My feelings on this game changed dramatically following the first few weeks it was released. At first, it just felt like more Fallout 3 with better graphics and shooter mechanics. Most of the negativity I saw was revolved around its graphics, which I still say is stupid and undeserved.

However, upon closer examination of its perks, SPECIAL, and dialogue system, I can say without a doubt that this game is horribly dumbed down and is no longer worth being considered an RPG. It's now basically a shooter with the illusion of RPG elements. The main base of the game's issues come from a lack of a level cap, which means your character will continue to grow into godlike levels of broken, and that your perks only really affect your early game playstyle since you'll eventually get all the perks anyways.

It's not even worth a second playthrough, because the dialogue choices are only there to make you think you're roleplaying when most of the things your character can say aren't any different than the other two choices you're given. There aren't even stat checks for anything besides speech anymore, when the past games gave you different possible dialogue outcomes depending on how high certain stats were. Even your Karma has been taken away, so it doesn't feel like there's any weight behind your choices because none of them change how the world percieves your character.

The game did some things right, like how the power armor now feels like a personal tank rather than just a new set of armor, but overall this was a disappointing game that continues to cause me to lose faith in Bethesda. It's not unprecedented, however, as it seems like every developer known for making RPGs is beginning to lose sight of what made their games fun to begin with and make their franchises more mainstream, instead of electing to create new IPs for the mainstream audience. I guess we still have Obsidian Entertainment to rely on.