In 2008, the Fallout franchise finally broke through the gaming underworld after the release of their first console version, Fallout 3.
And it was good. Stellar graphics, an enthralling storyline the likes of a movie or Final Fantasy game, a huge free-roaming world, and weapons ranging from a butter knife to a Gatling Plasma Gun helped mold this into a Game of the Year.
There was only one complaint by the public about Fallout 3: no multi-player. However, this complaint was actually praise in itself, since the need for a multi-player function meant that we enjoyed the game so much, we wanted more. To appease us, Bethesda released add-ons such as Mothership Zeta and The Pitt, and it was good. Until we finished them, and had nothing.
Luckily, Fallout: New Vegas was not far behind. Would it be as good as the first one? Would the storyline stand up to the previous Fallout 3? Would there be a multi-player? Would the bobbleheads be as hard to find?
The graphics, as before, are amazing. What really makes the detail stand out is when using the VATS to attack specific body parts of your enemies. In slow motion, every pixel is in place for a beautifully enacted waltz of blood. It’s a beautiful thing for many of us.
What’s more, the humor of having an old 50s-style culture mixed with laser guns is still intact, and even funnier, as we now have a gang of Elvis Presley impersonators, a couple of Frank Sinatras, and the oddest soundtrack to overshadow a nuclear-torn world.
The world of Fallout: New Vegas may seem a bit smaller by the looks of the map. Don’t worry, it’s not. It’s just as big, and with a mode that forces you to eat, drink, and sleep or else you die, the world becomes even bigger because you can’t fast-track to any point on the map. There are also multiple ways you can interact with the different “tribes” in the lands of New Vegas. Unlike Fallout 3, where you eventually become an enemy of the Enclave and friend of the Brotherhood of Steel, in New Vegas, you can start off eradicating(or trying to) the good guys. It makes for better re-play value.
For the degenerate gamblers out there, casino games are open in New Vegas. It makes sense, but they are little more than activities to break up hunting and shooting. and you get a few achievements with them, too.
The bad? There is still no multi-player mode. It’s not such a bad thing since the game holds its own, but considering how many people were asking for it, you’d figure they would have tried it out. Maybe they did, but didn’t send me the beta version. Bastards.
While language has gone up, you still are unable to get any of the women(or men, if that’s you’re thing) completely naked. You get close, as there are prostitutes at the different casinos of New Vegas, and you can hear some hanky-panky going on while you are exploring hotel rooms, but no nipple or bush. Sorry. (Perverts.)
I give Fallout: New Vegas 4.5 out of 5 Pip-Boys.
