The Fallout series has to be one of the most iconic video game franchises out there. This post-apocalyptic RPG has grown in scope in the past few years and it all started with basic beginnings. The original two games were standout RPGs for their time, having decisive turn based combat and intelligent writing. The world was deep in history and the choices the player made along their journey affected the world around them. The more they leveled up the stronger and smarter they became. Becoming whoever they wanted to be while settling into the nuclear atmosphere. Recent entries would try to modernize the RPG elements that made the original two games so enjoyable and the reception for this modernization have been mixed. I will clarify though. Yes, I know a ton of people love the modern Fallout games as they probably grew up with them. Yes, the newer games are easier to understand as they aim more towards accessibility than challenge. Yes, the newer games look and feel better to play due to modern technology. The new factors made Fallout more approachable... and that's what led to the downfall. Fallout 4 ditched everything that made previous Fallout entries interesting RPGs for more streamlined design, but that's what made it the most lacking Fallout entry to date. Then there's Fallout 76, which if you didn't know, try to bring Fallout to an online audience but failed to realize that previous entries already struggled with maintaining multiple entities at once. Then there's Bethesda and their corporate buggery which I'm not even going to explain, because if I do this review will lag on longer than it should. So instead let's take a step back when Bethesda was still a well respected company.
The first game to do so was Fallout 3 in 2008, which took the isometric format and transformed it into a first person perspective. Developed by Bethesda Game Studios and directed by a man named Todd Howard, you should know who he is by now with all the memes recently, Todd wanted the players to feel immersed in the world they were in. He made his team program an entire world to explore, streamlined the combat for simple gunplay, and increased the tension of being a lone survivor in a wasteland. Fallout 3 is considered one of the most critically acclaimed games of all time and the turning point for the series. After the massive success of Fallout 3, Bethesda Softworks decided to start working on their next big open world RPG. They wanted a world much larger than the one Fallout 3 had and they wanted to combine everything they learned in the past to create an experience unlike any other. They wanted to bring what they learned with Fallout 3 over to the Elder Scrolls series, which they owned the rights to.
Later in 2011, they released The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, possibly one of Bethesda’s greatest achievements. It was one of the most graphically beautiful games at the time, it was overflowing with content, sold millions of copies, and the amount of praise the game had at launch made it a rapid success. Ask anybody about Skyrim and they'll probably know exactly what game you're talking about, it’s considered by many to be one of the greatest games of all time. But before Skyrim what else did Bethesda release? Well during the development of Skyrim, Bethesda decided to partner up with another game studio known as Obsidian Entertainment and allow them to create their own entry for the Fallout series. Obsidian is a studio well known for their outstanding writing, genius game design, and nostalgic RPGs. Seeing how a majority of its members are made up of workers from the defunct Black Isle Studios, the developers of the first two Fallout games, you can see how they were fit for the task.
Later in 2010, Obsidian Entertainment and Bethesda announced Fallout: New Vegas, the next entry in the Fallout line-up. Fans were hyped when Fallout: New Vegas was announced, because they knew this was going to be a new take for the franchise. Luckily they were right, but things didn’t go out so well at first. During New Vegas’ release many claimed that the game was buggy, unfinished, and sometimes the game would straight out delete an entire player’s save data. New Vegas was left in an unplayable state. Fallout: New Vegas had one of the toughest launches in Bethesda’s history, and it didn't even sell as well as the critically acclaimed Skyrim or Fallout 3. But once the game was properly patched people were able to play Fallout: New Vegas, and they soon realized that the game was fantastic. Almost everything Obsidian set out to do with New Vegas was done right, and they even made a lot of smarter choices than Bethesda. The world was heavily praised for its western like theme, character writing was more superb than the previous title, and the game was more reminiscent of the RPG design of older Fallout games than Fallout 3 and later attempts. New Vegas is now considered one of the best entries in the series and I can understand why.
