Fallout 3: New Vegas, Completed

Possible spoilers below

Over the weekend I decided to finally finish off Fallout 3: New Vegas. I had been close to the end for over a month, just running around and completing side quests. I had already reached the max level for my character and was slowly going through all the bullets in the world. It wouldn't do to wait until I was out of ammo before trying to finish things off.

So I headed back to Vegas to continue my chosen path (in NV you can side with, essentially, four different factions). When I got there, I realized there was still one more minor mission I had to complete before I could continue. I wasn't really interested in sneaking around, talking to people and getting information to blackmail one of the powers in the city, so instead I walked in with guns blazing and shot everyone in the casino. Evidently that worked - they were no longer a threat for power in the city. So I jumped in to the final mission(s) which were actually pretty cool. The path I chose meant that I wasn't really on anyone's side in the final battle. I had to run through a massive war where both sides would shoot at me if I was caught, sneak around and do a bunch of tasks, and then ensure neither side was able to fight after the war. Playing a sniper made this latter part a bit easier as I was able to pick off some of the key members from the safety of a hill opposite them.

Overall, I enjoyed the game. It had a lot of things that I loved about it, but there were plenty of things I did not enjoy or features added I just didn't care about.

THE BAD:
1. Glitchy - good lord, was this game glitchy. There were times where I nearly stopped playing in frustration because the game would crash on me. I ended up inside rocks that I couldn't get back out of. I found myself trying to follow storylines that I had to abandon because if I advanced along them anymore, the game would crash. Without a doubt, this was the most frustrating part of the game. If it hadn't been a Fallout game, I would have abandoned it long ago.

2. The new "create your own items" idea - I get the concept, and it sounds all fun and good, but being able to combine a bunch of items to create new ammo or new healing potions was actually fairly boring to me. It meant I ended up with hundreds of useless items in my inventory because they were all ingredients to something else.

3. The early game - I came to a point fairly early on where I feel like I explored all of the places I could actually survive, and it took me grinding out a few more levels before I could actually venture out further. Made it kind of boring a little early on.


THE GOOD:
1. Allies - you could do a lot more with them, and you could have more than you used to. In the course of the game, I ran around with three different allies, but there were another half dozen out there, I'm sure. It was nice to run through a particularly difficult mission and know someone had your back.

2. Super Mutants and Deathclaws were tougher - in the first game, I felt like these guys were tough, but with a little effot, I could take them down. In this game, they utterly whomped me until I hit really high levels, and even then, if I stepped wrong, the Deathclaws would evisorate me.


Overall, I'd rank this game below the first Fallout 3, mostly because I think the first one felt bigger, and the game didn't have as many bugs. But still, a solid addition to the Fallout line. Now if only they'd fix the bugs so other people could get through it too.

Three Computer Games

I've been having a blast with Mass Effect 2 recently, and got to thinking about which of my three more recent roleplaying games I liked the most. So here are the contestants:


Fallout 3 - This was the first one I played recently. A post-apocalyptic world, sandbox-style game. Great theme, great graphics, and all around good time. Have to stop an evil massive group and figure out a way to help bring life back to the DC region.


Dragon Age - Next came the Dragon Age series. Classic fantasy setting with a wide-open character creation. You can move through a very vivid storyline making choices that will determine things like who is king, all while fighting massive dragons in a huge war against evil.


Mass Effect 2 - The most recent one on the block. I realize I'm about a half a year behind on this one, but I figured I'd try a sci-fi bend to the roleplaying game, and I'm glad I did. Large cast of characters, learning all about their back stories, all while dealing with a sci-fi/horror/conspiracy plot that keeps you on your toes.

So which is best? Well, each one has their own benefits and drawbacks.

Genre. What can I say? I love post-apocalyptic worlds. They're dismal, depressing, and all around good fun. I'd give the nod to Fallout 3 here. When it comes to Sci Fi or Fantasy, I'm really pretty flexible. I like them both at different times. Once I've played enough fantasy, I want a switch, and vice versa. I can't really favor either one over the other.

Gameplay. All three games are so vastly different here. Fallout 3 is a pure first person shooter. Dragon Age is a squad-based tactical battle map. Mass Effect is a combination of the two, controlling your squad as you go through a shooter-style game. Overall, I liked Dragon Age the best with Mass Effect 2 coming in second. I guess I just like the tactical gameplay more in the long run.

Main Storyline. Okay, here's there's really no contest. Mass Effect 2 takes it easily. Part of this could be the freshness of the game, but I don't think that's it at all. There are tons of sidequests, and each time the main story advances, it feels right and escalates. I see twists and turns blindsiding me all the time. Dragon Age comes in second here, with Fallout 3 taking the last place.

Side Storylines. Again, no contest, though this time Fallout 3 takes first with Mass Effect 2 sitting in second. I'm counting all the side missions for each character as "side storylines" since you technically do not need to complete them to continue. Though why wouldn't you want to?

Enemies. It's a tough one to call here. If I'm talking about single enemies, it's hard to talk trash about a dragon. If I'm talking about massed enemies, I think the ones from Fallout 3 will win out. I'll just call it a draw there and put Mass Effect at the end.

Overall. Well, sitting back and taking stock of the three games, I'm going to have to rank them as such:

Fallout 3 takes first for a lot of reasons, though primarily for the theme and the sandbox way it plays. Everything about the game was great, from the music to the atmosphere. I really felt like I was there.

Mass Effect 2 takes second, this one mostly for the characters in the game. They each have such vast and deep stories to them that keeps me wanting to learn more about the world. Plus its main quest missions come across quite unsettling. From the derelict space ship to the attack on the colony, all good times.

Dragon Age takes third, and that should not be a knock on the game. All three of these are top shelf. Dragon Age has a great interface, being able to control an entire group of four very easily, all with vastly different abilities. The storyline is good, but I feel like the game lacks deep characters and interesting side missions.

Anywho, that's my take. Hope you enjoyed.

Fallout: New Vegas

November is too long to wait for the next installment of the Fallout series, but that's what they're going to make me do. Not hitting stores until November 16th, Fallout: New Vegas will pick up three years after the end of Fallout 3 and not really be attached to the other game. None of the old characters will be seen again - this is an entirely new game with the same engine (though it's had some improvements).

The VATS combat system will be improved to allow certain special attacks, and will work with melee-based attacks now too.



Kharma will still be around, but there's also going to be Reputation which is based on different factions in the game. So while you may becoming tighter with one group, you may be losing ground with another.

You can start modifying your weaponry now by doing things like adding scopes, changing the shots fired rate, etc.

The companions are going to be set up a little more like those in Dragon Age where you can give them a set of commands and behaviors they will follow.

Finally, the last thing I've heard is a new mode for the game: Hardcore mode. Your ammunition will have weight, your healing packs will delay heal you rather than healing you up immediately, crippled limbs can only be healed with high medical skill, and you'll have to keep drinking water to avoid dehydration. Sounds like a tough challenge.



Personally, I can't wait for the game to come out. Dragon Age is a lot of fun, but I'm still working on Awakenings. It didn't grab me the same way the original game did. I actually went back to playing Fallout 3 for a little while and realized just how much I missed that game. It will be nice to explore an entirely new place.