Review number 4... Fallout New Vegas.. This is one of my all time favorite games. So as always; time for a Pros, Cons, Overall review. Also, this review will mention Fallout 3 a small number of times, using comparisons.
PROS
A Massive World to explore- This game is big. Bigger than most games nowadays, and no two places are even remotely similar. You could beat the main game having explored maybe 20% of the wasteland. With a world so large, you can expect many surprises, amazing views, and tons of rare finds.
Weapon Variety- There are much more weapons in here than Fallout 3. There is somewhere around 90+ weapons to use without DLC. Most of which can be modified to better suit your style. There are now enough Energy weapons to fully deck out a character for energy use as opposed to Conventional. You can upgrade familiar weapons such as laser rifles or Laser Pistols with Scopes, Beam splitters (more damage), etc. All of which can be purchased at stores, which randomly restock items every few days. Other weapons include mods such as Extended Mags, Silencers, and quite a bit more
Ways to Play- Unlike Fallout 3, you can only unlock perks every other level. However, these perks can greatly impact your playstyle and you also learn perks by completing certain events or side quests. This time around you have enough variety to effectively main Melee Weapons, Explosives, and even Unarmed is an effective weapons choice when paired with stealth.
Crafting System- Now you can create Ammo, food, and other stimulant type items as well as buying or finding them. This helps for the money cautious, as well as those looking to play hardcore mode.
Hardcore Mode- A very fun, welcome addition to Fallout. You have to eat, drink, and sleep to survive, bullets have weight, and stimpaks no longer heal broken limbs. It sounds like a pain at first, but when you actually play it there isn't much that compares to the realistic, dangerous world vibe. Managing your inventory size, avoiding risky encounters, rationing health items, only picking up what's necessary... It feels amazing and is in my opinion the way Fallout is meant to be played.
Story- New Vegas essentially has 4 separate but somewhat connected stories. You can choose to complete the game with either of the 4 Governing forces. This increases the replay value by so much more to the point that making a new character just to see what happens is very rewarding. The storyline itself isn't half bad either, there are twists and turns as well as a few chances to double cross people along the way.
Music- The music in this game is amazing. Mostly you'll hear a sort of ambient music that plays while wandering the wasteland which adds atmosphere to the area you're in. Other than that you have great battle music that fits the Mojave to a tee. Lastly for people who dislike ambiance there is an in game radio with a few stations and tracks.
Sound/ Voice- This game has better voice acting than many movies. Every conversation sounds pretty realistic and there are quite a few famous actors doing voice roles in the game. As for the sounds themselves... I could not ask for better quality. The gun sounds are amazing, footsteps sound real and vary depending on the terrain, small things like soda bottles, crates, and boxes all make different sounds according to weight and material. The enemies have varying sound effects, some of which put you on edge if you have your volume up high or a good headset.
Companion System- In Fallout 3 you could have certain people follow you and help out in combat. On here that aspect has been amped up to the fullest. You can have companions hold items you find, issue commands to them such as close range weapon, become passive or aggressive, etc. You can tell them to follow close or far behind, wait at a location, and to go back to your base (home) The companions also have so much variety in appearance, abilities, and personalities, and can unlock special perks unique to them. You can equip them yourself with weapons and health items which they use when appropriate, and each member has a full length side quest that can be initiated after you learn enough about them through conversation or some other means. There is a member suitable pretty much for any playstyle, and you can play solo if you'd prefer.
Gameplay- A few new features includes True Iron sights which allows your aim to literally be like that of a FPS. Aside of that, the melee is upgraded with special attacks, weapon stats, and damage variety and effectiveness against armor. You can still level up and distribute points and make a specialty of your choice as in Fallout 3 and there are a few new skills or combined skills. (Guns = Small guns and big guns.) The game feels much more balanced than 3 and wearing armor makes more of a difference than before.
Fun Rewarding Achievements- Every achievement in this game will unlock something in game aside of the story questlines. Usually in the form of bonus perks or rare weaponry. This makes it pretty much no hassle at all to go for achievements as you know to expect more than just a gamerscore reward.
Challenges- Challenges are a new feature to New Vegas. They reward you with Xp for doing certain tasks and have multiple categories ranging from killing enemies or doing damage with a weapon type, to healing so much health.
Factions- Four major factions mentioned above, though without spoilers exist in the game that have a major impact on gameplay. You can build up a good reputation or a bad one which may bring about special rewards or... Things that are not so good like getting assassins sent after you. This adds complexity when trying to balance relationships with the groups. A great feature is the option to take faction member clothing and disguise yourself as a member. This way you won't be attacked by hostile groups unless you break their rules. Along with a main quest line, each faction also has numerous side quests to complete. Just be careful who you work for, because each action breeds a consequence for the opposing faction.
Fallout Ultimate Edition- A version that comes at a reduced price and includes all of the DLC. This increases your level cap from 30 to 50, adds a ton of quests, weapons, clothing items, and new perks. Not to mention new regions to explore.
CONS
Customization- While not bad, the customization of your character's clothing, build, and hair hasn't changed at all from Fallout 3. This isn't bad but it could have been at least slightly improved.
Broken Radio- Half of the tracks intended to be in the game were lost some kind of way, so the radio features about 12 songs. This gets boring and repetitive, so you may wind up not listening to the radio after a while.
Strange Things Happen- Headshots never kill enemies in one hit unless you get a critical with a powerful weapon. Aside of that, there will occasionally be an enemy who is extremely powerful or seemingly invulnerable.
Glitched Quests- Some quest items can be glitched and stuck in your inventory. While it has a minimal effect on gameplay, it can be annoying because you can never remove the item.
Thieving Partners- If you have a full party in your base (home) You will sometimes notice certain items being removed from where you stored them. Most noticeable when you place a Nuka Cola (rare type) in a drawer or fridge.
OVERALL
Fallout New Vegas is an amazing buy, and at the low price nowadays there is literally no reason to not buy this game if you haven't played or beat it already. The DLC makes the deal much sweeter and the game's only faults can be easily overlooked and avoided if you choose a certain playstyle. Multiple stories and weapon types keep you coming back to the Wasteland and guarantee that no two players (or files) will have the same experience.
5.0