Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds Review

PROS

• Incredibly diverse and fun roster of characters
• Fantastic fighting engine
• Very pretty to look at

CONS

• Promised story is astoundingly disappointing
• Online play can be laggy

To say that Marvel vs Capcom 3 has large shoes to fill is an understatement. Marvel vs Capcom 2 is one of the most highly regarded fighting games ever, and is a cornerstone of fighting game tournaments. Couple that with a rabid fanbase and over a decade of waiting and Marvel vs Capcom 3 could have easily been a flop. I’m happy to say though that not only does it live up to MvC2 but also surpasses it in just about every way.

After going through hell to get licenses for everything Capcom was finally able to release Marvel vs Capcom 3 onto the world. MvC2 had 56 playable characters, many of them though were severely underpowered and fights quickly devolved into bouts with Sentinel, Magneto, and Storm. Marvel vs Capcom 3 trims the roster down to 36 characters but each one feels like a viable option to play with. Each character is unique in the way they’re used and those that would seem to be “joke” characters like M.O.D.O.K. are actually incredibly fun to use and can be deadly when placed in the right hands.

I’m Gonna Take You For A Ride

The most impressive aspect of MvC3 is the fighting engine. Its been simplified since MvC2 so its not difficult to pull off crazy combos like in other popular fighting games. You have the old standard; light, medium, and heavy attacks as well as a special attack button, which is used to launch opponents into the air and perform air combos. On the surface it’s simple enough for new players to be able to pick up and play, go a little deeper though and you have a fighting engine that still suits the hardcore players. As in MvC2 you choose three fighters and can have them assist you or tag you out in combat. This leads to trying different fighter combos to see who works well together, which assists fit for which time, and when the best opportunity to switch is.

The newest addition to the combat system is the X-Factor. Each player gets one X-Factor per fight, you can use it cancel out of any combo you’re doing allowing you to chain together otherwise un-linkable combos. It also boosts fighter strength, speed, and damage resistance. The amount of time it lasts depends on how many fighters you have left, and while you can use it to gain an early lead on your opponent it’s perfectly viable to use it as a backup plan when you have one character left and need to even things out.

Modes, You Like Them, Capcom Brought Them

When it comes to game modes you get the standard fare, Arcade mode which tops off with a truly epic scale final boss who will have no problem demolishing your entire team with a 400 hit attack. Be prepared to make a few attempts each time. You then have Versus mode which allows you to play with a buddy on the same console. The training mode is one of the better ones in a fighting game with insane levels of customizability, being able to set AI difficulty levels, set meters at different positions, and even simulating lag.

Mission mode is reminiscent of SF4’s trial mode. Each character has 10 missions that range from performing basic special moves to insane multi button combos. They can get difficult at time but none of them ever feel impossible to do.

Online play is currently limited to Ranked Matches, Player Matches, and Lobby Matches. All are pretty self-explanatory, Ranked Matches are one off fights with random people, you will get ranked on your win/loss ratio. Player Matches don’t bestow a rank, so it’s just good fun. Lobby Matches are basically tournament type matches where eight players compete, winner goes on, loser gets booted. A problem with Lobby Matches however is the lack of a spectator mode which means when you’re not fighting you won’t be watching the other players you’ll be watching a screen with health bars going down until the match ends. It makes Lobby Matches less appealing to play but this is something Capcom could easily patch in. And with all online fighting games lag is an issue, it’s actually not bad in MvC3 but any bit can cause lack of fun for some people.

You Would Think… I Mean… The Story is Not Good…

One of the biggest disappointments with MvC3 is the story mode. Now I know as well as anyone else that when someone thinks of fighting games that the “story” isn’t the first thing to come to mind, but the story was being touted as a high point for this game, with Capcom bringing in writer Frank Tieri to pen the story. Sadly that story is non-existent. The only real story comes in the form of four, no dialogue cutscenes, which, while pretty to look at, serve no real purpose other than being eye candy.

That disappointment carries over to the end of the game too. When you finish the arcade mode with a character you get two still comic frames and some text, that’s it. As I said earlier, since story modes in fighting games are usually forgettable anyway I don’t really count this as a slight against MvC3 just a missed opportunity to do something cool with this cast of characters.

