Arnold-KatayevFallout: New Vegas is hardly an all new game, which explains why it's missing a number in the title. Fallout 4 this is not, but a worthy follow-up, or expansion, to a fantastic game this is. It wouldn't make a whole lot of sense for me to praise New Vegas as much as I did the original Fallout 3. The reasons for that are plentiful. But before I get to that, let's start from the beginning. New Vegas' story takes place three years after Fallout 3, but it isn't a sequel, so it doesn't pick up from where the last game left off. Instead, you are in the shoes of a new character, one who just so happened to get involved with the wrong people and gets a bullet to the head before a burial. Obviously, your character is miraculously still alive and gets dug up by a robot named Victor. A doc is able to extract the bullet from your head and reconstruct your face (this is the part where you choose what you look like). Now, obviously, the quest is for revenge. You set off and the game begins.
Without getting too much into the details, know this, Fallout: New Vegas is essentially Fallout 3 with a new story and setting (for additional details, refer to my Fallout 3 review). If you were a die hard fan of the last game, you will find absolutely nothing remotely resembling a learning curve with New Vegas. Immediately you will feel at home and ready to take charge, I know I did, and it's been years since I've even touched Fallout 3 – probably not since I actually reviewed it. The basic systems present in Fallout 3 have been completely carried over here. But that is not to say anything bad about New Vegas, because the game mechanics in Fallout 3 still deliver a fantastic experience that's worth experiencing even today.
In these types of open-world RPGs, I often find myself in the role of the loner. I'm the guy you shouldn't talk down to, because I'll kill you. And because Fallout New Vegas offers plenty of these smart-mouthed characters, I revel in their arrogance by placing a few bullets in them, and then taking their possessions. In the same way that a Grand Theft Auto game allows you to just run around and cause chaos, Fallout allows me to lay down some of my own personally flavored justice. But the difference between GTA and Fallout is that even when I'm laying the hand of righteousness on these fools, I'm still progressing, in addition to altering, the storyline. Much like Fable, your actions change the way the game revolves around you.
Fallout: New Vegas and its weapon mechanics continue to be a much welcomed feature, but issues of collision detection when not using the VATS system can be annoying, as you'll find bullets missing their target no matter how perfect your aim was. And Fallout: New Vegas is not impervious to further issues, as loading can be excessive and annoying. The game performs an install on your hard drive, but it seems to be completely pointless, as even stepping foot into tiny little shacks will cause the game to load for 5-10 seconds. In other cases, the game will load for as many as two minutes! It is simply unacceptable all these years later. Additionally, bugs and glitches cause the game to hitch and freeze with no warning, often forcing you to restarting your system. Fortunately, the game autosaves frequently, but this is still not something that should be occurring this frequently – we're well beyond the learning phases of developing for these consoles.
If you can get past the issues, the gameplay is still a solid, albeit dated experience for the major Fallout fan. For the newcomers to this franchise, I would recommend perhaps another game, as the technical issues may really turn you off. I'd reckon Oblivion, also a Bethesda title, would be better suited since it is not only cheaper, but has held up better with time, and is a bit more polished despite being years older.
Visually, the technical issues only continue. An abundance of pop-up riddles the screen, as does the sever lack of anti-aliasing. Proving that the graphics have gone largely untouched is the framerate, which still has a tendency to stutter and skip during hectic times. Characters look very rough around the edges, further solidifying that the Fallout 3 engine is aging very poorly. Yes, the environments may be vast, but other open ended games boast a scale that's just as impressive all the while managing to look much better. There have been times where I was walking on a textureless floor for minutes, until the game finally drew it in…the extent of technical problems plaguing the game are vast to say the least.
Audio also needs a lot of work. Yes, there are tons voice overs to be heard, but that doesn't mean they all have to sound dull and lifeless. The characters barely have a personality of their own and the longer you play the game the more it annoys you, and the less you want to interact. I ended up turning the voices down and just reading – it works better that way since it allowed me to just skip ahead as soon as I finished the dialogue. The rest of New Vegas' audio sounds fine, though, as background noise and other effects (especially gun shots) are pulled off convincingly. I understand it's hard to have top-tier voice acting for so many different characters, but can we at least try?
One massive issue Fallout: New Vegas has besides all of its technical problems is that price tag. Let's face it, this is a game built on the original where the mechanics were barely touched. It's an expansion that's being charged full price for. While I'd certainly consider Fallout New Vegas a good game, it loses a lot of points to what I can only attribute to as lazy developing. A dated game engine, coupled with a plethora of gameplay plaguing technical problems, boring voice acting, sub-par visuals, and a bloated price tag compromise an otherwise good game. $60 it's not worth – slash $20, and then we're talkin'.
