Bethesda set a release date for Nov. 10 for its post-apocalyptic sequel, Fallout 4, which is one of the most anticipated games of the year for the next generation consoles Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Ahead of the release date, Fallout 4 got a thorough play through by critics, and the reviews are in.

How has the gameplay changed much? Does the VATS system make sense this time? Are there any bugs or glitches?

Here's a review roundup for Fallout 4 to answer those questions and more.

Overall, early reviewers of Fallout 4 have given the game high marks, while noting some quirks and downsides that seem to have generally kept the AAA sequel from receiving the very highest ratings.

Fallout 4 Gameplay Review Roundup

While Fallout 3 was expansive and immersive, for many players, including fans, the gameplay was sometimes lacking. The VATS combat system could be too easy for some and too clunky for others, the fast travel system could leave players stranded in unbeatable areas that they nonetheless couldn't get away from, the gun and character upgrade system could feel labyrinthine, and, of course, there were bugs -- and not just the radioactive kind.

Not so in Fallout 4, according to many critics:

"Competency shouldn't be a bullet point for a game's store page, but it was jarring to actually enjoy the gunplay in Fallout 4 after trudging through the controls in literally every other game Bethesda has made. Functional used to be the watch-word, and it's been replaced by something that can actually be fun." - Polygon

"VATS is repetitive when overused, sure, but there's still an element of danger to it: though VATS slows time, it doesn't stop it, so bullets are still flying at you even as you pick which part of your enemy you want to separate from their other parts. Additionally, a new manually activated critical-strike system and the ability to cancel out of slow-mo at any time give some much needed control over those events." - IGN

However, Sam Machkovech dissented from the opinion that Bethesda has improved on the basic mechanics.

"Fallout 4, the sixth major release in the beloved post-nuclear series, enjoys this 'gotta earn it' distinction more than any release in the series thus far. This game is in no rush to acquit itself as a particularly impressive game. Its opening sequence sputters instead of splashing; its most obvious gameplay tweaks, and changes take too long to pay off (and in some ways, never do)..." - Ars Technica

As did Chris Suellentrop:

"The V.A.T.S. (Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System) shooting from Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas is back, and it's fine, I guess. But whenever I get caught up in an extended shootout in Fallout 4, I find myself growing a little weary. I feel more relief than exhilaration when I kill a particularly challenging enemy. My motivation in the game is to find out what happens next, and to learn more about this world and the characters in it. I don't find the moment to moment shooting rewarding." - Kotaku

Fallout 4 Bugs and Glitches

Many reviewers also noted software bugs and crashes in Fallout 4. Whether these are small problems that can be fixed with a couple of post-release patches, or are indications of more endemic issues with the game, remain to be seen.

"Fallout 4's performance on both consoles is tolerable, but sometimes disappointing... On all platforms we saw occasional crashes (the auto-save system prevented any major loss of progress), and every so often we hit a side quest that won't properly begin or end due to scripting bugs. But at no point did I encounter anything that halted my progress, or significantly dampened my enthusiasm for exploring, fighting, looting, and just existing in this fantastic, lore-filled universe." - IGN

"In total, 40-plus hours in the PlayStation 4 version of Fallout 4 resulted in only one hard crash of the game. It happened during a scene in which I was able to view the entire game world from above, so I reloaded the game and replayed that scene without crashing. Other than the usual open-world glitches, Fallout 4 ran pretty efficiently on console beyond that. I saw one major glitch when running the PC version, in which my character's hands mysteriously disappeared for a few minutes." - Ars Technica

Chris Plante, in his hilarious, short, must-read review titled "How not to get permanently stuck in Fallout 4's elevator like this schmuck," apparently had a much buggier time with Fallout 4 and savaged the game in apt fashion.

He wrote about getting stuck in a an elevator and realizing that his character wasn't going to be leaving:

"I sensed something wasn't quite right with the scene, but pushed that thought to the corner of my mind and took a couple minutes to dispose of some junk items weighing me down, tossing the detritus onto the elevator floor.

"After refilling my cup of coffee in the real world, I accepted the elevator door in the virtual world wasn't going to open anytime soon, so I dropped two grenades and Piper and I exploded into fountains of blood. The elevator, of course, remained perfectly sealed."

After reloading the game from a different save point, he went back into the elevator. Then the following Kafkaesque nightmare happened.

"Its door closed, the music began, the music stopped, and two truths smacked me upside the head, one immediately followed by the other: elevators no longer work in this game; I've probably lost an afternoon's worth of progress."

His overall take on the game? "So that's where I'm at. Nine hours in, I'm stuck in an elevator wondering if it's even worth getting out."

What do you think of the gameplay on Fallout 4? Have you encountered any major bugs? Sound off in the comments!