Summary
Everyone loves a good comeback tale in cinema, ranging from Simba’s majestic return to the Pride Lands in theLion Kingfranchise to the legendary Rocky overcoming unfathomable odds to avenge his best friend’s death. Similarly, in the long and continuing history of video games, some titles have endured woefully tragic launches for various reasons only to bounce back from the grave.Fallout 76was the poster boy of such high-profile resurrections in recent years, andCyberpunk 2077has enjoyed a similar ascent to the limelight with itsPhantom Liberty update. Comparing how the titles achieved redemption is only natural, andFallout 76’s road to atonement might be more remarkable than its CD Projekt Red RPG counterpart.
The increase in devices with high-end gaming capabilities might be a dream come true on paper, but in terms of development, the subtle differences in performance elements can spell trouble for a game. Developers now have to account for an expanded range of PCs and consoles than ever before, and the trend has led to sub-par titles being pushed at launch only to be addressed with a frantic flurry of bug fixes and patch updates – much to the annoyance of an expectant fan base. As titles likeRedfallare trying to claw their way back to relevance after turbulent launches, to put it lightly,Fallout 76andCyberpunk 2077provide blueprints of how to make a comeback few saw coming.
RELATED:Fallout 76’s Jersey Devil Cryptid Explained
Cyberpunk 2077has been all the rave in the past few weeks, with its Phantom Liberty DLC grabbing headlines for its reworked core gaming mechanics and improved storyline. The title’s most comprehensive update to date is a resounding success by all accounts, as evidenced byCyberpunk 2077jumping up the Steam chartin terms of player count as fans revisit the game in droves. It’s finally living up to its pre-launch hype, and comparisons are being drawn toFallout 76’s emphatic comeback. However, based on how “broken” the most recentFalloutmainline installment was at launch, the Bethesda title still beats it out as a redemption story.
At launch, things couldn’t have looked more bleak for Bethesda, asFallout 76endured criticism and ridicule across the board from fans and critics alike. Featuring a story many considered boring and a shocking number of game-breaking bugs, it was unfathomable to see how it could ever live up to the billing of the likes ofFallout: New Vegas. The journey has been a long and winding road, but in 2022, Bethesda reportedFallout 76had seen around 13.5 million players explore Appalachia. The marked improvement in player count has its roots in theWastelanders update, the same way Phantom Liberty has broughtCyberpunk 2077back from obscurity.
Aside from neutering some of the mind-boggling bugs, Wastelanders employed a one-year time skip from the launch’s events and moved away from the PvP elements that caused so much controversy. Replacing the threat of multiplayer nuclear conflict with factional warfare, players could decide what group deserved their support, which made for far more intriguing gameplay. Additionally, the inclusion of NPCs in the update was a welcome development, as fans wanted more of a PvE experience thanFallout 76’s launch letdownprovided. The introduction of aNew Vegas-esque dialogue system featuring skill checks was the icing on the cake for the title, marking a U-turn from the launch’s radical changes toFallout’s more traditional elements.
The numerous quality-of-life improvements and game modes, such as Nuclear Winter and Daily Ops, gaveFallout 76a different outlook, and as a result, fans have returned en masse to explore the title. Phantom Liberty’s impact onCyberpunk 2077cannot be understated, boosting the game from about 20,000 concurrent players to the hundreds of thousands at peak. However, givenFallout 76’s decidedly bleak prospects and the radical changes it had to undergo to regain relevance and respect, its comeback story has more layers than the futuristic travails ofV and the Edgerunners.
Fallout 76is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
MORE:All The Similarities Between Starfield and Fallout Explained
