15.11.2010

This is a game that i couldn't wait to come out, i literally counted down the days until its release date, and i was not dissapointed when i played it.When i first heard that it was going to be set in Vegas, i didnt think the game would work, there are too many games out right now that are set in vegas and most fail miserably, the game im thinking of right now is dead rising 2 but thats a different story. I found that with Fallout New Vegas i was wrong, this game works really well, vegas isnt very big and there are alot of things to do there.One of the best things about this game is how you have to choose factions to side with, you can choose to side with Mr House, The Legions or The NCR (New California Republic)each of these factions offer something different, for example as long as you stay in the Legions good graces they deliver several boxes of weapons and money to a specific location every few days.There are more varied weapons in New Vegas, one of my favourites is the incinerator, just fire this at your enemy and watch them burn, there are also alot of weapons that are named quite apptly, for example there's "That Gun", a very powerful handgun which when targeting an enemy in VATS usually ends in a critical kill.The locations in this game are not very different from each other, although most of your wandering may be around the mojave wasteland it is very easy to get lost due to mountains blocking your path, there are several places of interest, for example Novac, you travel through this place on the main story, it got its name from a No vacancy sign with most of the letters missing, black mountain is a good place to visit but watch for the nightkin, and of course visit the casino's, the maximum bet in a casino is 200 chips, so get yourself on roulette or blackjack and double your money everytime.The enemies in this game are more varied, previously you only had a few animals, raiders, slavers, super mutants and ghouls, in this game you get all of those and more, the nightkin can be very difficult to beat if you dont have the right weapons or enough ammo, and if you do happen to make a faction dislike you that much then they will open fire on you everytime they see you, this can get annoying as all 3 factions, The Legion, The NCR and Mr House all have more firepower than you do, on the whole i found that enemies in this game are much tougher than in fallout 3.One of the best and most frustrating things about Fallout New vegas is that you can disguise yourself as different factions by wearing thier clothes, this is very useful if you are shunned or hated by a faction and you need to complete a certain mission, the reason that this is one of the most frustrating things in the game is that if you forget that you are wearing that factions clothes you will be fired upon by other factions, for example : you wear the Legions outfit as you are going to thier base to get a new mission from caeser, on the way you realise that you need to go and see the NCR for some reason, you fast travel to an NCR base and by the time you have realised your disguised as the Legion its too late.The NPC's in this game are pretty much the same as they were in fallout 3, they use pretty much the same dialogue, the characters can offer you alot of insight into what is happening in New Vegas and the Mojave Wasteland, i have not seen a single player model that was previously in fall out 3. Thankfully there are no NPC's in this game that expect you to cripple youself or become seriously irradiated like that annoying Moira Brown in the previous fallout.The map in this game is much much bigger, there are well over 200 places to find on the map, a hint is that if you look around the mountains you will fnd alot of small caves, inside these caves are usually a few coyotes and a few dead bodies that you can loot and usually find some usefull stuff. i would recommend getting the Fallout New Vegas Collectors Edition Manual for this game as you get a full map showing the locations of certain territories of the factions, the locations of useful objects and also every location on the map.Finally hardcore mode, this is a mode for veterans of the fallout series and not recommended for new starters, on this mode you can easily die from dehydration or hunger, and you also can suffer from sleep deprivation, you have to maintain your water, food and sleep meters on this mode or you will find it very difficult, on this mode ammo has weight, unlike on standard mode where ammo does not weigh anything, all ammo weighs 0.3, so if you carry 3 handgun bullets then that is 1 of your carry units gone, this makes it extremely difficult if you are needing alot of ammo for a big fight, probably the most important thing to mention about hardcore mode is that when you use a stimpack or eat food to regain health, it does not heal you instantly, the health gets replenished over 10 seconds, this is very frustrating if you are surrounded by enemies but it just teaches you how to evade those types of situations.Of course there are some downfalls to the game, and not everyone may agree with me on these.One of the big problems i faced was the level up system, on fallout 3, when you levelled up you gained skill points and also a perk, on New Vegas, when you level up you get points and a perk, but you only get a perk for every 2 times you level up, this could be seen as good and bad because this way you haven't get every perk on the game, on the other hand it makes it difficult to choose perks so select them wisely as you wont get another until you level up twice.The game has been known to crash and some save games have become corrupt, personally my game had crashed once, and this was in freeside whilst on a mission for the king, since then the game has been fine and i have had no problems with it, other people have complained about this issue but i think that bethesda have managed to fix it already.There have been reports of NPC's getting trapped in walls, tables, floors and even some have been seen floating several hundred feet in the air, the only problem i have seen like this is the barmaid in the first town, she was talking to me and the next minute she was stuck in the bar spinning round, quite comical but annoying after a while as it wouldn't let me purchase anything from her, again since the last update i have not seen anything like this in the game.What i believe to be a major flaw in the game others would think its a god send, but the glitches in the game that allow you to instantly level up to maximum, these completely ruin the playability of the game as most of the fun is in levelling up and gaining new ability's, i wont lie, i did this once, but i played for about an hour or so after and decided to delete all of my save games and start again, hopefully thse will soon be fixed so that nobody will be able to do this glitch,The last thing i will mention about what is wrong with the game is that all enemies have set levels, so if you are level 1 or level 30, the enemies level never changes, this is pretty bad because at the beginning of the game you might want to wander off and explore everywhere, but you cant because there are alot of powerful enemies, it keeps you going through the story line until you are a higher level.Like i said i believe these to be issues with the game, not everyone will agree with me about these but its my review im writing so i will put what i want on it.Even though i have mentioned a fair few bad things about the game, please dont be put off by this review, Fallout New Vegas is one of the most amazing and enthralling games of all time, from the intro to the end credits you will be amazed, i was and i still keep playing the game over and over becuase the game is that big you can never explore everywhere and do everything in one playthrough, this game definately gets a 10 out of 10 in my rating, i just cant wait for the DLC to become available, i will definately be getting that no matter what the costOne more thing and it may be a major hint to achievement collectors ....If you are trying to get all of the achievements in this game and in one play through i would advise that you dont kill Mr House straight away, i did this and found that i failed alot of missions that i could have gained achievements for.

