Why is Fallout New Vegas considered good?

[LarryTyphoid]

But talking Deathclaws isn't?

There are a bunch of things in Fallout 2 that were going too far, talking deathclaws among them.

Really, what is so bad about talking deathclaws? I don't understand the complaint at all. This is like the number one gotcha against FO2 and it's ridiculous. They're not even a gag, they're pretty straight-faced and treated seriously in the story. Fallout 1 had people getting dropped into goo and turning into big green ogres but a talking lizard is too much? It's a little pulpy, but so what? The talking deathclaws also gets you Goris, who's the coolest party member in the whole series.

Prank calling the Enclave from the Gecko reactor was going too far.

That was funny as hell, an interaction FAR more memorable than any single scene in Fallout 1 or even New Vegas, and it's only one of many.

Maybe it's just because I played the series in a NV>2>1 order, so I didn't carry any preconceived notions from the first game to FO2, but I find many criticisms of FO2's writing to be bizarre. I can agree that there's too many pop culture references in retrospect (though I paid them no mind at all on my first playthroughs), but people can't just leave it there and have to start harping on about talking deathclaws or whatever.

 

[Lemming42]

Fo2 used to be my favourite specifically because of the humour but I think it's objectively badly written in parts - the setting simply doesn't make any degree of sense. It's about as nonsensical as Fallout 3's setting at times.

Honestly though, all the Fallout games feel like different settings to me anyway - I can't square New Vegas and Fallout 1 as taking place in the same world. But Fallout 2, fun as it is, doesn't even make sense internally. San Francisco in particular is really shit, and anything to do with the Enclave sucks (though Arch Dornan and the prank call are both very funny). Broken Hills is also just fucking dumb, losing the chess game to the super-intelligent radscorpion and transporting the talking plant to a new patch are fun but they're also stupid.

 

[Sreggin Etah I]

Really, what is so bad about talking deathclaws?

If you don't find bloodthirsty giant lizards, talking and being intelligent closer to humans despite being completely genetically different, as immersion breaking, then i guess you won't find anything in Fallout 2 weird as well.

Yeah you could use all excuses for that, like radiation and ect.. for me it makes the game feels like a cartoon or a parody of the first game. It ruined Deathclaws as well, it makes like they are misunderstood, not scary, if only they could talk... we humans could be friends! instead of killing each other.

 

[NecroLord]

The Enclave's motivations for killing everyone are so retarded it belonged in Fallout 3, not a game people say has good writing.

This.
The Enclave were only great for Fallout 2. Never understood why they had to be in Fallout 3 (or Fallout 3 itself, for that matter).
They are the remnants of the US government trying to save its decrepit ass.

 

[Butter]

Deathclaws were a really good counterpart to super mutants. Super mutants are very powerful and dangerous, but they're still people and you can talk to them and understand them on some level. Deathclaws are just inscrutable monsters, and you can't reason with them or understand them on any level. Fallout 2 said "Nah, they're essentially another flavor of super mutant now." Had this been in a Bethesda game, nobody would defend it, because it's a mirror image of Bethesda turning the super mutants into retarded orcs.

 

[NecroLord]

Lemming42 That's why Interplay Fallout is so awesome. It's grimdark but also has humour and style. Humanity failed to learn anything of value after it nearly annihilated itself, humans are still petty, duplicitous, brutal creatures. There is humour to be extracted from humanity's incompetence.

 

[LarryTyphoid]

It ruined Deathclaws as well, it makes like they are misunderstood, not scary, if only they could talk... we humans could be friends! instead of killing each other.

Deathclaws were a really good counterpart to super mutants. Super mutants are very powerful and dangerous, but they're still people and you can talk to them and understand them on some level. Deathclaws are just inscrutable monsters, and you can't reason with them or understand them on any level. Fallout 2 said "Nah, they're essentially another flavor of super mutant now." Had this been in a Bethesda game, nobody would defend it.

