Fallout: New Vegas
Obsidian Entertainment
PS3
Also available on XBOX 360 and PC 
4.5/5
Fallout 3 was the first Fallout game that I ever came into contact with.
Since then I have dipped into Fallout Tactics.
Now I am fully aware that both of these games are not popular among Fallout purists, having taken the game world and transferring it into a different genre, but I rank Fallout 3 as one of the BEST games that I have ever played.
Fallout: New Vegas does not let the side down.
It is a sandbox RPG crossed with a FPS. In fact, the RPG element takes precedent, as carefully aimed shots are still subject to dice roll mechanics.
At first there seems to be a lot of information to take in regarding how to control your character and use his or her PipBoy, but it is all straight forward enough to get used to quite quickly, especially with the help of ingame characters who guide you through, without breaking the fourth wall.
You also have the opportunity for complete character customisation. You choose the name, gender, hairstyle and are then able to edit their features to your exact specifications.
There are no class systems, your character goes through the game and you choose skills and perks as they level up, depending on whatever strengths you wish to have.
The customisation does not end there though. As you go through games and complete missions, you will make choices affecting both your character, the direction of the game and the fate of the world around you. You can be a Hero of the Wastes or a rampaging villain.
The Fallout universe is set in the future after a devastating war left the planet in ruins, smothered in radiation where everyones priority is survival. Mutations over the years have formed in a number of varieties in man and beast both; some from the radiation, some from experimentation.
You will meet Super Mutants, humans who have been transformed into Incredible Hulk type creatures by a virus, Ghouls, humans who have been exposed to so much radiation that they now live off of it, giant insects and the fearsome monstrosities, the Deathclaws, to name a few.
The real charm of the universe though, is that despite it being set centuries in the future, the world is somehow stuck in the 1950s. The game world is based upon science fiction from that era, bringing with it characters, clothing, primitive rocket ships and robots. An extra nice touch, are the radios which only play pre-50s music. It really gives the game a unique feel. Somehow the retro aspects taken from the era, fit the futuristic wasteland perfectly.
Fallout: New Vegas carries on in the same style as Fallout 3, with the same controls, same graphics and same set up, but Obsidian have taken steps to build on it and improve.
New features are available, such as being able to craft items at campfires and workbenches, allowing players to gain items that there may no longer be access to elsewhere in the world, or stock up on all important stimpacks and food items.
New Vegas takes the open world and its options further than its predecessor. A problem with Fallout 3 was that despite the option of doing good or evil deeds throughout, the only real choice as to whether you would end up a hero or villain was towards the end of the main story.
New Vegas however, let’s you make the decision from the very beginning, and gives opportunity to change throughout.
This truly means that you can play the game multiple times and it be different every time as you side with different factions and new missions open up to you.
There is also a new Hardcore Mode, which when chosen adds another layer of realism to the game. Players are forced to eat, drink and sleep to survive so that they do not become exhausted, dehydrated or starved. Items that in normal play can be carried in infinite amounts such as weapon ammo and drugs, now have weight, meaning players must make further tactical choices as to what their character will carry with them. Healing items work differently too, no longer restoring wounds instantly, but rather over time. These new rules add another level of play, intensifying the game.
As with previous games, you can name your character whatever you wish, but they are referred to by a nickname, in this case ‘The Courier’.
In the beginning of the story, you are delivering a mysterious package to someone in New Vegas, but are captured and seemingly killed for the goods you are carrying.
From there, you are fortunately rescued from your fate, and your mission becomes a journey to hunt down the man who ‘killed’ you. If you want to find out why he did, that’s up to you. If not, then you can go get your sweet revenge, if that is the sort of thing that interests you.
The reason I do not give this game a full five out of five is the amount of bugs and glitches. Fallout 3 had the same problems.
In making such a huge world, it is understandable that some things would be missed, and on this scale, a lot of problems have been left in game. Players can only hope that Obsidian take the time to release update patches and fix as many problems as possible, but if Fallout 3 is anything to go by, there will still be bugs missed.
The only advice anyone can give is to save your game often and in multiple slots. It can be heartbreaking to lose your game because something does not load properly or behave in the way it is meant to.
Despite this, I still rank this series high. It is rare to play a game in which you have so much freedom to really become anything that you want, befriend whoever you want and do anything you desire.
