Have you ever been wandering through the wastelands of Fallout 4, taking in the post-apocalyptic view, scavenging for whatever little resources you could manage to find, and fighting the occasional mutant? Suddenly, you are stopped by a creature so lovely and docile. Yes, I am speaking about the cats of Fallout 4. These feline companions go through the ruins with an elegance in which, though chaos ensues, they are undisturbed. But here’s the thing-you can’t touch them. You heard that right, folks. In a world where you’re allowed to change up your armament at will, build and manage your own communities, and make decisions that will quite literally be life or death, you cannot scratch a cat behind the ears. You can kill them, though. Seriously, Bethesda?
The Redemption of Cats under Doomsday
Let me take a step back for a second and consider the implications. Not being able to have nice interactions with cats seems like a huge missed opportunity regarding a game focused on player choice and realism. I mean, who wouldn’t want to take a break from the endless struggle to survive and waste some time stroking a few virtual cats? It says more about adding complexity and realism to the in-game world than being a hardcore cat lover. Why not give our post-apocalyptic heroes the consolation of a feline companion? Cats are known to soothe one with their purring.
Not for one moment am I saying the biggest problem in the Commonwealth is a lack of pet cats, but those subtleties make or break the immersive experience in video games like Fallout 4. It’s about the joy of discovery, about those little pleasures that can be had even within a dystopian virtual one. It is, of course, about the memes, too. Can you imagine how a “Pet the Cat” mod could go viral? It would be the perfect antidote to those grungier and darker aspects of the game.
Not getting too far ahead of ourselves here. In conclusion, Fallout 4 is a content-filled game that has stolen the attention of the whole world. No one is skeptical about magic from this game, from the shocking debut video to the live stream marathon that seriously glued us to our screens. Gamers spent millions of hours exploring every nook and cranny in the Commonwealth, creating their tales, and making memories that will last their whole lifetime. So let’s not forget the dark, witty humor that permeates every corner of this game-a trademark of the Fallout series in and of itself-that keeps us laughing long after the apocalypse is over and done with.
Interaction with cats
But Bethesda, what about the cats? What about the felines? Ever since I started playing this game, that has been gnawing in the back of my mind. And I am not alone, either. There has, in fact, been a very noticeable backlash on social media and forums. “Why can’t we pet the cats?” we ask, mostly in vain, awaiting a response that never materializes. The puzzle brought about discourse and controversy where some players viewed it as a petty annoyance, and for others, it was representational epitome for the shortfall of the game.
In the big picture, this is merely a minor grievance. However, the intricate fabric of a gaming experience is made up of these little details. They distinguish a really good game from one that is only passably good. And it’s for that reason we keep coming back, wondering what other secrets are still buried beneath the digital surface. Let’s get this right, Bethesda-if you can hear me. Let’s give the players what they want-a cat by your side-let’s make the Commonwealth a place to survive and flourish.
We’ll make do with the plethora of other things that Fallout 4 provides us. We’ll build our settlements, craft our guns, and send those dastardly villains packing in their plots to terrorize the Commonwealth. Though not what we wanted, we may be able to give those kitty cats a little bit of love. After all, anything can happen within the Fallout 4 world, bar the one thing highly publicized as being an exception: petting cats.
The release of Fallout 4 —— Fans’ reaction
Now, leaving the interesting example of Fallout 4 and its cats that none can harm, let us delve a little into the diverse lot of fans themselves, comprising many kinds of opinions and a common anticipation of what is going to come next in the series. The Fallout series has since time immemorial been filled with lots of passionate argument, be it on intricate perk systems or detailed world-building. It is no exception since the release of Fallout 4; debates flare over everything from.
The first trailer that had introduced Fallout 4 to the world promised yet another great adventure through the ruins of the post-nuclear world. Indeed, fans were hyped enough to share the teaser everywhere on social networks, analyzing each frame for some hint of what was going to be shown when it released. Indeed, that level of expectation is reflected in the excitement. Bethesda’s earlier games had set something of a precedent, and the community was champing at the bit to see whether or not Fallout 4 would live up to that standard.
As players started to sink deep into the game, the lines of opinion about what it meant to them started to drift very far apart. To some users, such as ‘iruinedyourday’, the game is good for what it is: a nice experience to go through en-route to something else. Others want new, something that would shake their preconceived notions about the Fallout franchise. A friend of his, ‘iruinedyourday’, also reflected this attitude in search of some creativity off of the beaten and tired paths of routine.
Not only was the video game community hyped about Fallout 4, but “Beyondinfin” really brought out the series’ dark humor when he shared his excitement in getting a PS4 right in time for the release of the game. Again, further emulation of excitement was reflected in ‘Baler’, who organized a 72-hour live broadcast at the release of the game and ‘Slayerofalot’ who had spent hundreds of hours on earlier iterations.
But not everyone boarded the hype train. ‘AzzarTheGod’ said he’d rather replay Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines because Fallout 3’s storyline made no sense. “Swish” was even more circumspect, waiting until well after the reviews were in before buying. And ‘Big_Japan’ jokingly lamented the absence of a few role-playing options catering to more… niche tastes.
The Fallout 4 discourse involved not only the content but also the broader culture and practice. For instance, the red-carpet premiere of this game was judged by “KagatobLuvsAnimu” as needed just to “not disappoint non-gamers”. Also, the same user mentioned an option that modders will buy licenses to be allowed to change the game while the rights to their works would be owned by Bethesda.
Some of the participants also grumbled about how the game performed on various systems. “Skittlez” brought up an article regarding the frame rate problems on the PS4 version; this will deter gamers from choosing the said console. ‘iruinedyourday’ was still positive for playing it even with this shortcoming, claiming that he will play the game and would not annoy anyone about its shortcomings.
That power Fallout has had over gaming culture is continued by an extremely active fanbase. Vocal, to say the least, it neither lacks for positivity or negativity. Most particularly, it will point out how much energy players have sunk into the universe Bethesda has crafted. One way or another, each new game sends players racing. Not every single aspect of Fallout 4 made gamers jump up and down, but the game assuredly left its mark around the globe.
For players who are fond of the ability to venture, craft, and survive in the world of discovery, brutal as it is fascinating, Fallout series remains the lighthouse. In the greater scheme, not being able to pet cats in Fallout 4 does not seem much, but for others, that is keeping in mind that sometimes it’s the little things which count. We can only hope that our comments, conversations, and yes, even memes may actually hopefully change the course of the series as we patiently wait for the sequel of the Fallout story. Until then, we will continue to be wasteland wanderers, making our own adventures, and perhaps-just perhaps-learning how to properly pet those kitties.
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