10.6.2011

Now I wasn't as eager as other purchasers to completely diss this game because they bought it when it first came out and were disappointed. As Xbox 360 owners they should know by now that it is never recommended to buy games upon release. They should know that developers and publishers of games are private companies who are accountable to shareholders first, and whether or not a game is perfect when it is released is immaterial when there is money to be made and suckers born every minute. Noone who owns an Xbox is going to boycott a developer or publisher because they rushed a game out that was flawed. This has been the case for many years, so lets not start off on the wrong foot in terms of whether this game is bugged or not.Lets just take it as read that most games have some sort of bugs in them. The bigger and more in depth the game the more likely for it to have bugs.The next point is about Xbox live. Microsoft's whole purpose of releasing the console is to appeal to the next generation of gamer who wants a console that can do more than just play games on discs. Much of the content the Xbox has to offer is delivered through an online connection so if you don't have or use online connections your only using 50% of the console's capabilities. So complaining that this is a game that requires online updates is also a false representation. If you do not have access to Xbox live then by all means avoid this title as without it the game will probobly either crash or saves may become corrupt. Depending on how long you have been a gamer, this should also not come as a surprise. Apart from Nintendo, virtually all game publishers have released games with bugs.Now lets actually get onto the review.The game gets an overall four stars from me. I like RPG/Shooters and I liked Fallout 3 a lot. If this statement also applies to you and you haven't already got this game then what are you waiting for? If you need any further convincing then read on.FNV is as good but not better than Fallout 3. I can say this because I have completed both games and I did not find this version to be any more or less bugged than the previous one. However there are many ways that this game is better than Fallout 3 but also there are many reasons why it falls short of it predecesor.FNV has a story that is not as interesting or involving as Fallout 3, many of the characters and the missions are not as appealing, but there is much more choice in the way you can develop your character and the choices of ending make for more replay value. The combat system has improved and your character leveling system is much better than Fallout 3.If the character development system as well as the combat system in use in FNV was used in Fallout 3. The game would have taken legendary status. Fallout 3 was easier to complete, especially with all the DLCs. FNV is more balanced. Deathclaws for example, are now as dangerous as the name suggests, (although enemy AI still hasn't improved much since Fallout 3). Nevertheless, the single most important improvement is the character leveling system. You have more perks available on level up but your character has less chances to add perks as they can only be chosen at even levels. (2, 4, 6, etc). The rejigged character development also means that you will learn skills to survive. This is an aspect that means that you can rely less on luck and more on skill and judgement during the game and really comes in handy when attempting Hardcore mode. I haven't even mentioned the more subtle changes to the SPECIAL and skills sections that mean that no two characters you play the game through with will be the same. More choices in terms of companions and their added bonuses also add depth and complexity.The main drawback I have with this game have nothing to do with bugs or dodgy saves. I make sure that I connect to Xbox live and get all updates and also I will install the game to the HDD in order to minimise these occurences. Regular saves also prevent frustration, (although many times I have had to reload sections when you just want to wander the wasteland, find locations and get into adventure mode and then the Xbox crashes because it is too hot because you have been playing on it too long). No the main drawback to this game is the story. It just isn't a Fallout storyline, it has no real relevance to the time period and the previous games in the series. For this reason it seems more like a side story set in the fallout universe. It has none of the appeal of previous chapters where it is all about those who came out of the vaults to find the future had gone to the dogs. The sense of immersion you got when first emerging from Vault 101 to a world without rules got the juices flowing. In this game there seems to be no reason for it be set in the Fallout universe at all. It just doesn't have the same impact. The premise to this story could have been taken from Red Dead Revolver (maybe they did!). Minor quibbles are with the limited soundtrack of C+W songs, the uninspiring game soundtrack. The fact that you must complete all missions before completing the main storyline, and more besides. But they are no game breakers.I got this game from Amazon a few months after release when the price went down after a few uncomplementary reviews. I definately feel as though I have got my money's worth and that the game will be even better when all the DLCs are released (4 in total, of which 2 are already available on Xbox live at time of writing). So I owe a debt of gratitude to all those who gave negative reviews. You are doing a service to keep game prices at a reasonable level, so thanks. But if you want my advice. Don't preorder unless you are getting a fat juicy carrot to make it worth parting with the best part of £50 on release, and expect it to have bugs. Developers and Publishers run on a schedule and if the deadlines are missed then the game dies. (Alan Wake anyone?)

