Let's get this out of the way first and foremost, this review is for the game and the Pip-Boy, the collection itself, not just one or the other.
After the initial headache of the whole scenario, I can happily say I am pleased with the purchase. I ordered the PC version of the game, and received the Xbox One version of the game itself inside the steelbook. Needless to say I was infuriated. After contacting Amazon support, explaining the legitimate limited condition of the set as a whole, they agreed and successfully deposited $59.99 back to my card as a refund, so I could buy the version of the game I originally purchased.
On to the items included with the Pip-Boy Edition:
The Perk Poster is a nice added bonus, and would fit in great in any collectors or die-hard Fallout fans home. It's made of typical poster material and is shipped folded into the Pip-Boy box.
The Pip-Boy Operation manual is a really nice touch for the "realism" of the Pip-Boy and whatnot. It goes through both lore-based fictional explanations of the uses and operation instructions of the pip-boy, as well as goes through real-world instructions on how to put it on, mount your phone and so on, functional and fun; Nice job.
The steelbook case is very sturdily made and looks great and has a nice collectors design.
The Pip-Boy enclosure/box that everything comes in is very sturdy, made of possibly ABS or some other hard plastic, but made very well. Inside, everything is protected by about an inch of black foam around all sides, save the top. The box is spacious and functional for housing the Pip-Boy itself if you'd rather it not be on display or plan on transporting it. The design is very appealing and lore-based with some of the logo prints emulating some wear on the box.
The RobCo Pip-Boy 3000 stand is a very nice touch, and really brings it's shelf-appeal to the next level. It has a black plastic base, fairly sturdy (certainly enough to withstand holding the Pip-Boy itself without an issue), and clear curved stands with square protrusions that seat in the bottom of the Pip-Boy to hold it in place. The stand feels pretty sturdy, and doesn't feel very cheap, which is nice. The small plaque on the front, labelling the Pip-Boy is also some type of metal, likely aluminum, and will shine in light and looks really nice.
The Pip-Boy 3000 itself is the real draw here, isn't it? The Pip-Boy is the ultimate collector's item for Fallout fans, and any fans of the series will love it, regardless of whether or not they plan to be using it. However, there are some fairly serious issues with it, that I (personally), only dismiss because of the sheer collectible and limited nature of the item. The foam inserts for the arm insertion area are not attached to the Pip-Boy at all. While functional this may be, for dismantling the Pip-Boy itself for whatever reason you may have, it's a bit annoying and causes the whole think to look a bit cheap when the corners of the padding is hanging down a little. The foam arm padding feels nice and is made of some sort of (p)leather-ish foam material. There are two small reddish lights than can be powered using a small power button on the front of the Pip-Boy, powered off of an easily accessible watch-style battery, whose only use, is powering these lights. All knobs on the Pip-Boy perform no functional action, they simply turn and make noise for your enjoyment. Every hinge on the Pip-Boy 3000 is made of metal, which is a very nice attention to detail and functionality, as they would be the first things to go if something were to break.
The Pip-Boy 3000 itself is made of some glossy hard plastic. It doesn't necessarily feel cheap, but it does feel a bit "brittle" or something, but I can't see a reason for it to break during normal use or shelf-sitting.
The phone-holding area is kind of spacious, but honestly, I find the supported phone sizes to be a little disappointing. I own a Motorola Moto X (2nd. Gen), and it would not fit due to being about 2 mm too wide. My only alternative, was to put an old, neglected Motorola Droid Razr Maxx in it instead, which fits, but doesn't fit in any foam inserts, and doesn't allow for any foam underneath. It was legitimately designed with the two most popular phone lines in mind, and not anything else (iPhone and Galaxy). I wouldn't expect your phone to fit in here unless it's small.
Now, when my Pip-Boy arrived I noticed a small rectangular button on the top edge of the device that had been shoved down into the Pip-Boy and looked broken or something. After popping the Pip-Boy open after removing the foam arm inserts, I discovered that part of it's plastic section that held it to the inside of the Pip-Boy had snapped and there was only one screw in it instead of two (likely why it snapped in the first place).
