The recent release of Fallout New Vegas has left the gaming community abuzz. Would we get a worthwhile title, or was this actually released too soon? I’ve been playing it for the last couple weeks now, and I’m convinced I’ve barely scratched the surface. We’ve already reviewed it here, but now, I’m set to take a look at it to close out the week. As much as I liked Fallout New Vegas, I just don’t think it stacks up to its previous installment. Fallout 3, so far, has been better than Fallout New Vegas, and here are the top six reasons why.
6. Too many continuity issues. I understand that Fallout 3 isn’t related to Fallout New Vegas, but we ARE in the same universe here. And as such, there were plenty of strange details no one seems to be willing to account for. For instance, while it was good to see the Brotherhood of Steel still up and running, I expected their presence to be a lot bigger given how near to their home ground they were. And where was the Enclave? For crying out loud, the Enclave is one state away! How is it NOT interfering? Surely the Enclave didn’t lose sufficient forces in the oil rig disaster to not have a presence left in California! Surely everybody didn’t pack up for the Capitol Wasteland! And while we’re at it, we’re in Nevada this time. Aliens got their own downloadable content in Fallout 3, but we can’t go to Roswell? Area 51? I’d like to at least see the Area 2 the Boomers were talking about where they landed their upgraded weapons. I can’t find it as is. Maybe there are explanations for some of this in the likely upcoming downloadable content, but for right now, lots of strange gray areas exist.
5. Frequent bugs. Sure, Fallout 3 was not without its issues–strange animal / rock hybrids where the various horrors of the Wasteland had fused with rocks–but they’re all over in Fallout New Vegas. I have lost multiple save games to Fallout New Vegas’ strange memory issues (seemingly whenever I come out of Vault 3), and once, I fell through the floor at the train tunnel near the Boomers’ camp. I was magically deposited in front of the exit, but it was still pretty weird. My companions would appear and disappear at random. I even had problems with the loading screen locking up. That roulette wheel suddenly stopping was an active heartbreaker. Sure, there are patches now, and that’s great. But still–even with patches, plenty of people are still having troubles.
4. Forced replay value. The game depends heavily on factions. Whether you’re working with the New California Republic, Caesar’s Legion, Mr. House, or just working for an independent New Vegas, you’re working for somebody. But what this means is that you can’t see everything your first trip through. Because once you get sufficiently deep in with some faction, you’ll be shunned by the other factions. My first playthrough found me committed to an independent New Vegas, and after starting to work with Mr. House, I was told that the NCR and Caesar’s Legion weren’t interested in working with me. That means, unlike the original, you can’t do everything in one go. You essentially have to restart (or go back to saves before you find yourself committed to one faction or another) in order to see how everything comes out.
3. Relatively limited story. Where with Fallout 3, you’d find both a larger story and a whole array of little stories. Whether you’re trying to help the Brotherhood of Steel wipe out the Enclave or you’re just out to save Megaton from an atomic fireball, you had all manner of stories. But in Fallout New Vegas, you’ll often find locations that seem to have no purpose. My time at Coyote Tail Ridge was a largely pointless venture, and I still find myself wondering what it means. I can’t find any actual purpose, other than a handful of graves nearby. It seems unconnected to any story, and…it’s just there. Why is it there? The Wiki gives me some story about NCR ambush teams and the whole Great Khans thing, but is this worth making a location out of it?
2. Radio options fewer. First, it IS awesome that they got Wayne Newton to handle the voice of Mr. New Vegas. That’s great. It’s wonderful, it truly is. But that having been said, Mr. New Vegas is no Three Dog. The news does not keep up the way it did back in Fallout 3. I remember Three Dog being horrified when I sent a horde of feral ghouls rampaging through Tenpenny Tower, and being filled with hope when I got Brian Wilks a home in the Capitol Wasteland. Mr. New Vegas, meanwhile, is too busy schmoozing to invisible characters to bother too much with what I do, and that detachment is disappointing. Dammit, Wayne, I just sent a horde of Caesar’s Legion slavers to their fiery deaths in Nelson, the least you can do is stop flirting with whatever blue hair happens to be listening long enough to say something about it! Oh, you did? No, you said the NCR took it back. The NCR stood around looking stupid while I handed Dead Sea his silly little skirt, but do you mention me? Oh no. Not you.
1. Increased emphasis on speech challenges. This annoyed me, and annoyed many of the folks I talked about with this, but for some reason, Fallout New Vegas depends a lot more on speech challenges than anything else. I, like many of my contemporaries, began by tricking out my skills in firearms and explosives, lockpicks and medicine and the like. But as it turns out, the biggest part of this game seemed to be the thing I usually needed least, especially in the last go-round. Sure, in Fallout 3, if I was a smooth talker I could get some things done. But in Fallout: New Vegas, I’m at a serious disadvantage if I can’t talk straight. It’s almost preposterous how much of this game depends on my ability to talk my way out of a fight instead of blast my way out of it with something heavy, and energy based.
Let’s not forget the central thrust here. For the most part, Fallout New Vegas is a great game, a fantastic time and well worth your time to play. It just has a rough time competing with its predecessor, and hopefully, as the inevitable flood of DLC emerges, Fallout New Vegas will only get better. But as it sits right now, it just can’t beat its predecessor. The student has not yet surpassed the master…though it may.
