Fallout: New Vegas Review

SIR Games Rating: 6/10

Fallout 3 (older version) was a great game.  It had an entirely new concept as a First Person Shooting Role-playing Game and although it was littered with many bugs, it gave a decent experience.  But there was one thing that I honestly felt lacking about the older version, and that was the story.  This time, miraculously and thank goodness, it is the area where  the newly launched Fallout: New Vegas delivers…
Story

Fallout: New Vegas has an interesting story that is different from the previous games, which is probably why it isn’t called Fallout 4.  The story takes place in the Mojave wastelands, which is an expansive and seemingly endless world, but the main focus will be New Vegas.  Judging from the intro and what I have played – which is quite a bit actually - it seems as though the story will be great.   Unlike the last games, where you were a resident of a Vault, in this one you just a courier in the midst of a grand battle between three main factions.  There are the NCR, the Legion and Mr. House and his robots, who control New Vegas.  In the intro, you are shot in the head by a smooth talking criminal named Benny, but you miraculously survive, saved by a robot and Dr. Mitchell.

The story is captivating as you don’t really know who you are; therefore you can do anything you want without any emotional attachment.  You are not aligned to any Vault, but you are an individual with their own story.  To be honest, I did not really enjoy Fallout 3, but this new story will definitely make me play a bit longer than the previous installment.

Gameplay

Walking out of the door of Dr. Mitchell’s is not as dramatic and cinematic as walking out of Vault 101 in Fallout 3.  However, the regular, fun Fallout gameplay is still there to make you forget about it.  You will go through the immersive main plot, but if you take the time to explore, you will see what Fallout is really about.  The main plotline is only part of the experience; most of it is from the side quests and exploring.  However, the gameplay of Fallout: New Vegas is very similar to Fallout 3’s and it is actually very hard to tell the difference, if there was no storyline.  There is still the regular First Person Combat and V.A.T.S, but there is also “true iron sights”, so that it will be easier to aim, as all guns will now have iron sights. 

Another new concept is the companion wheel, which makes it easier to interact with your companion, but their AI still sucks.  Your stats are still customizable, with the S.P.E.C.I.A.L system, along with perks and traits.  Your face is also is customizable, but in my opinion, it is kind of useless because you don’t see your face anyway.  There is also Hardcore mode, where people will have to survive the post-apocalyptical world, by avoiding dehydration and hunger.  You will need to eat, drink, and, yes, you have to wait for the Stimpaks to heal you.  This mode is extremely difficult. (mind you, I am not a pro xD)

Graphics

Besides, the opening scene, the graphics look the same as always.  The animations are sometimes buggy, but as I have mentioned before Fallout: New Vegas has many bugs.  The graphics are not awesome, but are decent, but if you compare it to other games in this generation, it could be considered really bad.  I am sure you Fallout fans out there would say that it is because of the immersive world and storyline, that the developers could not improve the graphics, but there was very little new features, and although I now it is difficult to create a game, but they used the same engine.  They did not fix many bugs and the graphics were barely improved.  Still, it is a fun game despite the bugs.

Conclusion

Fallout: New Vegas reminds me too much of Fallout 3 and at times I call it Fallout 3: New Vegas, but it delivers a new complete story and a few new features, such as the Hardcore mode.  I prefer to think of it as a very large expansion pack to Fallout 3, with a new story and basically, the same experience.  The only way to think you are playing a completely new game is if you play Hardcore mode, and even the game itself advises you not to because of the overwhelming difficulty.  So in conclusion, it is a good complete game, but I feel that the developers did not spend much time on the bugs and graphics, instead concentrating on the story and a bit on gameplay. They could have done way way better!!

Breakdown of Pros and Cons:

+Nice story

-Many bugs

+New “Hardcore” mode

-The “Hardcore” mode is not meant for everyone

-Not many new features

-Graphics did not improve (unless you play on PC, it might improve)

+Player still fully customizable

+Large expansive world

+First person sword fighting is still cool

-More like an expansion pack to Fallout 3

+Complete, enjoyable game

*Fallout: New Vegas is currently selling at $55.99 in Amazon (may vary from different vendor) and to make it easier for you, here is the link to buy Fallout: New Vegasfrom Play-Asia.

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