was shown in it's entirety on G4 TechTV. Granted, I think Skyrim is a gorgeous game, probably one of the best games ever created, and it has enough to fit the needs of most gamers. However, I've always cared more for Fallout, being that it is a game entrenched in a long-running story,mshich always seemed of engross me more. Yes, you could say that the Wasteland itself is rather boring, treking through sand and dirt, destroyed society all-around. However, that was the exact reason I was so entranced by the game. Not-so-much the sameness, but rather, the actual points if interest that showed the last remnants of life. Fallout 4 is the main course for this conference,mbut let us start with some of what I found. It's interesting, and some I didn't, of the big reveals. 

      Firstly, we all know Elder Scrolls Online....it's dumb, people rather have Elder Scrolls VI, and although I'm not necessarily jumping for joy over that personally,mi can concur with the fans, stop with DLC and nonsense, and get back to the game everyone else wants to play! Then there's something completely different, in-that it's a ree hashed gimmick that nearly made me lose my respect for Bethesda: an online card-based battle game with the Elder Scrolls franchise smacked right in top. Sure, the fanboys of all ages will go Gaga, but even I would be sickened if they did this to Fallout, and really, the only other game that should ever be a card game, other than Pokemon and a magic, is of course, Warhammer. Still, from what I saw, and granted, it wasn't much, I even felt nauseous enought I skip overrated it, I mean, it's not rocket science, they're going to nickel and dime you for every card, every deck, etc. and that's why we are slowly seeing the death rattle of the console game, as taken serious in the eyes if the hardcore gamer. 

      Still, the landscape of gaming has changed a great deal, and with the trashiest of the trash out of the way, let's get to so ething that actually excited me,,and wasn't Fallout: I'm talking about Doom. For a Publisher/developer, Bethesda has been playing the same game Legendary Pictures has been doing the past several years: working on major franchise titles that were relevant years ago, and are now becoming almost reimagined anew today. 

    When I saw the first bit of playthrough for Doom today, (yes, I'm a bit behind, but I'm catching up quickly) my jaw didn't drop, it sagged. At first I thought the graphics looked terrible, but on closer inspection of the tablet I was watching on, I sW thwt not only were they decent "next-gen" graphics, I was almost intrigued at how well it played! Seeing Doom 3, this was a nice change of oace, and it almost reinstalled my fate in the franchise. Granted,mi was never an obsessed Doom fan, but it always admired the Wolfensteien/Doom aspect to FPS, and now they both pioneered a to f of the greatest, and worst games ever. 

    Doom is a dark and gritty game, and although the color scheme of red on red, with a nice hint of dark red is common to the series, the beauty of it was that it still pays homage to the original,,and yet, it barely looks anything like the original I respects to the sixteen-bit era. Doom looks good, but not over-the-top, and that may be a good thing for the series, which hasn't been the greatest in the past several years. Still, Doom  ah be a game that puts other FPS games to shame come 2016, however, it doesn't look nearly as innovative as other games out there.  Still, Bethesda did a  good job trying to make this game look as respectful as the series once was to fans, and we may actually get a Doom game we've been wanting for years. The only problem I saw with the game demo was that it wasn't necessarily too short, nor too long,mbut it almost seemed the single player is going to be. Backseat to yet another hack multiplayer,,which we all know is going to take away from the legitimate gameplay, and shorten the length of the game decently, whereas the multiplayer looks about as boring as most multi players do. Let's be honest, I don't see a to. Of multiplayer doom tournaments coming up in the future,and even so, I don't see this as something I'd like to participate in. Still,if you really want multiplayer in Doom, well you got your wish. 

       Ext, I want to talk about a sequel that many people have been waiting for, and one in which will cause some controversy: Dishonored 2. Now Dishonored is a game I've actually played, and found to be pitifully boring, with terrible character design, and even more horrific story. The only thing the game did right was blend steals with first person perspective. I also found the semi open-world style of the game to be rather a breath of era hair, making it nearly a sandbox game,mbut it fel too short, and I didn't like the pacing that you find so many other first person style games. Although you can choose when to leave a level, and you can even venture off I to places not nessarily attached to the main missions, it still felt way too confining. Dishonored 2  has the look of a true sequel, one that could envelop the original,mansn probably be the best in the series. We all know the sequel rule of video games: the second and fourth are great, but then it's every other after the fifth title in the series 

      I didn't see too much of Dishonored 2, frankly I wasn't all that excited for it, but properly, I paid enough attention to know that you're switching out characters where you can actually play as the female protagonist of the first game.  Let than that, I know about as much as you do, probably less on the subject. 

