Fallout: New Vegas Review

Bethesda's reinvention of the Fallout series in 2008 was one of the gaming highlights of the last few years. Taking the hugely successful Oblivion format and adding it to one of PC gaming's classic experiences was inspired and the follow up downloadable content support gave even more life to an enormous game. Fallout: New Vegas is in many ways a worthy successor, but is not without its fair share of problems which detract from an otherwise outstanding experience.

Fallout: New Vegas is a very difficult game to review, due to the sheer enormity of the environment, the plethora of quests available and the different playing styles that the title accommodates. In many ways, it is very similar to Fallout 3 with the same first or third person camera options and RPG staples which define the series. The graphics are virtually identical (still brown, but with a bit more blue sky) and the menus and HUD are equally similar (with a default of orange instead of green). Thankfully, the voice cast has continued to improve with some big name talent on display. Instead of detracting from the experience, they all definitely add to it, thanks to some clever casting and a solid script.

Taking a slightly different approach from the opening of its predecessor, Fallout: New Vegas drops you, more or less, straight into the action. After being shot in the head by a mysterious, suited man you are saved by a small community and after recovering, set out to get revenge. The main plot is surprisingly different and ends up taking you over the Mojave wasteland, an area of a similar size to Fallout 3's Capital Wasteland. Instead of going through a lengthy tutorial, there are optional mini-quests to acclimatise you to the world and gameplay of the series which is a nicer touch than a mandatory opening section.

Initially you might struggle to understand how Fallout: New Vegas is any different from Fallout 3 and it is often difficult to entirely shake the sense this is more of an expansion pack than a full sequel. There are only minor differences to gameplay, most of which won't really make much impact until later in the game when your character has more skills and bottle caps. The main new inclusions are the ability to make custom ammunition types and modify weapons with extended magazines, better quality parts, scopes and silencers which are initially pretty expensive. This does prove useful, allowing you to stick with a favourite weapon and increase the usefulness of others.

Other minor changes include the removal of most of the permanent skill boosting books (although they are still present in smaller quantities) and replacing them with magazines that provide a temporary increase to particular abilities. It's something which is useful, but generally rarely implemented once you start to develop your character and reach the higher levels. The follower system has been significantly overhauled, making them far more useful with each member granting you a unique perk based on their own talents. The follower wheel allows you a greater degree of control over them and any experience they earn from kills finally is granted to you!

While the majority of these tweaks seem largely minor there are two new inclusions which are much better and have a real impact on gameplay. The first is a series of background challenges, which upon completion grant you a boost of experience depending on the size of the task. For example, when you kill 500 enemies you are granted some experience and a special perk which boosts your damage. There are hundreds of these available ranging from killing a certain amount of enemies with weapons, dealing set amounts of damage, discovering a number of locations. It's a brilliant idea which naturally sits alongside the levelling system and encourages you to use a variety of playing styles in order to collect different perks. In a game as large and varied as Fallout: New Vegas this is certainly a welcome addition especially given that the default level cap has been raised to 30, rather than 20. However, perks are only awarded every other level you gain which is a shame as you can only choose half as many as Fallout 3.

The second major change is the introduction of factions in the game world, which was notably absent from Fallout 3. At first this is a daunting prospect given the numerous groups found in the Mojave, but introduces some complex new game mechanics. Your actions in quests and the world will yield different responses from different groups. So, if you elect to help the town at the start of the game, you'll anger a local rival group The Powder Gangers. However, if you choose to help these escaped criminals instead, you will earn their favour and anger the locals. Throughout the game, this forces a careful juggling act as you have to balance these factions against what you personally believe to be right, wrong and profitable.

Fortunately the factions system has different stages, so by angering one group slightly you will still have a chance to earn back their favour by helping them out. It also raises some interesting moral questions, as there usually is no "good" or "bad" option in many of the quests, forcing you to think through your actions and what implications these might bring. Yet this is still a Fallout game, so there are inevitably some groups who are downright evil and sadistic, such as the Roman-inspired Caesar's Legion whose tyrannical leader is more than happy to crucify a few dozen "savages" to prove a point.

Perhaps the most notable inclusion is "Hardcore" mode, which raises the difficulty and is not for the faint of heart for those new to the series. Here you have additional responsibilities including drinking, eating and sleeping regularly alongside health items not healing instantly. It seems far more influenced by role playing and developing your character, but admittedly makes the game a lot more tense. While it offers a new way to experience the Fallout universe, it ultimately grew a little tiresome towards the end of the game when enemies did more damage and healing became problematic.

The difficulty of Fallout: New Vegas can be uneven especially at the start of the game when harder enemies can spawn out of nowhere and massacre yourself and anyone nearby. I was unfortunate enough to have a Deathclaw spawn in the middle of a quest, killing my companions in a few hits before removing my limbs from my shocked body. This can prove frustrating, as harder enemies can appear even in the supposedly safer zones. If you can persevere with this difficulty spike at the beginning of the game, things soon even out when you get access to the tougher weaponry that is essential for these tougher foes.

One of the most frustrating issues with the title is the amount of bugs present. Bethesda has been quick to address these issues, launching a large patch to fix 200 errors this week to do with quest fixes. However, be warned that if you are playing the game on the Xbox 360 that after two hours playtime the loading times will extend to over a minute and there will be frequent stuttering and outright freezing. Hopefully, these will be looked at but even with a game of this size, the volume and scale of problems is largely unacceptable given the £40 retail tag attached. As such, some of these bugs were enough to effectively spoil and hinder the enjoyment of the title and even with the latest fixes, problems do persist. It's an enormous shame, as without these Fallout: New Vegas would be much easier to recommend and even as a fan of the series I began to lose some patience.

For fans of the series, this is an easy title to recommend. Admittedly, it is more of the same but the new inclusions certainly warrant a purchase for those that enjoyed the Fallout 3 experience. However, the number of bugs is certainly a limiting factor and one which will hopefully become a lesser issue in the coming months. For casual gamers, the difficulty spikes at the beginning may put some off, but it is worth sticking with the title to tap into the immersive, rich and hugely detailed environment on offer. No one makes games like Obsidian and Bethesda, the experience is definitely there and if you can overlook the problems then Fallout: New Vegas is a rewarding and fulfilling experience.