Fallout: New Vegas improves from Fallout 3 in many ways and as a result nearly achieves the same level of excellence.
With a game as successful and beloved by many players as Fallout 3, it can be difficult to follow up with a spin-off that surpasses or even meets that very same eminence. Fallout: New Vegas tries its best to do just that, but falls slightly short. In a sense, it takes a nice step forward, then a slightly bigger step back. However, considering how superb of a game Fallout 3 is, saying that New Vegas falls just a tad short of that is a rather positive statement.
Unlike Fallout 3, the player is thrown into the massive gameworld much quicker. This time around, the main character has a much more vague background, and all that is really known is that the character is a courier who was delivering a mysterious platinum chip to the enigmatic ruler of New Vegas, Mr. House. This seemingly simple delivery was then foiled by the central antagonist Benny, who obviously wants the chip for himself. From then on, it's a wild goose chase that takes the player closer and closer to New Vegas. But this is a Fallout game, so you can basically do whatever you want as far as completing the main story path.
Initially the primary story path is somewhat linear. Considering the route that's supposed to be taken is chosen, tons of distractions such as side quests and the occasional captivating location will likely postpone the progression of the main quests. Such side interruptions can just as easily be ignored as well. The freedom to do whatever whenever is still present and one of the dominant reasons as to why this game is so great. Sooner or later, the player will arrive in New Vegas, which at first appears to be a less-than-elegant site filled with thugs, squatters, and other shady characters. That is indeed the case until access to The Strip is granted by various means. It may not seem as glorious as it does when viewing some of large structures from lengthy distances, but it's still the most lively and flashy of all the locations throughout the game.
Once a certain part in the story is reached, the time for tremendous decisions that hugely affect the outcome of the game begins. The central conflict focuses on the war between the NCR, a well known faction present in earlier Fallout games, and the ruthless Caesar's Legion, a group of Roman-inspired warriors looking to restore society through unnecessarily brutal means. Decisions must be made as to who you wish to aid in the upcoming battle at the Hoover Dam, a place in which the NCR has been holding off The Legion for years. Fortunately this isn't simply a two-sided option in regards as to who to side with. The choice to assist Mr. House in taking back New Vegas and driving off the NRC and Legion is available. There's also the opportunity to get even more creative and not side with anyone and make New Vegas independent by any means you feel necessary.
One significant difference between Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas is the tweaked karma system and the return of reputation. This time around, karma isn't nearly as vital when it comes to how other characters act towards the player. Instead, one's reputation with a specific faction or even settlement determines how the people within that group will treat the player. A faction or settlement that idolizes you will deem you hero to them, while on the opposite side one that absolutely loathes you will attack on sight. That can be avoided to an extent by wearing apparel from that same faction. It's a bit disappointing to see the karma system become for the most part useless. Additionally, it's practically broken anyway. Killing innocent civilians and stealing items still grants you negative karma, but for some reason killing certain enemies that are always hostile, like feral ghouls, sometimes grants positive karma, thus rendering the status of an otherwise evil character's karma counterfactual. It's not that major of a letdown however. The reputation system does make more sense, especially in a game filled with many different factions to interact with.
The gameplay is nearly identical to that of Fallout 3, but with some minor alterations. VATS is essentially unchanged, with the exception of a few unique maneuvers with a number of particular weapons. One such weapon is the golf club, which in VATS can perform a special move that whacks a target in the groin. Aiming down the sights of all variations of weaponry is much improved, and true iron sights may also be implemented into the game, and while it does alter the gameplay some, it feels a tad out of place for a Fallout game. Shooting outside of VATS is a more viable option in contrast to Fallout 3, though it's still amusing to blast something's head off or crush an enemy in slow motion. Cinematic views of kills outside of VATS can also be seen with an option than can be enabled under the setting. The combat still has its awkward and clunky moments unfortunately. Pulling up your Pip-Boy or entering VATS still pauses the action, but despite the fact, engagements with multiple foes can still get hectic.
