Fallout: New Vegas Review

Wayyy back in 2008 Fallout 3 set the benchmark for immersion and overall quality for post-apocalyptic gaming, not since the 90’s had we had the chance to enjoy the challenges of a nuclear wasteland. Now Obsidian Entertainment, using the tools left to them by Bethesda, have made their own contribution to the Fallout universe. With a few alterations implemented that make it stand out from its predecessor, it almost feels like a giant expansion pack with a slightly smaller in game world - a truly fantastic one at that.


The story opens with a bullet to the head from a man in a chequered suit (Matthew freaking Perry) to cue the motive of revenge for some part of the story and a highly Bethesda-esque excuse to provide your character with facial reconstruction surgery and base perk selection. This also gives you the opportunity to step out into the wasteland once again almost blinding you much to the delight of fans of the series (masochists). Many tones and themes remain from Fallout 3, not that I’m complaining of course, these themes are intrinsic to the Fallout universe and make it the fantastic series it’s known for.

The Graphics in New Vegas have rather disappointingly not changed at all, what has changed however is the style and feel of the game. New Vegas itself, which has a jazzy and glamorous ‘bada-bing’ design going on is in great contrast to the cowboy feel of towns in the Mojave Desert and on the outskirts of the city of sin itself, and since Red Dead Redemption I’m all for some more rootin’ tootin’ fun.

What has seen a much needed and refreshing change in New Vegas is the revamp of the moral choice system. There is no black and white, no right or wrong. Instead everything is morally ambiguous with no mysterious external force granting you karma or taking it away just for getting tangled up in the wrong crowd. In New Vegas, what is for the best and worst of the Mojave wastelands is ultimately chosen by you. This is achieved by using the faction system which I hope to see more developers using from now on (I'm looking at you, Lionhead Studios), as just in real life every action has a reaction. What’s good for some isn't necessarily going to be good for everyone, this makes for incredibly careful gameplay that still maintains a strong level of fun and adventure.

The three main factions in the game include: the intrusive but well intended North California Republic; the ruthless but well intended Legion and the mysterious but well intended Mr. House. New Vegas’ main success lies within the individual factions and their own interpretations of what is the best for the area. This leads to very interesting and involving story telling as at one point, upon meeting Caesar and listening to his vision of a united powerful society, I was almost convinced that maybe the wastelands would be better off in his hands. In sections such as these it’s perfectly possible to learn about yourself and what you believe would be best for society.

Gameplay-wise, there is now finally the ability to aim down the sights of your weapons, this greatly helps to remove such a reliance on the almost turn-based VATS system. Melee and unarmed skills have also been improved to make it possible to play through the game by solely dismembering and crushing enemies with your bare hands or a sledge hammer, which is always healthy fun. The weapon set has also been increased, the option to mod existing weapons with scopes, silencers and the like is now in place after the multitude of PC mods that allowed just this in Fallout 3. Another small but useful update is the introduction of the companion wheel, simply to save you from repeatedly cycling through the same lengthy dialogue options.

One of the best additions to the game however is Hardcore mode, which the game even attempts to dissuade you from choosing in the opening. Hardcore mode is a true role playing experience, where you need to eat, sleep and drink to function. This takes the experience of being a wandering wastelander to the next level with so much more realism. You can find yourself limping through the wastes, suffering from dehydration and sleep deprivation under the blistering sun to stumble across a shack containing just the right amount supplies to stay alive. This immersive role-playing element truly adds to the feel of being in a post-apocalyptic world.

Where the game suffered was that upon release, as with any Bethesda game, the game was riddled glitches which really should not have been in the final product. Though I didn’t experience some of the more bizarre glitches that others may have experienced, I did suffer a few crashes at irritating points by simply looking through the scope of a rifle.

Also worth a mention, the replay value of New Vegas is huge. With the possibility of three very unique paths to take and two further variations on one of them, there is enough content here to easily invest 50 hours into enjoying the main endings and varying gameplay styles.

Fallout: New Vegas is a more than worthy addition to the new Fallout series. The improved storytelling and the ambiguity of morality eclipse many of the smaller issues of glitches and the absence of any real graphical change. The small but effective gameplay alterations of the companion wheel, customisable weapons and the simple ability to aim down the sights are just enough to justify New Vegas as a stand alone game and as an overall improvement on Fallout 3.

9.0 - Brilliant.