Here’s a summary of this hot take.

• The game gives you way too much powerful equipment and abilities right away. This undermines any sense of progression or challenge.
• The power armor is so good it makes radiation damage irrelevant. This completely contradicts the idea of Fallout, where radiation is a constant danger.
• The game is incredibly easy. Bethesda tries to compensate by throwing tons of enemies at you, which makes combat feel overwhelming and chaotic.
• The writing is bad. Dialogue options are simplified, and the main story is riddled with plot holes.
• The Institute storyline is poorly written. The main villain, “Father”, is inconsistent and his motivations are never fully explained.
• The ending of the game is deeply unsatisfying. There’s no option to negotiate with the Institute or prevent them from being destroyed.
• The game is full of glitches and technical issues. These range from animations to camera issues to disappearing textures.

Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed this nightmare. It’s a beautiful game with excellent gameplay, and I’ve played it multiple times. The companions have deep and interesting stories and quests. The side quests are full of humor and nods to other Fallout games and pop culture. The gunplay is the best of any Fallout game. And the god rays! Oh, the god rays!

Yeah, the main quest was sub-par. Oh well. Personally, I enjoyed the twist regarding Father, and it was satisfying to destroy the Institute.

Using a full dialog mod at least let’s you see what you’re going to say before you say it. I agree on that point. The dialog choices suck compared to older games.