Fallout 4 6

"Everything that we do is a balance", Bethesda marketing director Pete Hines told GameSpot. The publisher's upcoming open world role-playing game, Fallout 4, got a big showing at this year's E3, but there's been a lot of conversation regarding the title's visual prowess.

"We could make the best looking game possible, but we dial some of that back in order to allow for all of these other things," Hines continued, when asked about the concern over the post-apocalyptic adventure's graphics.

Now, we all know that great visuals can sell a game; to the more casual onlooker, seeing a title that sports outstanding graphics can sell the product, but that perhaps isn't the case with hobbyists like those of you who are reading this very article. Indeed, while many of us understand that graphics don't make the game, a release's visuals can obviously make it that much more appealing.

But Bethesda's never really been about graphical fidelity. Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas are both pretty grubby looking games on consoles, and while The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim arguably has a great art style, it still isn't a visual juggernaut. As such, we were never expecting Fallout 4 to look particularly good, even if we do admire its far more colourful world. Much like what Hines is saying, we've come to expect great gameplay from Bethesda's open world games, and if visuals have to be sacrificed so that the developer can create massive, sprawling worlds that are chocked full of content, then we reckon that's just dandy.

What do you make of this? Are you disappointed in Fallout 4's visuals, or do you agree that gameplay should always take priority? Drop some bombs in the comments section below.

[source gamespot.com, via mcvuk.com]