Fallout 4’s graphics look cheap and plasticy, but that’s OK

Fallout 4 is causing a lot of excitement despite not being super beautiful.

[Snookies12]

Yep, it looks a lot better than the previous games though, so I don't get the issue... We don't know how big this game world is, and if they sacrificed graphics to make a huge world I am all for that! Judging from the trailer, the world looks pretty awesome. People are always going to find something to hate on. Let them complain away while the rest of us have a great time checking this game out when it 'drops'.

[bouzebbal]

F4 doesn't look good, but none of Fallout games looked good it's about gameplay.

[mikeslemonade]

Fallout games didn't look good and that doesn't make it okay.

The excuse that it looks better than Fallout 3 is weak. You're competing against other games not just a game that came out in 2008.

And right now it's subpar in comparison to all the other games coming out.

[ZeroX9876]

To all the haters out there, only one thing left to do.

Don't buy it.

I'm definitely buying it and all fans of fallout should too. I don't buy games for graphics, even if I have a pretty good gaming PC. I don't have any preferences between consoles and PC, as long the game is great!

[darren_poolies]

Too bad the gameplay is terrible then.

[zeal0us]

A lot of people seem to jumping the gun and whining about graphics. The teaser/trailer could've been done in a alpha/pre-alpha built.

[hells_supernova]

I agree gameplay beats graphics but it is the gameplay of fallout that stopped me from getting into It

[ABizzel1]

It looks like I thought it would in my previous blog, like Fallout 3 with some graphics mods.

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

The environments look acceptable for an open-world next-gen game (although draw distance fov is horrible as all details are lost). The main issue are the character models which look dated still.

I didn't expect too much from Bethesda graphically (not their strong suit and they don't put much emphasis in them).

I also think the game was in development for PS3 and 360 at first considering Skyrim came out in 2011, and Fallout should have dropped in 2013, but once the new consoles were revealed in 2013 they moved over, which could be another reason why it looks more like a PS360 remaster. They might have just hired some of the modders to give the game a graphics bump from the original PS360 quality.

Regardless the game looks acceptable, not a graphics showcase, but still acceptable.

[SolidStoner]

if you know what is fallout! then for YOU it will be beautiful!

[darx]

Meh...graphics aren't everything. TLOU Was one boring game! Could only get through half of it and finally had enough and I typically finish almost all of the games I play.

[Erik7357]

I feel like it's art-style is pretty damn good.

[Sashamaz]

@ZeroX9876 The people you are calling haters are probably bigger fans of the game than you, wanting improvements in the graphics does not mean they hate the game. People like you are the reason there is so much stagnation, you are a conformist, content with the same, you say it's fine now yet when it's Call of Duty you'll be the one on the other end complaining about the lack of improvements.

Bethesda is bigger than CDPR and has way more money yet a smaller team managed to create a large game world that looks phenomenal even with the whole 'Downgrade' fiasco.

[die_fiend]

Sacrificing graphics to make a huge game world? Have you seen the witcher 3? Looks phenomenal and is huge

[Snookies12]

CD Projekt are wizarding masters, we all know this.

[Kal-V3]

Plus, Bethesda have twice the manpower and budget that CDPR have so there is no excuse for it not to look way better than that. But you know..Fallout is a popular, established name so we HAVE to like it no matter what while Witcher gets raked over coals for a "Downgrade".

By the way, Fallout 3 is one of my favorite games of all time. So it's not like I'm trolling here.

[Jyndal]

Maybe, just maybe, it was Bethesda's intention to use this graphical style. It's kind of comic book meets Saturday morning cartoons. I dig it.

Of course, those who are offended can always opt not to play it.

[dancerOfDeath]

It does. But Fallout is a different game. Different dev. Different engine. Different systems governing the simulation. Hell, we haven't even got a good look at it yet. Whose to say it wont look amazing as well?

I mean, I've been listening to ppl tell me that The Witcher looks underwhelming for weeks. Clearly there is no pleasing everyone.

If the game is a crapton of fun and still looks that good, there is no reason to complain.

[zeal0us]

The final product(Witcher3) that has been fully release looks phenomenal.

