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FALLOUT: NEW VEGAS (PS3)
Publisher: Bethesda. Developer: Obsidian.
Released: October 2010. Genre: WRPG. Other versions: X360; PC. Posted 17th November 2012. By Tom Clare © 2012 |
That New Vegas scores as well as it does is testament to the game’s breathtaking scope and far-reaching design, given that, at times, it feels almost broken. New Vegas coming to be associated with the dreaded 'flawed masterpiece’ tag is as deflating as it was, perhaps, inevitable. Its technical frailties are at times so severe, they threaten to derail what is another remarkably immersive game world. Bethesda/Obsidian’s cavalier ‘fix it later’ attitude smacks of a troubled project, as lessons from Fallout 3 have seemingly gone unheeded, and for fans, the familiar nature of its frailties may leave a bitter taste in the mouth.
It’s a bit of a slow-burn, as in contrast to Fallout 3’s engaging ‘escape the Vault’ opening, New Vegas begins in a rather more sedate fashion, with your ‘Courier’ character being nursed back to health by a kindly doctor, having been shot, left for dead, and located by a shifty cowboy robot. Compelled to journey out across the post-apocalyptic Mojave wasteland towards the New Vegas Strip, a mysterious enigma known as Mr. House seeks the player’s acquaintance. But things pick up. Along the way you’ll meet travellers, bandits, dangerous and freaky animals (Giant Radscorpions still make the skin crawl), robots and outcasts living in caves – a delightful hotchpotch of good, bad, mad and eccentric personalities. New Vegas really hits its stride when you become entangled in the struggle between the NCR; a militaristic organisation stylised as keepers of the peace, and Caesar’s Legion; a brutal utilitarian movement lead by self-styled messiah Caesar. There are lots of other cool cliques as well, but the manner in which the two movements are interpreted and discussed infuses the game with a depth and intelligence rare among its contemporaries, and grants New Vegas two rather more intriguing foils than the Brotherhood of Steel/Enclave proved to be in Fallout 3.
It’s a bit of a slow-burn, as in contrast to Fallout 3’s engaging ‘escape the Vault’ opening, New Vegas begins in a rather more sedate fashion, with your ‘Courier’ character being nursed back to health by a kindly doctor, having been shot, left for dead, and located by a shifty cowboy robot. Compelled to journey out across the post-apocalyptic Mojave wasteland towards the New Vegas Strip, a mysterious enigma known as Mr. House seeks the player’s acquaintance. But things pick up. Along the way you’ll meet travellers, bandits, dangerous and freaky animals (Giant Radscorpions still make the skin crawl), robots and outcasts living in caves – a delightful hotchpotch of good, bad, mad and eccentric personalities. New Vegas really hits its stride when you become entangled in the struggle between the NCR; a militaristic organisation stylised as keepers of the peace, and Caesar’s Legion; a brutal utilitarian movement lead by self-styled messiah Caesar. There are lots of other cool cliques as well, but the manner in which the two movements are interpreted and discussed infuses the game with a depth and intelligence rare among its contemporaries, and grants New Vegas two rather more intriguing foils than the Brotherhood of Steel/Enclave proved to be in Fallout 3.
A gate, but not a door. So at least no massive loading delay
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Dancing in games: you're still doing it wrong.
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FNV’s strength remains in the breadth and richness of the experience each individual will garner depending on personal preference and decisions. Depending on how you wish to develop your character, you may be more inclined to sort issues through guns, bribery, diplomacy or digging around for sneaky alternatives. Working with one faction may incur the wrath of another, whilst going out of your way to do good deeds can present a number of cool perks. Whilst the basic infrastructure remains largely unchanged, one of the neatest new features is the introduction of Hardcore mode. Sleep deprivation, starvation and dehydration are all new dangers that come into play in this setup, but rather than stifling or muddling the game, allow for a much greater appreciation of the finer details and amenities, and it feels a lot more rewarding and involved as a result.
