Full Version: Fallout: New Vegas
I can already tell this is gonna be my favorite game ever.
Isn't a post apocalypse Las Vegas a bit redundant since Vegas is already a wasteland? lol I'm not gonna be satisfied with the game unless I can visit Retehi's house.
Frank Sinatra on the radio is freaking awesome. I've got the urge to play fallout 3 now.
Frank Sinatra on the radio is freaking awesome. I've got the urge to play fallout 3 now.
In 2012 they're releasng Fallout: New New Jersey. Then we can shoot up super mutants in AC's backyard.
QUOTE(Crushinator @ Feb 4 2010, 06:29 PM) 
In 2012 they're releasng Fallout: New New Jersey. Then we can shoot up super mutants in AC's backyard.
Before somebody else makes the joke. Isn't a post apocalypse New Jersey a bit redundant since it's already a wasteland?
oooooooohhhhhhhhhhh
QUOTE(AC9breaker @ Feb 4 2010, 04:48 PM)
oooooooohhhhhhhhhhh
oooooooooooo
hhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhh
I swear, what this game will do to me, will be the same thing I did in GTA San Andreas, where I kept driving around trying to look for familiar places.
Leaked details on New Vegas from Fallout fansite Duck and Cover:
Hardcore mode sounds really appealing to me!
Everything so far sounds fantastic, and I like these ties to Fallout 1 and 2. GOTY 2010, I'm calling it early.
QUOTE
* There is an optional hardcore mode, the character needs to drink water, ammo has weight, healing isn't instant etc. Normal mode is more similar to Fallout 3 gameplay.
* The storyline is focused on the New California Republic vs. Caesar's Legion vs. New Vegas residents.
* You are not a vault dweller but are given a Pip-Boy by someone who is one.
* There is a screenshot of a vault suit as well.
* There is an assault rifle looking like the M4, as well as a new big gun with a backpack, held like a minigun.
* There are special moves for melee weapons in VATS - specifically a move for a golf club called "Fore" which seems to be a groin shot.
* The Hoover Dam is in the game and is supplying electricity to the city.
* There is a quest to rescue a ghoul from some super mutants. The ghoul can then become your companion
* The Geckos are back.
* There are both dumb and intelligent super mutants, including the elite Nightkin.
* Some super mutants look similar to the ones in Fallout 3, while others are new. There is e.g. a female super mutant with a 1950s hairstyle who apparently is one of their leaders.
* Screenshots include a guy with a beard and straw hat, a ghoul an NCR Ranger
* The only picture of New Vegas itself is concept art and not a screenshot
* Some location screenshots include a huge model dinosaur advertising a hotel, some satellite dishes, an array of solar panels
* A character generation shot showing a "vigour machine" instead of the skill book
* NCR base is the McCarran Airport, Caesar's Legion is based in the Vegas Strip, while super mutants are based in a place called Black Mountain. There is also a town called Fremont and another called Primm. A topless reuve is mentioned as being in the latter. Area 51 also appears.
* NCR Ranger armor is similar to a brown combat armor with sleeves, there are concept arts of a Ranger
* Skils have a bigger effect on conversation choices. E.g. someone with a high Explosives skill may be able to have a coversation about explosives where appropriate.
* There is a Reputation system in adition to Karma.
- First-person action RPG with the same engine as Fallout 3 (sorry, Van Buren fans).
- Set in the Mojave wastelands. Vegas didn't get many nukes. More intact buildings, as well as desert vegetation. Vegas itself is mostly intact.
- You don't play a Vault Dweller (or descendant of one) but a courier, left for dead and saved by a friendly robot.
- The overarching story is a struggle between the locals, Caesar's Legion (a faction of slavers from the east) and the New Californian Republic. Vegas itself is mostly intact.
- Both karma and reputation are tracked. If I'm reading it right there's separate reputations for each of the settlements, as in 1 and 2.
- All dialogue options are shown to all players, regardless of whether you have the stats to succeed or not, though there's no punishment for failure.
- Bartering is not just lower prices but negotiating for better rewards.
- VATS returns, and melee weapons have special moves in it. The golf club has "Fore!", which is a shot to the golf balls (so to speak) that knocks the opponent down. Weapons also now have knock-back upon death, with shotguns sending mans flying.
- Super Mutants return, but in two varieties - the smarter ones from Fallout 1, and the idiot ones from Fallout 2. On at least one occasion you can convince them to fight amongst themselves.
- New weapons include what appears to be an M4 and a grenade machinegun.
