Nukezilla Review: Fallout: New Vegas (Xbox 360)

Fallout: New Vegas is, for me, the perfect game.

One of my favorite games of all time is the Dreamcast RPG Skies of Arcadia. The blend of turn-based RPG action with a wonderful story is, in my opinion, the best in the genre. The part that always stuck out for me was the exploration. Just by exploring the world at large you found locations that people hadn’t discovered for hundreds of years and gained experience and wealth because so. The sense of exploration and the sense of reward of it always stuck with me.

Not only does New Vegas take that rewarding sense of exploration and expands upon it, the storytelling and RPG elements within are near-perfect. Every second I spend in The Wasteland feels important; every action feels like it has weight in the entire Fallout world. After playing this game I feel as though I had really spent over 40 hours experiencing Las Vegas ages after nuclear war has torn it to pieces. Plus there is so much shit to pick up my OCD-kleptomaniac side orgasmed about an hour in.

Fallout: New Vegas (or the biggest Fallout 3 add-on in existence, depending on who you ask) takes place about four years after the events of Fallout 3 but makes little to no mention of The Capital Wasteland. Instead it’s centered on the Las Vegas/Hoover Dam area of Nevada, now called The Mojave Wasteland. Other than that, it’s Fallout 3 with a much fancier presentation. For many Fallout fans, this is just what was wanted.

After being shot in the head due to being the wrong courier for the wrong package, your character wakes up in the town of Goodsprings. From here you can choose to follow the main storyline, finding out why casino owner Benny (voiced wonderfully by Mathew Perry) decided to go all Charles Bronson on your ass for a simple poker chip. Or you can go explore more than 160 locations in The Wasteland, and befriend or destroy the many factions ruling the wastes.

Noticeable changes are apparent from the beginning of the game. Upon creating your character you can give him/her Traits which will seem familiar to anyone who has played Fallout 1 or 2. Traits are Perks that have a drawback; Four Eyes, for instance, gives you an extra Perception buff when you’re wearing glasses, but debuffs you if you’re not wearing glasses. These are a nice addition to the normal Perks (some old, some new), even when they don’t do anything other than show you pop culture references.

Stats have gotten an overhaul as well. A new Survival stat helps you, well, survive as well as create items in campfires (more on that in a bit). Weapon skills have now been spread across Guns, Explosives, and Energy Weapon stats. Speaking of weapons, the arsenal at your hands is crazier than ever. Shotgun-based gloves, radiation-emitting spears, and orbital lasers are all at hand to destroy new enemies such as the moth-like Cazador and people/plant hybrid Spore Carriers.

An interesting change is the weakened emphasis on being good or evil. While that has its place in the world, reputation is a much bigger aspect of character interaction. The Wasteland is filled with various factions, from the explosive-friendly Powder Gangers to the New California Republic army. Actions against or for each organization will raise or lower your reputation with that gang respectively. This makes each playthrough of the title dynamic, you can piss off or befriend any of the factions any way you see fit. Plus, if you wear any faction-specific armor, NPCs will believe you’ve aligned yourself with that particular cause. This means you can aggressively anger a faction, only to put on one of their armors and become accepted again.

It doesn’t stop there. Conversations now have more emphasis on stats, leading to new challenges based on them. Weapons can be modded with new attachments like scopes and larger magazines, or given new player-created ammo (there are three variations on almost any kind of shell-based ammunition). Hell, even dealing with your partners is different; a Companion Wheel lets you make decisions about your companions without having to sit through tediously repetitive conversations.

Speaking of the companions, I’ve never found a more diverse and exciting bunch of people to be around. Whether it’s the Super Mutant who believes she’s your grandmother, the R2-D2-like Eyebot with an equally goofy name, or the wry humor of the Brotherhood of Steel member, each is a charm and an asset to your group. While you can only have two companions at a time (and some won’t mix well with others), each are immensely powerful and invincible. Yes, invincible; unlike in Fallout 3, companions can only be knocked unconscious only to be revived a few minutes later.

Those companions, along with the rest of the game, are voiced spectacularly by a great cast. I’ve mentioned them here, but some need to be highlighted. Felicia Day and Zachary Levi are fantastic as companions Veronica and Arcade (respectively). Michael Dorn reprises his role as super mutant sheriff Marcus, now running a rehab center for schizophrenic super mutants. Dave Foley (yeah, the one from Kids in The Hall) plays Yes Man, the most helpful robot ever created, and my favorite catalyst in the main storyline. Wayne Newton, while not as enjoyable as GNR’s Three Dog, still kills it as Mr. New Vegas, filling your ears with his dusky-sweet voice and songs that would be described in late night infomercials as “toe-tapping”. Tracks by Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, and Sinatra make perfect sense here and really add to the atmosphere of New Vegas. Hearing this game is just as enjoyable as seeing it.

Christ, I haven’t even talked about the ironsights for weapons, the Survival stat that allows you to make your own food and Stimpacks, the increase in quests, the best goddamn Vault story I’ve ever seen (Vault 11, it’s a doozy), and the Hardcore mode that will have you sobbing quietly as you play it. There’s just so, so, so much to experience in this title.

The elephant in the room with any New Vegas review is the ever-present glitches in The Wasteland. The game is said to be riddled with game-breaking errors and everything from animals clipping through rocks to creepy spinning NPC heads. I’m going to consider myself lucky then, as I never encountered any discouraging problems with my game. Not once did I lose saves, or die unexpectedly, or have a fatal crash. Yes, I did have strange surface textures, weapons floating above characters’ heads, and NPCs floating in midair. None of this took away from my experience with the game.

When I beat New Vegas the first time (with an army of Gizmoduck wannabes) I immediately turned around and started a new file. Knowing there was so much more to see in this world turned me into a slavering fanboy, ready to tackle the Mojave Wasteland all over again. Anyone who is a fan of stories (in general), or exploration, or the world of Fallout needs to get this game. Sure, I can understand if you want to wait for the thing to be patched. Just know that you are missing out on one of the richest gaming experiences of this generation.

Also there’s a weapon that’s just a car bumper sharpened into a sword. I rest my case.