However, the actual character dialogue in the game is a different story. It’s fantastic. Characters will interact with each other; toss dialogue, insults, and other such quips back and forth before, during, and after fights. Characters like Deadpool really show this off where (like he does in the comics) he proceeds to break the fourth wall to start berating the player for not doing so good, and shouting Shoryuken when using his launch attack. Little bits like this set the standard for fighting game dialogue and are a treat to hear.

You Win!

Is Marvel vs Capcom 3 the greatest fighting game ever? In the end it will always come down to personal preference. I can say personally being a huge fighting game fan this is the most fun fighting game I’ve played in a long time. Players of all skill levels can jump in and have a great time.

It’s not the most mode heavy fighting game ever, and the story could have been something grand, but it will suck time away from you and it’s one of the best “call your friends over and play” games out there. If you are a Marvel fan, a Capcom fan, a fighting game fan, or just a fan of games in general you have no reason not to pick this one up.

Epic Mickey Review

PROS

• Takes one of Disney’s most beloved characters and reimagines in an incredibly daring way
• Paint/Thinner mechanic adds high replay value
• Love letter to anyone who has been to Disneyland or likes old Disney
• Amazing level design with tons of secrets and ways to complete worlds

CONS

• Camera can be horribly frustrating at times
• 2D worlds while at first impressive and fun drag on when you must constantly replay them
• Combat is mostly forgettable

Epic Mickey is one of the most difficult games I’ve ever had to describe, what exactly is this game? A lot of gamers don’t seem to know so let’s take a minute to go over that before jumping into the review. Epic Mickey at first appears to be a standard third person platformer, that’s over simplifying it. Epic Mickey is part platformer, part RPG, part morality judger, a love letter to Disneyland, old Disney cartoons, and Mickey Mouse. It’s also the best Disney game ever created.

Warren Spector the mastermind behind one of the greatest RPG’s of all time Deus Ex decided to bring his love of all things Disney into game form and teamed up with Junction Point Studios to bring Epic Mickey to life. You start off as the mischievous mouse goes through a mirror in his room, the first of many throwbacks to old cartoons. On the other side Mickey observes Yen Sid, the sorcerer from “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” building a Disneylandesqe world for old characters by using a magical paintbrush and some paint thinner. Once Yen Sid leaves Mickey begins playing with the paintbrush and ends up creating an evil creature known as the Shadow Blot. Mickey retreats back to his own world before Yen Sid returns and goes on over many years to become the most popular cartoon character ever. Eventually though the Blot monster returns and grabs Mickey, dragging him into the world he ruined so long ago. This world is known as Wasteland the antitheses of Disneyland and the paint thinner Mickey spilled has turned it into a horrible place.

Never Forget the Classics

The leader of Wasteland is Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Walt Disney’s first iconic cartoon he created back when working for Universal Studios. After losing the rights to Oswald due to contractual obligations Disney went off and started his own studio and created Mickey Mouse, and we all know what’s happened since then. Well needless to say Oswald is somewhat jealous of Mickey for becoming the success he has, and so Mickey engages on his quest to gain Oswald’s trust and stop the Shadow Blot.

Whether or not Mickey succeeds in his goal is entirely up to the player, during the struggle that led him to this world Mickey managed to grab the magical paintbrush, which you then use to shoot paint or thinner and change the world around you. This leads to some of the cleverest gameplay I’ve ever seen in a game. Painting will restore objects and is generally considered “helpful”; thinner will destroy them and is considered “selfish”. It’s rarely that cut and dry though, choices won’t always have a clear outcome painting won’t always give you the good result. It gives multiple ways to complete your quests. An example, at one point you have to access a safe hanging above a building. You can either do a quest for a character to get the combination then paint some platforms to climb up and get to said safe, or you can simply thin the chain holding the safe and the fall to the ground breaks it open for you, crushing the quest character in the process.

Depending on how you use the paint or thinner the world and those in it will appear differently to the player. Blocks in the way, paint some platforms to get around or simply thin it out. Locked door, go on a quest to find it or simply thin the door out of existence it really depends on how you want to play.

