The fog of Far Harbor is to be feared. It inflicts radiation poisoning on those who dare to trek through it, it gives birth to horribly slimy creatures of the deep, and it does an admirable job of obscuring your view of the fiends that stalk the wilderness. The island's residents have a right to fear the mist: it keeps them penned inside of their small settlements, forced to await the next inevitable mutant attack – but you'll come to loathe the fog for entirely different reasons.
Far Harbor is Fallout 4's first "proper" expansion; it's set on a whole new landmass that lies North of the Commonwealth – a treacherous island that's crammed with new quests and secrets. Initially, you're sent there to do a touch of detective work and find a missing person, but, unsurprisingly, it isn't long before you're pulled into the growing conflict between the isle's three main factions.
Right from the start, it's clear that Bethesda has listened to criticisms regarding the main game's writing. Almost as soon as you step off your boat, you're swamped with dialogue choices and the rants of disgruntled settlers. The developer tries far harder to spin subplots here that bubble away beneath the add-on's overarching story, and the result is a slice of content that, narratively, feels a little more refined than Fallout 4.
Aside from a few tediously predictable characters, Far Harbor's cast isn't too shabby, and although the quality of the dialogue still doesn't come close to matching the best that the genre has to offer, there's enough player choice here to keep you invested. What's more, your actions have a direct impact on the conclusion of this 20-or-so hour adventure, allowing you to leave your mark on the creepy island's history.
However, despite its best efforts at crafting a complex story, Far Harbor stumbles when it decides to roll out a series of poorly judged quests around the plot's halfway point. Without spoiling anything, one of these tasks sees you fiddle with the game's crafting system as you solve puzzles. While this segment certainly offers something new, it feels bafflingly out of place and drags on for far too long. Just when the story's kicking into gear and you're faced with some tough choices, you're wrenched from proceedings and forced to endure this clumsy attempt at puzzle-solving gameplay. It's maddening.
Fortunately, the good outweighs the bad when it comes to the rest of the quests that are dotted around the island. Generally speaking, most of these are your usual Fallout 4 affairs – go to an area, kill the enemies – but the new setting and fresh batch of foes do a fine job of keeping things interesting. Naturally, there's effective new equipment to find, too, and there are some brilliantly designed, intricate locations that play host to several superb combat scenarios. Indeed, Bethesda's prowess at creating environments that beg to be explored and looted is once again a key selling point in this expansion.
Or at least, it would be, if Far Harbor didn't run like a salty sack of shite on PlayStation 4. Approaching or walking through the aforementioned fog that covers most of the island murders the framerate on Sony's console, crippling any sense of adventure as you scavenge your way across the impressively detailed setting.
At times, it's worryingly easy to look past the inherent bugginess of Bethesda's titles; Fallout 4's rewarding gameplay loop makes it difficult to put down even though you know that the game should run better than it does. But in Far Harbor's case, Bethesda's released a product that comes dangerously close to being a chore to play, and that's just not good enough.
Conclusion
Far Harbor should have be an easy sell to those who have picked the Commonwealth clean, but something terrible lurks within the fog. Serious framerate issues on PS4 make the expansion stink like the rot of a mutated fishman, killing any sense of adventure in what is otherwise an intruiging add-on. If the problem's patched, feel free to add a few points to this review's score – but until then, you should steer your ship clear of Far Harbor's foreboding coast.
Comments 43
Wow, I didn't see this coming....I wonder what QA testers are paid for...
Very harsh in my opinion. While I do agree with you on that puzzle sequence, It was absolutely awful and tedious. Definetly not a perfect expansion by any means. I don't believe it warrants such a low score.
Fully agree with the score here. Issues like this are really starting to take the biscuit, it chugs so badly in places it's unplayable. These things are clearly not optimised effectively at launch, any kind of QA would highlight this, they're aware it's cream crackered. Just hold off on release for crying out loud. Even a move like delaying dlc on platforms a la Skyrim would have been preferable to the chuggy mess I was actually eager to play.
@stevie85 Would have been a 7 or 8/10 if it wasn't for the horrific frame rate. Honestly, I'll be starting the expansion again if/when it's patched so I can fully enjoy it. It's a really solid add-on that's wrecked by the technical side of things.
@ShogunRok That's a fair point. It plays like a powerpoint presentation in parts.
@stevie85 Just a massive shame really, we shouldn't be having to deal with this in 2016 on PS4. Hopefully Bethesda puts together an update sooner rather than later.
Is the frame rate issue just on PS4? I've just played this earlier on XB1 and I've not noticed any problems so far but I have only just wandered not too far from where you first dock, don't know if the fog gets thicker as you progress inland?
I would give Far Harbor a 9 after I completed it yesterday, if performance is a sticking point, it's more like a 7 or 6.
