Fallout: New Vegas

By Jay Williams

Playing Fallout: New Vegas one could be forgiven in thinking that this was an expansion on Fallout 3. The people over at Obsidian have stuck to Fallout 3s winning formula hence the similarities in game play (not that it's a bad thing).  

New Vegas takes place during the year 2281, 4 years after the events of Fallout 3. The game is set in post-apocalyptic Las Vegas, Nevada and the Mojave Desert known as the "Mojave Wasteland" which is roughly the same size as the "Capital Wasteland" in Fallout 3.  Unlike other cities in the Fallout series, Las Vegas was not struck directly by a nuclear attack. Its buildings remain intact, and mutation of its inhabitants is minimal.  

The city is divided between various factions, most notably the New California Republic (NCR). Thanks to the Hoover Dam, the NCR and citizens of New Vegas have access to clean water and power, something most areas lack.

However, this is a problem for the NCR who are now locked into a battle with the Legion, a group lead by a man who renamed himself Caesar. The Legion absorbs nearby tribes and enslaved a portion of their population.

The NCR and Caesar's Legion don't exactly see eye-to-eye over the control of the area, and tensions are running hot.

Players take the role of a courier, while delivering a package with a platinum poker chip to New Vegas, you are ambushed by some rather unsavory men who steal the package, shoot you in the head and place your body in a shallow grave.

A robot named Victor eventually finds your body and brings it to Doctor Mitchell. At this point, you   are you are presented with a character creation menu, this defines your skills, attributes, name, gender, age and appearance.

After you have made your character you set off investigating your assassination attempt, exploring the vast Fallout world in the process.

There are a few new features and improvements in Fallout: New Vegas, the original Fallout 3 engine was reworked to accommodate the extra lights and effects of the Vegas strip for New Vegas.

The Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System, or V.A.T.S. has several V.A.T.S-specific attacks, players can target certain body parts allowing you to injure limbs.

Also, the developers have also added the ability to use the iron sights on almost all guns, excluding larger weapons that are shot from the hip, with better over-the-shoulder view for third-person combat.

Fallout: New Vegas also offers a weapon modification system that allows you to mount scopes, modify firing rate, and the amount of ammo in the clip. Along with weapon modification there is also the option of crafting new ammunition.

Fallout: New Vegas has taken the Fallout 3 formula and improved upon what is already a great game. In game combat is solid, side missions are great and there are plenty to keep you busy. There is well over 40 hours of game play on offer and I think fans will more than enjoy this installment.

Game: Fallout: New Vegas
System: Xbox 360
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Distributor: Bethesda Softworks

Rating: 80%

(Ratings Key/Explanation)