Fallout 4 is unfinished product that does even have a release date yet. Yet people up in arms like its going to be release this very month.

[Germany7]

Still, Fallout it's way better than any The Witcher game.

[UnHoly_One]

Yeah no kidding. Witcher looks amazing but it plays like a pile of turds.

[Blacklash93]

@Kal-V3

Twice the manpower and budget? You can't just say that stuff without backing it up.

Does Bethesda Game Studio have 400 employees? Because that's about how many they would need to be twice of what CDPR had for the The Witcher 3 which had over 200 people working on it. For reference, Skryim had about 100 people developing it.

(Sources for the numbers are the CDPR "Thank You" letter included with The Witcher 3, and the Bethesda Blog)

[Xof]

Uh... have you seen TW3? They do a LOT of little tricks to keep the game from rendering very much of that "huge world" at once.

[iSuperSaiyanGod]

People on this site have been crying for this game for forever , now it's confirmed & they're not happy . Nothing will satisfy anybody I swear

[Kal-V3]

I can't speak for everyone but me personally, i LOVED Fallout 3. I have 130+ hours on the X360 version alone but played about 20 hours of New Vegas and did not like it, play i little over 20 hours of Skyrim and really grew tired of it. I am cautiously optimistic about 4. Instead of me Loving the announcement off the bat, i will have to see gameplay and see how they handle the systems like leveling looting, crafting, how the dungeons work..etc. I'll just have to see more before i commit to hype, but believe me, i want to.

[zidane1341]

Meh, fallout 3 was boring and slow as hell (in the bad sense) compared to Vegas. Yeah Vegas was pretty glitchy but the overall design was so much better, with a much wider story and smart additions like weapon mods and hard mode.

[Ickythump31]

They will always complain no matter what. I feel like I should avoid the comments section on this site.

[700p]

yeah gamers nowadays are ungrateful af.

[UltraNova]

I'm all against winning, bitc*** and self-entitlement but still, I demand my investment i.e. 70 euros for a sequel to be of a substantial return over all aspects including all the graphical upgrades 7 years (and counting) the new and previous iteration had between them and a new hardware gen would warrant.

[beerzombie]

Because they are not gamers they are internet haters and jump on anything with the help of the filthy media.

[-Foxtrot]

I kind of assumed they would of improved the engine used in Skyrim. Unless this is it

I don't care though, although I hope the game isn't too bright when it comes to colour.

[badz149]

I just watched the trailer. is that Source Engine? not that I'm trolling or anything but for a current gen exclusive game, that sure looks...a bit outdated?

[Magicite]

Compared to Witcher, Fallout 4 looks like previous gen, but then again Fallout 3 didn't look great either.

[zidane1341]

Especially that junk yard...

[Jughead3416]

Fallout's character models have always kind of suffered a bit. But the environments from the previous Fallouts are still etched in my memory. The gameworld is one of the most unique and immersive as any in all of gaming. And I can't wait to be immersed into Fallout 4. The detail in the environment is amazing.

[GameSpawn]

Highly agree. The atmosphere of Fallout 3 and New Vegas just kept me playing and wanting more and more to search every nook and cranny - read every log entry - even to go so far to read additional story background on the wikis. Skyrim on the other hand (while massive) just didn't have the same atmosphere - it never could keep me as engaged as Fallout did.

There is just something about the 50's "World of Tomorrow" thing Fallout has going for it. It just draws you in.

[Mr-Dude]

Jeez whiny graphics wh#res.... Don't buy it then

[Team_Litt]

No future downgrades plus The Order 1886 looked fantastic... Great game that turned out to be... -___-

[-shoryuken-]

.

[-shoryuken-]

Me and my co-worker are both fans of Fallout and we were both a bit disappointed with the trailer. To me it looks like Fallout 3.5. I'm not really digging the look and i thought the animations still looked robotic. This doesn't mean that I'm no longer looking forward to this game. Graphics are just the first thing I notice and honestly Fallout 4 doesn't seem to look up to par with other games, however we still have E3 to look forward too. I'm hoping to be more impressed during E3. no matter what, I know that the game will be lots of fun regardless of how the game looks!