The game at its core is a platformer, very reminiscent of Super Mario 64 or Banjo Kazooie. With large meticulous levels prefect for traversal, you’ll constantly be doing quests for people and each one will affect the game later on in both major and minor ways.

Mickey Isn’t Exactly a Fighter

The paint/thinner is controlled by pointing the Wii remote at the screen and using the cursor to aim then the Z button to use thinner and B button to use paint. The controls are thankfully very well done and about as good as you’re going to with motion controls.

Painting/Thinning is also used in the combat, enemies liter the environment and it’s up to you to deal with them. How you do that is once again up to you, if you paint them enough they’ll eventually become friendly towards you and help, or you could simply destroy them with thinner. The combat while at first seeming cool and innovative quickly devolves into whacking enemies into thinner pits or simply running past them.

Boss battles on the other hand are fun, clever, and also feature iconic characters. They also have multiple ways to deal with them, and the choice of paint or thinner has a much grander effect on the games outcome than the regular enemies do. Painting is considerably more difficult than thinning but will give you the “good ending” which I’m not ashamed to say had me tearing up.

Paint Me a Picture

Every inch of this game is covered in Disney references the areas you explore mirror Disneyland. Iconic rides such as Space Mountain, the Tea Cups, and the Dumbo ride are all represented in some way throughout Wasteland. More than once I would be traversing the world and then go “Oh wow it’s ______________ I remember that!” That’s just a great feeling to get from a game.

Mean Street, the Wasteland version of Main Street, will serve as the hub world via which you will access all the other worlds such as Tortuga, Bog Easy, Tomorrow City, as well as others. A real standout world is Mickey Junk Mountain, which is a junkyard for all the stuff that came out of Mickey being a mascot for so many years. You’ll find, Mickey Mouse thermoses, lunch boxes, aerosol cans, and even a few old Super Nintendo Game cartridges. These worlds are accessed via projector screens, which transport you into a 2D cartoon world; these sections are incredibly detailed, as you’ll travel through such old cartoons as Steamboat Willy, and Mickey’s Haunted Mansion. The platforming is fun and old school; a minor gripe with these sections though is that you will be using them to get back and forth a lot so they will eventually become repetitive.

Super Frustrated Camera Rant Section

Over the course of the game the small gripes with the 2D worlds becoming slightly repetitive, and the lackluster combat I was able to overlook. The one thing I can’t brush aside though is the camera. While not the worst camera ever, it gets pretty close at times. The camera is controlled by the D-Pad on the Wii, which means you won’t be able to jump and change the camera at the same time. Sometimes the game will fix on the area you’re supposed to go to and won’t let you adjust the camera at all. It’s really a shame, in a game that gives you freedom to explore and change things at such a detailed level; not being able to see everything easily is a real disappointment. However, that is the only real serious complaint I have with this game and it’s not always a problem, and it certainly never breaks the game just annoying.

When You Wish Upon a Star

Overall Epic Mickey is a game that absolutely should not be missed, the horrible camera aside this game is truly one of a kind in a time when originality is lacking in the industry. Multiple endings will have you playing through this already lengthy game (it clocks in at about 8 hours) over and over again to see what you’ve missed. If you don’t like Mickey Mouse or you don’t like Disney then you won’t like this game, plain and simple. But if you do have a deep affection for Disney like I do then, just the atmosphere this game delivers is worth the price of admission.

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Review

Some friends and I recently went shopping for Black Friday. I went along for the experience and didn’t plan on getting much of anything. A few of them were excited about getting some new Need for Speed game. I just thought, “Oh great, ANOTHER need for speed game.” I really hadn’t played anything since Burnout which was quite a while ago. So, I didn’t get the game.

A few days later I asked them what the actual name of the game was. They said, “Need for Speed Hot Pursuit” and it blew my mind! WHAT!!! A third one!? Why didn’t I know about this? (and I work for Gamerzitch!) There were only two Need for Speed games I’d ever played: Need for Speed Burnout, and Need for Speed Hot Pursuit II. The second Hot Pursuit game pretty much raised me. I played it ALL the time and got gold medals on EVERY course.  I immediately went out, bought Hot Pursuit and popped it in my Xbox.