And there’s so much to admire, with tonnes of standout locations and innumerable memories to be forged. You’ll happen across Jacobstown; a picturesque haven in the snowy hills run by civilised (and for the most part, non-violent) mutants. From there, making your way through a sequence of dangerous paths filled with poisonous Cazador insects, you’ll reach the remarkable, vast opening that is Red Rock Canyon, home to the Great Khans tribe. Then there’s Quarry Junction, perhaps the most nerve-jangling location in the game, populated as it is by super-fast, deadly-powerful, utterly ferocious Deathclaws. Even the desolate areas have their secrets, such as the eerie, irradiated Camp Searchlight, and an abandoned Vault that has been overgrown by an explosion of greenery and fauna, as you seek to discover the cause of why scientists and scouts have gone missing there in ‘There Stands the Grass’, one of the game’s most memorable missions. You can even visit The Thorn, an underground pit with shades of Fight Club, where the ringleader tasks you with capturing eggs from the nests of dangerous wildlife and then allows you to fight them for money.
Sticking with a familiar game engine seemed a viable choice in the short-term for Obsidian given the wealth of content on show, but it does mean it’s beset with bugs and, from an aesthetic point of view, has aged poorly. Character animations are perhaps the weakest facet of the presentation; you get the feeling they’ve been thrown together using a fairly basic avatar creator, with minimal cosmetic variances. The longer you play, the more the cracks start to show. The PS3 appears unable to cope in the latter stages, and once again, there are several instances of it freezing (including one recurrent instance that halted my completion of the Caesar’s Legion ending at virtually the last step of the journey). Ultimate responsibility lies with the developer of course, and the return of large auto-saves, which balloon towards the 10MB in the latter phases, don't help an increasingly choppy frame-rate. Thus New Vegas is left in the rather unflattering position of proving uneconomical with the console in terms of memory management, whilst at the same time failing to push the hardware graphically.
And there’s so much to admire, with tonnes of standout locations and innumerable memories to be forged. You’ll happen across Jacobstown; a picturesque haven in the snowy hills run by civilised (and for the most part, non-violent) mutants. From there, making your way through a sequence of dangerous paths filled with poisonous Cazador insects, you’ll reach the remarkable, vast opening that is Red Rock Canyon, home to the Great Khans tribe. Then there’s Quarry Junction, perhaps the most nerve-jangling location in the game, populated as it is by super-fast, deadly-powerful, utterly ferocious Deathclaws. Even the desolate areas have their secrets, such as the eerie, irradiated Camp Searchlight, and an abandoned Vault that has been overgrown by an explosion of greenery and fauna, as you seek to discover the cause of why scientists and scouts have gone missing there in ‘There Stands the Grass’, one of the game’s most memorable missions. You can even visit The Thorn, an underground pit with shades of Fight Club, where the ringleader tasks you with capturing eggs from the nests of dangerous wildlife and then allows you to fight them for money.
Sticking with a familiar game engine seemed a viable choice in the short-term for Obsidian given the wealth of content on show, but it does mean it’s beset with bugs and, from an aesthetic point of view, has aged poorly. Character animations are perhaps the weakest facet of the presentation; you get the feeling they’ve been thrown together using a fairly basic avatar creator, with minimal cosmetic variances. The longer you play, the more the cracks start to show. The PS3 appears unable to cope in the latter stages, and once again, there are several instances of it freezing (including one recurrent instance that halted my completion of the Caesar’s Legion ending at virtually the last step of the journey). Ultimate responsibility lies with the developer of course, and the return of large auto-saves, which balloon towards the 10MB in the latter phases, don't help an increasingly choppy frame-rate. Thus New Vegas is left in the rather unflattering position of proving uneconomical with the console in terms of memory management, whilst at the same time failing to push the hardware graphically.
Wouldn't surprise me if you find some Worms in there...