24.10.2010

Fallout - New Vegas has been a highly anticipated game for a while now and many of us have been really eager to play it. I have played plenty of hours on this game and I've pleasantly discovered that it carries all the same charm, atmosphere, and engrossing story line as fallout 3 did. It starts out with a nice introductory cut scene, where you basically find out who you are and how the story is going to unfold, and that being shot in the head in New Vegas is quite a normal occurrence. I don't really want to go into much detail with the story because I don't want to spoil anything, but it grips you from the very beginning and the plot in general is great.Now after watching plenty of trailers,checking out reviews, and flicking through numerous screen shots I knew this game was going to be extremely similar to fallout 3 from the word go... It's so familiar in fact that at certain points it's even hard to tell the difference between the 2 games, but the old saying "if it's not broken, don't fix it!" fits this situation perfectly. Fallout 3 was such a great game (with many little imperfect niggles which all strangely added to the charm of the game) that nothing really needed changing for the sequel, and as far as sequels go this is the most similar i have ever encountered, but please don't be put off by that. New Vegas is almost identical to Fallout 3 in every way, the graphics, characters, animations, surroundings, buildings, computers, lock picks, roads, the pip boy, the menu, the V.A.T.S aiming, leveling up.... the 'almost everything'... you get the picture. However at the same time, somehow, it still feels like a completely fresh new game. The shade of blue in the sky is deeper, the weapons look a little more convincing and the voice acting has improved quite a bit (even though there were some great voice talents in fallout 3, there were some poor too) and you do really get the feel you're playing a new game. It's nice.Fallout - New Vegas brings plenty of new cards to the table too. Instead of the Capital Wasteland we are now in the Mojave desert, which seems to be a much more glamorous place to live than the capital wasteland. It doesn't feel as grimy, dingy and as much of a complete turd hole that the capital wasteland did, and everything looks just a little bit fresher and brighter, which is a nice welcomed change. The enemies are just as ferocious mind you. There are plenty of familiar and unfamiliar freaks of nature roaming the wasteland, but it doesn't feel quite as hostile as fallout 3 was, not all wild animals (even if a threat) attack you as soon as they see you, which is more realistic... and even more of a relief which is a slightly better touch to the game. A few things seem a little different in the way you repair something, my character has a repair of about 50, but i can still repair the gun to full health which is confusing. There are also (predictably) plenty of new, zany weapons for us to play with. The stick of dynamite is great fun, basically the same as the grenade but its more entertaining to watch your character whip out a lighter in the middle of a fight and then throw a stick of grenade at the enemy, again, nothing out of the ordinary here.The game play is exactly the same, nothing has changed at all apart from an option which allows you to use the actual sight of the gun instead of the little crosshair, and holding LB/L1 whilst in 3rd person camera you can move the camera around 360' and zoom in and out. There is also a hardcore mode difficulty. I haven't tested hardcore mode (yet) where ammo has weight, the enemies are tougher and survival is an almost impossible challenge. I am far from brave enough to give that a go right now, the Mojave desert is rough enough as it is!There are countless side quests, random encounters with people, and now plenty of different gangs which you can work with or against to help you achieve your way to complete your quests. The game offers much more variety and different things to do than fallout 3, and you feel deeper into the game with characters and karma. Obsidian have done a great job with the story.Overall if you played fallout 3 then you know exactly what to expect here, it is totally familiar and fans of the game will really enjoy New Vegas. If you didn't get on with Fallout 3 then don't bother with New Vegas, the speed of the game is the same and the way it plays is pretty much identical. If you haven't played either game and you are interested in giving them a shot then it wont really make a difference which you play first. I personally would play fallout 3: game of the year edition first, but really it's up to you.Thanks for reading.

