PG 1 | PG 2

Starting to feel like a Shooter
Aside from a few game improving tweaks, combat is primary the same with VATS returning in all its brain exploding joy. The first tweak, iron sights is nice addition that goes a long way in helping the FPS action feel tighter. This made me play the game more like shooter without overly relaying on VATS to do all the work, something I didn't do in Fallout 3. The second addition is the damage threshold feature. Different thresholds of damage are now part of the game, and depending on a characters skin or armour the damage you do will differ. Different ammo is also a part of New Vegas with variations on penetrating metal and skin. Lastly, weapons in New Vegas can be modded with extended magazines and better scopes and so on, which another good feature that helps customize the experience and vary the world even more. All together these tweaks make the gunplay way more satisfying then the original. It's still not up to 'Far Cry 2' quality, but its pretty damn good considering.

The All Powerful Wheel of Commands
As you likely know Fallout 3 had a fair amount of NPCs that you could align with. If you know this then you already know communicating with them was a long drawn out dialogue process that would make traveling alone the preferred choice. Well that has been addressed with the addition of a 'Companion Wheel.' The 'Companion Wheel' is a quick pick selection where you can bark out commands, making dealing with NPCs actually enjoyable. Beyond that, the NPCs still have some troubles in spots, path-finding being the main issue. The companion wheel helps, but this area could still use some improvements.

Glitch Me Baby, One More Time
I'm sure you have all heard about the excessive amount of glitching that has been happening in the console versions of New Vegas. Everyone's experience with the glitches will be different as it seems like it covers a wide range of issues with no real determining factor. Our copy of the game was infected with some glitches, but it wasn't bad as I expected. The way it sounds on the community boards that the game is so bogged down, its unplayable. Well, that's not the case, so don't worry so much. Fallout 3 had its fair share, so I guess Vegas is just carrying on tradition. The one big reoccurring glitch we had was that our player constantly looped the animation of pulling your weapon out of your pack. This was happening all the time as without us touching any buttons. Aside from that nothing too major.

Fallout: New Vegas is an epic journey that matches the magnitude of Fallout 3. New Vegas will take away your social life and breed a new game addicted wasteland crawling creature. While it might not be the prettiest game on the market, you can't deny the substance and bang for your buck. Sure, I would have liked New Vegas to be more like what I expect out of Fallout 4. However, Obsidian did a good job improving the core mechanics while deepening both the RPG and FPS elements. Fallout: New Vegas will appeal to anyone who loves blowing heads off a super-mutant and exploring strange new lands. This is adventure on the grandest scale and we love it.

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More Fallout this is always a good thing Deeper game mechanics (reputation, companion wheel, ammo creation, etc) Hardcore mode is actually hardcore. Wonderful replay option This world is huge, you will always be doing something New characters, new perks, new weapons FPS mechanics are tighter Game engine is showing its age Majority of the gameplay issues still carry over from Fallout 3 New Vegas has bed bugs, the glitchy kind Hard to shake the “been there” feeling Quote: "Fallout: New Vegas is an epic journey that matches the magnitude of Fallout 3. New Vegas will take away your social life and breed a new game addicted wasteland crawling creature. While it might not be the prettiest game on the market, you can't deny the substance and bang for your buck. This is adventure on the grandest scale and we love it." Reviewed by DowntownJimmy | 10.27.10

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