If you really enjoyed the baseline Fallout 4, give this one a go...........the quest design and moral dilemmas, for the most part, are superior to the original story arc.......the map design and atmosphere was solid as well. As far as the framerate, it is unacceptable, but the game is still playable. Bottomline, if you love Fallout 4, play it, you'll enjoy it. If your a casual fan, skip it until it gets patched.
@MaccaMUFC
From what I've heard, it's a PS4 problem.......it seems to be fine on the XB1 and PC.
Low score well deserved. Never support broken products. At least, not yet until they're fixed to the supposed state.
Not disputing anyone else's experience but I played several hours over the weekend, covered a lot of ground (day and night), and have only experienced an occasional frame rate drop. The experience has been on par with the rest of the game in terms of technical performance.
While it's nice to see games been called out on their performance issues, I feel this is a touch harsh. I'll admit the first time I booted it up and entered the fog I thought much the same as yourself but having played it a few more times I don't think the frame rate is as bad as I first thought. Granted it should be a non issue by now and I did think my PS4 was broken for a bit playing this but I suspect that's because I'd been playing Uncharted for several days straight and it was particularly jarring initially switching to this.
Personally I have enjoyed this more so far than the main game, with a couple of real stand out side quests to boot. It's just a shame that after a few releases recently which have shown with the PS4 can really do (Uncharted, Ratchet and Doom), that we have to put up with a creaking game engine which is no longer up to the job, yet still I really enjoy playing it
Good to see a game getting hit for shoddy technical performance. People say gameplay is the most important aspect.. I agree, and I also think awful frame rates drastically affect the gameplay!
Frankly I'd have knocked a few points off the main game too since I feel it ran like crap but hey!
I can understand the poor reception due to performance, I get it....
But.........
This is also a superb piece of DLC that outshines the main game in a couple of areas. Wait until it gets patched, I would advise for a decent portion of the audience, but overall this shouldn't be missed by anybody who enjoyed Fallout 4.
@sub12 To be fair, I've got about 350 hours on Fallout 4 and I went into this DLC expecting good things. The fact that I'm such a big fan of the main game made the disappointment even worse, if I'm honest. As far as I'm concerned this kind of technical performance shouldn't be overlooked in the least, not when Bethesda's upped the price on the season pass not too long ago.
While I understand some players will be able to overlook it and still have fun, it doesn't change the fact that this sort of thing simply shouldn't be happening. Giving Far Harbor a decent score would basically be me saying "yeah I'd recommend this", which I quite clearly don't.
Fix the frame rate and this is a good 7 or 8/10. Until then, unacceptable in my eyes.
@ShogunRok
That's fair enough for sure, I just don't want people to completely skip this experience and not ever give it a go........ignoring performance, I think I enjoyed what was on offer here more than you, and I would reckon it's essential for anybody who liked Fallout 4.
Is the performance unacceptable in spots, yes it is,.......is it OK to give it a 4 due mostly to those issues, yes it is, you review what you have and this is Bethesda's problem........is Far Harbor a very good piece of DLC, that baring the performance, would be recommended to any Fallout 4 fan?.......IMO, yes, without a doubt.
For me, the framerate problems haven't been nearly as bad as I thought they would be based on people's reactions. But, yes, it is noticeable and annoying. Honestly, I'm pretty sure the problem isn't the fog - I think it's the trees. They're way too dense in places, and the way the light scatters through them doesn't help.
@sub12 I tend to agree - the review says as much. Like the conclusion reads, Far Harbor should be an easy sell to anyone who likes Fallout 4. It's just a huge shame that I can't recommend playing it in its current state. Sincerely hope it gets patched soon.
@Tony_342
I think it's the fog.....there are times late in the DLC where the fog has mostly dissapated to a large extent, and it runs noticeably smoother. I think the problem is just on the PS4.
Lazy devs. Or perhaps just incompetent. I remember the same issues with Skyrim and some of the Fallout 3 dlc. I'm expecting the same in their next Elder Scrolls as well. Bethesda. A name now known for being a buggy mess more than anything else.
@LieutenantFatman
Reguardless of the issue, they need to move past the Creation Engine after Fallout 4.
@sub12 Everyone said that about Fallout 3 and Skyrim, though. Ain't never changing.
I haven't even installed the add on yet. I'm just gonna wait until they finally decide to patch the frame issues before I even use it, but I will do an install soon.
@LieutenantFatman
Lazy devs:
Hey, PC guy, how's DH looking? All good amigo.
XB1, how we doing? 10 for 10 hombre.
PS$, what's happening? Waiting for LVG to be sacked, but er, yeah.
It's a disgrace that anything releases in this state of greatness on any platform, never mind PS4.
(How ironic that the $ is 4)
@Drawfull: Watch the language please -Tasuki-
I guess it could be a combination of the fog and trees. I've definitely noticed that the only time I have framerate issues is when I'm in areas with dense foliage.
