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Fallout 4

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Play OverviewPlay Overview

Fallout 4 (2015) is an open world role-playing and shooting game. Set in a post apocalyptic world called The Wasteland, you explore a large map, interact with inhabitants, collect useful items to sell or craft with, build your own settlements, and defend yourself from dangerous foes.

There are many individual stories to unravel, many of them concerning the evil corporation of Vault-Tec. It manufactured underground bunkers where the human survivors of the war live, and have been subject to cruel psychological or physical experiments. Your character is the sole survivor of one of these bunkers and is searching for their kidnapped son. How these stories develop is impacted by your actions as there are many paths you can take which means everyone's experience of the game is slightly different.

The Fallout Series started in 1997 as a PC turn-based adventure game and has developed into a vast multi-console open world experience. Other games in the series include:
  • Fallout 1997 (Mac, PC)
  • Fallout 2 1998 (Mac, PC)
  • Fallout 3 2008 (Windows, Xbox 360, PS3)
  • Fallout: New Vegas 2010 (PC, Xbox 360, PS3)
  • Fallout 4 2015 (Windows, PS4, Xbox One)
  • Fallout Shelter 2015 (Android, iOS, PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch) (a spin off Time Management game set in the same universe)
  • Fallout 76 2018 (PC, PS4, Xbox One)

You can choose to play in either first person (through the eyes of the character) or third person with the character visible to you, and the gender and facial features are chosen at the start of the game. The main story involves finding out what happened to your son, which will involve some difficult moral decisions.

Gameplay involves taking on quests, crafting items from junk, managing your inventory, eating food, taking medication, and equipping weaponry. The quests are given by characters you meet, and usually involve finding someone or something, or clearing out a building of irradiated cockroaches or worse.

Combat is against both human and animal foes. Some creatures are affected by radiation and can make you sick by being close to you. Almost everything in the nuclear ravaged world is harmful to you, so finding clean water and anti-radiation syringes is an important part of survival in this game.

You can choose the level of difficulty for this game, so if you do not want to concentrate on the survival aspects and would rather get absorbed in the story elements you can do that. Exploring the wasteland is a lot more difficult when you are constantly watching your health levels and scrounging for scraps of food, but for hardened Fallout players this is all part of the challenge.

New to Fallout 4 is also base building. You can craft together settlements and buildings from junk you find lying all over the Wasteland. Fence in your home base to defend against enemy attack, or construct a fantasy building with no real purpose. Create castles or bungalows, you can be very creative with this.

Our examiner, Andrea Walney, first checked Fallout 4 2 years ago. It was re-examined by Andy Robertson and updated 7 months ago.
Kids not old enough for this yet? There are lots of games similar to Fallout 4 (Series). Here are some similar younger-rated games:

Play StylePlay Style

This is an Action, Adventure, Narrative and Role-Play game with Collecting, Creative and Shooting elements. This is a single-player game.

DurationDuration

Play Time: This game will take between 75 hours and 80 hours to complete. This time does not include every side mission, nor does it include the add-on content or base building. Fallout 4 features a large map with multiple stories to discover, and the option to purchase additional areas and story-lines. But even the main story offers a wide range of choices that create a different experience if you re-play.

Age RatingsAge Ratings

Content Rating

Rated PEGI 18 for Violence. Players can decapitate and dismember enemies with various firearms, explosives or melee weapons, all with associated blood and gore. As in Fallout 3, players can use a targeting system which will depict this violence in slow motion. Bodies remain on the ground and can be mutilated further post-mortem. Some characters are restrained and defenceless against the violence. The game features infrequent use of the word '*!@?*'.
 
User-Generated Content: This game includes content created by other players, such as maps, outfits and items, that are not reflected in the game rating.

Skill Level

16+ year-olds usually have the required skill to enjoy this game. Still, it's important for parents and guardians to consider the maturity required to process the game content. The scale of the challenge is daunting but appeals to ambitious older teenagers. The cowboy outlaw theme can also connect with the desire for adventure provided players have the patience and perseverance to dig deep into the game world and discover different stories.

CostsCosts

Fallout 4 usually costs £15.74 to £49.99.
 

Fallout 4

Fallout 4 VR

Steam Store PC £49.99

Fallout 4: Game Of The Year Edition

XBox Store Xbox One £34.99
There are the following additional costs associated with this game:
  • In-Game Purchases: Additional in-game purchases are offered for items that enhance the experience.
 
There are community made free "mods" which can add some variety to the game, such as turning all cans into cats, new outfits, or adding flowers to the muddy wastes. 
 
It's important to set up your accounts and devices appropriately. More information is on our Financial Resources page.
 

DetailsGame Details

Release Date: 10/11/2015, updated in 2016

Out Now: PC, PS4 and Xbox One

Skill Rating: 16+ year-olds

Players: 1

Genres: Action, Adventure, Narrative, Role-Play (Collecting, Creative and Shooting)

Accessibility: 28 features

Components: 3D First-Person, 3D Third-Person, Day and Night, Open World and Weather

Developer: Bethesda (@Bethesda)


Taming Gaming Book Written by parents for parents, the database complements the in-depth discussion about video game addiction, violence, spending and online safety in the Taming Gaming book. We are an editorially independent, free resource without adverts that is supported by partnerships.

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