Fallout: New Vegas

Alright, I've been meaning to get this review up for a while, but Fallout: New Vegas is a big ol' game and I had to get a good amount of hours in on it before I felt qualified to write a review on it.  Fallout: New Vegas is the newest RPG released from Obsidian Entertainment, a followup to their 2008 hit, Fallout 3, although not a direct sequel.  For those that aren't familiar with the Fallout series, the game places you in post-apocalyptic America.  In Fallout 3 you were placed in Washington D.C. and various expansion packs sent you to Pittsburgh and even space.  As you can probably guess New Vegas places you in Vegas.  More specifically, you'll spend more time wandering around the Mojave Desert and using New Vegas as a hub where you'll receive a large portion of your missions.  The story is very different from that of Fallout 3 and places you in the shoes of a courier who was shot and killed for the package he was carrying.  Luckily, a robot named Victor saves you and takes you to a doctor in order to fix you up.  The first portion of the game is played trying to get revenge on Benny (voiced by Matthew Perry), the man that killed you and took your package, the platinum chip.  As you progress, you find out that the platinum chip is very valuable to several people and you are placed in a situation where you can take about three or four different paths, all of which will have different consequences, story lines, and endings.

The graphics of New Vegas aren't anything different from Fallout 3.  The graphics are essentially recycled, although certain textures and environments seem a bit sharper than in the game's predecessor.  The setting of New Vegas is enormous and will give you plenty of things to discover and lots of time to roam around.  New Vegas, in particular, is a strong contrast from any city in Fallout 3 in that it is heavily populated and booming with prostitutes, gamblers, and belligerent drunks.  While New Vegas is a lot of fun, it could be a lot more free flowing.  The city is divided into various segments and large buildings which makes for a lot of loading times while wandering around New Vegas.  Outside of that, however, there are little to no loading times across the Mojave Desert, save for when you enter a building.  On a similar note, the loading times are pretty reasonable and are never excruciatingly long, which is surprising for how much needs to be loaded in the game's massive environment. 

The story line of New Vegas doesn't relate you to your character as much as Fallout 3 did, but tosses in a new element that Fallout 3 didn't have.  The route you took in Fallout 3 was pretty straight forward and not until the very end did you really have a choice to stray from that path.  In New Vegas, almost immediately you have to choose between three different factions to side with or to just rebel on your own as a vigilante.  This not only makes the story more engaging, but makes it unpredictable.  Another new factor in New Vegas is the various factions that you can either side with or rebel against.  This makes the game more engaging, giving you the option to manipulate certain groups while working with others, gaining favor with some for protection, or even getting everyone to side with you only to turn on them in the end.  This factors into the main storyline with the three biggest factions: Caesar's Legion, the NCR, and Mr. House.  Playing these factions against one another is difficult, but can make for a very independent and unique storyline. 

Possibly the most interesting aspect of New Vegas is hardcore mode.  As would be expected from venturing across the Mojave Desert, one needs to stay well hydrated and have a constant supply of food as well as necessary rest.  What hardcore mode does is make it so that you have to drink water, you have to eat, and  you have to sleep.  In Fallout 3, the only time you had to eat was if you needed some health; you drank water if you needed health; you slept if  you needed health and were near a bed.  In New Vegas, you have to drink water or else you'll suffer from dehydration sickness; you have to eat otherwise you may die of starvation; you have to sleep or you'll be sleep deprived and, yes, all of these things will affect your character gradually from moving slowly, limping, or even losing strength.  Other factors play into hardcore more such as ammunition has weight to it, stimpaks and food heal over time (as opposed to instantly), and you can only be fully healed and fully rested if you sleep in your own bed.  Hardcore mode definitely makes the game more difficult and makes you monitor your actions and well-being more closely than before.

One large complaint among critics, however, has been the mass amount of bugs and glitches in the game.  I will agree that New Vegas does have its fair amount of bugs and glitches, but I commend Obsidian for coming out with patches within days of the game's release.  However, even though updates have been put out, I still experience a glitch every now and again.  Now, I'm not talking about your simple AI character getting stuck in a wall glitch; let me give you an example.  At one point I went to my Pip-Boy (which is an in-game device on your wrist for those that aren't familiar) and exited only to find myself flung twenty feet in the air.  Another time, I was shooting at a mole rat at the bottom of a hill and suddenly saw it flying in the sky.  Needless to say, with a game that is so expansive and leaves a lot of decision to the player, there are bound to be some bugs.  However, for so many bugs to be present in the game at the date of release is somewhat unforgivable. 

Looking past the little bugs, Fallout New Vegas is a fantastic game.  While it does recycle a lot from Fallout 3 in terms of graphics, it is by no means Fallout 3.5.  New Vegas is a game entirely in and of itself.  The unique storyline allows players to choose their own adventure with an incredible amount of flexibility.  The game play is as fun as ever with the continuance of various guns, VATS, and followers (some make a reappearance from Fallout 3 and those familiar with Dogmeat will enjoy the robotic dog Rex in New Vegas).  New Vegas has an expansive environment that will please those who played Fallout 3 and will guarantee several hours of game time (I've already racked up 15 and I'm no where near finishing the main storyline).  Newcomers should definitely give New Vegas a shot if they've never picked up a Fallout game.  Various improvements are made from Fallout 3 while still maintaining the same level of fun and enjoyment.  Other perks in New Vegas include a great soundtrack with artists such as Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, and Nat King Cole making an appearance.  The list of voice actors is expansive as well including Matthew Perry as Benny, Ron Pearlman (who has been a narrator for most of the franchise's existence), William Sandler as Victor, and Wayne Newton as the radio host Mr. New Vegas.  Fallout: New Vegas may have its flaws, but they pale in comparison to the expansiveness and versatility of the overall game.  Fallout: New Vegas is definitely a game any RPG fan should pick up and should be a game that everyone should at least try.  It holds true to the Fallout feeling, but separates itself from Fallout 3 as a spectacular game in and of itself with unique environments, characters, and storyline.  Thanks for reading and check back for reviews on Call of Duty: Black Ops and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood in the coming weeks.