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Deathclaw omelet is lovely, but don't go out your way looking for ingredients
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It should be stressed however that an awful lot of what made Fallout 3 great remains so here. The combat remains a treat, mixing rock-solid first-person shooting/melee mechanics with a dash of RPG in the form of the freeze-frame V.A.T.S. targeting, which allows you to pick specific points on targets. There’s as much looting and treasure-hunting as any gamer could ever reasonable ask for, and all locations can be instantly visited via fast-travel on your map, provided you’ve located them first. The companion system has been fleshed-out a little as, despite the vexing stupidity of the A.I. (often ignoring recommended tactics and launching themself into unnecessary scraps), they offer specific missions and perks as long as they’re with you. The day/night contrast and people’s routines remain impressive and fully-realised, whilst the selection and diversity amongst the weaponry and armour remains an exciting facet of the Fallout experience. The vintage music remains a beautiful and unlikely accompaniment to the American wastes (though the selection is once again a little bit limited).
New Vegas is ultimately, a rough realisation of a grand vision. There’s no question that without the myriad of technical troubles, the experience would have been world-class, but fans of its predecessor will still largely welcome what is an immense, intelligent game world. With a bunch of endings, 150-plus locations and nearly as many missions to undertake, New Vegas is huge, with the thick end of 100 hours gameplay awaiting the committed. Ageing graphics, and some unsavoury bugs and glitches rob it of the classic status it likely deserves, but that shouldn’t stop you visiting New Vegas, as warts ‘n’ all, it’s still a remarkable journey.
New Vegas is ultimately, a rough realisation of a grand vision. There’s no question that without the myriad of technical troubles, the experience would have been world-class, but fans of its predecessor will still largely welcome what is an immense, intelligent game world. With a bunch of endings, 150-plus locations and nearly as many missions to undertake, New Vegas is huge, with the thick end of 100 hours gameplay awaiting the committed. Ageing graphics, and some unsavoury bugs and glitches rob it of the classic status it likely deserves, but that shouldn’t stop you visiting New Vegas, as warts ‘n’ all, it’s still a remarkable journey.
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PIXEL SECONDS: FALLOUT: NEW VEGAS (X360)
Obsidian, developers of sequels to Knights of the Old Republic and Neverwinter Nights, take the reins for the sequel to Bethesda’s 2008 RPG Fallout 3. If there’s one thing NV does right, it’s that it expands the scope significantly. It remains mostly the same as before: just there’s a heck of a lot more to do. The new Factions system adds an extra layer of choice to the game, tons of in-depth side missions are present and there’s just so much to explore in terms of the game’s huge world. However, it feels like the story has taken a backseat this time. While not exactly Oscar-calibre, Fallout 3 at least gave you motivation to continue, and it feels like NV’s plot ends up going nowhere. Perhaps more damning, however, are some duller missions which chop up the pace, and the bugs, which come a little too often for comfort (though, in Obsidian’s defence, they quickly patched a lot of the problems). Still, the occasional hiccup comes here and there. Outside of the above, it remains mostly the same as its lauded predecessor. If you loved F3, then you’ll probably love NV, otherwise you simply won’t be convinced. [7] - Shane Battams © 2012
Obsidian, developers of sequels to Knights of the Old Republic and Neverwinter Nights, take the reins for the sequel to Bethesda’s 2008 RPG Fallout 3. If there’s one thing NV does right, it’s that it expands the scope significantly. It remains mostly the same as before: just there’s a heck of a lot more to do. The new Factions system adds an extra layer of choice to the game, tons of in-depth side missions are present and there’s just so much to explore in terms of the game’s huge world. However, it feels like the story has taken a backseat this time. While not exactly Oscar-calibre, Fallout 3 at least gave you motivation to continue, and it feels like NV’s plot ends up going nowhere. Perhaps more damning, however, are some duller missions which chop up the pace, and the bugs, which come a little too often for comfort (though, in Obsidian’s defence, they quickly patched a lot of the problems). Still, the occasional hiccup comes here and there. Outside of the above, it remains mostly the same as its lauded predecessor. If you loved F3, then you’ll probably love NV, otherwise you simply won’t be convinced. [7] - Shane Battams © 2012