15.11.2011

Well it's certainly been quite a while since I bought this game (and not reviewed it) but I think it was finally time I did review it.This Fallout game was developed by Obsidian (moving away from Bethesda and Fallout 3) and they seem to have done a fine job in making it. Being a RPG player (role playing game), I believe it's fairly important for the game to give you a world to explore and discover at your own pace and the game exceptionally delivers with the beautiful locations of the Mojave Wasteland that you are free to explore at any time, be it during a quest or taking a break from questing. As for the storyline, it is quite original in a sense that it has a unique start to a Fallout game in that you don't start in a Vault like Fallout 3,but you are rather a Courier who was shot and left for dead after having a mysterious package you were carrying stolen. Granted, the shot in the head is a bit reminiscent of old Las Vegas gangster movies but what the hey, it's a brilliant start!The story is that there are three main factions fighting over New Vegas (post apocalyptic version of Las Vegas); the NCR, Legion and the mysterious Mr. House who currently runs New Vegas and each of these factions asks for your help to basically help them win control of New Vegas and Hoover Dam (a hydroelectric dam capable of making clean water and electricity, a valuable commodity in Fallout world). The game presents you with immense freedom of what you choose to do and it is open ended gameplay which means the decisions you make during side quests and such will affect your ending at the end. There is a forth option/faction to choose to play through (also one of my favourite ways to play the game) if you ignore the other three; independence in that you get rid of the other factions to run things yourself through the help of a... I wouldn't want to spoil things! These underlying themes of choice and paths are vastly different to Fallout 3's style of things which only had a black and white storyline which you may know if you have played it with the Brotherhood and Enclave fighting each other and you can either help the Brotherhood and be a good guy or help them and be a bad guy, that said there wasn't much freedom except the fact that you could destroy their base in the end of the Broken Steel DLC.Also different from Fallout 3 is and added reputation scale similar to the one found in Fallout 2 which is basically how each main and sub faction in the game perceives you, i.e if you destroy a town then their reputation of you will not change and you will forever be labelled a monster by them through the rest of the game like Cain which fixed Fallout 3's problem of destroying an entire town and being labelled the devil of humanity and simply giving money to a church and then you're suddenly a saint! That said, the reputation scale was a vast improvement over Fallout 3. As for the add-ons, I won't go into complete detail but know that they are very good and I liked them and hopefully, you would too as I, like many others, believe them to be a huge improvement over Fallout 3's add ons.The weapons and armor have also improved with a huge arsenal to choose from, ranging from ordinary firearms from 10mm pistols to riot shotguns and the favoured energy weapons of the usual sort associated with Fallout from laser rifles to Plasma casters and the addition of different types of ammunition to help you take down tougher foes easier.Now comes the dreaded section of the review which I'm sure many can sympathise with, New Vegas' bugs. Juxtaposing the brilliant things I've mentioned about the game are it's many bugs which hindered or even stopped game play altogether. While a huge amount of these bugs have fixed a few still remain, yet they aren't completely awful (just the occasional creature spawning inside a rock ect). But there is a noticeable decline in frame rate and speed as you progress through the game, when I use the Pip-Boy for instance it takes at least 5 seconds for the interface to change from Stats to Inventory for example.And these are the only reasons the game didn't get a complete 5 stars from me.This aside, it's a brilliant game that I would recommend to anyone from RPG players to even First person players ( but FPS players, just don't be too bias and say the game has too much dialogue and that instantly makes it boring though, because it's a RPG and dialogue is very important). So buy it and you'll know what I means when I say it's a good game.P.S try to find that special someone to help you take over New Vegas and go the Independence way, you won't be disappointed, I promise :)

