They should have let New Vegas simmer a little longer.
User Rating: 8 | Fallout: New Vegas X360
I can't help but feel that Fallout New Vegas was rushed to the store shelves just a little too quickly. I suppose that in the wake of fallout 3's incredible success bethesda decided they needed to get the next game out there to capitalize on the frenzy. New Vegas feels rushed. The core storyline isn't nearly as compelling as 3's was. The gameplay is little changed this time around. Screen pop in was very prevalent. I experience one complete game freeze. The framerate got pretty choppy in certain areas and came to almost complete stops at the end of the game. There were also a number of mission glitches in which npcs wouldn't react the way they were intended or just simply wouldn't be there. And in all reality the game felt like a huge fallout 3 add-on as opposed to a new experience. I know you've probably heard all this before, but sadly its pretty much factual. The good news is that lying underneath all of its shortcoming still awaits a game that is fundamentally great fun(like its predecessor). This time around you are a courier who is attacked by some thugs. They steal some valuable carge that you were trying to deliver and now you have to figure out what the cargo was as well as how to get it back and exact revenge. There is ton's of area to explore and most of it is just as interesting as 3's. There are plenty of items to discover and about a million side quests. The side quests are more important this time because the main story isn't as strong. The first person combat is the same as last time only with the welcome addition of iron sights. The VATS system is still as fun as always. You will enjoy the same control scheme and its reasonably good responsiveness. There is a lot of stuff going on in new vegas and there are a lot of people to encounter. They wisely created a faction system that allows you to build up reputations for good or bad. The faction system definately adds some depth to the way you enteract with the people of the world. This also helps tie all of the little side story elements together. Intact is the sense of isolation and the need to forage for survival. The difficulty feel just about right. Don't get me wrong this is still a good game. People who didn't play Fallout 3 will probably enjoy it even more because the experience will feel fresher to them. I did enjoy playing this game and it lasted a good bit, but there is still a lingering sense of disappointment.
Last Words: Fans of Fallout 3 should enjoy New Vegas because its more of the same and that's not a bad thing. Unfortunately glitches and a reduced sense of creativity will slow down and hamper your experience. 