   

    Okay, so I put it off until now, here is the meat of it all: Fallout 4:

    If you've happened to have read my first post about the predictions I've made of Fallout 4, I was quite surprised to be nearly right on the head about. Out of what to expect. With some pleasant surprises thrown in at the last. I ute. The game starts off in pre-war Boston, however, I'm sure they're will be a flashback that leads into that,rather than just starting there. Also, you can choose to okay make or female. The character creation is pretty much like Playstation Home, except if has more of no drag and drop process.  I'd like to see if you could utilize that Playstation controller touch pad for the game. Knowing Bethesda, they probably implemented it into the game already. The game is very choice-driven, and yes, the fault dweller talks now, and you can name him/her and yes, people will speak his/her name,mor so they said. I'd like to see if they would call the character numb Nuts  by name. Still, the amount of detail makes up for the controversially last-gen graphics. I also don't believe this game will run at sixty frames per second,then again, which game that supposedly does run at that speed, ever actually at ayes constant at the frame rate?

   After you leave your nose, and run to the vault....well, they don't show you, because it's a big story spoiler....which is probably that you're not really the original vault dweller, but an android of sorts, and you need to go out and do stuff. Still, even if you're not an android,the story is but the background to a game that is bigger than the actual world many of us have actually wales around in! I loved Fallout 3, was the first game I bought for the PS3, and I love it even still today. This game looks far more complicated,mbut equally rewarding as the third game,mas with many new sequels,there may very well be. A learning curb. 

    Still, V.A.T.S. makes a return, as does the dog companion, but he's not named Dog Meat. The dog looks far. One far-more realistic than Dog Meat ever did, and although it seems a heavy focus on this random dog you meet, I'm wondering why the major focus? Why give up such a demo that quite frankly feels years older than the rest of the gameplay footage shown. The rest of the footage is of course: Fallout:Minecraft. Now I was giggiling like a school girl during a farting contest, but I never quite believed the purpose of the whole tower defense concepts shown in the gameplay.  

    The idea of building inside a game that is relevantly similar in idea as the end if the world, it seems to me like it is kinda trying to hide the fact that it wants to be a survival builder, but it doesn't hide it well at all.  Still, I'm finding it extremely satisfying thwt I can choose up to a number of places to build my camp. I also think I nailed it when I expected to see a gun crafting system similar to Borderlands, or even Dead Space 3, as it seems to craft more off of that idea, than Borederlands' style. 

    Building aside, it seems you also have the ability to craft turrets. Which means, along with every other part of the world, you can use your S.P.E.C.I.A.L. abilities, as well as up to seventy perks for your disposal, but it makes me worry the level cap is going to be something of a busllshit number, only because if you can use up to seventy; nearly twice the number of Fallout 3's level cap, the. Now many of these perks are we actually going to be able to use? Unless of course, and this is very doubtful; there is no level cap. 

   If you build a small settlement, traders, as well as raiders, will make there way to trade with

/destroy you, which is a hell of a lot easier than trying to chase down random traders in the wasteland. People, this seems to be one of the themes of the game, as the conversation seems to be more engrossing, unlike past games; where it seemed to taper off into rather asinine conversations at times, although far more greater than the infamous "You, the master of all locks. " and "Jill sandwich" of past dialogue choices. Still, games evolved now to be bigger than most big budget film productions, and the payoff, at very least; is decent dialogue. From what we've seen so far, the character reactions have been quite limited, although it's pretty obvious, and made so by several sources, that Vault 111, which is ten more from our first vault dweller, and soemthing tells me that this isn't done just for the aesthetics of releasing it on 11/10/15, but that something is going to happen to remind us of Vault 101. However, the release date is very excitable, meaning we will have our hands on the game well before 2016, and just in time for the holiday season. 

