Developing your character through the game's revamped and intuitive perk system is a rewarding process, and an abundance of loot – whether it's found on the bodies of slain enemies or tucked away inside of a vault – keeps you eager to press on, if only to see what goodies you uncover next. Quests often have multiple solutions which aren't always determined by black and white player choice, while defining your preferred play style takes time and effort. Once again, Bethesda gives you the freedom to do just about whatever you want in its open world. It's not always about butchering every living thing that you come across, though. It's a nice middle ground – especially now that the gunplay outside of V.A.T.S. This keeps the tension of combat high while also giving you the opportunity to get tactical with your shots. Instead of pausing time completely, the system now slows the action down without fully stopping it.

also makes a return for when you want to bask in some gloriously gory kills, although it has been tweaked slightly.

It's not quite Destiny good, but it's serviceable, and most armaments have a nice, satisfying kick to them. Gunplay has seen a dramatic and positive overhaul after the shoddy attempts of previous titles. Of course, you don't have to be the prey in this particularly brutal environment. It's a nuclear wasteland that's an absolute joy to explore, and it always feels like there's something new to discover. The Commonwealth is a sprawling, dynamic, and consistently gripping location that's home to wonder, horror, and a lot of dark comedy. Without being limited by decidedly old hardware, Bethesda's been able to realise its ambition for open world design better than ever before. The decision to move development solely to new-gen machines has really paid off for the studio. Fallout 4 houses what is easily one of the most impressive game worlds that we've ever seen. The developer has more than proven that it's a master of crafting engaging open world titles in the past, and this latest romp through an irradiated Boston is no different. Seven years after Bethesda's last crack at post-apocalyptic America, Fallout 4 is easily one of the most anticipated titles of this relatively young console generation thus far. Republished on Tuesday 26th September 2017: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the release of Fallout 4's Game of the Year edition on PlayStation 4.

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