*crickets*
i could never get into this game for some reason. maybe it was the buggyness.
"The characters barely have a personality of their own and the longer you play the game the more it annoys you, and the less you want to interact."
now how do you know what annoys me? you been talking to my girl?…lol
the charecters are the same as fallout 3. I do agree that it is an exspansion but a meaty one so I dont mind the price tag. as for the minor freezing (stops for 2secs then continues)that and the loading is unacceptible. you would think they would learn from the last fallout. but all in all i enjoy the concept of it and like the scope of it im still having fun. i hope they plan to patch it…
I cant get into this game or Fallout 3 at all. LimitedVertigo have sympathy. It was like playing pokemon like when I was 13 ( ok maybe 17) joking lol … everyone you talk to you must read text. Cant they just make noises come out of their mouths?
BTW have you guys noticed that IGN took down their Medal Of Honor video review? They probably noticed that they Fuc**d up and the game was higher than the score they gave it. IGN … you really cant spell ignorant without IGN.
Good for the people that like Fallout NV, but it just isnt for me. My very 1st game on Ps3 I played online is Call of Duty 4. Ever since I have been pretty much buying war games because they are my favorites of all time. Especially FPS.
Last edited by Killa Tequilla on 10/22/2010 5:44:18 PM
war… war never changes
According to Solid Snake's voice over in MGS4 war has changed. But that's not till 2015 i think.
In this competition I go with Snake, he might snap my neck if I don't
I love this game, but then I loved FO3… in 14.5 hours Ive had no game stopping glitch, nothing terrible at all.. though thats what a lot of the reviews said would happen, maybe ive just been lucky?
whats quite interesting (and I don't usually recommend these sites) but lensoftruth looked at the ps3 vs 360 on fallout, and i was surprised at what i saw. tho, you should take it with a pinch of salt.
anyway, if you are like me and you have completed FO3 and its DLC to anal proportions then FONV is worth your $60 imo.
See, I'm expecting a glut of dlc for FNV so I'm waiting for the GotY edition.
i like fallout 3, maybe i pick new vegas when they release the goty edition, for now theres a lot of better games to look after, and thanks for the solid a fair review ben.
It was Arnold, not Ben.
Knowing who did the review is more important than the review itself.
Last edited by hellish_devil on 10/22/2010 7:31:38 PM
***Spoiler Alert***
This game is a disappointment.
Maybe you should clarify why you think its a disappointment.
that sort of sweeping statement should be left for GFAQs not here.
A really good review Arnold. Thanks. A generous score though. I was honestly expecting lower from you.
Due to the massive amount of media regarding the bugs in New Vegas I did what I never thought I'd do, I've waited. F3 was a day one for me, New Vegas just sounds like a really buggy production. I'd have dismissed those claims if I hadn't played the F3 expansions. That was just horribly unplayable.
One thing though. Why such a low score for sound? You made it look like that was the best part of the game.
Wow…very harsh review. Aside from familiar FO3 mechanics and glitches, I personally disagree with alot of what I have read here. The voiceacting, after you mentioned it does come off as bland, but FO3 sounds exactly the same. I am only 10hrs in, but this game is addictive and fun. The story isn't epic like FO3, the world isn't brand new, and the main character is given any development, but I still like the game . It does feel like an expansion, but it's big as hell and I don't regret my prchase…YET. Have to beat the game first to see how I feel. But it's pretty lazy of obsidian not to fix the gunplay (accuracy), physical/facial animations, loading time, and these abnormal amount of glitches. When, I think about it, I agree w/ Arnold on probably everything except the voive acting, but then again…I rarely read pro's in this review and in my opinion…this game offers alot of pros, especially if you loved FO3. I'm getting my money's worth, that's what matters of course.
Arnold tend to be more unforgiving then Ben.
Hey World, log into the forums and check your in box…left a message for you….by the way, how is New Vegas in your opinion so far? I'm still up in the air as to whether or not I want to get yet
Replied.
Isn't Obsidian made up of ex-Black Isle developers? Didn't Black Isle create the Fallout series? The series creators craft the inferior Fallout game?! Oh, the irony!
Well that's… expected. You'd think that Bethesda would have switched things up from the Gamebryo engine by now, considering they've been using unmodified for the last four years (Since Oblivion), and even then it wasn't the best.