- Followers can be managed through a context-sensitive menu, with orders like "follow", "stay" or "attack".
- Hardcore Mode! In this mode, Stimpacks heal over time (as opposed to instantly), combat is tougher, ammo has weight and you can suffer dehydration, so keep some water on you!
One of the screenshots has a Super Mutant with a blonde wig and pink heart-shaped glasses.
* The storyline is focused on the New California Republic vs. Caesar's Legion vs. New Vegas residents.
* You are not a vault dweller but are given a Pip-Boy by someone who is one.
* There is a screenshot of a vault suit as well.
* There is an assault rifle looking like the M4, as well as a new big gun with a backpack, held like a minigun.
* There are special moves for melee weapons in VATS - specifically a move for a golf club called "Fore" which seems to be a groin shot.
* The Hoover Dam is in the game and is supplying electricity to the city.
* There is a quest to rescue a ghoul from some super mutants. The ghoul can then become your companion
* The Geckos are back.
* There are both dumb and intelligent super mutants, including the elite Nightkin.
* Some super mutants look similar to the ones in Fallout 3, while others are new. There is e.g. a female super mutant with a 1950s hairstyle who apparently is one of their leaders.
* Screenshots include a guy with a beard and straw hat, a ghoul an NCR Ranger
* The only picture of New Vegas itself is concept art and not a screenshot
* Some location screenshots include a huge model dinosaur advertising a hotel, some satellite dishes, an array of solar panels
* A character generation shot showing a "vigour machine" instead of the skill book
* NCR base is the McCarran Airport, Caesar's Legion is based in the Vegas Strip, while super mutants are based in a place called Black Mountain. There is also a town called Fremont and another called Primm. A topless reuve is mentioned as being in the latter. Area 51 also appears.
* NCR Ranger armor is similar to a brown combat armor with sleeves, there are concept arts of a Ranger
* Skils have a bigger effect on conversation choices. E.g. someone with a high Explosives skill may be able to have a coversation about explosives where appropriate.
* There is a Reputation system in adition to Karma.
- First-person action RPG with the same engine as Fallout 3 (sorry, Van Buren fans).
- Set in the Mojave wastelands. Vegas didn't get many nukes. More intact buildings, as well as desert vegetation. Vegas itself is mostly intact.
- You don't play a Vault Dweller (or descendant of one) but a courier, left for dead and saved by a friendly robot.
- The overarching story is a struggle between the locals, Caesar's Legion (a faction of slavers from the east) and the New Californian Republic. Vegas itself is mostly intact.
- Both karma and reputation are tracked. If I'm reading it right there's separate reputations for each of the settlements, as in 1 and 2.
- All dialogue options are shown to all players, regardless of whether you have the stats to succeed or not, though there's no punishment for failure.
- Bartering is not just lower prices but negotiating for better rewards.
- VATS returns, and melee weapons have special moves in it. The golf club has "Fore!", which is a shot to the golf balls (so to speak) that knocks the opponent down. Weapons also now have knock-back upon death, with shotguns sending mans flying.
- Super Mutants return, but in two varieties - the smarter ones from Fallout 1, and the idiot ones from Fallout 2. On at least one occasion you can convince them to fight amongst themselves.
- New weapons include what appears to be an M4 and a grenade machinegun.
- Followers can be managed through a context-sensitive menu, with orders like "follow", "stay" or "attack".
- Hardcore Mode! In this mode, Stimpacks heal over time (as opposed to instantly), combat is tougher, ammo has weight and you can suffer dehydration, so keep some water on you!
One of the screenshots has a Super Mutant with a blonde wig and pink heart-shaped glasses.
QUOTE
You're a courier, wounded and left for dead in a shallow grave. A friendly robot, Victor, digs you out, and his doctor owner Mitchell patches you up. You take a "vigour test", which is some sort of electric parlour game. This decides who you are and sets up SPECIAL. You can also take some Rorschach tests, but the mag says this is for fun. The Doc then gives you a Pipboy as he was once a Vault dweller.
"Hoover Dam", and "Helios" (a solar plant, confirmed by the mag to have been built by Poseidon) are fought into and then you can direct the power to wherever you choose. In the case of Helios you can also keep the plant for your self use the energy to call down a powerful laser, or even try to distribute to all equally, however there is a risk of overloading the reactors.
There is a "reputation system", in which all three factions (NCR, Ceasar's Legion and the locals) will either see you as good or bad toward them individually.
