I've been playing this game since launch, and between the PS4/5, Steam, and the original Bethesda Launcher on PC, I have probably at minimum, a few thousand hours in this game. I'm not going to talk much about the game mechanics, or really anything that probably matters, but I do want to tell my story.

This game, had a rough launch. Thats putting it lightly. After the rough launch, there were some growing pains. Some bugs, some glitches, few that were so bad they rendered the game unplayable. But I saw something in this game, even through all of that.

Then a few months passed, and it got better. Then a few more months passed, and it got a lot better in some areas, and a little bit worse in others. Then a year passed, and by this time, most of the core issues players had with the game had been addressed. Bugs were less game breaking, and more just humorous and charming.

Then another year passed, and the first update to make significant changes to the gameplay happened. Wastelanders. This was the first real indication that this game was shaping up to be something more. We got NPCs, new factions, new questlines, new events. It was great to say the least. I'm underselling it, because this was the point where most players who had walked away at launch had returned, and this is where I made a decision. From that moment forward, I made it my mission to do my part to make the game a welcoming place for everyone. I made an entire Discord server around assisting new players and acting as a resource for new and seasoned players alike. I began reaching out with my group and recruiting as many new players as I could to try to keep this game alive, and a positive and fun place to spend time. I refused to be the reason anyone had a negative experience in this game.

Some more time passed, and someone very close to me that I played this game with day in, and day out, passed away. I couldn't play it anymore after that. Something was always missing any time I would try to load the game up.

A few months went by, and I still couldn't pick it back up. Any time I would try, I'd find myself staring at my friends list at a name that would never come online again, and then close the game.

Finally, after about a year of being away, I started playing again, and I dusted off my Discord servers permanent invite, and started getting back out there, this time in overdrive. New players, old players, I didn't care. I wanted to try my best to make a dent in this community for the better. Every day I still look at my friends list in game, at a name that will never come back online, and it hurts every time, and that just makes me try even harder.

I have made so many friends in this game over the years, some of them growing to be the people closest to me in my life today.

I am an extreme minority in the Fallout Community saying what Im about to say. I think that with all this games flaws, and a rollercoaster of a history, in the end, Bethesda hit the nail on the head with this game. This is the gaming experience I've been looking for, since I first loaded up Fallout 1.

If you are thinking about getting this game and are on the fence, I recommend it entirely with no strings attached.

If you already own this game, do your part. Be the reason people want to keep playing this game, and the reason people want to buy it in the first place.