[showtimefolks]

I play fallout for the gameplay and the world not for the graphics. yes the graphics could be better but we still don't know much about the game so let's wait till e3

Also none of the fallout Games had the best graphics but that's okay I much rather the game lunches without any bugs or glitches and if that means a little sacrifice graphics, than I for one am willing to make that sacrifice

at least for once a big publisher has the guts to show the game any engine and not lie to us. At least this won't be down graded later

[IceKoldKilla]

@Sashamaz I agree with you 100%. I was gonna say something but I'd get crucified on N4G for voicing my opinion and truth, to be honest. I personally am excited it looks better than Fallout 3/New Vegas BUT this is poor graphics for this big of a team and company in 2015! That Witcher 3 comparision is perfect! We don't know if the devs were told to not put much time into graphics or if they decided to do this due to the timeframe they have to make the game. All we know is this looks poor compared to other AAA games. The Walking Dead is a chosen art style. I doubt this is the case. But I'm gonna have to say I'll be OK if we end up with these graphics. I really hope they improve before launch though! I'm hoping this is Alpha/Beta footage like some are suggesting. Can't wait, though! Fallout 4 for my PS4! YES!

[Justjoined123]

looks halfassed tbh, i think it looks OK for an indie developer trailer but from Bethesda it sure as hell looks cheap if you ask me.

Its like theyve handed the stick over to the modding community already to finish the games visuals.

[curtis92]

Yes... I'm sure that's it. I have NO doubt they're half-assing a game, which they're known for doing. I'm sure in their meetings they absolutely said they'd phone it in and let the modders do the work.

And I'm sure there's NO OTHER EXPLANATION as to why we aren't seeing TLOU type character models in a massive open world game with mind boggling amounts of content.

[WellyUK]

Yes half assing a game they have been making for more than 4 years. By god gaming has changed in those years, so many whiney bitches and crying babies now, it's pathetic. Devs just can't win anymore, they make a great looking game everyone bitches about gameplay or content, you make a game full of content and great game play and people bitch about the visuals... When will you people stop.

[Antifan]

They half-assed Skyrim and Fallout 3 in the graphics and optimization department, especially on consoles. Skyrim on maxed settings still look like trash, and ran like a potato.
But there was something in the gameplay that kept me addicted, and I ignored the technical flaws of the game completely. Only a Bethesda Software game can do that. That's why I say wait until release to judge. We won't be waiting too long, because Bethesda usually release their games a couple months after reveal.

[darkronin229]

I can live with those graphics as long as the face/body animations are better. They were hard to look at in Fallout 3 and New Vegas, even when they just came out.

[crazytown99]

Did that vault not have any jumpsuits that fit?

[wakeNbake]

Bethesda games have never looked good, I thought Skyrim looked like trash even for xbox 360 standards.

[Khajiit86]

When Oblivion came out, I didnt think there was a better looking game than that. When you first walked out of that sewer and seen the beautiful open world for the first time, it was breath taking.

[Link2DaFutcha]

I would not be surprised if, given the recent downgrade hooplah people have been having with the Witcher, they showed an intentionally downgraded trailer so as to avoid that. 90% sure that the game looks better than this at launch.

[Summons75]

Good thing games aren't about graphics but rather great gameplay. As along as the gameplay is good and the dog is ditchable then I don't care.

[gangsta_red]

Looked good to me.

[scark92]

Me too! I do not see what the problem is!

[Khajiit86]

Yeah same here. I see a huge improvement over Fallout 3.

[ziggurcat]

yeah, i don't get why people are have a problem with the graphics in this game. the fallout series has a particular aesthetic, and i think this is very much in keeping with that tradition.

i'm ecstatic about this game, and it looks really fantastic.

[magiciandude]

These graphics could be alpha. They do look dated, but no deal breaker. I am just as hyped up for this game as anyone else.

[Eyesoftheraven]

I think it looks really nice in it's own novel way. Plus it seems they've implemented a very effective AA solution.

Sometimes more detail isn't necessary. With hyper-detailed games like Crysis 3, Witcher 3, etc., you almost need high resolutions to appreciate fine, low frequency details.

