Fallout: New Vegas Review

"War. War never changes. When atomic fire consumed the earth, those who survived did so in great, underground vaults. When they opened, their inhabitants set out across ruins of the old world to build new societies, establish new villages, form new tribes. As decades passed, what had been the American southwest united beneath the flag of the New California Republic, dedicated to old world values, democracy and the rule of law.

As the Republic grew, so did its needs. Scouts spread east, seeking territory and wealth, in the dry and merciless expanse of the Mojave Desert. They returned with tales of a city untouched by the warheads that had scorched the rest of the world and a great wall spanning the Colorado River. The NCR mobilized its army and set it east to occupy the Hoover Dam and restore it to working condition. But across the Colorado, another society had arisen under a different flag. A vast army of slaves, forged in the conquest of 86 tribes: Caesar's Legion. Four years have passed since the Republic held the Dam, just barely, against the Legion's onslaught. The Legion did not retreat. Across the River, they gathered strength. Campfires burned, training drums beat. Through it all, the New Vegas Strip has stayed open for business under the control of its mysterious overseer, Mr. House and his army of rehabilitated Tribals and police robots.

You are a courier, hired by the Mojave Express, to deliver a package to the New Vegas Strip. What seemed like a simple delivery job has taken a turn…for the worst."

Fallout: New Vegas is a 1st/3rd person role playing game from Obsidian Entertainment who are made up of most of the Black Isle studios team from Interplay who created Fallout 1 and 2.

"Blue Moon, You Saw Me Standing Alone, Without A Love Of My Own"

Fallout 3 was a game that catered to fans of the older games and new fans who got into it through ES:IV and recommendations. New Vegas does the same and while some of the characters/places/groups will be new to peole who aren't entrentched in the series the first time hardcore fans see Marcus or the supposed car of the Chosen One there will be plenty of squees in the air. When Fallout 3 was originally in development at Interplay (Van Buren/not related to Bethesda's Fallout 3) there was enormous hype and when it got cancelled the fanbase asked if the game would ever come out or if anything would make it into Fallout 3 the answer was no. While New Vegas looks alot like Bethesda's Fallout 3 it is more of the hybrid child of Fallout 2 and Fallout 3 with a bit of Van Buren thrown in. The biggest example of this is the quests, super mutants, robots, and enemies. The quests are darker (White Glove Society), the Super Mutants are more like the Mariposa Mutants (Fallout 1-2), the robots are crazier both sounding and acting, and enemies like Nightkin (Fallout 1) Geckos (Fallout 2) and Giant Rats (Fallout 1-2).

The Voices of New Vegas

In the first Fallout the biggest named actor was Richard Dean Anderson (Stargate/MacGyver). In Fallout 2 it was Michael Dorn (Star Trek: TNG). In Fallout 3 it was Liam Neeson (Star Wars/Batman Begins) and Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange). In New Vegas the cast is quite larger. Making appearances are James Marsden (X-Men), Felicia Day (The Guild), Zachary Levi (CHUCK), Michael Hogan (Battlestar Galactica), Danny Trejo (Machete), Kris Kristofferson (Blade), Wayne Newton, and Matthew Perry (Friends). In some cases (Marsden) it's not easy to identify whose voice it is but others (Levi) stick out like a sore thumb. The famous voices aren't at a point where they ruin the experience but I hope the Video Game Industry doesn't head into the same territory the animated film industry did.

"When He Tried To Match The Ranger With A Big Iron On His Hip"

In Fallout 3 you had weapons that were 50's era (10mm Pistol,Hunting Rifle) and future weapons (Laser Rifle, Plasma Rifle) but nothing really inbetween. Obsidian rights that wrong with the addition of the 9mm Handgun, Semi-Automatic Carbine, and modern style Shotguns. (They did make it 2077 after all) For those who only played Fallout 3 on the consoles you missed out on mods for weapons which were things like a better case for a .44 pistol, a scope for a pistol, and laser sight, etc.. These are great in terms of boosting different gun stats but if you did play F3 on the PC you noticed that if you did something wrong file-wise an exclamation mark would appear either near you or on the gun itself which unfortunately happens here. One of the issues people had with Fallout 3 was that the 3rd person camera was broken and had no real use in the game. That has been overhauled so you have not only a better 3rd person camera angle, you have the ability to adjust it which is something that would've have been seen first on the PC.

 "I Got Spurs That Jingle, Jangle, Jingle (Jingle, Jangle)"

One of the things many people loved about Fallout 3 was the retro soundtrack with hits like "I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire", "Happy Times", and "Mighty, Mighty, Man" which deepened the already deep feeling of immersion that all games want to have. I can honestly say that ever since Fallout 3 I haven't been the same music-wise and prefer music of yesteryear to todays but that's a different story for a different time. As a society that yearns for the feeling of the past the soundtrack of New Vegas will only further their feeling of nostalgia.

 Side Quests Valore!

The hallmark of RPG's are the side quests which are small adventures not related to the main storyline. Fallout 2 was known for having very dark side quests and that lives on in New Vegas. I won't spoil anything but the White Glove Society quest is something when played as a villain that will make you feel something different. The quests vary from gaining loyalty from a faction to uncovering a mystery about what actually happened in an area that was hit. By what is the question. Like all Fallout games Vaults are included but like the Enclave, Brotherhood of Steel, and Bob Crosby they take the backseat for the NCR,Caesars Legion, and New Vegas citizens. As someone who likes a good mystery story the stories of some of the Vaults are downright chilling and amazing. Vault 11 is a great homage to the short story "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson. Others have decisions that can affect factions/people/and data.

The Dark Ages

Alpha Protocol which was Obsidians previous game failed on pretty much every level and was a severe disappointment and made me really worried about New Vegas. Oh boy was I right. Nothing gameplay related is bad, just the technical side is bad. For people who have played a lot of Bethesda games they will be fine with this but those who haven't won't be happy. At a certain point in Freeside the game froze for me and when I rebooted my 360 it made a noise that can be confused with something getting ready to explode. Bugs and glitches are everywhere and at different areas the sound will cut out but not all the time. These problems are the only thing standing in the way of Fallout: New Vegas being the best Fallout game since Fallout 2.

Fallout New Vegas Is A Masterpiece Created By Those Who Made It Great In The First Place. But Graphical Bugs And Glitches Keep The Game From Getting Into The Vault And Avoiding The Atomic Fire. If You Can Tolerate The Bugs And Glitches You Will Really Get The Bang For Your Buck With 60+ Hours Of Gameplay, Exploration, and History.

Pros

• Star Studded Cast
• Double Guns
• Double Locations
• Stays True To Fallout 1 & 2
• Astounding Soundtrack
• Well Worth The $60
  

Cons

• Graphical Bugs
• Glitches

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