Which (if any) of the old Fallout 4 rumours look like they're true?

Well, we know it's Boston, that's for sure. Before Fallout 4 was finally announced, the location was one of the most leaked aspects, mentioned in several posts on Reddit over two years ago, and backed up repeatedly by other leaks. At the time, much of all this was dismissed as rumour. The question is, now we've actually seen the game what might turn out to be true?

Here's what previous leaked info suggests we could be getting from the game, remember this is all still speculation but hey, Boston turned out to be right...

1. The player speaks

This was dismissed out of hand when a script first leaked at the end of 2013. The player in Fallout never speaks. Except now he does, turning to the dog at the end of the trailer to say 'Let's go pal', in distinctly Troy Baker-ish tones. Here's what the very conveniently branded script looks like:

Note how the script makes a lot of life before and after the apocalypse, something the trailer also seemed to play with. The 2013 character art also looks pretty close to the final appearance in the trailer.

Here's a second part of the script showing an alleged mission related exchange:

Some extremely dubious screens mention an Amanda Garvey, but also seem to suggest the game is being developed in Creation Engine which was/is Bethesda's last-gen engine. Although, given current debate around the new game's looks it's not impossible that it could be a heavily upgraded version of that. Another source from 2014, in the point below, claims that there's a new engine for the current gen versions, with the Creation Engine being used for the last gen versions. Obviously, we now know PS3/360 isn't happening.

2. You can only play as a guy

Over a year ago someone posted on Reddit claiming to be a Fallout 4 tester fired for that previous script leak. He, at the time, talked about a speaking protagonist, and was instantly shot down as a result. One thing he mentioned that was also immediately dismissed was that the more story-based plot of the game required you play as a guy.

However, there is at least one person claiming their wife auditioned for the female lead back when the script leaked, and that they read that opening monologue in the script.

3. It's about a husband avenging his family

The leaked script mentions the characters "wife and infant son" and, remember, the trailer focuses on a husband and wife looking in on a baby in a cot. The alleged tester in point two elaborates by saying that the story starts after an explosion kills the wife (the child is unmentioned) and a building is stormed by androids. The robot element brings up The Institute, a location based on MIT, that was previously referenced in Fallout 3's Replicated Man quest (about helping an android escape). There's also talk of The Railroad, a pro-android group from the same mission, and a claim that The Institute and it's leader Thomas Littleton will be the main antagonist in 4.

Conclusion

Obviously, so much of this is still rumour and speculation, but certain elements of the script do tally with the trailer. The second source, the fired tester, made his claims after that leaked, so could easily have built a fiction on top of the previous details. Much of what he says sounds dubious, but then so did the idea of a talking Fallout hero in 2013. The tester makes no mention of Vault 111 from the trailer for example, which seems unusual. He only references Vault 79 although, like 111, that is another vault to have never previously appeared in a Fallout game.

However, probably the least credible thing the tester says is talk of a PS3/360 version being developed for release a year after the main PS4/XB1/PC versions. That one extremely unlikely fact almost singlehandedly destroys his credibility. But it's not impossible that last-gen was included early on in development. If we assume work started on Fallout 4 after the Skyrim team wrapped up (or even earlier) then that was a good four years ago, when the current platform landscape was less definite. The tester also nailed the E3 2015 announcement.

Overall, the potential for a talking player and a story focusing on a male character seem the most likely here. The rest needs to be taken with so much salt they'll probably dissolve before the game's out - several rumours there all point to a release date this year as well. Although I don't care how ropey that one is, I just want it to be true.

Seen something newsworthy? Tell us!