[wadprime]

"Cheap and Plasticy" is the aesthetic I associate with the 1950s. It's all perfectly good to me.

[aquaticDonut]

Hello, everyone. Given the complaints, this is obviously the first time everyone here's seen a Bethesda developed game, so allow me to explain for all the newcomers: Bethesda as a game developer actively avoids using highly sophisticated engines because it allows them to make games with the some of the greatest mod support in the industry. That said, Fallout 4 is definitely their best looking game to date.

[MasterCornholio]

Well as long as the game is good and relatively bug free (hopefully) there shouldn't be a problem with it.

Hopefully they will make up the poor visuals with a massive open world with lots of stuff to do in it.

[Der_Kommandant]

The game could look like Bubsy 3D and i'll still buy it.

[KwietStorm_BLM]

This is how you can tell that either the industry has gotten so large that people not in the know are concerning themselves over graphics in Fallout, or simply the graphics brainwashing is just doing is thing. Fallout has never once blown anyone away with its visuals, and I don't want to hear anything about mods. That's not what this is about. The reason people fall in love with Fallout is because of the total experience. Now, I fully expect Fallout 4 to look better than 3 and New Vegas, but it's not going to have any effect on my purchase of the game. One thing I would like to see improved is the animations and lip syncing, but if the game looks how the trailer and screen shots look, I'm fine with that, given the game world is as large as we've come to expect.

[d_g]

next gen dogs Comparison

MGS V https://pbs.twimg.com/media...

Fallout 4 https://pbs.twimg.com/media...

but the game Looked good in other scenes

like here for example http://www.itsartmag.com/fe...
http://venturebeat.com/wp-c...

@yeah the dogs Comparison was kind of sarcastic

[Eidolon]

The graphics of dog on Fallout 4 trailer definitely looks intentional, kinda Dishonoredish.

[Tetsujin]

@ d_g
I hope you're being sarcastic and not serious.

[GHOSTxx420]

I'll wait for another trailer to judge or at least e3. This isn't appealing to me at all.

[IrisHeart]

And it will be full of bugs 2!

[rhap]

I don't care as long it's a post-apocalyptic Skyrim. Damn, I still think Skyrim without mods looks awesome. TBH, even Morrowind doesn't look that old.

[moomoo319]

A company finally reveals a game with actual in-game footage even though its not the final version, and we give them shit for it? We cant ask for two things at once lol

[Sketchy_Galore]

The fact that some people don't even recognise that there's another option besides 'looks dated' and 'dishonest misrepresentation of the actual game' just shows how beaten down by shady and lazy business practices this industry has become.

[moomoo319]

Atleast a reveal trailer like this leaves you room to hope for upgraded graphics in the final version, as they should be.

[Tetsujin]

I can see it now...

7/10 - The game is fun, much better story, good dialogue, but at 4:50:32 his face didn't move exactly at 90 degrees when he was talking to NPC. Also the framerate dropped from 60 fps to 59 at this one cut scene that isn't at all important. I demand they fix it because I bought a $600,000 PC and I'll be damned to not get a full 60 fps experience.

OT

At first when I read the article I thought it was another hate piece however towards the end the author basically states if the game is fun that's what matters, not what it looks like.

[TheOneWhoIsTornApart]

This is beyond absurd. The graphics look really freaking good and there is actually a nice amount of color this time around and the art style looks really good. There are several bits in the trailer that look better than others but the game still all around looks great. People need to stop nitpicking everything to death.

[Summons75]

Yeah I'm sure it was a mix of a vertical slice and are alpha footage. Seems like they are listening to FO3 reactions be because brown was the biggest complaint.

[SlightlyRetarted]

Only thing i don't like from the trailer is the colours. Way too bright for a Fallout game. There is nothing wrong with colourful games, but Fallout should look more grim.

[MookaTek]

Looks fantastic to me. I also like the variety of settings. I think the game world will dwarf the worlds of the previous two Fallouts.

[Saijahn]

I wish I would hear a PS4 fanatic say it's okay the graphics look cheap. Since this generation started that's all you guys been harping on. The graphics for fallout has always been terrible and so far from what we've seen so far for Fallout 4 nothing has changed.