All-in-all, the Pip-Boy 3000 itself really feels like a bit of a cop-out. It's not build as nicely as I had hoped, it doesn't hold modern phone sizes very well (and really only had two phone lines in mind). It really feels like a lot of corners were cut during manufacturing and assembly. Would I buy this if the Pip-Boy were sold separately and weren't a collector's item? No. It isn't worth that. But as I said earlier, I'm only dismissing it's glaring issues because of the sheer collectible and limited nature, otherwise, this wouldn't be worth the extra $60.
GAME REVIEW (PC VERSION ONLY):
Fallout 4 manages to expand on the Fallout universe in some of the best ways I could have imagined. Bethesda Game Studios really out-did themselves with this game. Having been aware that this game would run on the same Creation Engine as Skyrim, I have to admit I was a little skeptical at first, but after seeing the game in person and playing it, I can tell you, don't worry. They took the engine to a whole new level with this game and really shows the expand-ability of it. It feels like Bethesda really tried their best to give us the best textures and graphical enhancements they could with the time they were given, and even then, mods will always be there to add even more to the game world.
The sound, music and general background score for this game is phenomenal, the best of any Bethesda game since Oblivion, I think. Inon Zur did an amazing job with the game's background score and title screen music. The in-game radio music has been a blast to listen to, as always. They have taken some of the best songs from Fallout 3, and New Vegas and added them to this game, and proceeded to add some new songs, never used in a Fallout game before to really give a perfect blend of nostalgia and freshness. They also took the time to ensure that there were no songs like Johnny's Guitar or Big Iron that would essentially play so often it felt like nothing else was in the game. The general sound quality and attention to detail is amazing, every sound feels well designed and placed, so much so, that I often find myself turning off the radio to just listen to the background music and hear the sounds of the Commonwealth wasteland.
While we're talking about sound, let's talk about one of the newest big features to come to Fallout 4, voice acting for the playable character. One actress and one actor spent 2 years of recording working on the voice acting dialog for the character you play as in Fallout 4, the Sole Survivor. It panned out great in the end. Having your character actually verbally respond to the NPC's and have conversations with them and some BioWare-esque dialog scenes with facial movement from your character, really does a great job of immersion and makes you feel at home in your character. They did a great job as well of picking voice actors that could really be an "every-man" or an every-woman", that is, the voice acting really feels like it could fit with any play-style and any character. My only real complaint with the entirety of the games voice acting and dialog, is some of it feels a little poor-quality, or maybe a little too "cheesy" per se, but it's nothing terrible like I've seen in Indie games or anything where the voice actors seem like they've never done voice acting before.
In terms of the main story line of the game (having not completed it), I would say it is a very "Fallout" story, true to the fans and has a great intro that really gets you in the zone and makes you interested in the story and the characters and gives you the desire to know how it all pans out in the end. The side-quests are in the typical Bethesda fashion, nothing extraordinary there. The faction quests are great and there are some really cool new factions with awesome backstories. All-in-all, I think Bethesda is probably going to have outdid themselves with Fallout 4 and it's future DLC in terms of the story it tells and how it tells it.
The gameplay mechanics have been fine-tuned to a point for sure. This is by far one of my most favorite improvements of the game overall. The controls are very smooth and intuitive for the most part (some of the key binding are a tad ridiculous). The NPCs and your characters movements are very realistic and believable, and the AI on the enemies has been improved from the past games for sure. The gun mechanics though, that's where Fallout 4 shines. Bethesda had to have taken a look into some first person shooters for some inspiration because the new gun handling mechanics and the recoil and shooting and everything, is some top-notch stuff that hardly feels like an RPG at all when you're in the middle of a gunfight, or charging at someone with a rocket powered sledgehammer. The new guns are also amazing. There's loads of new weapons to try and loads of new modifications to do to them.