I have played both The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4, and personally I didn’t really enjoy them as much as everyone else. Don’t get me wrong they are both good games and I remember enjoying Fallout 4 a lot back in middle school as it was unlike anything I've experienced, but the way Bethesda designed both of these games feels like being a fat bloke chasing a cheeseburger on a fishing rod. I now realized they lacked the sense of progression or growing stronger in other traditional RPGs, quest design was somewhat lacking, the player’s choices didn’t really affect anything outside of the main story, and both games had the tendency to baby the player rather than take them on a grand adventure. It’s insulting to say the least. Skyrim isn’t really a game I would sink one hundred hours into, and I find it embarrassing to admit that I sunk more than a hundred hours into Fallout 4 before playing New Vegas for the first time.
When I sat down to play Fallout: New Vegas I failed to understand the world Obsidian was trying to set up for me. I wasn't used to the traditional RPG mechanics, player progression, and the many challenging curve balls the game threw at me within the first few hours. Eventually I dropped the game and came back a few months later when I had nothing else to play. I don't feel like buying any new games at the moment, and I thought it would be a good time to go through my backlog. I decided to say, "Screw it," and learn how to properly play New Vegas. Poured more than thirty hours within a single week and now that I finally finished the game. I can safely say that New Vegas is better than I expected. I finally realized why so many people love this game. I had a blast playing New Vegas from beginning to end, and it’s games like these that allow classic style RPG and design to stand out today. Today we’ll be talking about why I think Fallout: New Vegas is so amazing and why it deserves your attention. So strap on your Pip-Boy, pop open a Nuka-Cola, and prepare to take a trip on down to Vegas.
Story
The game takes place in the Mojave Wasteland, a dry desert that houses two key locations for struggling wastelanders. New Vegas, a neon lit city untouched by the nuclear bombs, and Hoover Dam the only location in the Mojave Wasteland that houses freshwater. Currently there are two major factions trying to seek out control over the Mojave. The New California Republic (NCR) who have expanded since their first appearance in Fallout 2 and are trying to spread out west, and Caesar's Legion who stick to vile tactics inspired by the Roman government and want to dominate every faction that exists in the Mojave even if it means erasing their beliefs entirely. Both sides have been fighting with each other for quite a while, and the residents of the Mojave are worried that a war is coming upon them. A war that will decide which of the two factions will rule the Mojave and change how society works.
Luckily you're not part of the conflict, you are a courier working for the Mojave Express delivering specialized goods to specific locations. Your life was pretty normal until one day on a very special delivery. You were carrying a delicate silver token known as The Platinum Chip. You have no idea who it belongs to and what it can do, but you're told to march towards the spiraling tower of Vegas known as the Lucky 38. Out of nowhere you get ransacked by a group of Khan members hired by a man wearing a checker coat named Benny. Benny steals the Platinum Chip from you and states that he has big plans for Vegas, and seeing how he doesn't want you to escape and tell others what happened he shoots you in the head and leaves you for dead. He then demands the Khans to bury you within the ground where your body pokes out of a shallow grave.
Surprisingly, the courier is rescued by a securitron named Victor and they are brought to the peaceful town of Goodsprings. They are then patched up by a man named Doc Mitchell who used to live in one of the Vault-Tec vaults, and is told they were found buried in the ground with a gunshot near their head. Doc gives them some of his Vault-Tec gear and the courier makes plans of what to do next. Now armed with a Pip-Boy from before the war and ready to head out, the courier ventures into the Mojave to find Benny, reclaim the Platinum Chip, and return it to its rightful owner. Something doesn't feel right, the Platinum Chip is more valuable than you think and there must be a reason why Benny wanted to steal it from you. The NCR is growing more desperate to control the wasteland and Caesar’s Legion is ransacking more towns by the seconds. And an ominous man is watching you from afar planning what to do with New Vegas. It’s up to you to decide what fate awaits the people of the Mojave Wasteland.
Gameplay
Fallout: New Vegas is a drastically different experience from Fallout 3 & Fallout 4, but among all the Fallout games it remains true to the RPG design of the first two games while carrying them out in modern Fallout design. You explore the vast openness of the Mojave collecting items, fighting various enemies, and upgrading your characters stats everytime you level up. What makes New Vegas character progression more appealing than Fallout 3 and Fallout 4 is that you can actually customize your character traits to fit the playstyle you specifically want. You don't just upgrade your S.P.E.C.I.A.L stats or perks, you actually get to put points into several categories that affect your capabilities both during combat and when talking to people. These categories include things like guns, explosives, science, speech, barter, medicine, and much more. Perks aren’t just category boosts or random traits that don’t affect anything at all, they affect how you play and can have both benefits and downsides.
