Fallout: New Vegas doesn't exactly fall into the "less-publicized" category of games; it was hotly anticipated before its release, then promptly criticized because of its numerous technical issues. Luckily, the majority of the aforementioned issues have been resolved by patches, rendering the game playable.
For everyone, myself included, who loved Fallout 3, New Vegas is familiar enough to be picked up easily, but still different enough to hold your attention. The rest of this review will assume that you, the reader, have played Fallout 3, and are familiar with the basics of that game. I get to do this because I'm familiar with it and I'm writing the review.
Like 3, New Vegas has the same basic controls, with the notable addition of the companion wheel, allowing you to interact with your followers with increased ease. On that note, New Vegas uses companions much more than 3 did, and their AI seems improved as well.
Fallout 3 had a lot of locations to discover in the Capital Wasteland and DC Ruins - New Vegas has even more, and without the confusing Ruins in which to become lost, and ultimately super mutant food. Since New Vegas is set out West, the landscape is largely open and desolate, but with the occasional dilapidated city or military base to pick through.
The developers obviously heard calls from fans to incorporate more FPS elements into the new game, most notably the true use of iron sights when not targeting in VATS or shooting from the hip. This is nice...sometimes. Additionally, you have mod your weapons with scopes, etc., and also use a variety of types of ammo to take on different targets. Cool, right? Well...yeah...but it's irritating to switch back and forth depending on what you're shooting at. I personally don't bother anymore.
Fancy yourself a true RPG nerd? Try hardcore mode. Think of the old Sims games where you could disable the sims' ability to do anything on their own, forcing you to direct them to do everything...hardcore mode is like that, except everything is trying to kill you.
The biggest improvement over the previous title is the reputations you earn from the many factions in New Vegas. This is the heart of tons of side quests aimed at getting people to trust your character so you can advance the story. Karma now takes a backseat to your rep with certain people, so feel free to pickpocket more townsfolk steal more stuff if you want to; just don't get caught in the act.
Overall, New Vegas is an obvious advancement over Fallout 3. This is great for those of us who happened to play 3 first...less great if New Vegas is your first Fallout game and you want to play the older ones to catch up.
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