Just when you thought Bethesda was down for the count with Fallout 4 – not including the Fallout 4 VR title that was showcased at E3 2017 – the company announces Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition and Pip-Boy Collector’s Edition for release in September.

Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition includes all previously released DLC including Nuka-World, Vault-Tec Workshop, Contraptions Workshop, Far Harbor, Wasteland Workshop and Automatron. Players will also avail of free updates like Survival mode and high-resolution textures, not to mention support for the heaps of mods developed thus far.

As for the Pip-Boy Collector’s Edition, it will available in North America at a few retailers. Along with a real world version of Fallout’s infamous Pip-Boy, it will also contain Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition and retails at $99.99. Both editions will be available on Xbox One, PS4 and PC on September 26th.

Meanwhile, Fallout 4 VR will release in Q4 2017 for HTC Vive. Find out more about it here.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Shipbreaker – Fallout 4 Far Harbor

Compared to the Enraged Fog Crawler, Shipbreaker may not seem like a big deal. And it’s not, though it’s still several tiers above the Ghostly Fog Crawler. Its ability to scale to the player’s level and immunity to Poison and Radiation still make it a force to reckon with in Far Harbor. Regardless, consider this one of the “weaker” bosses in the series.

Fallout 4, in the end, may have had its merits and qualities (and almost a year after its release, even I have begun to come around on the game somewhat), but it still was a disappointment. Bethesda dumbed down far too many of the RPG aspects of the game, making most things – such as dialog choices, leveling up, and entire playstyles -irrelevant and redundant.

The trend over the last few Bethesda games, ever since Oblivion released ten years ago, and through to Fallout 4 last year, has been one of constant streamlining and outright dumbing down of major elements, in an attempt to chase an ever broader audience. And while sometimes Bethesda manage to strike the balance between depth and accessibility right – 2011’s Skyrim was arguably the zenith of this juggling act – at this point, they’re tipped too far on the accessibility side of the scale.

So I guess the fear with the next game in the Fallout franchise would be that Bethesda make it even more dumbed down than Fallout 4 was, while the hope is that they reverse some of the decisions that they took in the game (some of which they have openly admitted didn’t go down as well as they had hoped). The more pessimistic among us would hope that Bethesda at least go back to Skyrim levels of complexity, while the most optimistic ones will probably hope that Obsidian – the studio that originally created the Fallout franchise, and was then brought back on board to create New Vegas, often considered to be the best game in the franchise – get to make the next game in the series. And indeed, rumors of a Fallout: New Orleans trademark registration will fuel those hopes.

But no matter whether the next Fallout game is New Orleans or Fallout 5, no matter what form your hope takes, I feel reasonably confident in suggesting that most people will want some more complexity in the next Fallout game than what Bethesda offered in Fallout 4.

Mods for Fallout 4 (and for the upcoming Skyrim remaster) will not be coming to PS4- Sony are allegedly refusing to compromise on what they do and do not allow on their platform, while Bethesda are refusing to compromise on what their vision for mods is. This means that for now, PlayStation remains the only platform that does not allow modding for Bethesda’s games.

However, this is something that Bethesda are apparently looking to fix. Hines has previously suggested that Bethesda might look into bringing mods to the platform in whatever capacity they can manage, and now, speaking on Twitter, he once again confirmed that the company is looking into ‘alternatives’ for PlayStation gamers, promising that Bethesda is trying to do the ‘most possible’ for PS4 players.

Whether or not these are empty assurances, or actual meaningful promises, remains to be seen. But for now, for fans hoping for a favorable resolution to this problem still, Hines words should be enough to cling on to.

I assure you we don't lack for alternatives. We are trying to do the most possible for PS4 players

— Pete Hines (@DCDeacon) September 24, 2016

It hasn’t been a good week for Sony- the announcement of the PS4 Pro was already a bit of a damp squib for them, with a lot of gestating backlash, but it was followed almost immediately by Bethesda announcing that mods for Fallout 4 and Skyrim Remastered, which they had promised for the Xbox One and PS4 versions of the game, would not be coming to Sony’s console after all- and in a surprising move, they trained their guns and placed the blame for this entirely on Sony.

Bethesda’s press release claimed that Sony was unwilling to work with them and to make the compromises necessary to get mods working on the system. But the question is, is Bethesda’s side of the story really necessarily true? And even if it is, then why did Bethesda announce mods for the console in the first place, if they hadn’t been certified or confirmed by Sony yet?

That question is a facile and fanboyish one, which misses the larger point entirely- Bethesda announced their game last year, as well as their vision for their game. Games are announced for systems without first having proper licenses or certification all the time- those things come later. Bethesda didn’t necessarily do anything wrong here, even if they announced PS4 mods too early. They have consistently attempted to communicate with fans about the situation, and when it didn’t work out, they didn’t faff about with embarrassing PR- they came right out and said what had happened.