28.10.2011

Fallout: New Vegas is the follow up to 2008's Fallout 3 and continues much of the same open world brilliance that it's predecessor started but sadly the cracks are still there.Overall my review is positive (hence the 4 stars) but I will try to balance the pros and cons of this game to give an honest review.First the pros:If you've played Fallout 3 then you will slip into New Vegas with ease and it's clear that Obsidian (the game's developers) has improved on what made Fallout 3 so enjoyable. This takes the form of more weapons, factions and tribes, multiple (albeit similar) endings and a hardcore mode which introduces a new element to the game.There are also some simpler changes such as iron sights for weapons which although I didn't use much, were an improvement over the "screen zoom" of the previous game which was absolutely pointless.The open world mechanic is still here and due to the altered colour palette from it's predecessor (Fallout 3) the world itself feels much more vibrant. I loved Fallout 3 but the greenish-grey colour palette was sometimes a little too depressing, even if the game is set in a post-nuclear apocalypse setting! The ability to say "screw it" to the main story line and head off into the unknown at your discretion is something that sets this game apart from so many others as is something I really enjoyed. Also, not having constant rubble blocking your route and forcing you to traverse same-old same-old subway tunnels was a welcome change!The voice acting is again stellar with many familiar voices that you may not be able to put your finger on but you know you've heard somewhere. Even the graphics have been given a bit of an overhaul but to be honest still look a little clunky and dated next to other games such as the Mass Effect series for example.Another great plus are the missions which I felt were varied and engaging - something many developers seem to let fall by the wayside by instead only focusing on the main story. Thankfully here you get both and the pop culture references dotted here and there are a nice touch.Now for the cons:Unfortunately, almost every Bethesda game is full of bugs when released and Fallout: New Vegas is no different with some truly terrible examples that a quick search on YouTube will show. But that being said, there is a truly fantastic open-world game to be explored which in many ways forgives some of the more glaring technical issues, especially when one considers that Bethesda RPG games don't provide the player with a simple "on rails" experience. In a world as vast and as populated as Fallout: New Veges it's inevitable that something will go wrong.The game crashes - A LOT. I have completed the game 100% and I'm proud of it but BOY did it take a lot of time and patience, mainly related to the near-constant crashing of the game. It affects the whole console so you need to turn the Xbox off and reboot which will be infuriating for some. Also, sometimes the game doesn't crash but instead just has the same "Loading..." screen forever, with the little roulette wheel spinning endlessly but doing nothing. This was also really frustrating.Finally, I had some issues completing side quests. It is extremely frustrating when you have spent a lot of time and effort on a side quest and then you don't get the option to complete it. I was instructed to speak to an NPC about completing my mission and although he was clearly highlighted on my map there was no dialogue option anywhere to register the quest as completed. Thankfully it didn't affect the main story line and therefore any of the achievements but I put that down to luck more than anything.- Having only just completed the game (and it's expansions) 100% I can safely say that some of these issues are still present.So in summary, if you enjoy open-world games where you can play good or evil; customize your characters looks, clothes and skills; go off exploring as you wish, and work through varied and engaging missions then this could be the game for you. But be warned, it is a little rough round the edges and the freezing issues are definitely something to consider before you buy.I hope this helps in your decision on whether to buy this game and that my review felt balanced!Thanks!Andy

10.11.2010

Fallout New Vegas is awesome. If you liked Fallout 3 then don't hesitate to get thisone.The only complaint I have about it is the glitchiness, as many other people have mentioned and moaned about. Personally, it hasn't really had a particularly negative effect on my enjoyment of the game, though some parts have been rather inexcusable.The worst of those was when my brother was playing it and everytime he entered a fight with some raiders, he would be beaten to death by an invisible enemy (not a nightkin - there was really nobody there)! But then the next time he loaded the game up and tried it it didn't happen so no worries.I have experienced characters getting stuck in rocks or ceilings and such but most of the time it's not really interfered with my game,and just once, I had to turn the xbox off due to a frozen screen.I'm sure all the bugs (or the worst ones at least!) will be fixed with patches in due to course (hopefully sooner rather than later!) and when that happens there will be bsolutely nothing to complain about with this game.It's basically the same as Fallout 3, which I played that for over 150 hours, so I really don't mind that it's not much different. There's still a ton of new items, guns, perks etc etc and a whole new map to explore. The missions are just as varied and enjoyable as before, and the main story is quite gripping.There has not so far (I'm about 35hours in) been one really defining moment, like nuking (or not) Megaton in Fallout 3, however the main story is really interesting and the fact there are so many factions you can interact with, for good or evil, makes you think twice before killing them or helping them. I want to do every quest but it just doesn't seem possible at this stage as helping one group out invariably hurts another in some cases, though usually a satisfactory outcome for both groups is achievable.Hardcore mode is a great optional addition to your exploration of the wasteland, though I haven't really found it to make much difference. You just need to make sure you carry water with you constantly but as there is a lot of it around, and in places you can drink it for free (rad free as well!) it doesn't cause much of an issue.To be honest I could talk all day about Fallout, and the fact that I still want to about this game means it must be worth another 150hours of my time.In Summary:Graphics 7/10Presentation 9/10Gameplay 9/10Story (so far) 9/10Sound 9/10Longevity - 10Overall - 8.9END REVIEW:-Having now finished the game I can say that it was well worth the 80+ hours I spent playing it, and I will definitely play it again.Fallout 3 was great, and with all the DLC I spent around 150 hours on it, but I wouldn't have bothered to play it again because first time around, I managed to complete all the quests but one, and gain most of the achievements.In New Vegas though, it is impossible to complete every quest because in some cases pursuing one will mean failing another. This was a great feature of the game because it encourages replaying and although I know I finished the game in one sense, I feel like there was still so much to do and so much I didn't experience as I didn't search every place in the game, didn't use every weapon, didn't meet all companions, and still have about half the achievements to gain.All this along with the fact that Bethesda will be releasing more DLC packs to go with the one that has been released already, means that New Vegas will probably get much more play time out of me than Fallout 3 did (and that got a hell of a lot!).I don't know what people are moaning about with regard to corrupt saves etc. Yes there were glitches and some issues every now and then (the worst being that it freezes sometimes - but as long as you save regularly this is a minor inconvenience) but to be honest so do most games. I was able to use all of my saves and never had trouble so it must be down to individuals consoles or hard drives.Easily one of the best games ever.

