Review: Fallout New Vegas (360/PS3)

“We’re near a legion slave camp now; I’ve....been here before. Let’s get one thing straight, if I see any crimson, I’m taking the shot,” Boone said, suddenly breaking the long silence. I knew he had seen Caesar's agent approach me as we left New Vegas, and now he was laying his cards on the table. Despite everything we had been through, if I did business with Caesar’s Legion, Boone would have no more business with me.

“As long as you don’t mind me joining the fun,” I said, a half lie. I wasn’t quite sure how it would pan out, but I knew it would be dangerous to alienate Caesar, especially now that his army had control of the Hoover Dam. It was the largest fresh water source left in the continental United States, and the self-styled master of history was attempting to create the first hydraulic empire after the Fall. I wasn’t willing to let go of Boone with his expertise either, but the NCR sniper’s family had been killed by the Legion and he was itching for revenge. Sooner or later I would have to cross one or the other. Juggling the events ahead was going to be tricky.

Dilemmas like this are what puts Fallout: New Vegas a step above the previous Fallout titles. Every Fallout game that has come out since the first turn-based RPG on PC has opened with the line “War… War never changes.” Fallout: New Vegas actually takes this theme and makes it the core mechanic of the game.

The city of Las Vegas was left largely unscathed by the massive nuclear war that shaped the Fallout setting, and now numerous factions are battling over the remaining resources. Your character can serve as a champion for one of these factions, or as a wild-card in the wastelands, throwing sand into the gears of each faction’s war machine as you fight for a free New Vegas. Gone are the days of being able to do every faction's storyline on the first play through.

Much like comparing a regular Mustang versus a Shelby Cobra, a quick glance might give the impression that Fallout: New Vegas is built from the same mold as its revolutionary predecessor, Fallout: 3. The graphics are similar and the deep loneliness of the wastes are still ever-present. The titles might look similar, but under the hood, it’s a whole different beast. Combat still incorporates the VATS system of Fallout 3, but now has the added bonus of an “Aim Down Sight” feature much like Call of Duty. Many mainstays of the Fallout series have returned, like Super Mutants and Rad Scorpions, but there is also a whole host of new beasts competing for the chance to make a meal out of you. The game is still an open sandbox, but is now much larger in scale.

Like any RPG, the game has multiple side quests, but rather than just playing fetch, these missions add more to the story than even the main one (especially the jobs given by some of your NPC partners). The back-story of New Vegas is absolutely enthralling, and those who finish the game just to see the ending will miss out on events that could have been the story line for an entire game. The way you manage these quests are as open ended as the game; you can side with a megalomaniac dictator or shoot him like a snake. Either decision can have a massive effect on how the rest of the game plays out.

The game does have its setbacks, however. For example, you can kill numerous types of enemies by just jumping on top of a rock and shooting them repeatedly, even if they are WAY beyond the scope of what your character’s level should be able to handle. Many of the bugs that were present in Fallout 3 still rear their head from time to time, not enough to ruin the fun, but sometimes enough to remind you that you’re playing a video game.

Overall the bugs aren’t enough to spoil the rich experience of the game. No other game even comes close to New Vegas in terms of scope or story. The amount of time it takes to beat most games doesn’t even allow enough to scratch the surface of this one. With that in mind, a fair warning: you might as well trade in your JRPG’s and your ‘hack and slash’s when you buy this game, you likely won’t be playing them again.

Submitted By: Daniel Dewey (Employee)