[tmh3593]

They're too used to the all mighty "THE ORDER"!!!

[tmh3593]

I bet most of these people complaining about graphics are ps4 owners. Seems thats all they care about these days. This game will give me 200+ hours and it could look like borderlands for all I care.

[FPS_D3TH]

I bet you they actually aren't and are PC elitist brats who feel they deserve everything because of how much money mom and dad paid for their PC.

[InTheZoneAC]

your stupid comment makes absolutely no sense. A console owner is the last to be complaining about graphics, unless you're a xbox owner because that was the only reason why the 360 sold to begin with.

Then add the "my friends bought a 360 so I must as well" and it all stemmed because "next gen graphics"

So I retract my statement, only xbox and pc gamers care enough about graphics to complain about them

[tmh3593]

Lmao ok if console gamers didn't care about graphics then why the hell is there so many articles complaining about resolution and ps4 is better because we get a higher resolution?

[Yukonsbud]

I like the Borderlands look

[mezati99]

i must be going blind or i am just so easily pleased, because the graphics looks absolutely amazing to me

http://abload.de/img/vlcsna...

[Hercules189]

Yes it does look amazing, but at 1 second of the trailer it looks like fallout 3 so that screen doesnt matter, jk. I think the game definitely looks good enough in the lighting department, it just needs better textures which should be improved by launch and itll be next gen enough.

[Warghoul71]

Looks pretty good to me so far! Can't wait to get my hands on this and lose hours upon hours of my life in this world.

Hopefully they'll show gameplay running on an ACTUAL PS4/X1 at E3 with a release date in 6-8 months?

[FPS_D3TH]

Anyone up in arms over this is 100% not even considered a gamer to me. Your opinion = dirt just as im sure you think that of mine but while you're still butthurt and waiting for your perfect game, I'll be enjoying every second of this game no doubt.

[ziggurcat]

venturebeat obviously doesn't understand artistic direction....

[Yukonsbud]

Maybe they are going for the opposite of a downgrade

[galgor]

I'll wait till E3 to make a proper judgement. I hope the final game has less colour though.

[TheOneWhoIsTornApart]

Why the hell would you want that?. Most people wanted a lot more color because Fallout 3 barely had any at all and now you want them to tone it back?. It looks far better with more color. Just because it's a post apocalyptic game doesn't mean it has to be completely devoid of color and beauty. Everything is still all run down and grimy so it's perfectly fine.

[dragonaught007]

After looking at it again doesnt look that bad might have to tone those npc a bit overall itl be solid im sure of that. I just hope I dont hear same voices of people every dam time like in skyrim almost every npc had same voice it got annoying...

[SonyOnly4]

All gamers do these days is b1tch and moan like spoilt little children you would think this is good news having a sequel to an amazing game announced but off course the baby brigade as usual find something to cry about.

[kbozz71]

So this "next" gen of gamers is nothing but graphics whores? Apparently games have devolved into just graphics now. No need for a good story or smooth gameplay......just the graphics. Sad really.

[ajax17]

Watch them pull a reverse 'Watchdogs' if you will. That would be awesome

[jhoward585]

A lot of people on this thread think Fallout 4 aren't that amazing.

But what I think is good about F4 world are the level design. The level design in F4 seem to have that last of us feel to it.

And, Just the little glimpse I've seem so far in F4 feels real and natural to me. It kind of like the deja vu feeling you get when you visit a place that seem almost like you've already been there before.

I got the same feeling when I saw the everyone gone to the rapture trailer.

[Blacklash93]

Judging from the trailer which is allegedly in-game, the animations look significantly better.

Still not perfect, but compare that ghoul swipe and the dog walking around to their equivalents in Fallout 3 and New Vegas.

[Clarence]

Graphics don't look that next gen, but I love Fallout. I'm sure the final product will look better.

[Blacklash93]

I doubt it will look vastly better, although significant improvements in some aspects are by no means out of the question.

[Lukejrl]

So a game trailer comes out and everything is shiny and gorgeous, when the game releases and it is not looking quite so nice every one screams downgrade.