On that note, we'll talk about the new creative features to the game. There are now something like 50 mods you can attach to each weapon, all with varying effects (longer barrels, ported barrels, marksman stocks, pistol-grip stocks, quick change mags or box mags) That can turn a .44 pistol into a long-range rifle with a bit of work. Bethesda succeeded in making every single item in the game useful for something as well. Now, every single item except for Aid items and Misc. items can be salvages and scrapped for parts to use for weapons or armor of the new settlement building feature. In terms of armor, they have added a feature I have long waited for. You now have under-armor and then armor pieces on that. For example, you wear a Vault 111 suit, but then you equip a helmet, glasses, a shoulder piece for each arm and shin pieces for each leg OVER-TOP of that Vault 111 suit. It's an amazing mechanic. Also, there are about 5 mods per under-armor piece and something like 10-15 mods per other piece of armor (some to make it lighter, some to make it easier to sneak, some to withstand radiation damage better).
The new settlement building feature is my second favorite, only to the new gun mechanics. You now have designated locations in which you can gather materials and build the walls, floors, roofs, decorations, furniture and defense systems to your own little settlement. You aren't required to participate in making or maintaining any of the settlements, but doing so give you a nice place to call home and base-up. You create the walls, or use pre-fabricated sections, add the roofs or the floors, add the stairs or the bridges and fences and gates and doors, then add the water pumps or purifiers and the food to eat and then the generators for power for the defense spotlights, traps and turrets, then add radio beacons to attract new settlers and then add guard posts and wall lights and ceiling fans and beds and rugs and paintings and TV's and radios and benches and all sorts of new things for your settlers and you to take advantage of. And once you do all that, you can build trading posts for settlers to trade at for food or drink or weapons or armor, and you can also add trade routes between your settlements and form a trade connection between them and share resources between all of the settlements you maintain, giving each one their own specialty that helps the others survive. There's a TON to be done here, and the fact that every single item you find is useful in the construction of these settlements is a double-edged sword for me. It's amazing, everything has a purpose now, but at the same time, you and your companions inventory can only hold so much. It's so much fun.
The map is large enough to make it fun to traverse without feeling overwhelmed by being on foot, and the added addition of usable Power Armor really brings some new tactics to the game. The locale is amazing and uniquely different than that of the Capitol Wasteland or the Mojave Wasteland, the Commonwealth really is a region all it's own, that stands unassisted against the other Fallout regions and holds its own.
To say the least, Fallout 4 is an impeccable addition to the franchise, and any fans of the series will likely enjoy it. See you in the Commonwealth, Survivors.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2015
Platform For Display: PCEdition: Pip-BoyVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2015
[PIPBOY EDITION REVIEW]
I have been buying collector’s editions of games for longer than I care to admit. My basement is riddled with boxes of collector’s items and boxes of all sorts of shapes and sizes. Once you start collecting items of this type you go in with a little precognitive knowledge and expectation of cheap items and usual disappointments. The Pipboy edition has it merits, but you are quickly greeted with more of the same.
-=Pipboy Box=-
The box itself is made beautifully. It’s something you would expect to find in the game itself. It’s a sturdy almost colorless (aside from the brown hue) encasing that has a very minimalist approach to it. It’s held by two push in latches on either side and the front of the case lifts up to display your Pipboy, game, and stand. The internal cushioning is done beautifully. There was ample foam to make me feel like the package was handled with care.
-=The Game Case & Contents=-
The game case is the steel box-type that is now a fairly common commodity in collector editions. The art on the case is nice, as expected. Inside the case is the game, a pamphlet of goodies that are about to come out, and the folder out S.P.E.C.I.A.L poster. The poster is nice and very colorful. It gives you a nice preview of the perks that are offered the in game (outside of the ones you can actually find on your own). I was slightly annoyed by the pamphlet, because it is the first thing you see when you open the case and it has “Fallout 4 Season Pass” as the cover, making you momentarily surprised that the game included the season pass – just to have your dreams crushed when you realize you don’t. For shame!