26.12.2012

One thing to say about Fallout New Vegas is that it is a commitment. What I mean by that is it's not a game you can just pick up and play for ten minutes. You have to actually spend time building your skills, talking to the multitude of characters around and exploring the vast world. This can take many hours and so if you're looking for a casual game this is most definitely not it!It took a bit of getting into for me, but now I have to say that I really love this game. The world is staggeringly huge and full of strange characters, dangerous monsters, abandoned buildings and hidden secrets. What this means is that you are constantly finding new things, even after many hours of play,and there are so many locations, weapons, characters and quests I have truly lost count!The post-apocalyptic neo-fifties setting is a real plus for me; I love the world, the style and the eeriness of some of the hulking ruins, and the game can truly provide a vast range of different gameplay experiences ranging from edge-of-your-seat survival horror through to intense gun battles, and even going on a tour of an abandoned rocket factory with a robotic guide (!). Your character (which you build from scratch) has a wide range of skills to use and develop, ranging from lock picking through to unarmed combat, firearms and medicine, which adds the ability to customise you game to suit your style.Your game will also evolve depending on the choices you make, so for example if you decide to stand against Caesar's Legion (one of the main factions in the game) as I did, you will pretty soon find yourself mercilessly hunted by Legion assassins out to stop you (and I mean mercilessly - see below!). This adds variety and makes you feel that you can really develop the world around you, while at the same time I have never really been left feeling the whole world revolves around me; characters generally go about their business and add to the immersiveness of the experience.While the game itself is great and much fun, there are a few problems as well it has to be said, and these largely revolve around glitches. There are lots of glitches. LOTS of glitches. Most of these are small (for example a monster [mostly happens with Radscorpions] stuck in the ground, shooting a monster with a 9mm pistol and having it fly up about a mile into the sky, or an NCR ranger spawning in mid-air, falling fifty feet, surviving and then coming to have a chat to me), however some of them are serious and potentially game destroying if you don't have multiple saves (make sure you do have multiple saves!!!). I have become stuck in the game's combat targeting system and unable to move on numerous occasions, and also I have had characters randomly run away for no reason, leaving me unable to talk to them and access their part of the story.Also, the legion assassins can be a real problem and do not seem very balanced at all. They first appeared for me early in the game as I became disliked by the legion. Even though I was only around level 5, four of them attacked me every few game days, and really made mincemeat out of me. They are incredibly strong and can be just about un-killable at this early stage, and have enough firepower to reduce you to a pile of goo in about two seconds. I made it through using various tactics (such as luring them into a nest of monsters) and now have an easier time with them as I am stronger and have better weapons, but their appearance initially was not much fun and kind of spoilt my enjoyment for a time. Even though I like the concept of the assassins, they can just be a little too overpowering when they first start showing up, which can be frustrating.In all then, Fallout New Vegas is an enjoyable game; very immersive and deep, packed with stuff to do and quests to complete, and is well worth a purchase. Just be warned about the glitches and frustrations you will experience, and if you can put up with them, enjoy!

