The narrator at the beginning of Fallout: New Vegas exclaims “War, war never changes.” The same can be said for the new era of Fallout games. Obsidian, the developer behind New Vegas has followed in Bethesda's exact footsteps in creating the next Fallout. If you come to New Vegas looking for a radically different experience than Fallout 3, you'll be disappointed. But for those want more of the same Fallout goodness, look no further, New Vegas will be your home for the next 200 plus hours. New Vegas begins much in the way as it's Fallout 3 brethren began, but with a rebirth so-to-speak. Once you're up an running it's business as usual as the people of Goodsprings need your help getting things done for them. Like before the people of the wasteland here have problems and need help from a bad ass wanderer like you. This is where New Vegas really shines, it's mission structuring is really very good, and propels the game forward, albeit at a snails pace. The mission layering here leads to some awesome moments in exploring. Eventually you leave the good people of Goodsprings and head for Primm or Novac in an effort to find more information about what happened to you and why you were shot in the head and left to die in a shallow grave.
Between here and there as well as all over the wasteland you'll uncover hundreds of tiny places on your map worth exploring and looting. The Karma system comes into play again as you can either make good choices or bad choices. The settlers who occupy the Mojave Wasteland will react to you accordingly. Early on, the people of Goodsprings ask for your help in fighting off the Powder Gangers, who have escaped the New California Republic Correctional Facility and now terrorize the wasteland. Depending on your choice to help or not, you will either be idolized or vilified by either side. Your status doesn't effect your karma though, it's effect is in how people in that gang or city will react to you as they encounter you out-and-about. Visually New Vegas has it's issues. When standing still and looking out over the Mojave wasteland, it can look beautiful. The draw distance is to be applauded as you can see for miles. Huge landmarks beg for visits as you see their silhouette sky lined on the horizon. All is not well though. There are some downright disgusting textures, and then there are textures that don't load in for minutes at a time and the screen tearing, oh what a distraction. That's not even the worst of it either.
And now a brief synopsis of Fallout: New Vegas: “In Fallout: New Vegas experience all the sights and sounds of fabulous New Vegas, brought to you by Vault-Tec, America's First Choice in Post-Nuclear Simulation. Explore the treacherous wastes of the Great Southwest from the safety and comfort of your very own vault. Meet new people, confront terrifying creatures, and arm yourself with the latest high-tech weaponry as you make a name for yourself on a thrilling new journey across the Mojave wasteland. A word of warning, however—while Vault-Tec engineers have prepared for every contingency, in Vegas, fortunes can change in an instant. Enjoy your stay.” Wandering through the exact wasteland described above I witnessed wildlife walking off the edge of a hill only to levitate in the air for a few moments before slowly floating to the ground. Another time I picked up an object from a cluttered desk. When I did, everything on it started floating. The worst I came across was the town of Novac. When you get to Novac, the frame rate becomes abysmal and near unplayable.
It dropped from somewhere around 30, into the teens and even locked up for a few seconds a few times. Everywhere you go in Novac the game engine has a problem drawing what's on screen, and it feels as if it could lock up for good at any moment, and while it never did for me, knowing the problems of Fallout 3 freezing, my experience in Novac was cringe worthy and completely took me out of the game experience. Sound design on the other hand is great, the score is properly menacing and does a great job of alerting you to changing situations in the game without bombarding you with on screen information. The same great sound effects are back from Fallout 3, meaning that blowing a guys head into chunks is as satisfying as it ever could be. The soundtrack is also worthy of the Fallout universe and is appropriate for this Vegas setting. Sinatra and the Rat Pack come to mind often. Something needs to be said of the controls. If Bethesda and Obsidian are going to parade the Fallout franchise around as any sort of FPS, they need to implement some decent FPS controls, as what is in place in Fallout: New Vegas doesn't amount to anything worthy of even a mediocre FPS control scheme.
Trying to play this game without V.A.T.S. is an exercise in reloading your last save. However V.A.T.S. is what sets Fallout apart from other games and is it's unique hook and works so well and is so fun, and that's really the key here. Only when you run out of action points, which isn't often, will you be faced with trying to survive with the clunky unmanageable FPS controls. If this critique is coming off as harsh and negative, I'm sorry, it shouldn't. I actually had a really good time playing through Fallout: New Vegas. During my time I couldn't set the controller down. It's fun and that is ultimately what a game should be about and New Vegas hits it on the head. It's eloquently and elaborately woven mission structure is something that should never be changed, and in fact I would like to see it in other games as well. The Mojave wasteland is packed with memorable locations and characters and is a worthy followup to Fallout 3. I just expected more from New Vegas but in the end it all feels like a giant expansion upon the premise laid out two years ago. Again, not a bad thing if that's what you're looking for, more of the same isn't bad with this formula.