Then a company puts out an honest trailer and everyone says it looks like garbage.

I think it looks fine. I notice that the character models are not great. But I do not care. I played the hell out of F3 and new Vegas. I will play the hell out of this one too.

[Shineon]

You are right sir,fallout is an imersive game, it doesn't really need awesome graphics.Fallout 3 is still one of my favorite games I own on Ps3,still yet to finish Vegas on my 360

[Skankinruby]

So did GTA 5 but that didn't seem to bother anyone

[Shineon]

So glad this didn't release on last gen consoles because they would have gotten the blame for the Graphics.Maybe the consoles will run this better than they did Witcher 3!
I can't wait to play this on PC with mods

[Bass_fisherman]

The character models need a bit of polish but everything else looks great! looking forward to it.

[Vanfernal]

I'm really happy for Fallout. If they went for simpler graphics to ensure performance across the board to me that's great news. And to PC elitists who always cry about platforms holding games back... You get your precious mods to make them look better. Everybody wins.

[josephayal]

i dont care!

[OC_MurphysLaw]

This entire discussion makes me sad. Again...graphics are not the be all end all. Get over it and appreciate the game. And just for the record I thought it looked great. Love that the are introducing more color as well.

[TheHaloGuy]

Ok so gonna school u internet. Art style game play > grafixxxx

[GranTurismoFan]

I don't care about the graphics, as a matter of fact, I think the graphics are great for a game that will probably have a bigger world than Fallout 3 which was huge.

Fallout games are known for its rich gameplay, not graphics.

We should be thanking Bethesda for showing us an IN-GAME gamplay teaser. This shows that they are confident in what they've baked.

I can't wait to play it this holiday hopefully!!

[TeamLeaptrade]

I think it looks great. And like someone else said, it could be pre-alpha or older footage of the game. I will wait and see before I full on judge it. Personally though, these are graphics that are perfectly fine with me. The graphics aren't perfect, but they aren't bad either. As long as my eyes aren't dying trying to play this, I will be perfectly fine.

[saphiron]

I think its the character and dogs that seems odd.
It looked great in the other shots that show the scenery, so im not worried.

This is gonna be a reverse Watchdogs. Gonna look better than this when its released.

[IceKoldKilla]

There's no excuse for these graphics. If you talk to the devs NOW, yes, it's maybe a bit late but that's why you plan out the development as best as possible in pre-production stage (for example). There are countless AAA games with smaller teams that have managed to make their games look beautiful while mainting an open world with awesome gameplay. The Witcher 3 being a perfect example as one (and many) have pointed out. I doubt this is a chosen art style. Besthesda are known for not polishing their games before launch and that includes bug/glicthes, graphics and more. But I still believe it'll be epic as always and HOPEFULLY more polished than previous Fallout/Elder Scrolls games. Here's hoping the new consoles help in that.

[WitWolfy]

Why go next gen if you're gonna release something that still looks last gen? I dont get it...

[guyman]

People can complain about the graphics all they want, while i am looking forward to modding the hell out of the game:D

[-Gespenst-]

What if they're just trying to make us THINK they're being honest? What if the final game looks worse? (Not that this looks particularly bad)

Or, what if this is SUPPOSED to look really good? What if all this footage IS doctored and Bethesda thought it would amaze people?

TRUST NO1.

[DEAGLETURK]

Looks like a fallout 3 remastered but that okay for me story and details better than graphics allways

[Warghoul71]

FO always had that plastic/cartoony look to it so I'm digging it. Same could b said about GTA5 and that game is awesome!

This E3 will break the internet lol

[jznrpg]

For a Fallout game I thought it looked great. I wasn't expecting The Order or anything close to that. That is not what Fallout is about.

[zorrogalactico]

c'mon fallout 4 is finally going to happened and some of you just got to complaint and say stupid shit? , why are you all cry babies bitching about graphics? have you even played a fallout game in the past? its pathetic and absurd, and we haven't seen the game yet and you asswipes are judging without any knowledge what so ever.

what all of you buttholes should do is don't buy it, and don't play it...