Playing New Vegas after suffering through Bethesda's underwhelming first entry into the series was like walking out into the sun after 2 straight weeks of rain. From the very first cutscene it's clear that Obsidian's writing quality is leagues and leagues ahead of Bethesda's, it fills the head with questions and the heart with determination. Compared to the lifeless slog that was Fallout 3's opening, the first couple of hours of NV are an explosion of drama and plot hooks. Using many of the same tricks Fallouts 1 and 2 did, the game skillfully makes you care with very little dialogue required, simply by making sure you're placed in the middle of an active conflict.
There is so much to love about New Vegas, because it feels so closely connected to the old titles thematically, without being overly derivative. Sure, existing factions play a major role, and there are recurring characters, but everything is given a concrete purpose and a unique spin. Then there's the new factions, the Legion and the like, which play excellent ideological foils to the groups the player already knows. The main quests are layered and sprawling, and managing the different lines of inquiry without pissing off anybody is immensely satisfying. The side quests aren't far behind, providing plenty of compelling character moments and delightful reveals and twists. I was also pleased with how the game manages to instill a sense of importance into places unaffected by the main quests, Vault 22 being the prime example. The companion quests are awesome as well, though it did annoy me a lot that you can only have one at a time.
The solid writing aside, the most impressive aspect of this game is how it manages to restructure the dead-on-arrival gameplay of F3 and tweak it into something fun and engaging. The balancing is much better, and the focus is shifted away from gorey kills and towards tactical decision-making. There are way more unique and cool weapons, and modifications and variant ammo make a triumphant return. Skill checks in social encounters are also way, WAY better in NV, though I did find the implementation of the Speech checks annoyingly static. Still, talking to people actually felt good in this game, for the most part.
New vegas is a remarkable experience with a ton of passion put into it, and writing-wise I have no complaints. However, I cannot remember the last time I played a game this blatantly broken. There are so many bugs, so many glitches, the game crashes so much, it became a serious impediment of my enjoyment towards the end. The bugs you'll encounter also vary wildly in severity, from enemy behaviors being somewhat odd, to hostility levels for entire factions changing, the latter of which can kill your entire playthrough if you're not paying attention. The constant crashes also suck. In short, New Vegas is a game beyond repair, but it's also one of the finest examples of video game script writing I've ever encountered. A lesser game would crumble under the weight of so much technical sabotage, but the core experience is so strong it keeps the game alive.
There is so much to love about New Vegas, because it feels so closely connected to the old titles thematically, without being overly derivative. Sure, existing factions play a major role, and there are recurring characters, but everything is given a concrete purpose and a unique spin. Then there's the new factions, the Legion and the like, which play excellent ideological foils to the groups the player already knows. The main quests are layered and sprawling, and managing the different lines of inquiry without pissing off anybody is immensely satisfying. The side quests aren't far behind, providing plenty of compelling character moments and delightful reveals and twists. I was also pleased with how the game manages to instill a sense of importance into places unaffected by the main quests, Vault 22 being the prime example. The companion quests are awesome as well, though it did annoy me a lot that you can only have one at a time.
The solid writing aside, the most impressive aspect of this game is how it manages to restructure the dead-on-arrival gameplay of F3 and tweak it into something fun and engaging. The balancing is much better, and the focus is shifted away from gorey kills and towards tactical decision-making. There are way more unique and cool weapons, and modifications and variant ammo make a triumphant return. Skill checks in social encounters are also way, WAY better in NV, though I did find the implementation of the Speech checks annoyingly static. Still, talking to people actually felt good in this game, for the most part.
New vegas is a remarkable experience with a ton of passion put into it, and writing-wise I have no complaints. However, I cannot remember the last time I played a game this blatantly broken. There are so many bugs, so many glitches, the game crashes so much, it became a serious impediment of my enjoyment towards the end. The bugs you'll encounter also vary wildly in severity, from enemy behaviors being somewhat odd, to hostility levels for entire factions changing, the latter of which can kill your entire playthrough if you're not paying attention. The constant crashes also suck. In short, New Vegas is a game beyond repair, but it's also one of the finest examples of video game script writing I've ever encountered. A lesser game would crumble under the weight of so much technical sabotage, but the core experience is so strong it keeps the game alive.