I'm finally leaving Vault 111 in Fallout 4 on PS5. As the Wasteland comes into focus and I look out over the dilapidated remains of Sanctuary Hills – which was my picture perfect home just shy of 30 minutes ago – a myriad of notifications begin to pop up consecutively on my screen. One after another, they add fresh quests to my Pip-Boy before I've even had a chance to take in the irradiated vista. This is far from the first time I've experienced the opening of Bethesda's post-apocalyptic RPG, but this is the first time I'm seeing the majority of these objectives. After falling in love with the Fallout TV show, I, like many others, felt compelled to return to the 2015 adventure. With a copy on PS4, I could have just dived in right away, but I decided to wait for the next-gen update to drop last week.
Initially, when I saw these notifications, I was glad I did hold out. But as time went on, a question began to creep into my mind: Was this really worth the wait? Well, I've come to the conclusion that the answer to that is, overall, not really. I could have gotten my fill of rads and vaults on PS4 right off of the back of the TV show's release when the mood initially struck me, and it wouldn't have made that much difference. Sure, I have some extra items, a few new quests, and the Commonwealth has had a fresh coat of paint that makes it look crisper and smoother than before on console. But as it turns out, there's one thing that outweighs all of the new additions for me. Something I didn't even consider that has so far proven to be the best thing about Fallout 4's next-gen update: the trophies. I'm actually rediscovering the story with a renewed sense of purpose, and that includes earning the achievements all over again.
