Friday, November 12, 2010

Fallout New Vegas Review

First off, I wanted to say that I've played all of the Fallout Games (not counting Tactics or Brotherhood of Steel) and I've enjoyed each one of them. Probably my favorite has been Fallout 2 and that's part of the reason I was so excited to play New Vegas.



The game starts fairly simply in an unmarked grave until you're found by a doctor who patches you up and has you determine your SPECIAL and other traits. The main storyline is compelling but short, just like Fallout 3. While it appears that there are a similar amount of side quests between Fallout 3 and NV, the world is significantly smaller in New Vegas. This hurts the playability of the overall game and significantly reduces just what you can do.



There are bugs galore. Targeting, camera, scripts... it's a lot. And it's distracting and takes away from the gameplay. There's even a bug in opening the game!

Also, loads take a tremendously long time and are a pain in the butt. You could wait upwards of a half minute just leaving a building. One review described them as "demoralizing" and I agree.



A few observations:

  • The radio stations in NV are inferior to 3. Mr. New Vegas is a nice touch, but with far fewer lines than Three Dog. Besides, two of the stations share the same music, which is pretty good but are far fewer than the number in 3.

  • There are bugs galore-- I know I already said that, but I have to again.
  • The ending is far improved over 3, however you still can't play after that.
  • Some parts are far deeper into the lore and use characters from Fallout 2. Other parts are shorter and rushed.
  • It feels like there's a genuine war between the Legion and the New California Republic. However, there's far less Legion territory and interaction (unless you actively side with them).

Overall, this game is both satisfying and frustrating. It feels like the game was rushed and if given another six months it could have far outstripped Fallout 3. It's still worth buying but make sure to download the patch.

Overall:
8.75/10.0
Very good, would have been a 9.0 without the bugs.

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Did you play it? What do you think?

Special thanks to multiple sites for the pictures.


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1 comment:

Unknown said...

I agree, it's definitely worth playing. The bugs are an issue, but they were/are in the capital wasteland as well. Personally, I learned from FO3 not to buy the game until at least the second big patch set comes out.

That being said, I do have a few personal beefs with the overall game-play. For one CHICOM stealth armor without the stealth field? Lame.

Also, the terrain seems to have taken a "Mercenaries" turn, where even small hills/ cliffs can be insurmountable.

I do have to give it props for improved story line though. Much darker. Not "Metro 2033" dark (which if you haven't played I strongly recommend. Read the book too!), but close.

I'll reserve scoring until played through post patch. That being said, it is definitely on my personal to get list.


~Philo