Fallout 76 is a multiplayer game that's more fun on your own
Everyone loves a party, right? I know I do. I'll jump at any excuse to hang out with my mates for a good old sesh of music, games and lovely, lovely booze. But, in the case of today's Reclamation Day celebrations, I'll think I'll be partying by myself because to be honest with you, Fallout 76 is a multiplayer game that's much more fun to play on your own.
Fallout 76 is meant to be a social experience. It's been designed with teamplay in mind, what with the 'always on' voice chat, the lack of NPCs, the trading aspects, the timed public events and so on. And don't get me wrong, I tried to embrace these design choices, I put over 10 hours into the beta sessions across PS4 and Xbox One and I've teamed up with friends on both. It's just... I didn't really enjoy myself as much as when I was pootling along at my own pace, doing my own thing. My time with beta convinced me that the multiplayer elements of 76 simply frustrate the experience of what could be a semi-decent single-player Fallout game.
Let's start with immersion - an important thing with roleplaying games and Fallout games in particular. In Fallout 76 we've just emerged from a sealed vault into a ruined world where all your friends and family have been vaporised by a nuclear war. It should be a somber moment, that first step into a new world. A brave new start tinged with sadness, loss and fear. A time for reflection, maybe. It didn't really feel like that for me though because the first thing I saw when I emerged from Vault 76 on the PS4 beta was a group of people in their pants doing love heart emotes at each other whilst one of them pumped Eastern European dance music down their microphone. Don't worry, friends, I'll find a quiet spot to weep for you later...
Post a Comment