I open the curtains for the first time in a week and pause, remembering the feeling when I first left that office in Goodsprings to set out on my epic journey across the wastes. I’ve done so much since then, changed in so many ways. I can now shoot the face off a Deathclaw from a thousand feet away, pick any lock, hack my way into every computer in the Mojave wasteland, and my repair skills are unparalleled by any man, ghoul, or super-mutant. Yet despite the hundreds of miles I have travelled and the countless side quests I have undertaken, I still suck at shooting laser guns. That’s a definite goal for me to complete on my next play-through of this spectacular game, and there will be a second play-through of Fallout: New Vegas, just not yet. First I need to eat, my thumbs are bleeding, and I haven’t checked in a while but I think my girlfriend may have left me.
The scope of the story alone sets the Fallout series apart from most other games on the market. For most people a worldwide nuclear conflict would signify the end of the world and all life. But developers Blizzard have used this seemingly final scenario to create a world where not only have people survived in underground vaults and set up their own societies, but have left those vaults many years later and begun warring with each other. This history has a very physical presence in the game. Often whilst travelling to a specific destination you will come across a building not yet marked on your map, venture inside to see if there is any loot worth scavenging and the story of its previous inhabits unravels itself via ancient computer terminals and forgotten relics.
Graphically, New Vegas is impressive although falls just short of being perfect. The general environment is exquisitely rendered and compared to its bleak predecessor Fallout 3, New Vegas feels much more alive with the occasional tree and cactus planted here and there. On the downside, the music in the game can get irritating fairly quickly, but a simple solution is to not bother with the radio stations. New Vegas has an incredibly deep ambient soundtrack which builds tension whilst you explore disused vaults and robot factories, an effect which isn’t quite emulated when listening to Dean Martin’s Ain’t that a Kick in the Head for the billionth time. Also NPC’s still talk to you with all the enthusiasm and facial movement of William Hague giving a lecture on paint drying, which can be extremely laborious when you’re forced to trudge through pages of dialogue as part of the main quests. But these are just minor gripes, if you’re after a game which will sink its tentacles into you and demand your attention like a spoilt toddler until you have explored every last inch of it, then buy Fallout: New Vegas. If not, well, I hear having a social life has its perks too.
I'd just like to thank Duncan for being the first user to contribute. Great work, now lets see everyone else get involved!
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