There is a screenshot of three Capital Wasteland mutants running toward the player, who is wielding what *looks* to be a heavy incinerator, but has a TV screen and no flamer fuel tanks. He's also wearing NCR combat armour, which is in gold/mustard colours.
There are two separate screens of supermutants that look to be more local, grey skin, and the two are wearing very different clothes. One is Tabitha, who is hearing a blonde wig and love heart glasses. The mag implies she's "not all there".
One that quest, you rescue Raul, a ghoul who Tabitha kept alive to fix her favourite robot. He appears to be a follower, as the mag says you can give him items, and also commands, such as "stay, follow or attack", and also tell him to switch to melee, in which case he'll mutter "sure, I'll put away my rather effective gun, and switch to this piece of um, metal tubing here".
From what I read, the "all dialog" thing seems to imply there will be failures for skill checks as well as speech checks, though, as the mag states, there is no penalty for failing a skill check. In fact, the mag gives an example: A woman who the player tried a Sneak skill attempt on in conversation failed when convincing her an ambush would help the town be rid of a gang of raiders. She simply says ""Good luck with your, uh, ambush"
"Hoover Dam", and "Helios" (a solar plant, confirmed by the mag to have been built by Poseidon) are fought into and then you can direct the power to wherever you choose. In the case of Helios you can also keep the plant for your self use the energy to call down a powerful laser, or even try to distribute to all equally, however there is a risk of overloading the reactors.
There is a "reputation system", in which all three factions (NCR, Ceasar's Legion and the locals) will either see you as good or bad toward them individually.
There is a screenshot of three Capital Wasteland mutants running toward the player, who is wielding what *looks* to be a heavy incinerator, but has a TV screen and no flamer fuel tanks. He's also wearing NCR combat armour, which is in gold/mustard colours.
There are two separate screens of supermutants that look to be more local, grey skin, and the two are wearing very different clothes. One is Tabitha, who is hearing a blonde wig and love heart glasses. The mag implies she's "not all there".
One that quest, you rescue Raul, a ghoul who Tabitha kept alive to fix her favourite robot. He appears to be a follower, as the mag says you can give him items, and also commands, such as "stay, follow or attack", and also tell him to switch to melee, in which case he'll mutter "sure, I'll put away my rather effective gun, and switch to this piece of um, metal tubing here".
From what I read, the "all dialog" thing seems to imply there will be failures for skill checks as well as speech checks, though, as the mag states, there is no penalty for failing a skill check. In fact, the mag gives an example: A woman who the player tried a Sneak skill attempt on in conversation failed when convincing her an ambush would help the town be rid of a gang of raiders. She simply says ""Good luck with your, uh, ambush"
Hardcore mode sounds really appealing to me!
Everything so far sounds fantastic, and I like these ties to Fallout 1 and 2. GOTY 2010, I'm calling it early.
New screens and info:
QUOTE
* Character creation is virtually identical to Fallout 3, with cosmetic changes like the Gene Projector being replaced by ReflectionTM, "You're SPECIAL!" by Vit-o-Matic machine and GOAT by a psychological test
* The local super mutants are pretty tough and will keep you from wandering aimlessly in the early portions of the game - they tend to be tougher even than deathclaws
* Every skill will have use in conversations at various points
* Each firearm has a maximum of three modification slots. Once you affix a mod to a gun, it's permanent. Hunting Rifle modification examples given are scope, custom action and extended clip.
* Temporary followers, will also be controlled through the companion wheel
* "Skill magazines" you find in New Vegas will only temporarily boost your skills
* The combat gameplay was tweaked to be more first-person-shootery
* The local super mutants are pretty tough and will keep you from wandering aimlessly in the early portions of the game - they tend to be tougher even than deathclaws
* Every skill will have use in conversations at various points
* Each firearm has a maximum of three modification slots. Once you affix a mod to a gun, it's permanent. Hunting Rifle modification examples given are scope, custom action and extended clip.
* Temporary followers, will also be controlled through the companion wheel
* "Skill magazines" you find in New Vegas will only temporarily boost your skills
* The combat gameplay was tweaked to be more first-person-shootery
*beyond excited*
And is that mah buddy Dogmeat at the end?
And is that mah buddy Dogmeat at the end?
I hope the screenshot that says Companion Commands means they've retooled your companions AI cause they're more of a hassle then help in the last game. Except for Dogmeat caused he was made way OP after the updates. What would kill me would have have to be magnified by 10x to take out Dogmeat after the update.
Stoked to play this. Now they just need to announce online mode.
