Well, I broke down and picked the game up when it went on sale last fall and I got the DLC during the Xmas sales that Steam runs. First thing is I'm glad I got it, I didn't think that it would take me nearly a year to get it but that's what happens when Steam is tight with the sales in the middle of the year.

Okay, the first thing that took some getting used to was creating my character, I actually like the older one found in FONV and the choices for males were all in the 'might as well get a hooker 'cause you're to ugly for a good looking girl' category. I mean I'm not that good looking but I don't want a character that's uglier. Fortunately I found a preset that added a younger face so while I gave him a few facial scars he looks better than what comes in the game. Besides, chicks dig scars and they build character, in this case literally.

I did like the new way of naming and allotting SPECIAL points, beats a Strength-O-Meter and a psyche eval by a country Doctor. The only thing I wish that was possible as in FONV is be able to play a a teen and the lack of teen or younger companions. Since I try to role play my character as young as I can I try to make a character that has some military experience along with being a jack of all trades master of none, I like to have a companion or two that are near the age I make my character and to take in and protect any kids that my team run across.

As I said I role play in the game as a way to get ideas for fan fiction stories based on this game and maybe an anime or two as well as this old TV show "The Tribe". That's why I add in younger NPC and companions, so I have to balance the missions the game throws at me as well as keeping the kids in my group safe. I did manage to recruit a kid that was a captive of the Raiders in the Corvega plant but then I couldn't assign him to a settlement or dismiss him and if I tried to talk I'd get no answer. Dogmeat is more obedient. Other than that the companions I have added as well as the vanilla NPCs are pretty good.

The quests so far are interesting but I'm really getting sick of ghouls. I've never liked anything 'Zombie' and in more than one place it's like a ghoul convention. Well, I guess given the choice of every kind of ghecko and freaking rattler-coyote hybrids or ghouls I'll take the ghouls. The only thing that is a little bit of a turn off is all the blood and gore you run across in a Super Mutant encampment. I get a little squeamish seeing that much dripping red.

Now, as far as graphics go, I've left those at default and can honestly say this, I get momentary vertigo in high places, in fact the first time I would set foot onto the flight deck while I was in the Navy after not being up for a while I would get dizzy and it would take me a couple of minutes to get my head cleared. The same happened when I went out onto the roofs of the Corvega plant and the Saugus Ironworks. I actually got a little dizzy when I got near the edge of the building. That's another thing, the buildings that are still more of less intact looked lived in and the rest actually look like a war zone.

As for weapons, so far I've added a ship load of add on weapons but I still have to make do with the vanilla ones at the start. Thank god for the add on weapons as well because unless you use a mesh and texture replacer for the vanilla one you have to live with some very ugly, and as a gunsmith, functionally questionable guns. The assault rifle is one of those, I have one word for it, NO! just no, I'll use the .45 combat rifle tricked out until I can get a better one. Same with the 10mm pistol, I'll use it until I can get enough materials to make an M1911. The only weapons so far that I have no complaint about looks is the shotgun and hunting rifle. In fact I like this hunting rifle better than the one in FONV, at least the butt plate is attacthed without the loose nail sticking out and duct tape around the stock, presumably to keep said stock in one piece.

The Tommy gun is another weapon that I keep for as long as I can. I tend to add a reflex sight, light barrel, full stock and suppressor as I level up. Even after I get more powerful guns I still keep this as a back up. Now, I have added a cosmetic replacer for the .45 combat rifle as well as one for the pipe based weapons. The add on place weapons that have lots of combinations as to receivers, stock, barrels, mags and other things. They all look like either British STEN and Stirling SMG's. However you can make a very powerful in the lower levels, compact SMG with the right combination of parts. I would love to see a MAC10 or Uzi made for this game sometime soon.

As for the other weapons, most of them came from this pack that's only on Bethesda's site. That said, it does add some good items into the game. I've also added mostly US manufactured weapons either real ones like the M14, M16, SCAR and M1911 but fictional ones such as the R91 as well. The only thing I would like to see is some of the cut items like the 'Nuke' mortar placed back into the game. Well, I do have the cheat that lets you into the Smoke testing location without a consol command so I can get the mortar I just can't find any ammo for it. That's something I'd like to ask the weapons wizards, anyway to make alternative ammo for the Broadsider? You know, stuff that actually goes boom and blows things up, that would be a blast, no pun intended.

Over all, I like playing this game, in fact I'm having more fun than in FONV as I could never get FO3 to work on my WIN7 system. There seems like there's more to do as far as quests go and I'm guessing that you can still continue to play after the main quest is done or am I wrong in that? My only real gripes are this, after two other FPS games and their attendant add on's as well as forum posts why hasn't Bethesda thought to include some type of backpack in the game from the start?

Not only that, I've watched over the years A LOT of post apocalyptic sci-fi movies, and since I'm way older than the average member that means movies from the late sixties, Soylent Green to today and in the majority the world still had functioning motor transport. Look at Mad Max or Blade Runner, world is out of gas but the people still have cars. I can't understand why, if the Brotherhood and Enclave as well as the NCR can produce Vertibirds, trucks and other vehicles, NCR and their rail road for example. Why can't Bethesda add at least a Jeep, Hummer or redneck pickup truck that can be driven?

Walking is fine but having played Far Cry 2, I'm not impressed with 1 or 3, I miss driving in a land rover or Unimog. This would have been a great addition to FO4. You get thawed out, go home and after you gain some experience in the wastes salvage one of the abandoned trucks to run on flamer fuel so you can get to where you need to a bit faster. As an upgrade make it so you can add a machine gun to the roof, side or bed  and have your companions crew them. Like the song says, Nobody walks in L.A. and I presume Boston as well.

Well, that's all I have to say about this game, I reallyy can't tell my friends since if I do I get told to 'grow up and act my age'. I'm almost 57 and retired. Where's the fun if I acted my age? I did grow up once, I was the most boring time in my entire life. I just know that this is the most fun I've had with my clothes on in a long time that didn't involve helicopters or flight. I also know that I'm getting this for my oldest grandson for his next birthday.