Apologies for the hostile headline, but I feel that it’s high time we cleared a few things up about the upcoming Fallout 4 and this frequently repeated myth that the game somehow “looks the same” as Fallout 3.
We are all guilty of retroactively glossing over the flaws of games we used to love – those who have returned to the Nintendo 64’s GoldenEye recently will know exactly what I mean. But the outright stubbornness of those who refuse to accept that Fallout 4 doesn’t look identical to a game 7 years its senior is baffling.
While I’m sure that some are being knowingly hyperbolic, others seem to be very invested in this idea that Bethesda hasn’t made any graphical improvements to Fallout since the third iteration in the series. Now Fallout 4 may not have exactly blown us away with its visuals since it was announced, but let’s get a little perspective here.
Firstly, let’s examine Exhibit A:
Notice how the Protectotron on the left looks like shit, but the one on the right doesn’t look shit? That’s because they are Protectotrons featured in two completely different games, one which was released in 2008, and the other which will be releasing next week.
If that concept is too earth-shattering for you, then prepare for your mind to be irreparably blown by our next comparison. Here’s a screenshot of a heavily armored denizen of the Wasteland in Fallout 3:
And here’s an individual wearing similar armor in Fallout 4, which looks a lot better than the above screenshot by virtue of it being taken from a game that has been developed using superior technology in order to be released on superior hardware:
If that wasn’t enough, let’s consider Dogmeat. Your canine companion in Fallout 3 who, depending upon whether or not you were a good owner, either lived a long life or died an horrific death after you ordered it to run headfirst into a Deathclaw.
Dogmeat looked a little worse for wear in Fallout 3. That is understandable given that it grow up a post-apocalyptic Washington D.C., which can’t exactly be good for any dog’s fur, but let’s face it – he had a face only a mother could love. Just look at the pointy-faced little bugger:
In Fallout 4 you have this little guy, who not only looks happy as fuck, but also undoubtedly boasts a higher polygon count. Which is exactly the kind of quality you look for in a dog, really:
So there you have it: conclusive evidence that Fallout 4 doesn’t look exactly the same as Fallout 3, and that if you say that it does, you’re a dirty liar and your friends have the right to disassociate themselves from you. You idiot.