It's been awhile since I've played it, but I'm pretty sure Fallout 2 directly states that the Vault 13 deathclaws mutated to have human-level intelligence, and that normal deathclaws do not have this intelligence. This is why they were able to form a coherent community (unlike normal deathclaws), and why the Enclave saw them as threats - because they had human-level intelligence paired with bodies vastly more powerful than humans'.

 

[NecroLord]

It's been awhile since I've played it, but I'm pretty sure Fallout 2 directly states that the Vault 13 deathclaws mutated to have human-level intelligence, and that normal deathclaws do not have this intelligence. This is why they were able to form a coherent community (unlike normal deathclaws), and why the Enclave saw them as threats - because they had human-level intelligence paired with bodies vastly more powerful than humans'.

To further elaborate, the deathclaws were supposed to be intelligent enough to follow orders and just that. The fact they formed a community and were even intelligent enough to develop a high moral code that emphasizes the good of the entire community and helping of one another was a major miscalculation on the Enclave's part (which is why they sent UBER Mutant Supersoldier Frank Horrigan to exterminate them).

 

[Sreggin Etah I]

It's been awhile since I've played it, but I'm pretty sure Fallout 2 directly states that the Vault 13 deathclaws mutated to have human-level intelligence, and that normal deathclaws do not have this intelligence. This is why they were able to form a coherent community (unlike normal deathclaws), and why the Enclave saw them as threats - because they had human-level intelligence paired with bodies vastly more powerful than humans'.

Like i said you can use all excuses you want, muh mutation, still dumb imo. I could accept if they mutated to be more intelligent, or dangerous or behave different or something else, but socializing and talking with humans is too much. Plus you need more than just intelligence to be able to talk like humans:

https://palmdesert.ucr.edu/calnatblog/2021/06/14/how-lizards-communicate-their-own-species

Most lizards can not even vocalize, the few that do would not sound like a human, same with others animals, even if they had the same intelligence that humans do or more, they could not. But what about muh mutations? you can always use this excuse to justify anything, at this point radiation is magic, anything is allowed.

 

[vota DC]

C&C

It's rushed and unfinished, why would you even bother? The story and the factions aren't even completed.
You just get a bit of what was intended and in terms of sheer quality, it is done much better in other games like Fallout 2 for example.

The factions are rushed and unfinished, the C&C give you a lot of options. For example you never see a Legion city but you can help legion win and get different outcome if Caesar or Lanius are in charge, you can even sabotage this victory helping the Rangers and helping Khans to make their own empire.

 

[NecroLord]

Mr. House is a badass and great character.
Also voiced by Rene Auberjonois.
Never liked Caesar and his Legion. He's a megalomaniacal edgelord, just what the wasteland needed...

 

[GrafvonMoltke]

Oh yeah I remembered about sex mods. NV is definitely the Fallout game with the best sex mods

 

[Assisted Living Godzilla]

C&C

Cow & Chicken

There is a more fitting Cartoon Network cartoon.

 

[LarryTyphoid]

But what about muh mutations? you can always use this excuse to justify anything, at this point radiation is magic, anything is allowed.

Radiation can't turn people into unaging ogres or zombies either, bro, nor can it turn normal lizards into giant bipedal dinosaurs or make scorpions bigger than people. So what are you saying that doesn't apply to FO1? Besides, as NecroLord alluded to, the Vault 13 deathclaws were the subjects of intentional and targeted experimentation, not just vague radiation exposure. You really have no leg to stand on here.

 

[Sreggin Etah I]

But what about muh mutations? you can always use this excuse to justify anything, at this point radiation is magic, anything is allowed.

Radiation can't turn people into unaging ogres or zombies either, bro, nor can it turn normal lizards into giant bipedal dinosaurs or make scorpions bigger than people. So what are you saying that doesn't apply to FO1? Besides, as NecroLord alluded to, the Vault 13 deathclaws were the subjects of intentional and targeted experimentation, not just vague radiation exposure. You really have no leg to stand on here.

