Game Name: Fallout: New Vegas

Developer: Obsidian Entertainment

Published by: Bethesda Softworks

Released Date: October 19th, 2010

Platforms: Microsoft Windows, XBOX One, XBOX 360, Playstation 3

Introduction

I played this game on both XBOX 360, when it first came out and I bought the Ultimate Edition with all the DLC in 2018 for the PC. I wanted to compare the difference in experience between the 2 games. Also, wanted to play through the game again as I remember it being fun but I had found it repetitive at the time. Let us see is this is still the case today.

Story

The game first takes place in New Vegas, which is the futuristic name of the current Las Vegas. During the game you navigate through parts of California, Arizona and Nevada.

The opening sequence is you being held at gunpoint by a mobster named Benny. Benny intercepted a package that contained a Platinum Chip. He proceeds to shoot you in the head and assumes that you are dead. Fortunately for you, you make it with some help.

Fallout: New Vegas (Opening Scene)

The rest of the story is you trying to regain this chip and get back at Benny. However, the story does not end there. There is a conflict between various factions in regards to the Hoover Dam. Depending on your choices you can have one of 4 outcomes.

There are other various smaller factions found in the Wasteland, The factions are The NCR (New California Republic), Caesar's Legion and Mr. House. Depending on who you support or not support will determine the outcome of the game.

During your travels you will meet also other factions and groups such as The Great Khans, Boomers, Powder Gangers and also The Brotherhood of Steel.

Gameplay

The majority of the gameplay that you were accustomed to from Fallout 3 has comeback. However, the game did come with some improvements that made the game a lot better.

The one thing that I think made the game more engaging is the crafting and modding. In Fallout 3 this was very limited and you did not have much choice with the exception of a few special weapons. In Fallout: New Vegas, you can craft more weapons and modify them as well. In addition, you can also mix to make food, drugs and ammunition for your guns. This made finding random pieces of junk in the wasteland more interesting.

Like in Fallout 3, you have 2 viewpoints for your character. You can choose the 1st person perspective or the 3rd person viewpoint. They did made a slight modification so that the view is a little more over the shoulder. It may not sound like much, but it makes a big difference when fighting enemies.

In this game they brought back an old idea. In Fallout 2, there was a gauge for reputation. This is different from karma. This allows the player to have different relationships and dialogue choices depending on your reputation. You can be positive, negative or Idolized. This can also be applied to towns as well. This will determine how the town interacts with you during your play through.

They also created their own card game called caravan, where you can win bottle caps throughout the game. This is a game that was created for the Fallout universe and has its own set of rules. It is fun, especially once you get used to the way the game is played.

They also included better control of your companions. Companions are characters that follow you around and help you with your missions. In Fallout: New Vegas you can control them a lot better with the Companion Wheel which gives you different options to guide your companion.

Companion Wheel

Those were the changes that I found were the biggest improvements. The parts that did not change are the fact that you have your skills and S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute points. You can still fast travel once you have discovered a new area. This makes it useful when you are closer to the end of the game.

The V.A.T.S system is slightly improved in terms of accuracy, however the main functions are the same and I used this a lot. The guns are a little more varied and make it fun to find new ones.

Here is some sample gameplay that I recorded on Twitch.

Bottomline

I think that New Vegas was a good evolution from the gameplay in Fallout 3. This game seemed to be, if Fallout 3 was done right. All the inconsistencies and gameplay that were not great, were improved here.

I think that the crafting was a big thing for me here. That was vastly improved and made the game more enjoyable.

Like any of the Fallout games, you can get very easily immersed in the universe. You get lost just wandering the Wasteland. It is fun to meet various factions and see how you can get out of a certain area.

I played it on PC and on XBOX 360. The only thing that makes this better on PC is the commands that you can put in the prompt. Essentially, it is old school PC cheats, to make you invincible and to give you all of the weapons that you want. It is so cool not having to worry about dying in the game. I understand that it takes a little of the fun of why people play it. However, on the second or 3rd play through it makes it interesting. This is especially true if you did not discover the whole map and you want to do it on your own terms.

Some would say that the story in this one is better than Fallout 3. It is different but I do not know if I would call it better. The story in Fallout 3 is simpler as it was basically you trying to find your dad. In Fallout: New Vegas, this is more complex but I find the game more drawn out. It is less streamlined and at some point I got bored. Sometimes you feel like you do not advance at all in the game, even playing after 3 hours.

In the end, the game improved on the gameplay of its predecessor and makes this game more interesting. The crafting improvements are great and the Caravan game is good as well. Many players play Fallout New Vegas as it is easier to play on PC than Fallout 3, in terms of installation. So I think that it will always be the one that people refer to when saying, which one of the Fallout Series got you hooked? I have a feeling Fallout: New Vegas would be the answer to that question.

Rating: 8 Powder Gangers out of 10

What would you think? Did you like Fallout: New Vegas or did not not like it? Let me know below.

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