finished me3 a while ago. was it great? no. but it wasnt terrible. the writing was shit at times, but also pretty good at times, especially when dealing with characters from throughout the series, and the gameplay went even further to pretty much just boiled everything down to a linear third person shooter. so, sure... the series got progressively worse with each game but it was pretty much what should have been expected having played the second. and as for the ending... yeah, it was pretty stupid, but i never found the story to be great to begin with, so...whatever.
i also played far cry 3 recently, and it was pretty good. a little repetitive at times and the story wasnt as good as some people made out. but it was fun. fun enough that i gave blood dragon a try and while i dug the 80s style, i could only take an hour or so of the game since i simply wasnt in the mood for more far cry 3.
now im playing fallout 4. and like me3 i really dont know what people were expecting. knowing bethesda and having played their recent games its exactly what i thought it would be. a typical modern bethesda game. meaning theres a lot to complain about, like the fact that its a large soulless world that feels copy paste most of the time, and often feels like a hiking simulator with the occasional shit writing. and the reaosn it feels that way is because thats pretty much what it is. thats bethesdas approach too game design now... using a tool set and common assets to create a large world as efficiently as possible. i didnt know that until recently but thats make perfect sense since i described skyrim as just that... a small game world repeated it over and over in order to create a larger one. but like skyrim, theres something addicting about fo4 it despite all its flaws. in the end, while im still annoyed about what bethesda has done to fallout, because it certainty is not fallout in anything much other than name, and is really just an open world fps with rpg elements, its not a terrible game. as stated its just your typical bethesda fare, for better and worse and while i can see why some people loath that, personally i can still have fun with it. though i think bethesda could benefit immensely by instead of placing the focus on how large the world is, instead create a smaller more detailed world that is handcrafted and alive.
edit: have spent a bit more time with f04 now and i have to say im really fucking digging it. sure its not fallout and that sucks, but taken on its own its a damn fun game. probably the best modern bethesda game so far since these games are about exploration and just wondering the world and when it comes to that fo4 offers by far the most enjoyable world to do so in. since its a wasteland the fact that bethesdas worlds are empty and lifeless doesnt really hurt it, and the world itself is allowed to shine. plus the gamer being subjected to less bethesda writing is probably for the better. and while i dont care for the settlement building and will not bother with it i actually dig the weapon and armor modding since it actually makes every piece of junk you can scavenge worthwhile, therefore making exploring and looting worthwhile. is it a great rpg or even a good fallout? nope. hell, outside of the name and a few superficial references its not fallout at all really, take those away and it could be any game set in a post-apocalyptic setting. and i get why that pisses off fallout fans, myself included. they bought the rights to a great franchise and have done little with it that they couldnt have done without it(other than cash in on the name). they also could have learned a hell of a lot from obsidian and what they did with new vegas, but instead went with what they know. but i dont really know why people were expecting anything else from bethesda anyway. from some of the reviews i was worried it might be shit even compared to bethesda standards, but its not any less of a rpg than what bethesda has been pumping out for years, and its simply the bethesda formula just done better imo.
when it comes to simply being a sandbox for the player to explore its far better than skyrim. the world doesnt feel nearly as copy paste, and usually while i enjoy a sense of exploration, i like to feel like im progressing and accomplishing something but that wasnt the case with skyrim, i felt like i was always just treading water and going through the motions, wondering aimlessly until the next repetitive dungeon. thats not the case with fo4, exploration is the game and it works this time around, at least for me.
