Fallout: New Vegas (Video Game Review, Xbox 360) - The New Order

Hells Sniper · 06:51 PM

Fallout: New Vegas
Video Game Review
TNO Supporter - Hells Sniper

New Vegas... it's the kind of place where you get shot in the head and left for dead... for a platinum chip... This review will cover the main areas of a console RPG

Storyline
Characters/Factions
Gameplay (Mechanics, Skills, Perks, Weapons, Modding)
Side Quests
Graphics
Other

Pre-Review Thoughts: Before I begin I would like to point out my thoughts before I bought this game and actually played. When I saw that there was going to be a new Fallout game, I was excited considering the first one was amazing. Although it was developed by someone else, I had a thought they could keep it going. The thought of a "New Vegas" and the control over it made me excited... Also the addition of modding and other features to guns and armor made me even more excited. I had to buy it.

The Storyline: The storyline seemed pretty straight forward, you are a Mojave Courier, carrying a package to deliver to a Mr. House, the leader of "New Vegas." Before you are able to you, you are shot it the head, buried in a shallow grave and left for dead. Your mission is to find the people responsible for your death. Pretty shraight forward? Think again, after several encounters with wastelanders, you come across the NCR, Ceaser's Legion, tribes (Great Khans, Fiends, Jackals, Vipers)... I can't give you the full list, but go here.. for factions. you eventually do what you gotta do.
But... and this is a BIG but, after you do this, you are overwhelmed with the amount of quests you get for JUST the main storyline. At the moment, I have about 6-7 for the storyling and over 20 for side quests... The storyline is great, just too overwhelming, giving you quest after quest by talking to one guy in one conversation.
The story goes much further, fight for the Strip, fight for the Hoover Dam, along with the hundreds of side quests. It's a lot too much.
8/10 due to overwhelming
Characters/Factions: Thinking about this is going to make my head explode. There are 5 Factions bidding for control of New Vegas, along with the other smaller ones you encounter on your journey, that want to "help" control "The Strip." Please refer here... for characters.
Mr. House: The leader of New Vegas. He controls it all and has dreams of what he can do with it.
The Tribals (Omertas, White Glove Society, and the Chairmen): A crazy bunch of people... Each part of the "Three Families" the ones House hired to ressurect New Vegas, they each own a casino, but they each want control.
The NCR (New California Republic): The "government" of the wasteland. The leader, President Kimbal. They pretty much are in the role of "peace-keeper" and they really don't like it. They have an embassy on the strip, (New Vegas), and hundreds of soldiers and outposts across the wasteland. Strong...
Ceaser's Legion: The enemy of the NCR and pretty much the bad guys. The leader, Ceaser, conquerer of 86 tribes and ruler of the Legion. They want the Hoover Dam, and they want New Vegas.
Brotherhood of Steel: If you played Fallout 3, the direction on the Brotherhood is a whole new direction. They've become the "bad guys." If you're on terms with the NCR, you probably don't want to get involved with these guys.
YOU: The Coourier, if you play the game, you'll figure out what I mean by this.
8/10 due to too much...
Gameplay: The gameplay is really good. With the addition of the modding feature, the survival skill, and a few others, it has really improved. VATS is still the same, an automated targeted system. But now, you can mod weapons (sights, silencers), look down the sight, and craft your own bullets. It's a new experience for people who don't mod. The crafting skill is a really nice touch.
And they added many new weapons and many new weapons you can create. This is a huge plus, it just adds a "kick" to the game.
The skills are the same, playing throughout the game I would recommended pouring points into the Speech, Barter, Guns, Lockpick, and Science skills, they really help you if you want more information and more money.
Gambling... who wants Vegas without Gambling? This addition brings a new outlook on the game because it lets you make money in an insatant or lose it all. New currency as well, NCR/Legion money and the normal caps. This is different, and sometimes different is good. The only thing that is upsetting is that you have to pay 2,000 caps to get into New Vegas... OR... buy a fake passport from Mick & Ralphs for 500 caps, but first must get clearance from the Kings.
Many new perks come throughout the game, some useless, some worth it. I can't name the ones I would recommend, because thats up to you.
Karma and Reputation. This things get you, karma system is the same, but the reputation adds a whole new outlook. Your reputation in a group is what you do with them, if you're an enemy to the Legion, they won't like it and will send people to kill you. Same with any other faction, although if you are hated, they pretty much ignore you. It's tough to keep up on because there are so many factions and so many things.
9/10 due to Reputation
Side Quests: I have only a few words to describe them. WAY TOO MANY.You can pretty much talk to one guy, in one conversation and recieve at least two quests. I think the Fallout wiki said there were over 200... or over 400... too me... that's a whole lifetime of playing.. and with the new locations, over 150, that's way too much!
7/10 due to... too much
Graphics: The graphics are superb, although it does take a bit to load, they're nothing compared to ODST or Halo 3, but overall, they're worth the money they put into it.
10/10
Other: I need to end with this... this game is amazing, graphics, weapons, etc. It's just WAY too much. From the amount of factions, to the side quests, to just the storyline. It's too much and if you make ONE wrong move in the game, the thing goes crazy. You will have to play this game at least.. three times to get every achievement, they're are just too many sides, too much to do...
It was great.. but overwhelming.
N/A

Overall:
42/50=84%

Millennial Antagonist · 11-07-2010

Thank you for the heads up in the modding :D i want to learn how to mod so this can teach me

Naked Crook · 11-08-2010

I always love games with a LOT of side crap in them. My Fallout 3 save has 200 hours! Good to know there is a lot of stuff to do!

Kairu · 11-08-2010

Aye, I agree with Jon. The first time I played, I just raced through the story, getting buttraped left and right. I played a new game, doing some side quests here and there, and it's incredibly helpful. You get loads of money and EXP after awhile. However, my only question: Does it still freeze up or crash at random spots throughout the game?

Hells Sniper · 11-08-2010

It froze about twice in my 15 hours of playing, once in the middle of nowhere, and the other in the loading screen.

The only thing I have to say to Jon is that... for the questline theres over like 5 sides to take, and each one is against eachother and each quest to do for them is worth an achievement or two. It's just too much going on at once.