I’ll start this review with a dose of honesty: Fallout 3 was my favorite game…up until I received Fallout: New Vegas. However, I can promise you that my love for the series didn’t cloud this review. So without further adieu, let’s get this thing going!
A Whole New World
Did that phrase make you think of “Aladdin”? Don’t worry; I won’t tell. Anyway, the biggest and most obvious difference between Fallout 3 and New Vegas is its location. While 3 had players running over a wasteland and traversing a post-war version of Washington, DC, New Vegas has players journeying throughout a desert and checking out the lively casinos and nightlife of the titular city, New Vegas. You’ll still come across your rundown villages and deactivated factories, but they have a different feel than their Fallout 3 counterparts.
Oh, yeah…you know that big old river that runs through the real-life Colorado? Its in-game representation has clean water. That’s right – you can drink without getting radiation sickness!
Left For Dead
No, this game doesn’t have zombies (That’s Left “4” Dead, bub). When New Vegas opens, the player is shot and buried in the middle of the desert. After being revived (somehow) by a doctor in a town nearby, the player sets off to find the group that busted a cap in ‘em (yo!). Keeping spoiler-free, I can say that this story then escalates to encounters in the streets of New Vegas, standoffs in ruins of once-great cities, and talks with a much darker set of characters than those in Fallout 3.
Speaking of which, let’s compare New Vegas’ story with it’s predecessor. Chasing after your missing father and stumbling onto a computer president is one thing, but I prefer New Vegas’ tale. The player has literally no idea what’s going on, making the desert that much more mysterious.
Rival Factions
The developers were pimping New Vegas’s factions for some time, and rightly so. The game’s two main factions, the National California Republic (NCR) and Caesar’s Legion, are constantly butting heads. You can’t speak to a member of one without hearing gripes about the other. The NCR is a basically a modern day army: they work in squads, use conventional weapons, and are concerned with bringing order to the Mojave desert. Caesar’s Legion, on the other hand, is completely “Roman Empire”-ized, dressing in ancient armor, donning swords and spears, enslaving people all across the desert, and causing general chaos. The two constantly vie for territory, and the player can pretty much choose a side to fight for.
And when the player chooses a side, they start gaining a reputation. The more you do for the NCR, the less access Caesar’s Legion will give you and vice versa. Believe me; once you pick a side, you’ll want to stick with it. After helping the NCR with a few tasks, I encountered a group of Legionnaires in a small town. I’m not afraid to admit that I was actually scared to confront them. Walking past bodies on crucifixes (no joke), I was extremely intimidated; out of actual fear, I just let the group pass.
Aside from the NCR and the Legion, a few lesser factions run rampant across the Mojave. A group called the Powder Gangers rival another known as the Crimson Caravan Company. I helped a member of the Company fight off some Powder Gangers, and now every time I encounter a Ganger, I am instantly fired upon. In one extreme example, I entered a Powder Ganger prison camp and literally had to fight off about fifty Gangers. Not an easy fight, my friends.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Wanderer
Aside from reputation with factions, the player also has a reputation in each settlement. For every quest you complete for a person in their hometown, your reputation within that town gets better. Should you choose to lay waste to the townspeople, you will be received harshly by everyone. The better your standings with a settlement, the better rewards you get for completing a quest (I get upwards of 100 caps for pretty much everything I do). On the flip side, if you reputation is unfavorable, you may not even get access to certain quests.
Build a Better Inventory
Aside from a new world to explore, item creation and weapon modding are the next biggest additions. In Fallout 3, players could use a workbench to create weapons or items. Now, players can use two different workbenches. One is used to create weapons and items, while the other is used to construct weapon mods. Creating weapons and items is the same, so I’ll skip over that; weapons mods are what’s new. Basically, you’ll come across various components during your travels like weapon casing and powder. These can be used to create ammo and various weapon attachments, which can then be added to your gun for extra abilities.
While these workbenches are used for weapon-related items, the player can also use campfires with various recipes to concoct various foods and drugs. These range from trail mix (with normal healing powers) to combat-altering drugs.
More chewy review goodness on the next page!
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