-=Pipboy & Stand=-
Obviously this is the main draw, and point, of this collector’s edition. The Pipboy takes up the majority of the package and, for the most part, is well worth the wait and expectation. The Pipboy has a decent weight to it, so you know it’s made to be displayed proudly. The problem is that the case of the Pipboy was built great, but the knobs, lights, and little details on the Pipboy were built as an afterthought. They can easily snap off if you aren’t careful and, as many others have complained, the light at the top is easily pushed in – something I unfortunately discovered myself. The phone housing is also a bit of a tight fit (I have an iPhone 6 – the largest phone it supports). It appears they didn’t quite get the foam cut outs correctly to the point where it smothers the phone so much that it will actually activate the buttons on the side of the phone. I had to cut the foam to make it work, but when coupled with the stand that is included it actually looks really amazing. You also have the option of physically wearing the Pipboy, although that’s more of a gimmick and not practical.
-=Score=-
Overall I would give the Pipboy edition a hardy 8.5 out of 10. The price (when I got it) of $120 feels justified by the contents, although that season pass tease and the fragile nature of the buttons on the Pipboy does retract from an otherwise awesome package.
[GAME REVIEW]
Immediately you’ll notice that Fallout 4’s world is full of bright colors, which is something that the previous titles were almost void of. This makes sense given the direction of the game. The game is not only about survival, but now it’s also about hope and rebuilding, rebuilding obviously being the key word. Rebuilding is literally one of the actions you do in this game. You are now tasked with the option of starting your own version of civilization. As you discover more and more settlements, you are presented with the option of expending and fortifying them. What is the point you might be asking? Well, the settlements provide a place for you, and as you collect them, and your companions to stay. It also allows you to recruit random settlers to bolster your defenses (more on this in a second), run shops you create, farm land you cultivate, and provide you with additional quests and items you normally would not obtain. Basically it’s like having a simulation game within a game, because not only do you manage your settlement, but as you expand it becomes more likely to be “raided” by external forces.
As far as the actual story goes, it’s a lot better this time around versus Fallout 3. Without giving away any spoilers, the game begins with you being accepted in to the fabled vault, while a massive war is on the brink of erupting. Your town is vibrant, your wife, robotic butler, and baby all seem very pleasant and the eerie Vault-Tec informer even has a hilarious charm to him. Soon your happy life is disrupted by the TV announcing war has erupted and the town’s sirens start blaring. Immediately the game kicks in to hectic mode as you run to the vault as quickly as possible. You reach the vault just in time to see a nuke blow up right in front of your town as you safely descend in to the vault…
-=Game Play=-
There isn’t much to build on here from Fallout 3. We know the games are no longer like Fallout 1 or 2, so no more isometric views or turn based game play. V.A.T.S returns at the forefront and more emphasis was placed on S.P.E.C.I.A.L, although it does feel like they may have shortened the list of perks, but that could just be my first impression. The power armor was taken in a different direction than before; now it acts like a second layer on top of your armor, which can feel over powered, but the required energy to run the armor coupled with the increased strength of Super Mutants and Deathclaws make it feel appropriate. Overall though the game play feels polished and they obviously followed the idea of: don’t fix what isn’t broke.
-=Graphics=-
Flat out amazing. The textures have been cleaned up and polished. The color palette has been expanded 10 fold – no more gloomy wasteland trips, instead you are greeted with wonderful coloring and a glimpse of what the old world might have actually looked like. The biggest improvement is split between the emphasized detail on the physical items (guns, armor, etc) as well as the vastly improved facial details and animations.
-=Customization=-
This is where the game gets ridiculous. You can design your character to be WHATEVER you want. Want a long bulbous nose? Sure! Want a scrunched in mini face? Why not! Want to have acne all over your guy’s face like a prepubescent high schooler? They’ve got you covered!
