Fallout: New Vegas
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Release: 10/19/2010 for the PS3 (version reviewed). Also available on the PC and Xbox 360
New Vegas starts with a bang. Literally. You are the Courier, sent to deliver a very important package to someone on the Vegas strip. But you are intercepted by a slick hustler named Benny and his hired thugs, who shoot you in the head, bury you alive, and make off with your package. You wake up in a doctor's office in the town of Goodsprings, where you create your character by selecting your name, appearance, traits, and important attributes. From there, it's out into the vast Mojave Wasteland in search of answers, and maybe some revenge. The tale New Vegas weaves is one of the game's strong points, especially compared to Fallout 3's dull plot, thanks to the great characters and writing, as well as some clever twists.
New Vegas's main storyline is a bit brief compared to Fallout 3's, but considering its quality and the wealth of options outside of the main story, this is easily forgivable. The Mojave Wasteland you are set loose into is a wide expanse of post-nuclear apocalyptic desert stretching from the Colorado River (including the Hoover Dam and parts of the Grand Canyon) to the east to the Nevada/California border to the west, with the New Vegas strip sitting right in the middle. Filling this huge area are dozens of locations, such as caves, buildings, and settlements to be discovered and explored for fun and profit. And when you need to get somewhere in a hurry, you can fast-travel to any location you have discovered using the map screen.
Above: A small sample of the map of the Mojave, and the dozens of discoverable locations
The game is set up as a traditional RPG. You discover new areas, meet people, and carry out tasks for them in the form of quests that are rewarded with money, equipment, and experience points. Accumulate enough experience and you level up, which increases your character's skills in various categories. Quests are divided into story quests, which progress the main plot, and side quests which have little or nothing to do with the plot but offer their own mini-narratives, as well as the typical quest rewards. The number of story quests is surprisingly small, but side quests are dizzyingly plentiful. Carried over from Fallout 3 is the morality system, expanded for New Vegas. Each major settlement in the Mojave has their own view of your character depending on how you have treated its inhabitants, and having a good reputation will give you benefits like store discounts and access to safehouses. However, being liked in one community often means being disliked in another due to conflicts between communities. In addition, there are several major political factions fighting for control of the fortified New Vegas, including the para-military group the New California Republic, and the brutal, Ancient Rome-obsessed Ceasar's Legion. Your standing with them will influence the course the plot takes and how it ends, and choosing which to ally yourself with, if any, is no easy decision. There are no simple black-and-white options in New Vegas, and the moral ambiguity is praiseworthy, especially given the cut-and-dry approach to morality in Fallout 3.
How you handle quests is similarly grounded in player choice. Depending on your preferences and your character's abilities, you will often have a choice in how you tackle a quest, which in turn can lead to different outcomes. Sometimes talking or sneaking your way out of a situation (if you can) can lead to a more advantageous outcome than pulling out your gun, and other times the opposite may be true. However, out in the post-nuclear Mojave Wasteland, you will face the likes of vicious raiders, feral mutants, and hideously mutated wildlife, and the peaceful route will often not be a choice. When diplomacy fails, it's time to fall back on combat. New Vegas's combat hinges on the V.A.T.S. (Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System) mechanic. With the press of a button, you can pause the game and pick out which of the enemies' specific body parts you want to aim at. Smart use of the VATS system gives you an edge in combat, and, combined with the swooping, slow-mo camera that zooms in on the bloody results, makes combat very satisfying. It must be said though that most will find combat without using VATS clunky, imprecise, and downright sloppy, despite the tweaks made to the manual aiming.
Above: Using VATS to take out the legs of these speedy mutated Geckos is satisfying and effective
You may have noticed quite a few comparisons to New Vegas's predecessor Fallout 3 in this review. That's because, in so very many ways, they are the same game. They are both built on the same engine, they look and sound the same, and the play virtually identically. This is one of the game's most significant flaws, though it is a very debatable one. Despite the notable tweaks, particularly the new setting and the very welcome addition of optional allies that can be recruited to join your journey, there isn't a lot here, aside from the great story and writing, that will sway those who weren't impressed by Fallout 3. Not to mention some old flaws have found their way into New Vegas.
The graphics produced by the aging Gamebryo engine, which powered both games, are no longer cutting edge and are starting to look quite dated. Oddly, the same odd decision that crippled 3's soundtrack is inexplicably repeated in New Vegas. Both have stellar 50's-flavored soundtracks, with New Vegas's featuring a mix of classic country-western and Rat Pack swing, and both are so limited in terms of the number of songs that they quickly become painfully repetitive. Even the sense of atmosphere, one of 3's most compelling elements, doesn't match up in New Vegas. The contrast of New Vegas's glitz and glam, still alive and well centuries after a cataclysmic nuclear war, and the Old West vibe of the Mojave Wasteland has it's charm. But it just doesn't compare to the impactful loneliness and ruined Americana of 3's bombed-out Washington D.C. setting. But of all of these flaws, none are as aggravating are as infamous as the multitude of glitches and technical issues.
Above: The Cazadors aren't the only bugs you'll find in the Mojave.
Games powered by the Gamebryo engine like Fallout 3 and New Vegas have a long-standing tradition of being released while still riddled with bugs, and New Vegas continues that legacy with pride. Minor graphical glitches occur with unnerving frequency. Characters and objects hover inches above the ground, the framerate stutters when enemies appear on-screen, and textures sometimes take far too long to load. These sorts of things make the game look unpolished, but do no real damage. Some have even made the rounds on the internet and become the butt of jokes.
Far more unforgivable though are the numerous more serious bugs. Known issues include some quests becoming impossible to complete through no fault of the player's own, bugs that cause the game to lock up completely, and exploitable glitches that allow players to get infinite money and experience points. I've experienced several lock-ups that could only be fixed by turning the console off, and I also got stuck on one occasion when my character fell through solid ground and got trapped under the surface of the earth. Obsidian has been working to stomp the bugs, and to date has released two title updates for the PC version and one for the console versions. But the fact that the game was released with so many major issues, while somewhat unsurprising given the Gamebryo engine's history, is very off-putting.
Above: Some bugs will damage your enjoyment of the game. Others will merely haunt your dreams.
Summary: I don't want to come across as being overly harsh on New Vegas. Yes, the bugs are rampant and yes, it lacks Fallout 3's atmosphere. But underneath all that is a game with the same solid RPG foundation as its predecessor, with a healthy dose of tweaks and additions and an infusion of the same brand of dark humor and moral ambiguity that defined the beloved early entries in the series and that were sorely lacking in Fallout 3. Though it lacks the fresh feeling of Fallout 3, this combination of old and new still makes for a worthy addition to the franchise.
What's Hot:
-Well-written story and characters
-Huge world with a massive amount number of things to do
-Welcome gameplay tweaks (new reputation system and optional group members)
-The return of the black humor and gray morality missing from Fallout 3
What's Not:
-Bugs bugs bugs!
-Feels a little too similar to Fallout 3
-Lacking in the atmosphere department
-Dated graphics and limited soundtrack
Final Score: 8/10 (Great)
