I've been playing Fallout 4, which has been taking up far too much of my free time really (that's part of the reason I haven't been around).
It still feels very much like a Fallout game (the new kind anyway), there have been some changes but they all feel like improvements and none of them completely re-invent the game. It does seem like there may be a few more options on how to play the game, with there even being different ways to use VATS. Perhaps it's just more that there are obvious perks to invest in that can more directly favour particular playstyles, so your build feels a bit more relevant and with more room for variety.
I don't know if the combat is that different overall, it does feel a bit more capable of being played as a shooter but I kind of coincidentally built my character in a way that favours using VATS with a focus on Critical Hits. I quite like the new critical system, it kind of makes critical hits into a resource and adds an element of strategy in deciding when to use them or when to save them up. It does also make Luck a much more viable stat than it has tended to be in previous games. I wouldn't say Fallout has been too bad at making all of it's abilities useful in the past but it does feel like they've done a much better job here of making every stat and perk feel potentially worthwhile (possibly excluding the resource and exp perks, depending on how you feel about those, though making people explode in a shower of caps sounds kind of fun).
I'm a little undecided on the settlement building, it's a nice idea but it could also be kind of a time sink and it doesn't seem like it's totally worthwhile unless you just enjoy the actual building up elements. There's a decent amount of customisation potential, to the extent that you can even choose exactly what everyone wears (assuming you can find the outfits) so there's plenty to do if you like the system. In terms of actual game benefits it doesn't seem quite as strong, being able to set up trade routes so you can use your resources anywhere is nice but not really essential (though perhaps that's the point, since it requires some investment in the Charisma stat). You can make your people earn some money for you but it seems slow, perhaps the greatest benefit is being able to set up your own shops so you can buy and sell things more easily.
The biggest issue is that there's not a good enough interface for settlement management, it would be nice if you could get all of the information and re-assign your people without having to physically hunt them down in the world (even better if you could do it remotely when you're out in the field). That said, you can get the basic information on the Pip-boy and there's a bell item that you can use to summon everyone in the settlement to you so it's not that bad in practice but it could be better. There's certainly room to build on the settlement system in the future if they want to go that way.
I haven't done much of the story because I'm far too easily distracted so it's hard to say much about it (plus, I wouldn't want to give any spoilers anyway). The introduction is quite good but I kind of feel that it has the potential to undermine your role-playing options a bit since you kind of have an established backstory. To be fair, there's still potential for a lot of mystery and the small part you see could easily not be telling the full story (there could have been a lot going on in the background that you don't see). It does also seem to be going the same way as stories in related games, where you're kind of assumed to be a heroic type and there's less room to try and be an alternative personality.
The crafting system is interesting, it doesn't seem that you can really make new weapons or armour so loot is still important but you can mod anything you pick up to suit your tastes. Most weapons have two or three variations, with each of those potentially having improved versions for higher level skills. It is also possible to find modified guns, with the modifications being removable, so you can get higher level mods or mods you can't build yourself at times. It seems like quite a good system, it doesn't feel like you have to craft but there's enough benefit in doing so that it's a decent skill investment for those who choose it. The Power Armour system is similar, you can use it if you want to but it doesn't seem necessary (though I still like to paint my armour even if I've only used it once).
It's really a very good game, it does exactly what I'd have wanted and even has a few refinements and surprises. The actual world seems interesting enough so far and I expect I'll end up spending an awful lot of hours exploring and hunting for alarm clocks (they're surprisingly useful).
