Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Fallout New Vegas



This game was a funny game, so easy to hate, so easy to love, so hard to do both.
The game is a definite throwback to the days of Fallout 1 and 2 when the name 'Fallout' actually meant Post-Apoc-RPG instead of Oblivion with Guns'n'Guts.

As I had alluded to above, those who enjoyed the original Fallout games more than Fallout 3 will definitely find this a welcome return to the tried, the true, the wonderful.
The atmosphere is IMHO a lot better than in Fallout 3, where the entire world felt either barren or saturated, New Vegas achieves a solid balance between the two and never overwhelms or underwhelms you.
But alas, the game is naught without its share of camouflaged, diarrhetic hand grenades known as "bugs"; the worst of which is known as "VATS", which forces the player to witness a half hour long cinematic everytime they encounter a lone bloatfly. However this can be avoided by using excessive explosives which, unfortunately, unlock an innate and dormant hatred among your CPU followers.
You start off, a lone courier who just shat a pair of 9mm parabellum out the back of his/her skull and of course you want revenge upon whoever inflicted the initial lead poisoning.
This is where my first gripe starts off, the game includes a so called "Hard Core" mode for suggestively hard core players; this mode forces the players to watch their food intake, water intake and amount of sleep. This is good, very good in an RPG, it forces immersion and actually makes the game harder.
I was starting to think Obsidian had fallen out of its rut of ruining good things (which started with the unfortunate TSL) when I had noticed that the pre-order pack included an item that effectively removes the necessity to keep drinking water.
Way to fucking go.
After a rant, a rave and a quick shave, I forgave the game and we went back to being BFFs for another 20 or so hours; in which I managed to evade the dreaded VATS bug by using sniper rifles.
Despite all the hardships and bugs that comes with this homely little game, never forget that this is what Fallout is meant to be.

Game Play
What is there to say about the gameplay, except that it's tried and true Bethesda format with a few improvements?
Well, there's a lot to talk about, but let's keep this brief. Obsidian have done a LOT of work with this, producing one of the best takes on the Fallout universe since it was ever thought up. The super mutants looks like super mutants, the nonlinear storyline is nonlinear with multiple endings and snozberries taste like actual fucking snozberries.
The gameplay is tighter, the dialog system is much better (relying on an actual skill check instead of random re-rolls like in Fallout 3) and the self breaking Hard Core mode is actually fairly well implemented if you don't use any pre-order gear.
But with the good, in a game as glitchy as New Vegas, comes the bad and with the bad comes the ugly.
The AI, for lack of a better word and/or phrase, is shit; I would liken every hostile NPC to a drunken Somalian pirate.
And then there's VATS, oh how I loathe that "feature", to think that they have the nerve to package the game as a First Person Role Playing Shooter with a feature that gimps you if you choose to use your iron sights instead of enduring a three hour long cutscene.
I honestly once left it alone mid VATS and I had enough time to go and pour myself a scotch.
Game play is nothing special in this one, but it's far better than Fallout 3; so, considering the improvements the Obsidian team has made over the previous game, I'll give the game a 6.5/10 for game play.

Graphics
When it comes to graphics the GameByro engine is way passed the date of expiry.
To think that this engine continues to be used for games in this day and age is just horrendous. However, despite the handicap of being stuck with this deplorable engine, New Vegas manages to pull of acceptable visuals thanks to a consistent art style and a lot more color than Fallout 3.
So, overall I'd have to be generous and give this game a 5.5/10, but only because of the art style.

Sound
Again, this is an issue of no focus when it comes to this game, with but a few exceptions.
Okay, I will admit a large reason I was looking forward to this game was the fact that it would have more than three voice actors, three voice actors that Bethesda seems very fond of, to the point of masturbating to the sound of their voices.
So yes, the sound in this game is a considerable upgrade to Fallout 3's and it helps the game along quite well without getting in the way, I'm looking at you Red Faction Guerrilla, you disgusting sound AIDS ridden whore, but oh how you draw me into you destructable terrain.
I have to give New Vegas an overall sound rating of 7/10, but only because of the varied voice acting.
Replay Value
And so we come to the lone nugget of gold among the fecal matter donning this game.
There are so many ways to replay this game it's offensive; multiple endings, grey area moral choices, literally dozens of ways to lay the game.
There are so many possible builds for characters, so many possible actions and so many possible quest outcomes.
This game is by far one of the best games of modern times when it comes to depicting grey moral choices, as evidenced by the failed, but fun, Alpha protocol.
I'm giving Replay Value a 9/10.

Overall
Gameplay: 6.5/10
Graphics: 5.5/10
Sound: 7/10
Replay Value: 9/10
Overall: 7/10

21 comments:

  1. Fallout 1 is my favourite game of all time and I have to say I liked fallout 3 too, but it wasn't really the same game... so easy to love and so easy to hate. I'm gonna try New Vegas when I'm finished with my masters degree. Good luck on your work too!

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  2. I think New Vegas was better than Fallout 3.

    I don't think you can top the first two though.

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  3. Probably just rent this game. Thanks for the Fallout review!

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  4. i agree with xaltruismx. i did prefer fallout 1 over the other games released. thanks for the review!

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  5. This game is sick man. Somewhat addictive too. I'll probably be bored ith it in 2 or 3 months though.

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  6. Is it strange that I own this game, but haven't had time to play it yet?

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  7. This game is awesome...but not as good as 3, I loooove Fallout 3 lol

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  8. It looks great - but I'm holding out for Black Ops with my next paycheck.

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  9. IMHO CoD has really gone downhill since CoD2, as such I won't be spending more than $30 on Black Ops.

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  10. Very nice review, detailed and accurate!

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  11. this game is so awsome, pretty glitchy but still my favourite.:)

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  12. Very nice review, loving how you broke it down. And I agree about ^^^ black ops, it seems pretty shitty.

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  13. Nice review.

    farfrommugen.blogspot.com

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  14. Nice game and an objective review. Respect.

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  15. I love that game to death. Personally, I liked 3 and New Vegas much more than the old ones. Probably because the feeling of absolute freedom and the action elements.

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  16. Nice review. You make me want to play it. Can't wait. Btw I love Vegas lol!!

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