In other words, Bethesda are not in the wrong. Sony are. Sony are currently going against the very standards for openness and choice that they claimed to stand for not so long ago. Not so long ago, it was Sony allowing for cross platform play, Sony allowing Portal 2 players to link their PSN and Steam accounts together, Sony espousing platform openness. Today, Sony stand in the way of cross platform play between Xbox and PlayStation, Sony disallow services like EA Access from their devices entirely, and Sony block features like mods- Microsoft and Sony have switched places.

Should Bethesda have waited a bit to announce PS4 mods? Maybe, although again, what they did is not an uncommon practice in the industry at all. Whether or not they would have, the blame would, and still does, lie squarely on Sony.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

"For those more interested in the overall content that Nuka World has to offer, there’s quite a bit to sift through."

Nuka World is a brand new area comprised of different zones. It begins when you tune into a mysterious radio signal and traverse to the outer west. Hop aboard the Nuka Express upon speaking to a man desperate to save his family and suddenly you’re in a Raider gauntlet, battling the Overboss of Nuka World and becoming the supreme leader of this theme park of horrors.

But wait, there’s more – the gangs don’t quite accept you as the new Overboss, which makes sense given the means by which you acquired the title. Ultimately, it’s up to the player how they want to treat their new role. You can unite the gangs or pick a favourite and go about the various new zones, allotting territory as you see fit. As one would anticipate, each gang has its own set of radiant quests that can be played ad nauseam. And then there are the rumblings of Project Cobalt in the background as you explore other park areas.

Does the plot sound overtly rushed and somewhat suspect at first? Totally but it quickly comes into its own and while some characters are hit or miss for some – I wasn’t exactly blown away with the likes of Gage or Mags – it does offer some interesting moral dilemmas to ponder. The Sole Survivor is essentially embracing the horrible acts that these gangs commit, favouring destruction over rebuilding…and for what purpose? You’ll be sent to fight against factions that lent you support in the base game. One particular encounter took me to Diamond City to assassinate a target in a bar. After the assassination, the entire security force decided to fight me. Naturally they lost but I couldn’t help wonder if all the evil I committed had been worth it. It should be noted, however, that the radiant quests don’t provide much variety outside of “go here and kill this”. At times, I found it odd how one good faction would mill about while a gang was nearby, only beginning a battle when I arrived.

For those more interested in the overall content that Nuka World has to offer, there’s quite a bit to sift through. The three gangs – the bloodthirsty Disciples, ravenous Pack and hitman-like Operators – each have their own agenda. How do you cater to them? Why, travel to the other zones like the World of Refreshment, Kiddie Kingdom, Galactic Zone, Safari Adventure and Dry Gorge. Some of these zones have rather awesome back stories and quests tied to them.

"Not every mainline quest driving these zones is great, though the biggest offender is Galactic Zone."

Kiddie Kingdom is a Ghoul-infested paradise of radiation sprinklers. However, it quickly becomes obvious that the hand guiding these Ghouls isn’t just a simple puppet master. Other areas like World of Refreshment are more straightforward as they task you with clearing out the interior and exterior areas of enemies. These areas serve to introduce you to the newer foes for the DLC like Nukalurks. Things can get pretty hairy and it’s advised to bring your best equipment and weapons along to deal with the threats (or just switch to Normal mode, like I’ve now realized).

One of the other key factors of Nuka World‘s new areas is how unique each one is. Kiddie Kingdom is full of unique traps and obstacles like a mirror house maze or spinning tunnels of death. Galactic Zone features robot arena battles, space invader showcases and laser light-filled pathways (along with a replica Vault to traverse). Even the initial Gauntlet is devious and presents a unique challenge.

Not every mainline quest driving these zones is great, though the biggest offender is Galactic Zone. You’re essentially tasked with gathering Star Cores littered throughout the zone to reactivate a mainframe. And while the enterprising player will find the minimum 20 required, it’s still annoying to backtrack through areas to see if any Star Cores were missed. What’s worse is that one of the best Power Armors in the game requires even more Star Cores to unlock and those can be obtained by exploring all of Nuka World. Keep a guide handy for the sake of your sanity.

There are the usual collectibles to find as well like Hidden Cappy locations and Medallions for scavenger hunts. It’s also possible to collect tickets to redeem at the Nuka-Cade for prizes. The area also offers plenty of mini-games to engage in though the most responsive for me was the shooting gallery. For some reason, hoops felt a bit unwieldy due to the timing required to hold and release basketballs. Whack-A-Mole was at least more responsive though quicker melee weapons like knives are favoured of course. The mini-games end up as a keen distraction rather than a brand new element to the experience.

"If you enjoyed Far Harbor and sought even more story-based madness with a twist, then Nuka World will be right up your alley."

Nuka World isn’t perfect, as you probably would have guessed by now. For all the skill checks and unique opportunities that Far Harbor offered, Nuka World tends to focus more on the moral aspects of gunplay above all else. Will you favour a gang and lead them to conduct raids on the Commonwealth? Will you turn on former allies? Will you find a way to take down the gangs of Nuka World altogether? There are plenty of tough decisions to be made but they all eventually boil down to shooting someone or something in the face.

