Alright, so I have a problem that everyone else has. I get hyped for new things.

It isn’t really a big problem, because getting excited for stuff is fun, and it is a positive emotion, but when it comes to video games one can waste a LOT of money on things like pre-orders for games that you just KNOW are gonna be great.

So yeah, I love the Fallout series, and I have played the new Fallout games ex-ten-siv-ly. I am excited for the prospect of Fallout 4:

It is a good trailer, and it shows a lot. It has excited me. I am excited. If you could see my face you’d know.

HOWEVER…

I am so sick of the way the AAA games industry works right now, I am going to absolutely refuse to gush about this game until the first full reviews are complete. I have been bitten too many times recently to do otherwise.

What I will do, is make lists.

The Good:

• Colors: It looks like they finally put colors into the damn game, as well as foliage. This was something that was sorely missing from the other Fallout games, what makes something post-apocalyptic is lack of people, not necessarily lack of beauty.
• Character: Dogs are kind of a big deal. That they chose to show a dog and its companion human right off the bat means (to me) that they are still concerned with character building, which is the cornerstone of all the Fallout games.
• In-game video: You know it is in game because the graphics look almost the same as Fallout 3 or Skyrim… It takes guts to do that, and I have to give them props for it. It is also kind of worrying though, which brings me to my next list.

The Worrying:

• No RPG Element Shown: I know, it is a teaser trailer, they wouldn’t show menus in a teaser trailer. Still, I have become cynical, and tend to take nothing for granted. One thing that game companies have done in recent years is to remove RPG elements from RPGs in order to make room for more control and railroading. I’m not saying that Bethesda will have done this, but I will absolutely be watching for it.
• Graphics: Again, mad props to them for posting in-game footage as the teaser, but the graphics already seem like they need more work. It looks like Skyrim, which was an absolutely amazing game 5 years ago, but it was 5 years ago. Also the animations still look hilariously janky, but that is Bethesda. Maybe they’ll fix it, maybe not.

I am excited for this. I really am. I am simply turning into a more of a cynic, and will look forward to playing this a month or so after it is released, once it fully shakes out.

[adam]