Fallout 4's Next-Gen Fail: Bugs, Blunders and Broken Promises

The long-awaited next-gen update for Fallout 4 finally dropped this week, promising a slew of graphical enhancements, bug fixes and Creation Club content for patient fans. Excitement was high, fueled further by the popularity of the recent Fallout TV series. However, as players excitedly booted up their updated game, that enthusiasm quickly turned to frustration.

Across PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, players reported a plethora of performance issues and baffling bugs. From missing textures to faceless character models, unplayable framerates to broken quests, the update seemed to introduce more problems than it fixed. Some unfortunate players couldn't even launch the game post-patch.

PlayStation users in particular faced an added challenge - many who owned the game through PS Plus were asked to pay $19.99 for the upgrade, contrary to Bethesda's promises of it being free. The company's confusing messaging and lack of clarity only added to players' frustrations.

PC players didn't fare much better. The hefty 14GB update apparently "doesn't seem to change much at all", while simultaneously breaking compatibility with popular mods and save files. The much-touted ultrawide support also seems to be a stretched out mess that modders will likely have to fix themselves.

It's not all doom and gloom though. The update does include some appreciated bug fixes, like resolving "corrupted settlements" and adding some intriguing new Creation Club quests and items. The Steam Deck verification is also a welcome addition for handheld enthusiasts.

However, these small bright spots don't outweigh the overwhelming disappointment of this release. After a 2 year wait, many expected a polished, meaningful upgrade to this beloved game. What they got instead was a buggy mess that arguably makes the game worse, while adding little of substance.

One has to wonder, what happened to Bethesda's QA process? How did an update riddled with so many obvious, show-stopping issues get approved for release? The company's lack of communication around the PlayStation pricing snafu is also concerning.

Ultimately, while the next-gen update was undoubtedly well-intentioned, its execution leaves much to be desired. Hopefully Bethesda addresses these issues swiftly, or they risk alienating the passionate Fallout 4 fanbase they'd hoped to delight with this release. Until then, maybe it's best to stick to the tried-and-tested "pre-next-gen" version of the game.