Fallout: New Vegas
Review
Fallout 3 - with culture
by Davneet Minhas
reviewed on PC
Heres Johnny (cntd)
I thought seeing the Strip and the Lucky 38 tower for the first time would be such a moment, but it wasnt maybe because New Vegas feels so familiar after Fallout 3 or maybe because the Strip was a strong focus of the games advertising. Either way, familiarity hurts.
I also never really felt connected to Vegas. Every inhabitant, from the high rollers to the prostitutes to the junkies, felt like they belonged, like they were products and constituents of all the glitz and glamour and sin. I was always an outsider, just passing through. But I think that was a result of the decisions I made. I couldve ruled the casinos had I chosen a different path.
Regardless, there are more interesting places, like Jacobstown. Were it not for its super mutant inhabitants, the ski resort nestled between snow-capped mountains would look like it came right out of The Shining. But its not a scary place, unless you want it to be.
I Dont Know Who That Is
Unfortunately, the PC version of New Vegas I played wasnt as stable as Fallout 3. It inexplicably crashed a few times, which I thought would prove annoying at first, but it never really bothered me. Frequent quick saves and auto saves ensured I always got back in with minimal repetition.
More problematic were some issues with how the game perceived my progress. I didnt come across a broken quest, but I did run into some dialogue options referencing people and plot points that I hadnt yet encountered. Its a little bizarre, being able to ask someone about a person I havent met or even heard of.
Such dialogue options didnt really spoil the experience though they were very minor to the overall story and only appeared early in the game. They were more comical than anything else, small lapses in the inconceivable effort it takes to quality control such a massive nonlinear, open-world game. Still, Fallout 3 deserves credit for being more polished in this regard.
You Already Know
I think the best way to describe Fallout: New Vegas is to say its Fallout 3 with a bit of Alpha Protocol, which makes sense. But even with that extra little bit, New Vegas is most definitely a Fallout game. More specifically, its a Fallout 3 game. So regardless of what I or anyone else says, you should already know if youd enjoy it. If you dont, then you havent played Fallout 3, in which case, shame on you. I enjoyed Fallout 3 and I certainly enjoyed New Vegas.
And with that, Im going to start working on the treatment for my characters Travel Channel show.
9.0
fun score
Pros
Its Fallout 3 with culture.
Cons
Too familiar, it lacks the wow factor of its predecessor.