Yeah but there are limits to this, what might be immersion breaking or dumb, it's subjective. For me, if they did some big fire breathing lizard with wings and justify with 'muh mutations' would be less dumb than talking Deathclaws. But it's all subjective.

 

[Lemming42]

The Vault 13 Deathclaws were recipients of a modified form of FEV. Increased intelligence was one of the intended effects of the original FEV and could be seen on some Super Mutants in Fo1. FEV and radiation are two totally different things, the Deathclaws didn't end up intelligent via radiation.

I never understood the problem people had with them. Why wouldn't they talk to humans? Regular Deathclaws attack you because they're animals, but these ones are cognitively on par with humans, they have no reason to attack you. It's in their interest to enlist your aid to fix their computer, which is what they do.

You could argue that they're thematically wrong* but, just in terms of making sense within the setting, they don't really break anything established in Fo1.

*I'd disagree, I think they're exactly the type of appealing pulpy idea that Fo1 excelled at

 

[Sreggin Etah I]

Regardless of whatever way they ended up talking, it's dumb imo.

 

[Tyranicon]

Reasons why I liked F:NV. Unmarked spoilers cause dis game old.

1. House is a great character. Yes, he's kind of cartoony and tropish, but that's what makes him great. Also, despite him being pretty unlikable, he is the best choice to support over the NCR/Legion, and holds the promise for the brightest future for the Mojave.

2. Caesar's Legion vs the NCR and their ideological war. One of the more interesting conflicts I've seen in any RPG.

3. No Gods, No Masters. I applaud any game that lets you triple backstab three factions and seize power for yourself. Although whether or not this ending is actually good for anybody is questionable.

4. New Vegas actually makes you think about the relationship between the factions and how they react to each other.

 

[Cat Headed Eagle]

At least Obsidian was sensible enough to put the really retarded stuff under an optional mode you can choose at the beginning of the game. In FO2 they come in the form of full game locations and random encounters you face when you are travelling through the map.

In FO1, said encounters often had combat or other locations of interest. IN FO2, they're just memes.

 

[430am]

It's one of the very few games that did factions right, to the point that a decade later people still actively talk about it and make content/humor, and when the game is brought up people clash about who's better or cooler.
It has a very recognizable style and setting.
It's extremely impressive for the amount of time it was developed - no developer today would be able to repeat this feat, it's de-facto industry standard to slow crawl development over years and years with delays, early access and content updates.
It makes the best out of a godawful greybeard engine and allows fun broken OP builds, and lets you just kill everyone if you wish.
It doesn't hold your hand, you can kill the man who saved you after waking up and fuck off to the capital right away taking the hard path for experienced players or wherever else if you wish.
It has good and well-written DLC that people still talk about and compare to this day.
Both ranged and melee/unarmed builds are very viable and you can start having fun with them right away, instead of waiting for a gun or a melee weapon.
It has memorable, fitting songs unlike Fallout 3's WACKY AMERICANA music, and a menacing ambient soundtrack if you turn the radio off.
When you reach the strip, it's actually possible to have fun in it instead of it just being a fancy set piece - enter any casino and play all the games the world inhabitants do. Each casino is a faction of it's own in the strip as well.
The quests are memorable and you can make a decisive difference in the wasteland or destroy it by your own efforts instead of being THE CHOSEN ONE OR WHATEVER. The ending exposition gives closure on this.

