If a game is to be judged by how much time you spend playing it then Fallout: New Vegas is a flat out 10. But while it’s telling that at game’s completion I had invested 60 hours into New Vegas, it is more revealing that I got through about 85% of the locations and then just gave up and finished the main quest. It’s safe to say that I won’t be returning to the Mojave for any replays.
This isn’t to say that New Vegas is bad. It’s more that it hasn’t grown with the times. Serving up a similar experience to Fallout 3, without the water cooler moments and with added glitches, simply is not enough now. The zeitgeist has moved and expectations are higher.
Saying this New Vegas should be praised for how much impact your actions have on the world and its characters. Your allegiances have wide reaching consequences and NV does a great job of capturing the reality of these decisions in its ‘where are they now’ ending – it’s a high point of the game.
The core of the Fallout experience also keeps the game afloat. NV’s Mojave Desert is massive. There are all the vaults, shacks and abandon mines that you could wish for. Add in a few memorable characters, including a cross dressing super mutant, and the gruesome results of a headshot in VATS and it becomes clear that the best bits of New Vegas are simply the core design of its predecessor.
Overall, Fallout: New Vegas is a step backwards for the Fallout brand. By following the formula of F3, Obsidian has missed the chance to innovate within the world. For some the continuation of the F3-like world will be enough, but for mine the host of bugs, the aged engine and the lack of standout storyline moments makes for a disappointing experience.
6.5
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