Another thing New Vegas does better than other entries is how it handles speech checks. Unlike Fallout 4 and Fallout 3 where even if you have a high Charisma/Speech stat your success to persuade during a conversation is reliant on a dice roll, New Vegas relies on the various categories the player chooses to level up and guarantees the player to fully succeed in a conversation if they have the required stat amount. Putting points into certain categories can win over a favor during a conversation and make a quest much easier. For example, put more points in Science and you might be able to outsmart someone when it comes to dealing with pre-war technology. One of the first quests in the game has you talking to a man who sells explosives, if you have enough points in the explosive category you will be able to convince him that you can handle dynamite without blowing your limbs off. The game really tests the players choices when it comes to quests in this game. Unlike Fallout 4 where they are extremely simple and even if you fail them there are no consequences. New Vegas feels more varied in outcomes and forces the player to choose what they think is right.
A majority of quests have multiple paths and some of them can be completed more easily if you level up those categories I mentioned earlier. One quest I’ll bring up in particular is where you go and power up an electricity plant and you have to determine whether the electricity goes to the NCR or a group of doctors who can use it to treat dying patients. You have to choose either one because the option they offer you to help both doesn't do anything at all, and the reputation you build with factions will affect late game events. Some decisions will either lead to a good outcome or a bad outcome. It’s the apocalypse, do whatever the f*ck you want. Besides the character progression and quest design, how is the combat? Well the gunplay from Fallout 3 hasn't changed much besides there are now iron sights, but combat overall takes a bit to get used to as shots won't always land even when the dot is on the target.
The player can pick up a multitude of weapons while venturing through the Mojave and they must use them to defend themselves against the many vicious beasts that roam the wastes. Unlike Fallout 3 & Fallout 4 where the enemies scale to your level meaning a deathclaw can be picked off even at level 10, New Vegas takes combat in a more serious direction by having the most powerful be in specific locations and making the easiest route to where you need to go much harder. You’ll either have to find a longer but safer route or learn the enemy's weakness by blasting at it. This steep difficult curve is what makes you master your equipment and be more careful with how you play. Every shot counts, you don't know when you'll hit the target, when you'll do critical damage, or when the enemy will inflict an ailment on you. It even makes sense from a universe and writing perspective, as now the deadly world and character struggles make more sense due to how the world is killing you easily. It's the apocalypse after all.
Be careful how much stuff you carry, because if your supplies surpass your carry weight capacity you will be encumbered. Slowing down your movement, prohibiting fast travel, and making you more open to ambushes. You can exchange these items for caps, caps being the main currency in this game. They can be used to buy items, mods for your weapons, or even bribe characters during a conversation. That's all I really have to say about New Vegas. There's more to it like the factions and how the one you decide to aid the most will change the ending at the end, but I would have to spoil the game for me to do that. That will be left for you to discover. New Vegas is a great RPG that rewards the player for devoting the time to explore the world and learn about each character. Hopefully you can reclaim the Platinum Chip and judge the fate of the Mojave.
Thoughts
Fallout: New Vegas is one of the best western RPGs I have ever played and it is truly one of the best entries in the Fallout series. The Mojave Wasteland is a place teeming with excitement and exploring every corner of it has never felt so breathtaking. I started off at the beginner’s town of Goodspring with its calm country like folks and from there I encountered several other factions trying to survive in the harsh conditions. The people of Novac debating what to do with the factory filled with rockets runned with cultists ghouls nearby. The Follower of The Apocalypse trying to be lending hands in the wasteland. The many businesses of the strips are trying to find a way to make money in the most twisted way. One of these businesses was secretly composed of cannibals, so you obviously can tell how dire the situations are in the wasteland.
The characters I encountered along the way always had something deep and personal to tell me and helped flesh out the world I was in. One of my companions Veronica told me about how she used to be part of the Brotherhood of Steel, one of the most iconic factions in the Fallout series. She wonders if she should go back and work for them even though she doesn’t believe in some of their ideas and laws, but at the same time she wants to be her own independent person and have wondrous adventures across the Mojave. Just like me, another random idiot wandering the Mojave who will probably get his limbs blown off in some awful tortuous way. Most likely my own explosives. There are multiple ways for quests and continuing questlines to play out, meaning on future playthroughs different builds and choices will have different outcomes.
