Fallout: New Vegas Review

I obviously haven't played the whole game since it just came out yesterday but after debating whether I should wait and get it on Goozex (and seeing that I was number 58 waiting for Gothica 4) and new the line would be long for NV, I decided to buy it. Took a half-day yesterday and put a good 6 1/2 to 7 hours into it. I would compare it to a really large expansion pack for Fallout 3, which is pretty much 99% good.

Likes
◘ Graphics - though a little dated now, they fit right into the atmosphere created in F3 and bring you right into the game, as if it's familiar and you know the world and the characters. There's no adjustment phase, like there is with a new game. The world has some more color to it too and I'm saying that without even having been to the strip yet. There are also a lot more faces for NPCs rather than the same couple recycled ones we saw in F3.

◘ Sound - music is great and really picks up the tempo when enemies approach. Haven't listened to the radio much yet but from what I've heard, it's very similar to F3. Guns sound pretty good too.

◘ Familiarity - other than a few differences in skills and then choosing 2 traits, there really isn't much difference in creating a character. Big guns has been taken out and now the Guns skill covers any weapon that uses conventional ammo so that was kind of cool. Perks are very familiar as well and I've already picked some that I used in F3 to expand my loot hording. I was also able to use my memory of an awesome character creation guide to create a character in NV that is going to have lots of maxed skills by the end of the game.

◘ Weapons - there are more weapons and they feel better and when you add in mods, they really did a good job expanding this section of the game. Oh, and there are different ammo types though I haven't messed with this too much.

◘ Item Creation - besides the regular workbench, there is a reloading station (where you can break down ammo to create other ammo types) as well as a campfire you can use ingredients to make different items. Think alchemy from Oblivion. Oh, and you can harvest items from plants in the world too those this seems toned down compared with Oblivion.

◘ Factions - this seems to be a cool feature where your reputation increases with one faction while it decreases with another. There can be trouble moving through the world if your are in an area that is controlled by a faction that hates you.

◘ Companions - I already got this cool sniper guy Boone following me around and he dishes out some major damage to enemies. He's usually killing them before I get off a shot. And the companion wheel definitely improves your ability to control your companion and their actions.

Dislikes
◘ Bugs - the game is still pretty glitchy, from major framerate drops to creatures getting stuck in rocks. Some of these could be PC issues because the game needs some tweaking on the PC for sure. With my system, I shouldn't be getting the framerate drops unless they did some HUGE improvements to the graphics that I am just not really noticing. With some decent patching, this issue should be taken care of. (I have had zero crashes so far while F3 crashed all the time, even after patching).

◘ Factions - this can get annoying when factions continue to attack you, especially right after you sleep and it seems the enemies are more aggressive. Also, if someone hates you, say the Powder Gangers, you can loot their bodies but you will lose karma for stealing from any of their buildings or crates or safes which is a really stupid idea. I'm playing a good character for my first playthrough so I don't want to lose the karma but at least in F3, I don't remember stealing from bad guys ever being an issue.

◘ World Size - it's supposed to be about the same size but it feels smaller and I'm not sure why. I feel like when I'm in one town, I can see the next town from where I'm at. We'll see how this plays out as I explore the whole world and this could be just the way I've handled the quests I've done.

◘ Bobbleheads - I don't think there are bobbleheads in this game and they've been replaced with snow globes. I found one snow globe and didn't know what it was and left it at this cemetary so I need to go back for it now that I think they replace the bobbleheads, haha. I just had to put this as a dislike cuz the bobbleheads were so awesome. :P

That's pretty much it. I posted this early because the game is sooooo similar to F3 in so many aspects. It really looks like they took that game and added a couple features, created a whole new area, and you have NV. I wish more game companies would do this, to be honest. Instead of waiting ages for Elder Scrolls V, they should have done with Oblivion what they've now done with Fallout.