 

[GrafvonMoltke]

It's one of the very few games that did factions right, to the point that a decade later people still actively talk about it and make content/humor, and when the game is brought up people clash about who's better or cooler.
It has a very recognizable style and setting.
It's extremely impressive for the amount of time it was developed - no developer today would be able to repeat this feat, it's de-facto industry standard to slow crawl development over years and years with delays, early access and content updates.
It makes the best out of a godawful greybeard engine and allows fun broken OP builds, and lets you just kill everyone if you wish.
It doesn't hold your hand, you can kill the man who saved you after waking up and fuck off to the capital right away taking the hard path for experienced players or wherever else if you wish.
It has good and well-written DLC that people still talk about and compare to this day.
Both ranged and melee/unarmed builds are very viable and you can start having fun with them right away, instead of waiting for a gun or a melee weapon.
It has memorable, fitting songs unlike Fallout 3's WACKY AMERICANA music, and a menacing ambient soundtrack if you turn the radio off.
When you reach the strip, it's actually possible to have fun in it instead of it just being a fancy set piece - enter any casino and play all the games the world inhabitants do. Each casino is a faction of it's own in the strip as well.
The quests are memorable and you can make a decisive difference in the wasteland or destroy it by your own efforts instead of being THE CHOSEN ONE OR WHATEVER. The ending exposition gives closure on this.

Pretty good list. Keep up the good work, kid.

The fact NV has this level of depth and some retards wanna rag on it is proof that certain codexers are only interested in edgy contrarianism.

 

[Vic]

Here’s a big reason:

Spoiler

 

[gruntar]

Graphically, it's puke-inducing.
Gameplay-wise it's worse than any FPS in the genre. It's clunky, poorly-made and extremely badly designed and a complete disgrace for an FPS.
The AI is in shambles, literally.

Obsidian had little control over FPS part of the game since it runs on gamebryo engine, however adding iron sights alone made it much better than Fallout 3. They had much more control over RPG part and improvements here are significant: nerfed VATS, perks every two levels, revamped armor systems and many more.

The Factions are all rushed and expediated, Caesar's Legion(supposedly the beast from the East is a bunch of 30 dudes in football uniforms fighting with bat in an universe with guns??????) is a joke

Melee and unarmed are viable forms of combat in this universe, that includes Fallout 1 & 2, so whats the problem here exactly ?

Boomers faction is a joke, The Khans Faction is a joke. Enclave is a joke. Omerta is a Joke.

Subjective, for me remnants were elegant and logical conclusion to Enclave from Fallout 2. I don't see other above mentioned faction as a "joke".

The Strip, the casino is a place with roughly 10 dudes roaming around in the void.

Gamebryo engine. You're repeating yourself.

I feel like people like it for what it could have been rather than what it truly is: A shitty FPS with broken dialogues, broken quests, rushed storylines&Factions,

Any examples of that broken quests and dialogues ? In what sense they're broken ? Really curious.

A(bsent)I, blurry puke-inducing graphics, as well as an extremely buggy software.

Graphically, it's puke-inducing. The AI is in shambles, literally.
Yeah I know, you mentioned it already in your short shitpost. You really are grasping at straws, aren't you.

And don't get me started with the open-world, it's a nothingburger, it is filled with nothing, and invisible walls to spice it up.

Another non argument straight from Fallout 3 reddit, what can I even say ?

This thing is hailed as one of the best RPGs, this is madness.
Fallout 2 is hundredfold better than this piece of shit, there is no debate.

Oh so it's one of those "let me shit on that popular game to make game I like look better"?

Seriously I don't get it.

You really don't. You are bitching mostly about engine related things and some random subjective things. Guess what, I have good news for you - game like F:NV will never be created again, but there will be plenty of games with smooth gamaplay, nice graphics and sanitized woke writing, like The Last of Us or The Outer Worlds. You'll consume them, and you'll be happy. Fags like you don't deserve any better.

 

[PapaPetro]

Low expectations coming from Fallout 3.
That's why FNV got the love. It felt like a mea culpa from Bethesda.
Kinda how the Devil makes God look better by sucking so bad.

Best time to subvert expectations is when someone is already in the dumps about something. Basic marketing.
You'll earn A LOT of goodwill for curing someone's negative opinion and renewing their optimism.
This can obviously apply to other fields/relationships as well.

 

[Funposter]

you can wear cowboy hats