Fallout 4 Survival Mode
0Fallout 4's new Survival Mode is brutal in ways you don't expect from mainstream developers, and possibly represents a reaction to the complaints about Bethesda playing it safe with their latest post-apocalyptic RPG. Adding a whole range of new negative status effects (many of which are associated, punishingly enough, with using Stimpacks and other Aid objects) while also removing fast travel and limiting the save functionality to sleeping in beds definitely has a major impact on the gameplay, and can lead to many frustrating situations. The upside is that while Fallout 4 previously encouraged scavenging and collecting junk in ways that earlier titles in the series didn't, Survival Mode (true to its name) takes this to a whole new level by radically transforming resource gathering into a desperate imperative which completely defines how you play the game. Frantically scouring the surrounding area in search of water because the player character is getting increasingly sick from dehydration is stressful to say the least, and these "motivational" elements also reinforce the need (rather than optional ability) to engage in proper base management and establishing supply lines. For once, Bethesda has thankfully avoided the bullet sponge approach to increased combat difficulty and enemies go down fairly quickly - but they also hit back very hard; which in turn change the relative usefulness of VATS vs realtime aiming compared to the base game.
Unlike some critics I'm not entirely convinced that Fallout 4 - with its unpredictable open world imperfections and unusual focus on the main storyline - is such a great fit for this added layer of realism, but I do appreciate Survival Mode as a fresh new way to experience a game world which always seemed smaller and less mysterious than the Capital Wasteland of its predecessor.