W
ar. War never changes.” OK, actually,
that’s not entirely true. If Fallout’s
gravelly voiced narrator were
really a stickler for accuracy, he’d probably
amend his catchphrase to read: “War. War
changes slightly.” Make no mistake: Fallout:
New Vegas is not Fallout 4. And in that
respect, its greatest strength is also its most
crippling weakness. See, everything you
loved about Fallout 3 is still present in New
Vegas—and some of it’s better than it’s ever
been. Unfortunately, tiny fl aws that plagued
Fallout 3 also stuck around for New Vegas,
and they’ve festered to become ugly scars on
an otherwise excellent experience.
Which is not to say New Vegas doesn’t
balk at a few of Fallout 3’s archaic “back in
my day” notions. For one, the game’s opening
doesn’t literally last a fourth of a lifetime.
Instead, you can be frolicking through open,
irradiated fi elds in mere minutes. Better still,
the tutorial is entirely optional. Experienced
Fallout players, you may now gaze up to the
heavens and mouth a silent “thank you” to
your deity of choice.
So, the opening is worlds better, but
what about, you know, the world? Shock-
ingly, that’s another place where New Vegas
outshines Fallout 3. We absolutely fell in love
with Fallout 3’s colossal, personality-packed
Wasteland back in 2008, but New Vegas’s
world boldly proclaims, “Anything you can
do, I can do better.” Right off the bat, it’s far
more varied—featuring everything from
ramshackle towns to Supermutant societies
to the neon-lit excess of Vegas itself.
On top of that, the world is more fl eshed
out and cohesive, thanks to the introduction of
an in-depth faction system. Of course, manyfactions are at each others’ throats, and natu-
rally, your actions will place you smack-dab
in the center of their life-or-death tug-of-war
matches. This, too, is an area where New Vegas
excels, as choices are no longer about what’s
clearly “good” or “evil.” Obsidian’s brush has
always painted in shades of gray, and the
developer’s subtle strokes have only gotten
better with time. As a result, you’ll be forced to
make some deviously tough decisions.
If New Vegas normally sucks you into its
game world, then Hardcore Mode swallows
you whole and emits a thunderous belch. In a
nutshell, it turns the game into a simulation.
Suddenly, you actually need to eat, sleep, and
visit the doctor. Also, stimpacks take time to
drag you away from
death’s door, so battles
become less about
who can sponge up
the most bullets and
more about planning
and tactics.
By and large,
Fallout: New Vegas is
a fantastic experience,
but a few ghosts from
Fallout 3’s past haunt
it something fi erce. For
one, the game’s bug-
gier than a rotted tree
stump, with enemiesfrequently fusing with the ground, VATS mal-
functioning, and even the occasional game-
halting crash. Speaking of enemies, the AI’s
dumb as dirt, which is especially problematic
when companion characters are involved. It’s
a shame, too, because companions spend a
lot more time in the spotlight, each with their
own side quests that unlock bonus perks.
Unfortunately, they’re also stupidly trigger
happy, so if you’d rather not pick a fi ght with
everything in a two-mile radius, you prob-
ably ought to fl y solo.
Those fl aws, however, aren’t enough to be
game-breaking, and Obsidian has already re-
leased the fi rst of a series of patches to address
them. The bugs are blemishes on an otherwise
standout game, and if you’re at all interested
in open worlds or RPGs, you’d be doing your-
self a huge disservice by skipping Fallout: New
Vegas. –NATHAN GRAYSONFallout: New Vegas
Obsidian sequel hits the jackpot
Wasteland, long time no see! You’re looking enormous, as always. How are the kids?VATS: turning heads into gore volcanoes since 2008.VERDICT$47, fallout.bethsoft.com, ESRB: M8
Massive, varied, game
world; new faction
system; challenging
Hardcore mode.Numerous bugs and
glitches; dirt-poor AI;
sloppy first-person
shooting.PIP BOYFALLOUT: NEW VEGASFALLOUT BOYhttp://www.maximumpc.com|JAN 2011 |MAMAMAXIMXIMXIMXIMUUUUMMPPPCC| 91