It's finally December. And with the first of the December blogs to be recapped, I thought I'd get into the festive mood by making this -ism about something completely unrelated.
So, how bout that Fallout 76?
It's been a bad week for Bethesda, as they've lurched from one disaster to the next, but in my view the review scores are by far the worst. Fallout 76, as a concept, just doesn't work. In all the ways that Bethesda could have made multiplayer Fallout, they chose maybe the worst - a game that is neither recognisably Fallout, barely an RPG, and completely lacking as a multiplayer shooter.
Seems to me (the total smart arse that I am) the answer to what Fallout 76 should have been is obvious. Just rip off Dark Souls. Completely, utterly, shamelessly steal all of its multiplayer ideas, from invasions to summoning. Because ripping off ideas and making a good game is infinitely better than what we got.
Imagine a Fallout game with factions which function like covenants. Becoming a raider and invading other players' settlements. Joining the Minutemen and helping to defend against those raids, or becoming a merc and hunting those raiders down for their high bounties. Taking up the fight as the Railroad in optional difficult multiplayer missions against Institute dungeons. Invading players as a ghoul 'gravelord', infecting their world with radiation, causing powerful monsters to spawn until you're defeated. All the while exploring the wasteland through the stories told by all those NPCs you weren't foolish enough to remove and replace with scintillating letters on corpses and cassette tapes.
Better yet, implementing a Demon's Souls-style world tendency system could have been amazing. Imagine a Fallout where in-game events and characters change depending on how many times you've died, killed, or successfully defended the wasteland. One more reactive to the gameplay decisions you make beyond a simple 'karma' system. Admittedly, world tendency was janky as hell, but I wish the Souls games had, rather than dropping it entirely, iterated and improved the system because the idea was fascinating and the closer to a genuine living world (in theory at least) than most RPGs aim towards being.
Now, the blogs.
S- Adam P's 30 Hidden Gems series continues with entry 25 on Daredevil (GBA).
S- Day 26 is Jett Rocket (Wii).
S- Day 27 is the underrated Marlow Briggs and the Mask of Death.
S- Day 28 is Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon (Wii).
D- PStoid went to AnimeNYC this year and had a good time.
R- Aurachad reviews Diablo 3 and the Reaper of Souls expansion.
T- CoruptAI125 asks why he's still playing Fallout 76, a question only he can really answer.
T- Quizlet has some Pokemon Go tips.
T- And SenPerfect has some Spider-Man tips for beginners.
F- Boxedpresentsman214's Doctor Who Spoiler Space discussed the episode The Witchfinders.
S- Wes Tacos wants to know what the community bought during Black Friday.
Really, Todd? Dragons?
This was a big week. Of course, we're looking for new members for the recap team. There aren't that many of us left, and another member or two added to the team would really help. If anyone in the community wants to step up, leave a comment below. In the mean time, keep writing, reading and posting. From me, Santador, see you around.
Blog Count: 27
Last Posted Recap (11/18 to 11/24)