I've been thinking - twenty years ago, fog was used in games to IMPROVE the framerate. Nowadays, it just makes it worse. Granted, "fog" back then wasn't actual fog, just really short draw distances. Still, kinda funny in an ironic way.
I've no intention to play it anytime soon anyway. Still looking forward to it. Hopefully by the end of summer they'll have fixed it.
I don't agree at all with the 4, I love the expansion so far.
This is the second time so far I disagree with pushsquare in my 3 years reading this website (first time was blue estate, but I disagreed with all websites with that game)
EDIT: the reason I disagree is probably because I am not bothered at all with the low FPS, I actually have never been bothered by low FPS.
@sub12 I agree with you on that, but as Sammy says, it seems somewhat unlikely this will happen any time soon. But hey, you never know.
Good for you for giving such an honest review. Bethesda have been guilty in the past of doing this, and it's not acceptable to ask punters to pay for something that doesn't run acceptably, again!
@stevie85 I agree with you completely, this is a ridiculously low score and the although complaints about framerate may be somewhat valid...although I don't have the same issues...it shouldn't knock it that far down. I've played it and love it as well do other reviews...even though it's the writer's opinion in my opinion its a great review
@Grabberflesh50 Watch the Language -Tasuki-
@Grabberflesh50 you know what an opinion is, right? AN OPINION.
Is your life less because someone gave your favorite game/DLC/team/band/movie a lower score than you would? awww.
I agree with the 4/10 review score. Seriously what else matters when a video game has such poor frame rates?
When i traveled back to the Commonwealth and visited Diamond City and my large Sanctuary settlement the frame rates felt like 60fps after what Far Harbor plays at.
Fallout 4 isn't a great game, as a Fallout 2 and New Vegas fan I must say that the fourth entry is on par with the first Fallout, which is an "ok" game dated as hell. The expansion pack isn't doing any favors to save the game, so to me Fallout 4 is in the past and I hope that Bethesda do something new, because this engine is no longer acceptable.
If its anything like skyrim, we will have to wait for 10 or so patches. An the issue will still not be 100% fix. Broken!!!!
@Grabberflesh50 So what you're saying is that because you haven't had the same experience, the review's a sack of beans? Come on now, I'm sure if you had to play through this expansion at 10fps you'd be pretty down on it, too.
I don't enjoy giving games bad scores - I don't think anyone, reviewers included, want games to be rubbish - but if it's a chore to play through Far Harbor then I'm not going to say it's great. It's more than deserving of a 4/10 - a frame rate as bad as this simply shouldn't be happening. Not sure what else to say!
@NoCode23 Funnily enough I joked about this the other day. After playing Far Harbor for a few hours, traipsing through the fog, I went back to the synth settlement and it honestly felt like I was playing the game at 60fps. Says it all, really.
@Grabberflesh50 The reason this DLC runs so poorly to begin with is because there are never consequences when Bethesda releases a sub-par performing game.
Case in point, the infamously broken Skyrim on PlayStation 3 has a 92 on Metacritic: http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-3/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim
@Lagnaut I've just completed the quest and haven't noticed anything worse than the main game either.
A big issue here is that anyone that purchased a season pass has already paid for this dlc. So regardless of reviews the money has been spent with the option to not download but no option to not purchase it.
Historicaly the Fallout 3 dlc is a good read. Ps3 users had to wait months after xbox and pc users for the dlc. However when released the dlc had much more than frame rate issues for xbox and pc. Broken Steel had technical problems that caused it to be temporarily pulled from xbox live because of freezing and other issues while pc got a new fixed dlc to download. That was 7 years ago.
The PS3 eventually got all of Fallout 3 dlc but even after patching Broken Steel still causes lag, freezing, slower loading, and frame rate issues. So i only play with the other 4 dlc. Even with a new game and small save file the performance is noticeably affected when adding only Broken Steel.
How Bethesda deals with the Ps4 problems with the Far Harbor dlc will be interesting.
I'm struggling to believe anyone would defend this dlc frame rate nonsense after doom and uncharted 4 have proven yet again how to make the ps4 purr, let alone enjoy the abortion which is the clunky, bug riddled, glitch fest Fallout 4.
Fallout 4 could of set benchmarks and been outstanding. Its just about put me off every new Bethesda game, and hopefully some gullible fools from buying season passes.
@get2sammyb ain't changing bcos Bethesda thinks crappy game performance is acceptable for us. They sold well anyways, right?
@shogunrok Any ETA on reviews for Mutants in Manhattan? Hoping that's not as disappointing as this, though I'm not not optimistic.
Huh? So many people reporting terrible frame rate here, yet on my PS4 I've had only one issue (the game crashed on me, though that happened a couple times in the Commonwealth too). Framerate's fine for me so far, though I'm only a few hours in and haven't gotten to those apparently absurd puzzles. Have you guys been getting them your whole playthrough of Far Harbor?
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