26.10.2010

Fallout New Vegas is good. In fact it is extremely good and every bit as engrossing and rewarding as Fallout 3. Obviously there are going to be a lot of divided opinions on New Vegas....mainly the graphics and the use of the Fallout 3 engine...again. The same character models inhabit the new landscape, the exact same dialogue animations take place over and over again and heads explode with the same satisfying amount of blood and gore. Lets just say from the off that New Vegas is more of the same and is certainly aimed at the Fallout 3 fan-base. I certainly do not want to alienate any newcomers to the series but its true. And I cannot blame the developers for this...Fallout 3 was an international hit.New Vegas,in my eyes,is a more refined (despite the rough and ready appeal)take on Fallout 3. It offers a brand new environment and a deeper insight into the Fallout time line/story. Although retaining every core element of its predecessor the game does manage to churn out moments of innovation. Of course I will speak of the hardcore mode in this case. Everyone has heard of this mode by now and most reviewers have described "how you now have to eat,drink and sleep regularly" and how simple decisions can actually be much more complicated than first conceived.Any Fallout 3 veteran will just find it impossible to resist this mode. It is offered at the beginning of the game,with the choice of switching it on and off at leisure - although the game will give you a special reward if you make it to the end without disabling it.Hardcore mode offers a set of realistic values for the player to consider. Where will I sleep? How will I find fresh water and what am I going to eat?The starting town of Goodsprings offers fresh uncontaminated water. Its hills are filled with Geckos and Cayote - and there are abandoned shacks and caravans with bedding. This is a good start to the game and if players take the time to hunt and explore the area then they will find the means to build up some caps and experience levels. This is paramount to keeping yourself alive. Stimpacks will not instantly heal you and once those limbs become crippled then you need a doctor,or a decent medicine skill + doctors bag.Taking the time to build your character and to identify food and water hot spots really does add to the atmosphere of day to day survival. All the while you will discover the new perks of the game, how speech challenges can be overcome in different ways, that you can now mod your weapons up with night scopes and silencers, that plants can be harvested and combined with other items to make food and chems. Oh yes, New Vegas has everything for the hardcore hungry.Okay so maybe this game may instantly look like an add-on-pack for Fallout 3. There are a lot of people under that impression. Overlook the core similarities and Vegas is a very different experience. The big question is...what would you do to survive?Of course I base this on the hardcore mode. It literally does make you consider every move.Oh and one big tip - if you are facing off against a group of enemies and your stealthy approach has failed - always remember this - go for the disarm. Shoot the gun arm and cripple it. You cannot afford to be shot in hardcore mode....not unless you are packing some of the more exotic healing chems. You wont last 2 seconds.This is short and sweet really but I hope that I have covered enough to make the skeptics consider this title.I was extremely reluctant at first,despite devoting 200+ hours into Fallout 3.This game is huge and I simply cannot emphasize enough as to how the hardcore mode makes Fallout New Vegas one of the most challenging and rewarding games of the year. I am 36 hours into the game and I know that I have already had my moneys worth of entertainment. Buy now and enjoy for weeks to come.

27.12.2010

Fallout New Vegas has had a lot of controversy aurrounding it since its release. Huge uproar over, bugs, freezing and long loading screens has plagued this game, but, from my experiences a lot of these acusations have been unjust!To start, the storyline on Fallout New Vegas is far stronger than the one from Fallout 3. Fallout 3 started with you emerging from the vault with no real motive other than to find your father. Fallout New Vegas opens with far more questions and an intriguing back story. Your a courier, shot in the head for the package you are taking to the strip. Your dug up by a robot and saved by a local doctor. You emerge from the doctors house with a thirst for revenge,you must find who shot you and what is in that package? The storyline broadens massively and has 4 different endings. BUT, it's not the main questline that made me love New Vegas though! Like Fallout 3, New Vegas is crammed with amazing characters, towns, civilations, cults, gangs and side quests. You could easily play this game for 70 hours and still not visit all towns and do all side quests! Fallout is not all about action, it's not all about guns, it's about people and the way the wasteland is run. To truely get what fallout is about you have to talk to people, visit everything, do most of the side quests because these things are far more exciting and deep than the main questline and give you a far greater understanding of whats around you!I will now give you my opinions on the well documented issues with New Vegas:To start, freezing, is there a game out there the length of fallout that hasn't frozen on you? In fact is there a game out there that hasn't frozen at some time or another? I have played Fallout New Vegas for over 60 hours and so far it has frozen on me twice. I may have a fortunatly good disc or something but claims of freezing 3 times an hour so far have not been proven. A large group of my friends have this game and none have had anywhere near this amount of freezing, I had far more of a freezing issue on Fallout 3 but that didn't stop everyone ranting and raving about it!Secondly, bugs, this is another aspect of criticism for this game, and the main reason for all the bad reviews on this site. Now I have experienced a lot of bugs in my time on this game but none have overly bothered me. Claims of companions going missing is no bug! If you walk inside casinos, such as the lucky 38, your companions must wait outside. Many times I would leave the casino and walk off through the wasteland forgeting my companions are staying put until I tell them to follow me. I believe many have told companions to wait only to forget they have and gone off without them. The main bug I have experienced is enemies falling through the floor, this happens a lot in a certain area of the map near the mojave outpost, but, this wasn't much bother to me as it means free experience as they cannot attack you. This bug largely happens to enemies such as skorpions and fire ants, these are enemies which are relatively easy to kill so it is a very minor issue in my opinion.Loading screens, this is my main gripe with this game! The loading screens are far to long and far to frequent, but, its something that I can cope with as the sheer brilliance of this game's world, storyline and side quests made these troubles well worth it!