I always knew to treat this more as FO3: Relaunch than a new game, but to hear that it is more or less exactly the same is a huge disappointment. Nevertheless, I maintain some degree of interest and will likely pick it up when Bethesda releases a GotY/Complete Edition.
Peace and Thanks Arnold.
I suppose enemies still can't climb stairs, either… With Oblivion reskinned for the 2nd time, one would've thought they could've at least tuned things up a bit…but from this and Alpha Protocol, we can gather that the studio can't be bothered with QA. I suppose they're confident their customers will grab it, either way, in much the same way MS wasn't too bothered with RROD. Too bad. Perhaps, i'll just wait on FO3:GOTYE for the bargain bin.
Thanks, Arnold, for the sufficiently informative review, and for saving me some money.
Oh, and the line, "I'm the guy you shouldn't [talk] down to, or I'll kill you" is classic, love it. Hope there's no copyright because that's one for the arsenal.
Yeah, just fixed that typo.
I would have liked your impressions of the hard core mode. Does it make the game crazy hard or does it make the game more immersive?
I heard the difficulty setting and hardcore mode aren't tied. You can choose very easy difficulty and hardcore mode on, as you can do very hard and hardcore mode off.
I read that too. But they say there's some nasty side effects from lack of sleep and ammo having weight leads me to believe i'll be a lot more broke than i was in F3. That just makes things harder no?
It's really not as difficult as it sounds. True ammo has weight so you have to be selective about what weapons you want to specialize in. Food and water is everywhere so that's not a problem at all. Just keep a decent supply of rad remover on hand and you're good to go. Lack of sleep throws your aim all off so that's not a good thing. About two hours of sleep at a time cures that. It's harder in hardcore mode obviously, but still very much playable if you don't try to Rambo your way through it like you would normally.
Last edited by Geobaldi on 10/22/2010 10:38:45 PM
Sounds fantastic, I'm starting my playthrough tonight. So far the gripes seem petty and I'd be rather upset if they changed too much of the gameplay. Some things should stay the same. Fallout is atmosphere, period.
Shouldn't a game that comes out 2 years after it's predecessor have improved though? Especially in the graphics department?
https://temp.psxextreme.com/ps3-reviews/179.html
yes, but I personally didn't expect it to. I have followed Bethesda for a long time and know to keep certain expectations low.
What bothers me is that other high profile games don't get chastised for not improving.
Enough of this crap. I want a new Elder Scrolls 🙂
Good thing for me that the game sold here in the Philippines for about $40, Region 3. I'll wait for the patches before I play this.
7.7…..
damn!
Not surprised though. Bethesda isn't the one to blame, it's Obsidian. They made Alpha Protocol after all.
Last edited by hellish_devil on 10/22/2010 7:26:42 PM
I looked up the Fallout 3 review. 9.6.
No wonder they wanted to silence peoples reviews. Usually new games are supposed to get better. Not worse.
Maybe they wanna keep em quiet for an impending patch.
I thought the same thing but if they were that worried, shouldn't they have fixed these issues before release?
Agreed Jawknee. The technical bugs in Fallout 3 should be gone for New Vegas, and they are not. I understand the complaints in regards to that.
Pushing the glitches aside, Fallout New Vegas is a much deeper game than Fallout 3 ever was.
To many reviews are failing to recognize the improvements and depth offered in this game.
I haven't even opened this yet, so I have no personally informed opinion on the game yet, but I knew from the get-go that I would basically be paying full price for a game that's really a giant expansion.
But I'm fine with that, because as buggy as 'Fallout 3' was and 'New Vegas' likely is, I've still poured more hours into the former than almost every other video game I've played, so the latter is likely to be at least in the ballpark of the same level of enjoyment.
Even though F3 received good scores when it first came out, there will still posts on the net on how it had major glitches to it. As I'd never played a Fallout game before having played F3, I hummed and haughed over buying it for a few months before I finally picked it up. When I did, I was glad that I had, but I had about an hours worth of updates to download before I played. Even though the game wasn't perfect, I was still an amazing game to play. I'm hoping to find the GOTY version super cheap sometime so I can play all the DLC as well without forking out all that extra dough for them. (Not to mention having to re-download them if my PS3 dies..again..)
When I first heard about NV, I was definitely thinking D1P for me…but then as I thought about it, I remember that maybe I should wait again for a few months until it's been updated a few times to work out some of the glitches.