Companions are more useful and easier to interact with by virtue of the companion wheel. Instead of talking to a companion and going through a bunch of dialogue options, you can now simply scroll through a convenient wheel for quick access to whichever option needed. Due to some tougher enemies and more chaotic combat encounters, companions don't die, and instead are knocked unconscious until the situation is taken care of. This is not the case though in the new hardcore option. Hardcore, while not all-that hardcore, is a fairly worthy additional, yet optional, element to the game. With this enabled, the player must sleep, eat, and stay hydrated in order to survive. Also, ammo has weight and fast traveling can only occur if the player can survive the tip with dying of dehydration, starvation, or sleep deprivation. This mode makes the game feel like more of a struggle for survival than it all ready is. It doesn't make the game much more difficult though as it can be combined with any difficulty level. Still, it was a fairly decent idea to tack in on to the game.
Fallout: New Vegas comes with some more favorable augmentations. One that's easily noticeable is myriad of new weaponry and other goodies. Very few weapons from Fallout 3 make a reappearance, which isn't such a bad thing when there's a new variety of weapons to play around with as well as more unique ones to hunt down and find. Vendors throughout the Mojave Wasteland also much better access to ammo, supplies, arsenal, or even weapon mods which are yet another excellent addition. Different variations of ammo also make a return. The initial level cap has been increased to 30, but on a more detrimental note perks are now chosen every two levels. However it does prevent a character from achieving too many benefits so quickly, and makes the player think more about which perks would be best to have.
The visuals are a modest step up from Fallout 3. It looks a bit more polished, and even lively due to the bright blue skies and the more overall feel of a desert than a previously nuked-out wasteland. That said, the Mojave Wasteland isn't nearly as bleak and desolated as the Capitol Wasteland, which in return gives it less of a memorable and post-Apocalyptic atmosphere. There are still some abandoned and unkempt locations. Some places are still infested with radiation. But still, the lack of more peculiar and ominous locations left me wanting more out of the Mojave Wasteland. Another less positive aspect would be the radio stations, which aren't as good as the ones in Fallout 3. Some of the songs are catchy, but they loop much too often, and the radio host isn't quite as exuberant as Three Dog. On the plus side, the audio is just as gratifying, if not then even more so than its predecessor. Voice acting is great, but the only issue is hearing the same voice used on many different character all through the game.
The most significant fault with this Fallout game once again involves its technical issues. From launch, technical glitches, crashes, and visual hiccups among other predicaments occurred inevitably at any given time. Through many patches, the problems have become much less severe and less occurring. Still, bugs and freezes can and will happen. It's still highly possible to play for several hours without being interrupted by a major issue, but the more one file is played, the more common crashes happen. Some locations are more prone to disastrous performances, even after all of the patches. Sometimes it's unclear as to what sets off some of the glitches in the game, and the list of possible glitches is tremendous.
On the bright side, with so much to do and see in Fallout: New Vegas, it's not too difficult to get past the technical downfalls to anyone truly engrossed in the experience. Exploring is still dangerous and an enjoyable way to pass the time. The wasteland, or desert rather, is extremely massive and chock full of locations to prospect, side quest to complete, items to collect, interesting characters to meet, and so forth. There's no doubt that New Vegas is a time killer. The main story quests may not take too long to complete, but with multiple outcomes and ways to complete it, the replay value is extraordinary. Each playthrough will likely lead you to a side of New Vegas you've never seen before. There is quite simply almost an endless amount of stuff to do, and even one character can rack in about 100 hours of play time. It's a minor letdown that the final mission means end game, and that a previous file must be loaded to keep on enjoying the game. But still, it's no trouble getting sucked into the amount of things to do.
It's a challenge not to compare Fallout: New Vegas with Fallout 3. Bringing back a once popular franchise and making it popular once again among a new generation of gamers is no easy task, nor is making a follow up game with equal greatness just a few years later. Obsidian did a fantastic job in not only creating another marvelous Fallout game, but also in bringing Fallout back to some of its original roots. Even though it wasn't as dark and mysterious as Fallout 3, New Vegas still improved in many aspects and in all is a fantastic Fallout experience. Whether new or old to the series, Fallout: New Vegas should given a chance and some time to truly reveal how astounding of a game it can be. At any rate, Fallout: New Vegas is most definitely a worthy addition to the Fallout series.