Which I’m fine with since it offers a more emotional resonance with my acts of murder. The same may not be said for other players. There are the usual glitches like a few faulty animations, characters standing in  thin air and whatnot that continue to be a staple of the Fallout franchise. Thankfully, there were no major bugs that brought my experience to a screeching halt.

If you enjoyed Far Harbor and sought even more story-based madness with a twist, then Nuka World will be right up your alley. The overall value of Fallout 4 DLC will probably be a debate for another year or at least until Fallout: New Orleans is finally official. As it stands, those who enjoyed Fallout 4 will enjoy Nuka World, plain and simple. It offers a brand new perspective on some of the more evil characters in the game’s universe and allows you to either identify with them or steadfastly use them to your own ends. In the end, it’s a moral battle that may not rely on the most complex or hard-hitting of choices but it’s entertaining all the same.

This game was reviewed on the PC.

In one of the most touching things that Bethesda have done yet in Fallout 4, they have decided to honor a fan who ran into some very difficult times- and who played Fallout 4 to get through the hard times that he had been through. Reddit user NoohjXLVII shared a post thaking Bethesda and Fallout 4 (via Eurogamer) months ago, noting that his father had passed away last year, and that playing Fallout 4 had helped him cope with the pain of the loss.

Unfortunately, he suffered yet another loss when his 24 year old brother Evan was admitted to the ICU, where he ended up passing away. “So kind, uplifting, optimistic, and caring. It’s unfair he was taken from us,” he wrote.

It now turns out that Bethesda decided to honor this fan, and his brother, by including a character named Ivan based on his brother in the game via the Nuka World expansion. Nuka World‘s Evan, he said, captures the essence of real life Evan pretty well.  “The words they use sound exactly like him, however he was also a pretty funny guy, full of puns,” he said. “Thank you again Bethesda, I am forever in your debt.”

Evan in the game ends up helping the player, by giving out a Nuka World recipe for free- he is also marked as an essential character, meaning the player cannot hurt or attack him, no matter what.

But this isn’t where Bethesda stopped in honoring their fan, either- they sent NoohjXLVII a care package, with a nice note from the team, as well as Fallout 4 toys, a t-shirt, the game’s soundtrack, and a Fallout 4 Xbox One controller.

Say what you will about Bethesda and Fallout 4 otherwise- this, at least, is a heartwarming, beautiful gesture.

Bethesda Softworks’ Fallout 4 has received its final DLC with Nuka-World, thus putting an end to currently planned season pass content. Nuka-World, much like Far Harbor, is a story DLC that offers a brand new area to explore with new quests and tons of new items.

A new developer diary details how things are different in Nuka-World. It even talks about the Raiders that you can potentially join and as it turns out, there are three factions in total – the Disciples, Operators and The Pack – each with their own quirks.

Even if you’re not interested in leading the Raiders, it’s still entirely possible to enjoy Nuka-World. We also get a look at the different zones of Nuka-World, which range from faux sci-fi to old timey Wild Western.

Fallout 4: Nuka-World should be live for your average season pass owner by now. Have you played it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and stay tuned for more information in the coming days.

Fallout 4‘s final DLC, Nuka World, is due out later this week- but if you absolutely cannot wait to learn more about the game, MrMattyPlays recently made a video summarizing all the information that we know about the DLC so far– it’s a tidy, 5 minute long thing, so make sure to give it a watch.

As he points out, as with all Fallout 4 DLC, the expansion begins by you intercepting a radio signal, which is followed by you getting to Nuka World. Once you get there, you have to go through The Gauntlet, which is like a multi area dungeon that you need to get through before you can enter- so it’s essentially like an initiation test.

The main hub of Nuka World is NukaTown, where the player will come across N.I.R.A., a Nuka Cola bottle shaped robot that seems to suffer from some form of dissociative personality disorder. The star of the DLC, however, judging by what Bethesda have shown, appears to be something called the Nuka Cade, which has Nuka Cade games which are funded by pre-war money (finally, that has some use!).

Fallout 4: Nuka World is due out later this week on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.

If you missed Bethesda Softworks’ live-stream of Fallout 4: Nuka-World, the final story DLC for the open world RPG shooter, then fear not. An edited version has been released with lead artist Mark Teare offering his thoughts on the content. Check it out below.

Nuka-World will offer a brand new location, an abandoned amusement park with new story missions and whatnot, along with new workshop items, new side quests, new weapons and even new gear to acquire. There will also be a few sideshow games and a roller-coaster.

If you’re in the market to hire and lead some Raiders to wage war against various settlements, then you can do that as well (what repercussions this will have on your standing with other factions remains to be seen).

Fallout 4’s Nuka-World DLC is out on September 30th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC. It’s currently available to select few players for beta testing. What are your thoughts on the content it’s bringing to the base game? Let us know in the comments below.