Fallout 4 is one of Bethesda’s best-selling RPGs, and as gaming makes the transition to the next-gen consoles, many fans have their own opinions about the features they hope to keep from their favorite series.
Fallout 4 took some experimental risks with the franchises’ formula, including giving the player character a voice and adding an extensive settlement building mechanic into the game. However, no matter which other features are kept or left behind as the series moves on, Fallout 4’s best feature is a must-have for the next game.
Rideable Power Armor
Fallout 4’s Power Armor is by far the game’s best change. In previous installments like Fallout 3 and New Vegas, players had to take the Power Armor Training perk before getting in a suit or wearing a power helmet. Fallout 4 removes this requirement, and instead finds far more interesting ways to impose limitations on the player.
Unlike in previous Fallout games, Fallout 4 added Power Armor Stations which different power armor parts looted from various enemies in the world could be added to in order to create a full suit. Players could then equip the Power Armor from the frame rather than their inventory as in previous games. This made the game more immersive, with players no longer able to put on or take off Power Armor while in the middle of enemy territory.
It also made planning dangerous encounters more important. Fallout 4 players not only had to put together their Power Armor at a Power Armor Station, but had to have enough fusion cores to power the armor throughout their encounter. This also helped complement Fallout 4’s settlement building mechanic, with the Power Armor Stations helping to motivate the player to set up a base of operations that they would return to, etching out their own little corner of the Commonwealth wasteland.
Fallout 4’s Power Armor may have been more burdensome to take care of and store than in previous games, but not without high reward. With the proper upgrades, players could boost their strength to far above the normal limit, and would not only be immune to fall damage but could cause damage to enemies by landing on top of them.
Power Armor Customization
In terms of roleplaying, the Fallout 4 Power Armor was not only integrated better than the Power Armor in previous Bethesda Fallout games, but also came with far more customization than in previous titles too. Not only could players mix and match Power Armor parts, but they could also get ahold of a variety of paint jobs for their customized suit. The Brotherhood of Steel quests alone gave players the opportunity to paint different decals on their armor for each rank: knight, paladin, sentinel, and elder.
Players can turn their power armor hot pink, add racing stripes, deck it out with flames, or paint it like a shark with the Hot Rodder magazines which can be found throughout the Commonwealth, as well as a huge variety of other optional paints. Even the lamp on the Power Amor Helmet can be changed to different colors. Fallout 4 not only allowed players to customize and mix-and-match Power Armor parts, but also included far more power armor options than previous games, including the CC-00 Power Armor, designed for a promotional stunt for in-game fictional space adventurer Captain Cosmos.
Fallout 5 may take the series to some very new places, but the version of Power Armor developed for Fallout 4 should be the basis for the franchise’s Power Armor in the future. After Fallout 76, the future of Fallout has been left unclear, but mechanics like these could provide the basis for a strong single-player installment in the future.
Fallout 4 is now available on PC, PS4, Xbox One.
