I thought I was crazy for thinking Fallout 4 feels like a perfectly crisp fall day, but that's exactly what Bethesda was aiming for after a 'field trip' to a national park: 'I was like, this is what our world needs to look like'

Fallout 4 is a much more cheerful game than its immediate numbered predecessor. In contrast with the grime, slick gore, and green tint of the Capital Wasteland, the Commonwealth is bright and vibrant—it's the sort of place where you wouldn't mind putting down roots and founding a settlement or ten.

Playing Fallout 4 has always felt like walking around on a perfect November morning to me: Everything's kind of grey and dead, the trees have no leaves, but the sun is out, the sky is blue. It has this sort of crisp...