-=Story=-
I’ll admit right off the bat, I only have small portions of the story discovered so far. I am more focused on expanding my settlements and just randomly walking around the wasteland, but that allows me to make my OWN story, which is what Fallout has always been about. The main story line will pull you in right away with treachery and tragedy, which I do not want to ruin for anyone who is about to buy the game. It’s an interesting spin on this area’s intention on the vaults and the story gives a more intimate touch making your character feel more “human” this time versus the way New Vegas felt (Fallout 3 did a decent job as well – although it felt more generic). Clearly the focus was for you to make your own story in the wasteland, but for you campaign enthusiasts, this game does not disappoint.
-=Score=-
Overall this was yet another home run for Bethesda and even more so for us fans. 10/10.
Platform For Display: PCEdition: Pip-BoyVerified Purchase
War..War Never Changes.. Pipboy Edition & Game Review
Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2015
Sit back, grab your nearest Nuka Cola, and enjoy the ride. This is, once again, another beautiful entry in the Fallout series. Obviously at this point everyone knows this is not the Black Isle isometric driven Fallout we grew up on, but that's not an entirely bad thing. Bethesda has taken the post-apocalyptic world we grew to love and has done a wonderful job expanding it and the lore around it. This foray in to the destroyed world is the most ambitious yet.Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2015
[PIPBOY EDITION REVIEW]
I have been buying collector’s editions of games for longer than I care to admit. My basement is riddled with boxes of collector’s items and boxes of all sorts of shapes and sizes. Once you start collecting items of this type you go in with a little precognitive knowledge and expectation of cheap items and usual disappointments. The Pipboy edition has it merits, but you are quickly greeted with more of the same.
-=Pipboy Box=-
The box itself is made beautifully. It’s something you would expect to find in the game itself. It’s a sturdy almost colorless (aside from the brown hue) encasing that has a very minimalist approach to it. It’s held by two push in latches on either side and the front of the case lifts up to display your Pipboy, game, and stand. The internal cushioning is done beautifully. There was ample foam to make me feel like the package was handled with care.
-=The Game Case & Contents=-
The game case is the steel box-type that is now a fairly common commodity in collector editions. The art on the case is nice, as expected. Inside the case is the game, a pamphlet of goodies that are about to come out, and the folder out S.P.E.C.I.A.L poster. The poster is nice and very colorful. It gives you a nice preview of the perks that are offered the in game (outside of the ones you can actually find on your own). I was slightly annoyed by the pamphlet, because it is the first thing you see when you open the case and it has “Fallout 4 Season Pass” as the cover, making you momentarily surprised that the game included the season pass – just to have your dreams crushed when you realize you don’t. For shame!
-=Pipboy & Stand=-
Obviously this is the main draw, and point, of this collector’s edition. The Pipboy takes up the majority of the package and, for the most part, is well worth the wait and expectation. The Pipboy has a decent weight to it, so you know it’s made to be displayed proudly. The problem is that the case of the Pipboy was built great, but the knobs, lights, and little details on the Pipboy were built as an afterthought. They can easily snap off if you aren’t careful and, as many others have complained, the light at the top is easily pushed in – something I unfortunately discovered myself. The phone housing is also a bit of a tight fit (I have an iPhone 6 – the largest phone it supports). It appears they didn’t quite get the foam cut outs correctly to the point where it smothers the phone so much that it will actually activate the buttons on the side of the phone. I had to cut the foam to make it work, but when coupled with the stand that is included it actually looks really amazing. You also have the option of physically wearing the Pipboy, although that’s more of a gimmick and not practical.
-=Score=-
Overall I would give the Pipboy edition a hardy 8.5 out of 10. The price (when I got it) of $120 feels justified by the contents, although that season pass tease and the fragile nature of the buttons on the Pipboy does retract from an otherwise awesome package.