8.12.2010

It's hard to see this as an entirely new game. Many of the graphical assets have simply been lifted from Bethesda's Fallout 3. The same can also be said of many of the game play elements such as the VATS targeting system and the pip boy. That said Obsidian have used these elements and added their own unique sense of direction. Perhaps one of the fundamental changes that have occurred has been the addition of a `survival mode'. In this your character will suffer sleep deprivation, starvation, dehydration and companion charcters can die. Although not quite as challenging as originally billed it does provide an extra element of planning to your actions. Wondering the Mojave without adequate water and stimpacks would be near suicidal now.The game introduces a number of NPCs to the mix, two of which can follow you around. I played this game on normal and found that on some occasions they were slightly overpowered but I also found keeping them alive to be a challenge in itself. The game also has a reputation element for each of the settlements. This is fairly simplistic and can boiled down to do quests for one faction and the other will dislike you. Also wearing the clothes of one faction will cause the other to attack you, regardless of your reputation.The Mojave itself is littered with dilapated settlements, vaults, trading outposts, all filled with the usual collection of eccentrics. Real world locations are also alluded to such as the Hoover Dam, Nellis Air Force Base and Solar One. I also liked the fact that humanity had rebuilt and there was an element of Civilisation to a certain extent in Fallout New Vegas which was lacking in Fallout 3. There was even some greenery and non irradiated water present! New Vegas itself is the major hub of the game but in many respects it was a little flat. There are a number of casinos present and much of the main plot line revolves around it but it just wasn't as interesting as the Mojave Desert. Fallout New Vegas also had an element of humour in it, which harks back to the older Fallout games. For example there is the `Yes man' a robot who is incapable of saying no and a gang called the `Kings' that seem to revere Elvis.Combat on occasion can be clumsy and the VATS targeting system is a must, particularly at lower character levels.On a final note there have been issues with the number of bugs in Fallout New Vegas. Currently I have played it for over 60 hours and have not experienced a single crash so far (I have the X box 360 version). There have been some issues with `pop up' and the loading screen are often lengthy but other than that the game has played just fine. Although I think it's reasonable to expect some issues with these large open world games they certainly don't detract from the experience.Chances are if you played either Oblivion or Fallout 3 you pretty much know what to expect ,for those of you haven't, then Fallout New Vegas is deeply engaging open world RPG that can on occasion can seem daunting and flawed but it's more than worth the effort.

1.4.2011

I held out for quite some time in buying this game, having shirked at the numerous negative reviews citing its failings with bugs and glitches. I loved Fallout 3; I don't think there is any game quite like it, and I gave into my curiosity and need for more in the end and bought New Vegas.The opening perhaps not being as sensational as it was in Fallout 3, I nevertheless found myself fast becoming engrossed by the post-apocalyptic world in western United States. The storyline essentially follows your character trying to track down a mysterious man who shot him in the opening cut scene, and of course various other quests branch off from the main ones. There are a number of factions in the Mojave Desert - New Vegas'

24.2.2011

I'll start with the things that are not too great about New Vegas. The most obvious of those being the glitches, which can get pretty annoying, although it hasn't been too bad for me. I've had a few freezes (the most annoying thing possible), also a lot of wasteland animals (esp. scorpions) being kinda half in the ground so you can't shoot them, sometimes they are upside down as well. When I first started playing there was one glitch that made all the screen grey so I literally couldn't play, luckily hasn't happened since.Another of my qualms with this game is that if you've played Fallout 3, this game is almost an expansion pack to that. It annoys me a little that nearly everything is the same as in Fallout 3,

9.12.2010

After playing Fallout 3 (F3) for just a few hours i knew it was going to be something special. I felt much the same after just 3 hours of playing New Vegas, only i couldn't help noticing there was a certain 'Xfactor' missing where this was more than evident in F3. I don't know if i was expecting more in terms of graphics, layout or game interface but the thing that drew me in with F3 just wasn't there. I should point out that i have not yet completed this game as i have not had a free 50+ hours to spend on my xbox, but i have played it long enough to write what i feel is a good review. I would also like to point out that i will not really have missed out on any graphics enhancement by playing on xbox as i run it through full HD and,

27.3.2011

The post apocalyptic and desolate world of Fallout is back, and whilst not a direct sequel of Fallout 3, it is set in the same world and uses the same game engine. New Vegas is set in the year 2281, which is 4 years after the events of Fallout 3 and has certain aspects to the game linking up nicely to previous events. In New Vegas you are playing a courier, who has quite literally, been pulled from the grave. The opening cut scene to the game shows a mysterious man seemingly shooting you point blank in the head, however moments later you are coming to in a Doctor's house after somehow recovering from this previous shooting. If you played Fallout 3 you will immediately come to grips with the game's interface and controls,

20.4.2011

I was looking forward to playing Fallout: New Vegas for a long time before its release. Fallout 3 in my opinion was an outstanding game, but after reading the reviews for New Vegas, I was put right off. But now that the price has dropped to under £15, I just had to try it at that price, especially since I discovered you can use Mobile Broadband to access the patch off of Xbox Live. The patch seems to work, apart from the odd game freeze everything else seems to be fine. No corrupt game saves, but be warned, there is still a game breaking bug involving a quest to protect the president of the NCR that's near the end of the game.On the whole I would say that this game is quite engrossing and fun to play,

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