Another thing I really liked about New Vegas was its political factions and how they handled different ideologies. The political factions in the game were reasonable and felt like groups you would encounter if a world like this were to happen. Each faction has their own pros and cons making them defendable, but not so likable that they should be the dominant force of the Mojave Wasteland. I chose the independent route for my first playthrough, because I thought chasing out the NCR & Legion would be a good choice for the wasteland. Let the people decide their own fate, but the more I look back at it I realize that an entirely independent wasteland would be a bad idea. There has to be some form of government or rule, otherwise the crime rate is going to rise higher than before and the people won’t know how to take care of themselves. Plus, some of the decisions I made actually made the Mojave worse in my mind. Now I’m looking over the choices I have for a future playthrough.
Should I choose the New California Republic and go back to an American form of government which is reliable, but when looking at the NCR themselves you realize their systems have a poor structure keeping them up and the areas they do have control of are overrun with mutants and bandits. There is Caesar’s Legion which relies on a Roman structure of government by being complete communists, but the thing about the Romans is that they survived for a really long time by keeping everything under control. They knew how to build cities, keep a fresh water supply, and make sure the people got what they needed. However, the Legion enslave or conquer anyone who refuses to accept their systems of rules. Finally there is Mr. House which is a more bureaucratic form of government. He cares for only what happens in New Vegas and how the economy prospers. He doesn’t care about other factions or minor groups, but he wants to see his society prosper so he can create a world untainted by nuclear waste. He even has a speech where with enough time and resources he can send the entire strip of New Vegas into space and find planets that are habitable. He dreams of a better future, but at what cost? These factions are what got me thinking hours after beating New Vegas. Now onto some other topics about the game.
At first I thought the graphics looked a little dull. You mostly walk across a dry empty desert where it’s brown and tan as far as the eye can see, but the world is one of the liveliest in the Fallout history and the western atmosphere helps give it somewhat of a cowboy feel. I feel like a cowboy myself just trying to bring peace to the people. Stumbling upon numerous townships and doing whatever I can to help or gain a bit of cash. I also liked how they handled the world design making each location stand out and wanting the player to see what it is in front of them only to be enthralled in another quest and realize they are standing in another room full of dead bodies. Turns out having a bright desert with unique locations spottable in the distance feels more natural and is good for attracting the player. Rather than an icon on the radar or telling them to follow a dotted line on the radar in the bottom left corner of the screen.
The game does run pretty smoothly once you get it running, but it bugs out once in a while and it still occasionally crashes when too much stuff is happening on screen. Expanding the playstyle the player wants is nice, leveling up feels good, and as you pick up new equipment you actually feel stronger with the world. You get to see how powerful you are by the last mission and see how all those side activities you did added up. The gunplay is a little wonky at first. As I mentioned earlier, even if you scan the cursor over an enemy sometimes it won't hit even if you lined it up correctly. Sure you don't play Fallout for combat, but it's difficult to ignore when you are constantly being thrown into fights and being ambushed. The gunplay is dated, but once you start unlocking some scopes you should be fine.
The difficulty turned me off at first, but one thing it did remind me of was the difficulty curve in Bloodborne. Both are drastically different games, but there is always that sense of knowing you should return later when you are more prepared. You do so and you learn more about the unexplored area. Plus it makes sense to the tragedy of the world. Obsidian Entertainment has made something special here and they proved that classic RPG design can still be fun without selling out to the modern design trends of today. I can’t wait to see where they go next for future projects and I especially cannot wait to try out their latest game The Outer Worlds which tries to serve as a spiritual successor to New Vegas. Overall, Fallout: New Vegas is a stellar western RPG with memorable stories, well written politics, satisfying progression, and has remained timeless almost a decade after release. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants a good time waster, wants a good traditional RPG, or are “true” diehard Fallout fans. In the end I am giving Fallout: New Vegas a 9.5/10 for excellence at best.
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