In 2008 Bethesda dropped what was arguably the Game of the Year, Fallout 3. The franchise had a previous history, but under Bethesda’s development it became a modern day classic. Fallout: New Vegas is the follow up to Fallout 3; this time being developed by Obsidian, but still closely monitored by Bethesda who are publishing the game.
The demo I played allowed me to browse a part of the Las Vegas strip, surrounded by hotels. A lot of the strip wasn’t accessible through the demo, but there was enough there to show that Fallout: New Vegas has a lot more going on than Fallout 3. Determined not to make myself get trigger happy and open fire on the strip, I began walking into random hotels to see what I could discover. Upon entering the hotels you will be asked to submit your weapons until you are ready to leave, which is a bummer if you have business that requires making somebody bleed. Luckily Obsidian has provided a slick solution that will ensure that you will never be unarmed, unless you want to be of course. There are a range of weapons that are able to be stored on your character out of sight, allowing you to smuggle in a little something to protect yourself with. If you choose to build a character with a high sneaking ability, then you will be able to sneak in even bigger weapons, I guess that really is a gun in my pocket.
When playing Fallout: New Vegas it’s so easy to get sidetracked, especially when you love to explore every single detail. Eventually Obsidian’s art director had to put me back on track, showing me where to begin the featured mission. If you are wondering why Las Vegas is fully functioning after a post apocalyptic catastrophe it’s because the Hoover dam is still able to issue power to the area, meaning there are various settlements around that have power. This creates a struggle between people who have power, and people who seek it. The various casino and hotels on the strip are owned by different factions, and by doing missions for each you can raise your reputation with the factions themselves.
In the demo I was given the task of teaming up with a buddy to go and provide help to a various faction. While I was out in the wasteland I got to try out the companion wheel, which you can use to easily command your partner in battle. You can choose to give him stimpaks, swap weapons or items, and even choose his battle strategy. Companions will definitely be a huge part of Fallout: New Vegas with seven possible companions; each with their own personal quests, upgrades and perks. This is somewhat a welcomed edition as Fallout 3 did feel very lonely for the most part, now you can feel subconsciously braver knowing you have your companion with you in that dark underground cave.
The mission had me going out to look for some members of the faction who trekked into the wasteland looking for supplies, the members were discovered dead and we were then ambushed. This gave me an opportunity to check out some of the combat. I didn’t get to try out the V.A.T.S system this time around, but I got to check out enough of the weapons to know that Obsidian have put a lot of creativity in to the Fallout world. One really impressive weapon is the bladed gauntlet, which is a melee weapon. It’s basically a giant fist that fits like a glove and has sharp blades coming out of the fist, perfect if you want to get your Wolverine on.
Creativity is a key thing this time around in Fallout, and it won’t just be coming from Obsidian. Not only does Fallout: New Vegas allow you to craft your own weapons much like in Fallout 3 at the various work benches; but this time you will also be able to use ingredients to create poisonous chemicals that can be used with your weapons, all you need is an open fire to initiate poison crafting.
With both Bethesda and Obsidian working together on this next edition to the Fallout series, fans can ensure that the experience will last us even longer than Fallout 3 did. Fallout: New Vegas doesn’t seem to have any unwanted changes compared to Fallout 3, the same mechanics are there but instead they have been expanded beyond our wildest imagination. Fallout: New Vegas is an extension of the game we loved back in 2008, but with new experiences and new surroundings. And before you make the bold claim that this should have been DLC, I ensure you that It is much more than that. Fallout: New Vegas lands on a strip near you on October 19th so get your chips ready.
