NEW VEGAS!

[Dusty Lens]

Before I say anything else.

Oblivion, Fallout. These games and others like it have had one thing in common: You are a good guy. Sure you can more or less pretend otherwise, but the structure wasn't really there to be a bad guy. New Vegas winks, hands you a gun and wonders if maybe the best way to rule the wasteland wouldn't through fear. When the first riches laden peasent runs up to you with hands held out, begging for aid, you look down at that gun and wonder.

I claimed I would wait a long while before buying the game.

I waited about 18 hours after release. Go me, waiting to not be able to get the pre-order goodies. Well played.

To save you people the time of reading my intro review let me sum it up. I think Fallout 3 was a very good game. It was rich in detail and extremly ambitious. I know it was made by a company that is looking to make money. I think that it was also made by a company that sincerely enjoyed making the game they did and the result, with the modding potential freely provided, goes a long way to showcase their commitment to producing the best entertainment they could.

New Vegas is a better Fallout game. You understand this before the intro video is completed. I like things that are familiar. I like the original Fallout games. This game feels like the natural progression of F1&2. Many people questioned if FO3 was true to the spirit. I don't think they can question this game.

I'm currently about 4 hours into New Vegas, barely pushing out from the start. I consumed Fallout 3 with a voracity and found myself wishing I had taken tha main quest a little slower. This time around I'm striving to curb my natural desire to consume the main quest. Slow exploration is something I'm putting a great deal of emphasis on.

Oblivion and Fallout 3 both had an issue that I found troublesome in regards to exploration... There were tons of amazing locations which I had almost no desire to explore. Everything felt the same in those games. My time in NV, while limited, suggests that care to attention has enfused these regions with unique rewards, dudes to shoot at or some other other compelling facet which rewards me as a player for checking out that hollowed out arrow to see what I might see.

One I ran past a sign and died horribly. On my second run through the area I took the time to read the sign. It casually mentioned something about deathclaws. Guess I should pay more attention to the environment.

On that note! The hilly nature of where I am currently playing is superior to the "bowl" terrain of FO3. I can't casually observe said deathclaws from 18 miles away due to FOV settings. My low perception is going to kick me in the bum.

Hard core mode: Cannot say enough. This is an improvement.

Weapon variety: Many of us recall the scene from the Good/Bag/Ugly where Tuco robs the weapon shop. He strips his gun to the bone and rebuilds it with optimal parts. That I can now do the same is fantastic. A few custom touches to my .357 is an exceptional way to add longevity to weapons which otherwise quickly fall by the wayside.

The extended variety of weapons is delightful. I no longer feel any great need to mod up in order to deviate from an otherwise bland assortment of weapons.

Natural progression.

FO3 was a short game. Following the main quest had you from a wide eyed vault rat to a combat armor laden chinese assault rifle toting badass within two hours, if you were moving slowly. NV I'm moving along, shooting as I might. I have a wicked unique .357 I picked up, a cowboy hat and some leather armor. I don't think I'll be in a position to upgrade from that anytime soon. This is ideal.

Realistic environment: Oh hey, powdergang armo... Oh what. I'm ID'd as a member of the powder gang for donning their armor!? FFFFFFFffffffffffffffffffffff that's awesome. So forget the idea of casually capping off some NCR soldier for their combat armor. Last thing I need is to get black listed because they spotted me in stolen loot.

The quests I've encountered are entertaining and, so far, have managed to avoid making me feel like the entire wasteland was on hold until I could come along and solve their problems. Sure, I could help. But no one really needs me to.

From the way the story is progressing and the pieces I've been able to put together it seems as though many parts of what I surmise to be the ensuing climax will take place regardless of my presence. This sentiment may be artificial, but the environment feels richer for it.

Oh. I like that they've made the quest system a tad less "dumbed down". In FO3 most times I didn't even need to listen to what people said. I just followed the quest arrow. If things were hostile I shot them. If they weren't red I talked to them. Eventually I would finish the quest.

This review is a bit wandering, but I've only one night in. We'll see what comes next.