Connor's Entertainment Blog | Tag

Fallout 76 is an online multiplayer game published by Bethesda Studios.

It’s safe to say that Fallout 76 launched with a rather loud thud, compared to the fanfare and confetti that Bethesda wanted it to have. And its also safe to say that since its release Fallout 76 has improved dramatically and is even adding new content. But, is it enough? Have Bethesda fixed the game in the few months since its release?

One of the key criticisms of Fallout 76 when it first launched was the carry/storage capacity and this has largely been addressed. Whilst your carry capacity is still linked to your level and what perk cards you have, the storage capacity has been upgraded from 400kg to 800kg. This is a big step due to the fact that a lot of Fallout 76 relies on storing resources and equipment to build new things as well as leveling up your weapons and gear. So, whilst this storage capacity may seem like a trivial issue, it is something that was causing a lot of players hassle, and turned a few off from the game entirely.

Fallout 76’s storage capacity was limited to 400kg for a long time after launch.

Another criticism for the game was the server issues, whether it be lag, failing to load in items or just kicking you out of one entirely and this has, largely, been fixed. I played for quite a while yesterday and didn’t experience any server issues bar a few laggy areas, but I believe that was more down to my wi-fi than to the game servers themselves. However, it should be noted that because this is a consistently online game, there will always be some minor server issues due to the amount of people that might want to be online at one time, but this is something Bethesda will be constantly working on.

Fallout 76 players would often receive this message during the early days of the game.

The third biggest issue that has since been resolved, since launch for Fallout 76, was AI responses. In the early days of the game, enemies would often not notice you, run away from you or you wouldn’t be able to hit them despite being up-close to them. Thankfully, this has been mostly fixed with enemies now running towards you when you’re noticed by them and your hits are registered on them dealing the damage that it should. But, as with the other criticisms, these issues can still crop up every now and then, especially the hit registers, during my previous gameplay I did experience a few occasions when my hits weren’t registered on the enemy which led to me being damaged more than I should.

Players would experience a variety of AI bugs.

But what about new additions? Well, since the original release, Bethesda have now released their first set of DLC. This, and all up-coming DLC, will be free to players of the game and will include a lot of content. For example, the first load of content will run between March and April and will feature new drinks and methods of creating drinks, centring on a brewing system to make alcoholic beverages that will have additional bonuses. During this DLC release window, there will also be a new ‘Survival’ game mode launched and some new Vaults being opened and ready to be explored.

Fallout 76’s current DLC roadmap for 2019

It’s safe to say that Fallout 76 has made some big strides towards the game it should have been when it was first released, but it might still have a long way to go before the game, and the publishing company, can regain the trust of a lot of fans who were considered hurt by the games launch. That being said, if you do have a copy of Fallout 76, be sure to drop big in soon and experience all that has changed, and if you don’t have a copy – but would like to get one – then a lot of game shops and Amazon are currently selling the game at an extremely reduced cost, so it might be worth picking up.

The Lego Movie 2 Videogame is available on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC

Now, I didn’t intend on reviewing this game, it’s a Lego game and it’s not one of the big mainstream titles to have been released over the past 6 months, but after playing the first couple of ‘levels’ I felt I needed to say something.

The Lego Movie 2: The Video Game was developed by TT Fusion and published by Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment and is a tie-in game to the recently released The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part.

I’ve enjoyed almost every Lego game I’ve played, from Lego Star Wars to Lego Pirates of the Caribbean, but the first The Lego Movie game was the first I wasn’t too keen on. Whilst it had decent levels and a good hub world, i didn’t enjoy the movement of the characters or the fact that its cut-scenes were just clips from the movie inserted in, changing the game style completely, however, The Lego Movie 2 videogame is an all new level of bad.

The one good thing I’ll admit is the fact that it doesn’t just insert scenes from the film into the game, it does try to create its own narrative, but that is also its downfall. It seems this game can’t decide whether it wants to be a movie tie-in game of its own unique individual game and, unfortunately, it doesn’t do either.

The movement system in this game is the same as the system from the first Lego Movie game, which i expected, but it seems to have not been improved upon at all. It also takes the common ‘running’ mechanic from previous Lego games, where you slowly move until you’ve been moving long enough for the game to realise you want to be running. There’s no sprint button, and no way to move faster unless using a vehicle.

I also have an issue with the cast for this game and the decisions the developers made concerning voice acting. Whilst some cut-scenes use voices from the movie, others will only featuring grunts and sighs (much like the first Lego games – i.e. Star Wars) but then there will be moments when the characters talk to each other and some of the voice actors don’t even sound like the original movie actors. An example of this is Unikitty, the voice in the game sounds so different to Alison Brie in the movies, that it completely took me out of the experience.

One of the other mechanics in this game which has frustrated me is the fact that you now collect bricks from the items you break. This was first introduced in the Lego City Undercover game, and you would use these bricks to build certain objects that would help you progress through the levels. This is incredibly different to recent Lego games (Lego Marvel Superheroes 2 and Lego DC Super-villains) where you’d break an object and be able to rebuild it to the certain item the game has been built around you needing, therefore removing the issue of having to break almost everything in order to make sure you have the bricks you need. Whilst I recognise that having this mechanic in place is more suitable for the ‘master builder’ theme of the Movies, it feels a bit shoe-horned in and an unnecessary complication.

My final point is the fact that there seems to be no ‘official’ levels. At the moment, all I have played has been one continual level, moving through event to event with no aim of collecting all the studs or mini-kits, something that Lego games are known for, and for me, this takes away a lot of the fun. I don’t know when a level has finished and I have nothing to aim for during that level. Whilst this can be seen as a way to make the game more free-flowing and linear, i really think it detracts from what Lego games have been, collectathons.

I’ll try and push through with the game, and maybe it’ll pay off. But the differences between previous games and the movie itself may be too much. This game is a long-shot away from TT‘s previous Lego entries, Lego Incredibles and Lego DC Super-Villains, and I can only hope that their next project returns to the brilliantly crafted worlds they’re known for creating.

The Lego Movie 2: The Video Game – 2/5

Tag Archives: ps4

Fallout 76 – Four Months On

The Lego Movie 2: The Video Game – Review