As the technology for video games become more advanced with each generation, it's a certainty that their graphical capabilities will continue to enhance as well. While visuals for current gen games are definitely an important component for video games, it's crucial for developers to not only focus on the way a title looks, but also on how it plays. Thankfully for gaming fans, the seasoned pros over at Bethesda seem primed to keep both elements in mind when it comes to Fallout 4.
After Bethesda's official announcement of the forthcoming installment in their popular post-apocalyptic franchise at E3 2015, some fans were less than impressed with the graphics that were revealed for Fallout 4, and immediately took to their respective echo chambers on the Internet to voice an opinion. Today, Bethesda's Vice President of Marketing PR, Pete Hines, shares his take on those criticisms in an interview with Metro, saying such commentary "definitely doesn't upset us."
With 16-plus years in the business, it's obvious that Hines has developed a thick skin when it comes to the critique of projects he's promoting, especially when it comes from anonymous cyber pundits. The way he sees it, video games are a form of entertainment, and one would be remiss to assume that everybody's tastes are perfectly in alignment. The executive realizes that it's impossible to please each individual all of the time, because people's views on experiences vary, saying:
"Generally speaking . . . I think we’re an industry, we’re a form of entertainment. As with most forms of entertainment, you never get 100 percent agreement on anything. And so, at the end of the day, whether it's what the graphics look like or whether the gameplay is what you want or whether you like the setting, or whatever it is, everybody is entitled to their opinion."
Since the proliferation of online message boards has given practically anyone with the remote ability to operate a computer the chance to express their sentiments online, more often than not, these Internet denizens end up on their soapboxes, jumping at the chance to complain about any subject at hand before all of the facts are even in. As it happens, gaming fans have not only been critical of Fallout 4's graphics, but they have also taken aim at the gameplay mechanics, saying that they appear too similar to previous installments in Bethesda's Wasteland-centric franchise. Of course, Hines wasn't surprised with the complaints, as he says:
"It ought to look and feel familiar. If you played Fallout 3 you ought to be able to see things that are recognizable or similar or whatever. . . . But at the same time, when you’re playing it it’s a mix of familiar and different. . . . But those things are sometimes very difficult to demonstrate in a short video at [an] E3 showcase, or whatever. But if you jump into the game and you play it for an extended period of time you start to feel the differences and how much some things have changed."
Before Fallout fans rush to judgment over what's been shown in trailers or even in the leaked gamescom gameplay footage, they need to understand that it's unreasonable, and downright impractical to dismiss a video game when they haven't actually played it. Surely after gamers get to delve into the new features such as the RPG's allowance for players to extensively craft and customize weapons, armor, and settlements, then they will become Followers of the Apocalypse once more.
Fallout 4 is set to release on November 10, 2015, for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.