    Another aspect I found interesting is the Pipboy, which has been given an upgrade, as the one we had in Fallout 3 was an older model, hence why if makes sense to upgrade it to a newer, and I must say, more steampunk-looking model. Apparently it plays decks, like an old cassette tape from the VHS/DAT era, and these decks have certain games and functionalities in them. Showcased at the conference we're two games, which looked like carbon copies of Donkey Kong, and; appropriately: Missile Command.  I'm curious if these games will transfer over to the phone app. Oh, did I fail to mention that the game will be releasing with a Pipboy edition, where you get your own Pipboy, and a free, downloadable phone app for one of the better second-screen experiences I've ever seen. Will it work without internet, or on other iOS devices like an iPod Touch, but it'll be exciting  

     Although I didn't hear a clear, concise date for Doom; which is scheduled to be released very early 2016, I did get a strong point from Bethesda that unless the fires of Hell break open, Fallout 4 is going to be here on November 10th. There was a definite urge to have this game very soon, as makes sense to coincide with the release of Skyrim, it tends to make one think that Elder Scrolls VI will be released later on in the console cycle's life, just like it was done for the PS3 and Xbox 360, respectively. So expect 2018, approximately, for the release of Elder Scrolls VI, which is about three more years of development, and that's a conservative estimate. Also, the Behemoths are back, and they look more terrifying than anything in the wastes. Except for the Deathclaws, they're always terrifying. 

   So we get an awesome look that feels slow, and forever-lasting, though I doubt it was more than five minutes of story, barely, and about twenty minutes, which is barely the prologue for Fallout. The main course was delightful, enough to warrant a preorder, paid-in-full.  Yet Bethesda wasn't finished, as a nice big piece of the pie for dessert, we have Fallout Shelter. This will be either really up one's alley, or something you can't stand. Fallout Shelter is an iOS game for Android and Apple, and it's out literally right now. I've played the game, and I absolutely hate that it likes to crash nearly every five minutes on me.  Okay, I got my complaint about the crash out of the way, so here's what I love: it's like a tamigachi , but with humans. You feed them, dress them, send them out into the wild, you can even make them have babies to increase the size of your vault dwellings. 

    The game is great because there is no cool down, there is. I gimmick, it works, well, mostly, right after uploading, and it's pretty fun. I love the design, as it has a very child-like innocence thwt comes from the cartoony world of Fallout, and it's practically different every playthrough. You will feel challenged, and so etimes unfairly challenged, but it is a fun game, overall, despite some minor flaws, and it's one of the better-looking games I've seen on iOS, developed specifically for iOS.  I spent several hours yesterday playing it, soley to give you a rather detailed review. You start off with a handful of developers, and put them to work building power generators, dining halls, and sleeping quarters. You also need to build treatment facilities to make med paks, and you can even upgrade to broadcast across the wastelands so you get more dwellers to come to your door and help you out. You also get several lunch boxes through completing daily tasks, which really is like a care package full of cards that give you manny benefits, like extra caps, special rare dwellers (I got Harkness from Fallout 3, loved to see if they give you Faust, that'd be overkill though.)  the game is fun, but the crashes aggravate more than stimulate the playing of the game. I'll have to send out a troubleshooting report somehow. 

    You can upgrade rooms to fill your dweller's S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes, but the game is tasking, and the leveling up feels like it takes forever. Also, you have to wwtch out for raiders, fires, and radroaches attacking you on a constant basis. You also can make your character go out into the wastelands, and find materials for you to use in prevention of those attacks. I'm not sure that this game will tie into the big brother coming out later in the Fall, but I'm mystified by just how much work has been done to the game. It truly is a great little game, and if they fix the crashing, or I discover why the hell it's crashing, I'll  probably love the game even more. 

  Overall, Bethesda's conference was a mixed bag, and the the only real surprise was from the iOS. I liked it, but I was excited, not surprised, and for E3, I really want to feel surprised, and sadly the fucks of the internet won't allow for anything to be a surprise anymore because they hunt to leak things, like spoiled brats wanting to peek at the presents before Christmas. The thing with leaks is, it's not just a peek behind the wrapping paper.  But they rip it apart, tear ass out of the closet, and bust though the living room of the world holding up the prize saying "look what I've found!"

  Anyway, I'll be doing the Xbox, Njntendo, and Sony conferences here on the Malacast Editorial as well. Enjoy E3, as well plow through this week of big sneak peaks, and a ton of information that will be the next fiscal year of gaming. Thank you for joining me here on the Malacast Editorial, and please, keep coming back for more in-depth information during my coverage of E3.