Second Runner Up: Fallout 4
Ishmael Romero
Creating the Fallout 4 that fans received this year was far from a simple task. While many series are fine with just releasing the same thing in a new world, the folks at Bethesda knew they had to do something more. It had been seven years since the last numbered release, and while that entry is remembered fondly by friends, it had its fair share of issues.
Fallout 4 needed to be more than just another game where you wandered through emptiness and encountered small towns with big plots. It needed a world you could get lost in, one that was alive and full of hope and opportunity. That’s exactly what Fallout 4 delivered. The Boston Wasteland wasn’t some desert, or completely torn down city. It was full of woods, bustling cities, looming husks of society, and people filled to the brim with the tenacity to survive.
Characters and companions were more than just temporarily intriguing individuals. They had their own hopes and dreams, as well as goals out in the world. Whether it was catching some mutated criminal from years long gone, or making a hope for a family, they were people who were just as alive as you. Your interactions with these folks extended beyond the simple dialogue of previous games as well. You could build something worthwhile, something that became a beacon to others out in the world. Settlements where people could come together and and work towards a bright future as society rose of from the radiated ashes like some sort of nuclear powered phoenix.
This all set a new foundation for the vastly improved gameplay that fans of the series had come to know. Shooting felt more intuitive and worthwhile, exploration felt more meaningful with one man’s trash truly becoming the next man’s treasure (and resources), and the RPG aspects were further refined. There was more control given to the player, and when that’s combined with a world that is finally truly alive and wants to do its own thing you’re left with something truly amazing.