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Pros

• Amazingly fast cars
• Great control
• New weapon upgrades on both sides (Cops and Racers)
• A new ranking system
• Online play is fun and challenging
• Incredible graphics
• Solid soundtrack makes racing fun
• Do I need to go on?...

Cons

• Explanation videos are nice but unable to skip
• A new car is awarded after almost EVERY race (at least in the beginning) No challenge? 
• It’s sometimes difficult to get all your friends into an online game

Threading the Needle

The first thing I noticed about this game was the high speeds you could achieve while still maintaining good control. If a hairpin turn is approaching just a tap of the hard brake will allow you to drift around it with ease. You have the ability to weave in and out of traffic at gut wrenching speeds. If you do happen to lose control and crash it’s not too big of deal. You can usually get back up to the pack and continue racing but be careful. If you crash too many times your car will be wrecked and you won’t be able to continue.  Keep an eye on your Damage Meter and note when your damage is critical.  

 

Pedal to the Metal

 A new feature in this installment is the Nitrous Oxide System or NOS. Driving dangerously will increase your NOS Bar and allow you to boost for a longer period of time. It’s great for acceleration, straightaways and can really affect the outcome of the race. Fill your NOS bar by driving in oncoming traffic, near misses, slipstreaming off another car (drafting), and drifting. The faster you fill you bar the faster you will go in the long run.

"Sir, we have a 604 in the southbound lane" "10-4"

There are some new weapons for both the racers and the cops. For the racers there is the, Spike Strip, System Jammer, EMP, and Turbo.  For the cops there is the Spike Strip, EMP, Roadblock, and Helicopter.

Spike Strip

When activated, drops a strip of spikes behind your vehicle and tears up anything in its path.

EMP

It targets another vehicle and if locked on, disabled their car for a short period of time.

System Jammer

When used it puts the Cop’s weapons offline for a limited time.

Roadblock

The cops can call in a Roadblock to be setup ahead of them and slow down an enemy

Turbo

Allows for a quick Turbo boost

Helicopter

Once activated you are brought to the view of a chopper gunner and you try and shoot the car out with a .50 Caliber Chaingun….Just kidding. The Copter goes ahead and drops spike strips from the air although the alternative would be awesome.

“Movin’ up the Ranks”

You still get awarded when getting first second or third, with a Gold, Silver, or Bronze, medal but there is whole new ranking system as well. Bounty. You want bounty. The more races you win, the more bounty you gain. The more runners you catch, the more bounty you acquire. The more bounty you have, the faster you will move up your Levels. For the racers you have a wanted level, and for the Cops you have a rank. You start at 1 on both sides and must move up to the top and become the best.

NEW VEHICLE AWARDED

If you play this game, you’ll be seeing that A LOT! It’s not a bad thing to be awarded for winning races but when you’re awarded after EVERY race its starts to get kind of annoying. You can’t skip the little video and sometimes you just want to move onto the next race. The cars are awesome so that helps but c’mon, seriously. I was even awarded a new car when I finished in LAST PLACE. It’s one of my few and only gripes about this game.

Overall this game is one of the best. It’s incorporates all of the awesomeness of Hot Pursuit and combines it with some Burnout. One of my favorite games this year. It’s a right below Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood. Criterion really nailed this one! Definitely pick up a copy!

 





Call of Duty: Black Ops Review

One of, if not the biggest story in the game industry this year was the implosion that occurred between Jason West/ Vince Zampella and Activision. Ever since March the team over at Infinity Ward (Modern Warfare Dev) has slowly drifted towards Respawn Entertainment. Respawn being the company started by West and Zampella. Because of this debacle the spotlight, for the first time was set over Treyarch who's been handling the Call of Duty games that are in-between Infinity Wards games (CoD 2:Big Red One, CoD 3, CoD World At War). Their last Call of Duty game was World at War which did reasonably well and this is the first time that they're focusing as a whole on one game since they've worked on multiple titles since the beginning of the company. So does the next title in the iconic series surpass it's predecessor which sold 10M in the US alone?

