Fallout shows it's wild side in New Vegas
New Vegas is the next installment in the Fallout Franchise and creates a very unique and well done environment. The game fixes most of the gamey problems from Fallout 3 and contains even better characters and more great story telling. However, It has a lot of glitches for example the game crashes a lot (pro tip save every couple of minutes you never know when it will crash), there is more open world jank then there was in Fallout 3, and to get the different endings you do the exact same thing for different people which makes New Veags harder to replay. With that said, I think if you liked Fallout 3 you should definitely pick up New Vegas.
New Vegas is set in the post nuclear Mojave wasteland and creates the perfect tone for the game. New Vegas starts with you getting shot in the head (ironic right?) and waking in a doctor's office. You then spend the rest of the game trying to find who shot you, why, and determining the fate of New Vegas. About half the game is spent chasing the killer(s) and the other is spent figuring out who to work for (that's all i will say). This can take about 20-30 hours at most, however there is so much more to explore in this game that it's almost overwhelming. I finished my recent play through of the game with most of the quests completed, at the level cap, with a lot of rare loot, and a play time total of about seventy hours, because there was so much to explore and find. There definitely is NOT a dearth of content in this game and you can expect to be satisfied when you through with this game.
New Vegas adds a few new elements into the formula not seen in Fallout 3, however it keeps a lot of things from the Fallout 3 like V.A.T.S., karma, speech challenges and so on. First, The game has a plethora of new perks to choose from and it is impossible to see them all in one play through. Also, at the start of the game you can choose up to two perks that drastically affect your stats for the entirety of that playthrough. For example, you can choose trigger discipline which makes you 20% more accurate with all guns, but you shoot 20% slower with all guns. Accordingly, you don't have to choose starting perks at all. Second, There is also a new skill that has implemented as well. The survival skill affects what you can make at at campfires across the wasteland. These items can range from things like steak to antivenom. Also, the skills small guns and big guns have been combined into one skill called guns. Third, The work benches also make a return in New Vegas with another type of bench too. Reloading benches are a new feature that allow players to make different types of ammo for their guns like armor piercing or hollowpoint rounds for example. Lastly, players now have the ability to aim with iron sights or, if they wish, they can aim without them.
New Vegas includes a new hardcore mode that makes the game more realistic and has the player keeping track of their thirst, hunger, and sleep levels. At a certain point near the beginning of the game the player is asked if they want to playthrough on hardcore mode. As stated, this mode is more realistic, dramatically harder, and adds slight changes to certain gameplay structures. Most notably, Stimpacks heal over time and not instantly which can make the fighting that much more difficult. For beating the game on hardcore mode the player receives an achievement worth 100g and that's it there is no real special reward at the end of the game besides that.
As much praise that I have given New Vegas It still has an abundance of problems. The game Will crash often after several hours of play. This can be bothersome when it happens consistently or after completing a demanding task without saving it. The game also has quite a bit of open world Jank. Textures fade in, the framerate drops, and sometimes objects can disappear leaving you to figure out how to finish a quest that requires a certain object. The game also has a weird problem with it's voice acting. It's really good, but it can be for the wrong race. Now I am not racist or attempting to be, but white people and black people sound different, so it's odd to hear a black man's voice coming from a white character model. Again, not trying to be racist.
New Vegas Is a great addition to the Fallout franchise and is a jewel among most games. It blends first person shooting and role playing seamlessly, the story is impressive, and New Vegas is a load of fun to play. If you don't mind a little repetition and glitching this can game can steal over 100 hours from you. Finally, I recommend New Vegas to Anyone who liked previous Fallout games or is a fan of shooter RPG's.
