Is Fallout 76 good now? It depends what you're into

After the thrill of crafting my own settlements, battling synths and super mutants and generally ruling the wasteland in Fallout 4 (still possibly my favourite game to this day), the franchise’s shift to the online space felt underbaked, rushed, and certainly not worth the money I paid for it (the exact figure still pains me to this day).

Yet, after watching Ella Purnell’s Lucy MacLean survive the apocalypse with all the altruism and optimism I try to instil into my own characters in RPGs, I had to get back in there myself – and when I saw that Fallout 76 was free for Amazon Prime subscribers (thanks to a handy website named RadioTimes.com), and having heard rumblings that Bethesda had done a bit of a No Man's Sky redemption tour with the title, I thought I’d give it a whirl.

And it’s safe to say I’m glad I did.

Don’t get me wrong, the release is still sorely lacking in certain departments – I’ll get to them later – but for what I've been craving, a solo jaunt across the entertaining and eccentric post-societal setting, a game I could boot up on my lunch break to slay a few beasts and secure a few caps, it’s proven just the ticket.

It’s safe to say I’m not the type of gamer who sits down for 12-hour sessions on the Xbox. More often than not, I want an experience that requires part of my attention but not all of it, a fun outlet to blow off some steam while I simultaneously watch a YouTube video or take in a podcast. In Fallout 76, I’ve found a great one.

With the game’s willingness to allow new players to skip straight to Level 20, avoiding the usual tedious long-winded tutorial, this is a release that you can dive straight into. Walk around your vault for a few minutes and bam, you’re out in Appalachia popping ghouls and pickpocketing fools.

There are central storylines, bringing the usual mix of odd characters and moral dilemmas that Bethesda is so well-known for.

But, ultimately, the game acts as a sort of side quest simulator, an opportunity to spend half an hour exploring a cave or clearing out a bandit camp to upgrade your gear or improve your 'fit.

If, like me, that’s what you’re after, Fallout 76 is perfect. If you’re wanting more than that, it might be worth dusting off your old copy of New Vegas to scratch the post-Prime Video series itch.

First of all, for an MMO, Fallout 76 is largely uninteresting when played in parties. After getting the 76 bug, I convinced my friend to give the game a second chance, but after exploring a little together, we realised it really isn’t a title that’s all that great to get into in groups.

You can make missions easier, sure. You can trade with each other. You can party up and you can even kickstart events as a unit – but really, you get very little from forcing your mate to join your party. (Sorry for wasting your time, said mate.)

Second, there’s Fallout 1st to contend with, the game’s premium membership scheme that "enhances the Fallout 76 experience".

While it’s certainly not essential that you sign up to enjoy the game, the constant nudges to get your PayPal Wallet out are undoubtedly irritating, taking me back to the days of my eight-year-old self, stuck on the base game of RuneScape enviously aware that others were out there are getting a better experience because they coughed up the pounds.

Finally, the base building is hardly worth your time. There are plenty of incentives to at least give it a try, with the ability to recruit NPCs to your CAMP, who can then offer perks and quests, proving the most obvious one. You can also allow your team members to help out with the housekeeping, and there are plenty of customisation options.

Yet several times already I’ve signed in to find that my CAMP has been shifted or shut down as someone or something else has nabbed its turf, and I find that my blueprint doesn’t quite fit anywhere near where I spawn, meaning I either need to splash caps to fast travel or take a hike myself to find a decent new spot to call home.

If building an interesting base is what you’re after, stick to Fallout 4 and get the ever-reliable Deacon to chip in. And if you’re wanting to play a fun game with friends, hell, just stick to Helldivers 2.

So, is Fallout 76 good now? Is it worth the install after binging your way through every Vault 33 committee meeting and slow-motion headshot from The Ghoul on Prime Video? It depends what you’re after.

If you’re wanting a casual game to dip in and out of in your free time, 100 per cent. If you’re wanting more than that? Maybe save yourself the 70GB of storage space.

Read more on Fallout:

• Fallout games in order - best place to start
• Best Fallout 4 mods - and how to use them
• Fallout 4 cheats - the full list
• When is Fallout 4 set? Timeline explained
• Is Fallout 76 cross-platform?
• Fallout: New Vegas cheats
• Fallout: New Vegas explained - how will TV address it?
• Fallout London release date - latest news
• Will there be a Fallout 3 Remastered? What we know
• Fallout 3 cheats
• Fallout 5 release date speculation
• Fallout season 2 - will the TV show continue?

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