A Great Love-Hate Relationship

User Rating: 8.5 | Fallout: New Vegas PS3
Fallout: New Vegas might be best described as a great game that never was...or at least not all the way there. While the game boasts many new improvements, such as the companion wheel and Fallout 2's faction reputation system, the game ultimately collapses under it's flaws.

Fallout: New Vegas is set in the Mojave Wasteland, right in the middle of two major governments' war. To the west lies the New California Republic (NCR) and to the east Caesar's Legion, both vying for control of the still functional Hoover Dam. You play as the Courier of the Mojave Express, tasked with the delivery of a package. In this game you will find many familiar friends and foes as well as new ones.

Let's begin with the good. The game is incredibly easy to play, especially if the player has experience with Oblivion or Fallout 3 (as it was developed with Bethesda's Gamebryo engine). The controls are much the same, and slight improvements, like "iron sights," help with shooting problems from Fallout 3. Guns can be modified in New Vegas, allowing a real tough (and welcomed) choice between custom weapons and their unique counterparts. The companion interface has been drastically changed since Fallout 3. In New Vegas, the player can choose quickly what he or she needs from a companion versus the timely conversations in the previous installment. Perhaps most importantly, companions cannot be killed by enemies like in Fallout 3. Graphically, the game is similar to Fallout 3 with a few added effects here and there. This detail, however, sometimes results in a slight lag in loading the environments.

The story line is more compelling that the previous installment, with many options that open up the players path to the ending. In Fallout: New Vegas, every little action has repercussions on how factions view the player and how the game will end. In this regard the game mirrors the old Fallout's from Black Isle. Furthermore, the major DLC content adds back story to the main character and provides perhaps the most memorable venues for the game. In fact, there is so much that the player can do that it seems nearly impossible to do everything.

Ironically, it is so much content that is at the core of the game's faults. So that no one is confused, Fallout: New Vegas was developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Bethesda Softworks. This goes to the crux of why the game has had so many documented issues. On paper, the game seemed to be a great move to lease out to Obsidian. Bethesda had a company of personnel with experience on Fallout and a full plan for a game (cancelled Fallout: "Van Buren" certainly had heavy influence on New Vegas). However, Obsidian used Bethesda's Gamebryo technology. This led to one developer using technology that it did not know in depth. Complicate that with the mass of content and bugs were destined to happen. The result is the extremely buggy game that is Fallout: New Vegas.

If considering playing the game, first be warned of frequent freezes, even with patches, and other less than desirable bugs. In short, Fallout: New Vegas creates a Love-Hate relationship with the player. The tragedy is that the game would be truly great, maybe even a classic, if you could play it fluidly.