[GAME REVIEW]
Immediately you’ll notice that Fallout 4’s world is full of bright colors, which is something that the previous titles were almost void of. This makes sense given the direction of the game. The game is not only about survival, but now it’s also about hope and rebuilding, rebuilding obviously being the key word. Rebuilding is literally one of the actions you do in this game. You are now tasked with the option of starting your own version of civilization. As you discover more and more settlements, you are presented with the option of expending and fortifying them. What is the point you might be asking? Well, the settlements provide a place for you, and as you collect them, and your companions to stay. It also allows you to recruit random settlers to bolster your defenses (more on this in a second), run shops you create, farm land you cultivate, and provide you with additional quests and items you normally would not obtain. Basically it’s like having a simulation game within a game, because not only do you manage your settlement, but as you expand it becomes more likely to be “raided” by external forces.
As far as the actual story goes, it’s a lot better this time around versus Fallout 3. Without giving away any spoilers, the game begins with you being accepted in to the fabled vault, while a massive war is on the brink of erupting. Your town is vibrant, your wife, robotic butler, and baby all seem very pleasant and the eerie Vault-Tec informer even has a hilarious charm to him. Soon your happy life is disrupted by the TV announcing war has erupted and the town’s sirens start blaring. Immediately the game kicks in to hectic mode as you run to the vault as quickly as possible. You reach the vault just in time to see a nuke blow up right in front of your town as you safely descend in to the vault…
-=Game Play=-
There isn’t much to build on here from Fallout 3. We know the games are no longer like Fallout 1 or 2, so no more isometric views or turn based game play. V.A.T.S returns at the forefront and more emphasis was placed on S.P.E.C.I.A.L, although it does feel like they may have shortened the list of perks, but that could just be my first impression. The power armor was taken in a different direction than before; now it acts like a second layer on top of your armor, which can feel over powered, but the required energy to run the armor coupled with the increased strength of Super Mutants and Deathclaws make it feel appropriate. Overall though the game play feels polished and they obviously followed the idea of: don’t fix what isn’t broke.
-=Graphics=-
Flat out amazing. The textures have been cleaned up and polished. The color palette has been expanded 10 fold – no more gloomy wasteland trips, instead you are greeted with wonderful coloring and a glimpse of what the old world might have actually looked like. The biggest improvement is split between the emphasized detail on the physical items (guns, armor, etc) as well as the vastly improved facial details and animations.
-=Customization=-
This is where the game gets ridiculous. You can design your character to be WHATEVER you want. Want a long bulbous nose? Sure! Want a scrunched in mini face? Why not! Want to have acne all over your guy’s face like a prepubescent high schooler? They’ve got you covered!
-=Story=-
I’ll admit right off the bat, I only have small portions of the story discovered so far. I am more focused on expanding my settlements and just randomly walking around the wasteland, but that allows me to make my OWN story, which is what Fallout has always been about. The main story line will pull you in right away with treachery and tragedy, which I do not want to ruin for anyone who is about to buy the game. It’s an interesting spin on this area’s intention on the vaults and the story gives a more intimate touch making your character feel more “human” this time versus the way New Vegas felt (Fallout 3 did a decent job as well – although it felt more generic). Clearly the focus was for you to make your own story in the wasteland, but for you campaign enthusiasts, this game does not disappoint.
-=Score=-
Overall this was yet another home run for Bethesda and even more so for us fans. 10/10.
Images in this review
Top reviews from other countries
Torontonian 2004
Overpriced and cheaply made toy for an otherwise great game
Reviewed in Canada on May 11, 2016Platform For Display: PCEdition: Pip-BoyVerified Purchase
Amazon Customer
Game rocks, but don't play with the pipboy!
Reviewed in Canada on November 26, 2015Platform For Display: PCEdition: Pip-BoyVerified Purchase
Matt A
Enjoyed the game
Reviewed in Canada on December 2, 2017Platform For Display: PCEdition: Pip-BoyVerified Purchase
Earl Wheeler
Instant New Favorite
Reviewed in Canada on November 26, 2015Platform For Display: PCEdition: Pip-BoyVerified Purchase
Tolga
The Amazon customer service guy was cool though. There was a little scratch on the ...
Reviewed in Canada on November 14, 2015Platform For Display: PCEdition: Pip-BoyVerified Purchase