"Communism Has Never Come To Power In A Country That Was Not Disrupted By War or Corruption or Both."- John F. Kennedy

Call of Duty: Black Ops takes place during the Cold War era when the United States and the Soviet Union were the two big powers in the world. They had armies and weapons that would kill the other and spread their different view of things. For the United States it was freedom and Democracy. For the Soviets on the other hand it was Communism. Within the Cold War many key historical events occurred. Because most of the details of the Cold War are classified, Treyarch constructed their own story that is more believable than Modern Warfare 2. To ensure that a solid story was delivered they brought in celebrity actors and a writing vet. David Goyer who wrote the Blade movies and The Dark Knight as well as comic books knocks it out of the park with his work on the campaign. The twist in this game is one that most people will not even see coming and will get them thinking harder about the story and what really was going on. When I did my review for Fallout: New Vegas I said that the sheer amount of celebrity voices was a little overwhelming, Black Ops keeps things the way they were in the era the game takes place in: Cool. Returning from World at War is Gary Oldman, whose character Reznov is at the heart of the story. Also doing voices for the game are Topher Grace, Ed Harris, Ice Cube, David Conrad, and most shocking of all the others: Sam "Future Ahnold" Worthington. Like all his other roles Oldman completely disappears into Reznov and is probably the MVP of the entire voice cast.

"From Stettin In The Baltic to Trieste In The Adriatic, An Iron Curtain Has Decended Over The Continent." - Winston Churchill

 In terms of gameplay, presentation, and enjoyment it's a Call of Duty game so the three are automatically high. It uses the same engine used for World at War and there is definitely a way to tell. As someone who plays practically all the major titles I was surprised at how violent World at War was. It's an interesting experience the first time you shoot someone and they look like they were cut open Terminator: Salvation style. The closest Treyarch comes to that line is shooting someone's limbs off with a hand cannon and watch as they look at their missing arm or leg with one of the most horrified looks in a game. When you are in Vietnam you hear songs like Sympathy for the Devil or Fortunate Son which instantly makes you feel like you were in one of the worst wars of all time. To further keep things immersive headlines from the era are shown and the end of the game leaves you with one of the most shocking revelations you've ever seen.

"The Cold War Isn't Thawing; It's Burning With A Deadly Heat; Communism Isn't Sleeping; It Is, As Always, Plotting, Scheming, Working, Fighting." - Richard M. Nixon

The real appeal of Call of Duty is it's acclaimed multiplayer mode. Ever since CoD 4 gamers have been addicted to the FPS-RPG hybrid and now that Infinity Ward has left the building Treyarch changes up the formula while keeping everything stable. In the previous Call of Duty games you would level up and receive new weapons, emblems, perks, and attachments. Treyarch has now introduced money into Call of Duty. Joining the challenges are contracts which you take to get more money and they start out as simple things like getting 15 kills to hard things like getting the highest score in a game of Capture The Flag. Copying another thing from Halo is a a Theater and File Share. Even though they are copying this it still fits well and feels like it's always been there. Also returning is Nazi Zombies which was a sleeper hit inside World at War. This time you are playing as John F Kennedy, SoD McNamara, Fidel Castro, and Richard Nixon. The original four nameless survivors from World At War return to crush some zombie heads as well. Your goal like always is to prevent zombies from nawing on your innards and also defend the pentagon which seems like a big task to give to two presidents, the secretary of defense, and a dictator. But considering how many people Castro's killed over the years killing some zombies are nothing. The end result of playing Nazi Zombies with your friends and screwing each other over is again; FUN.

   Call of Duty: Black Ops Is The Breakout Game For Treyarch And They Have Now Shown That They Can Handle The Biggest Video Game Series On The Planet. The Mix Of Reveals, Fun Gameplay, Cast, And Multiplayer Makes This The Best Game To Purchase On The PC, 360, And PS3 This Holiday Season.

    Pros

• Great Story
• Fantastic Cast
• Addicting Multiplayer
• Fast Paced GamePlay
• Woven With Replayability
• Future Is Bright For Treyarch
• Killing Zombies Is Always Fun
  

   Cons

• Bugs
• AI Bumps
• Can Be A Little Hectic For Players Who Don't Know What They're Doing
  

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