I will be getting NV eventually, but this is a trend in video games that has become more and more prominent with this Gen of systems. I don't know about you guys but less then 10 years ago, when I heard a game was coming out, it was a D1P for me, no questions asked…Now, my D1P games are few and far between because developers seem to be launching a game that isn't ready. Look at a few of the games that have launched since the PS3 came out that weren't complete. Socom comes to mind…GTIV had major issues with freezing up and was pretty much patched the day it released. F3..now F:NV?
Makes me wonder if the internet on consoles is really a good thing…use to be if a game had glitches on release date..you had to deal with it..now? When's the last time you bought a new game and got it home and DIDN'T have to do an update on it right away?
I've said it once before and I'll say it again. The day is coming when we will run out to the store to buy a brand new game. We'll run home unwrap the cellophane from the box, and in anticipated excitement, we'll open the game case…………………………………
Only to find a hand written sticky note taped inside saying
"Will update soon."
But then again, who am I kidding? The note won't be Handwritten…that would be a waste of time…
CH1N00K,
Actually…..
We'll get a promissory voucher now, for a secondary voucher later on, which will entitle us to the primary voucher for 2/3 of the game, in which they'll hold back the other 1/3 so they'll have us shell out an additional $60 for another promissory voucher that will get us the secondary voucher, and will entitle us to what they call *cough* extra DLC *cough*.
We just have make sure to save all our vouchers in case we continue to get a extremely shoody, buggy, glitchy, freeze-up broken downloads, cause we'll then have to request a request for a return voucher, that will give us a second voucher with their P.O. box addy on it, so that we can request the primary return request voucher that will entitle us to request a return voucher envelope to place our 37 vouchers in.
And of course, a small waiting period for the secondary Voucher, and once again, another small waiting period for the primary voucher.
And if our broken D/L should so happen to accidentally on purpose get lost in the mail & we want to track all our vouchers in transit, then no problemo!!!!
We'll just need to fill out a promissory lost D/L voucher request which will then authorize them to send you a secondary voucher that will give us the primary voucher showing us a map of where our broken D/L was last seen.
BTW, since they use two different vouchers with two separate map locale on each, I'm really not sure which map voucher we'll will be recieving.
But I do know this much, it's got to be either the Slauson Cutoff at East JeeBip, or in the general vicinity of Bum F*ck Egypt, give or take a few thousand kilometers.
Last edited by BikerSaint on 10/22/2010 10:40:23 PM
two things…..
first…Lol…
second..WTF, Huh?..LOL!!!
I'm really enjoying Fallout 3, so much so that I turned to the clock next to me and it read 3:30am so that's when I decided it was time for bed. Highly addictive. When I finish that then I may try NV.
Last edited by FxTales on 10/22/2010 9:39:03 PM
Got this today and I have to say I am enjoying it, will just add to the collection nicely with my Fallout3 Game Of the Year Edition.
Fair review Arnold but im happy with my purchase cant say ive seen nothing too glitchy so far.
..btw chaps the patch is out.
really enjoying this, its the perfect example of fun over technological advancements.
yes its EXTREMELY buggy, the graphics are not exactly cutting edge, the lip syncing is way out, its cheesy and cliche but SO WHAT?
all that does not make a good game, it being fun makes it a good game.
im loving it just as much as i was loving fallout 3, no more because of some of the sick twisted missions!
this is what i dont get with the media, MW2 had you shooting innocent people as a terrorist and the sh*t hit the fan!
but one of the missions in this has you dealing with a cannibal!
ok, killing innocent people is not ok but eating them is?????????
Decent review for a game I'm eventually going to buy. I plan on getting it around Dec. I went ahead and "downloaded" it to check it out before they fix all the bugs and it's still an enjoyable experience but it definitely feels like a Fallout3.5
I really don't get why developers feel it's okay to release a game that CLEARLY isn't past the beta stage (FFXIV) and now this game.
Why all the hate? If you like Fallout 3, you'll probably like this.
Sure it's overpriced, but it's still fun.
An 8 in my opinion.
Why all the hate? If you like Fallout 3, you'll probably like this.
Sure it's overpriced, but it's still fun.
An 8 in my opinion.
The game froze on me twice already for no reason, also using VATS mode got me stuck inside of a rock (and the same thing keeps happening to the enemy). Hardcore mode seems like a really cool idea, so far the only problem seems to be lack water, but at least the game does tell you when you need sleep, food, water. If you break a limb in hardcore mode you need to find a medic to fix it for you and also you can only heal over time, not right away. Like Geobaldi said, if you dont try to be like rambo you'll be fine.