The Super Mutant in the heart-shaped glasses is a riot.
I like the new radial Menu for companion control.
The Super Mutant in the heart-shaped glasses is a riot.
I like the new radial Menu for companion control.
http://kotaku.com/5530358/fallout-new-vega...-dinky--tabitha
Lots of impressions from a hands-on with Obsidian.
The weapon upgrade/modding looks great, and I love how they have VATS-specific melee special attacks now (bringing back stuff from Fallout 1 and 2).
And i'm TOTALLY playing this shit on hardcore mode right from the start.
Lots of impressions from a hands-on with Obsidian.
The weapon upgrade/modding looks great, and I love how they have VATS-specific melee special attacks now (bringing back stuff from Fallout 1 and 2).
And i'm TOTALLY playing this shit on hardcore mode right from the start.
Lots of new info. Hyping for E3, I suppose!
Big Guns skill/weapon category no longer exists, explanation:
First gameplay video:
Big Guns skill/weapon category no longer exists, explanation:
QUOTE
Gun chat.
In 1997, I played the original Fallout. Like the games that followed it, Fallout had Small Guns, Big Guns, and Energy Weapons. In F1, the gun skills were designed for phased obsolescence. If you tagged Big Guns or Energy Weapons early on, you would not be able to gain much, if any, benefit from it for a long time. Even back then, I thought this was problematic. Before playing the game, players could not know how content would limit the applicability of weapons. Ultimately, it came down to three weapons: the minigun, rocket launcher, and flamer. Large, with heavy ammo, and either burst or AoE only. In Fallout 3, the list of Big Guns was expanded to include the fat man, rock-it launcher, and gatling laser. In most situations, these weapons were all still at least mid-power at their weakest. In talking to people in person and online, and in reading online commentary, I found that people were also still unclear on what marked the clear division between Small Guns and Big Guns (and even Energy Weapons, in the case of the Gatling Laser). Certainly the UI could be improved to help with this (something we have already done for F:NV), but it conceptually was a sticking point.
When I was looking at Big Guns for F:NV, I considered that the list of weapons was small compared to any other weapon category and several of the weapons arguably belonged (or at least could be easily categorized) elsewhere. Moving the Big Guns to different weapon skills and dissolving the Big Guns skill would allow weapons like the minigun to remain as a powerful top tier weapon without needing to invent low-tier "Big Guns" that might further confuse the dividing line. Coming up with a wide power spectrum of Guns, Energy Weapons, and Explosives would not be hard at all. Since our skill point economy is more frugal (I'll delve into this another time) and since we do have Strength requirements on weapons (resulting in increased sway for firearms and a decreased rate of fire for melee/unarmed), where you invest your skill points and SPECIAL points is still pretty important. A fully upgraded minigun wielded by a character with high Guns and high Strength cuts down rooms of people like a scythe, even at relatively long range. In the hands of an unskilled, low Strength character, it sprays a lot of bullets all over the place.
The exact categorization of weapons in F:NV isn't rooted in the logic of transferable skills from real life, but it's arguable they never were previously, either (missile launcher/flamer/minigun, for example). The categorizations have more to do with being clear and consistent with definitions. It follows this basic pattern:
* Does it explode? It's an Explosive.
* Does it use Small Energy Cells, Microfusion Cells, or other energy ammo? It's an Energy Weapon.
* Does it use conventional bullets of some flavor as ammo? It's a Gun.
So while it's accurate to say that Big Guns no longer exists as a category, it's not accurate to say that Big Guns and Small Guns were combined. The weapons in Big Guns were divided among the other weapon skills.
I know not everyone will be happy with this re-organization, but those are the reasons for the change. I hope the reasons are clear, even if you disagree with the decision. Thanks.
In 1997, I played the original Fallout. Like the games that followed it, Fallout had Small Guns, Big Guns, and Energy Weapons. In F1, the gun skills were designed for phased obsolescence. If you tagged Big Guns or Energy Weapons early on, you would not be able to gain much, if any, benefit from it for a long time. Even back then, I thought this was problematic. Before playing the game, players could not know how content would limit the applicability of weapons. Ultimately, it came down to three weapons: the minigun, rocket launcher, and flamer. Large, with heavy ammo, and either burst or AoE only. In Fallout 3, the list of Big Guns was expanded to include the fat man, rock-it launcher, and gatling laser. In most situations, these weapons were all still at least mid-power at their weakest. In talking to people in person and online, and in reading online commentary, I found that people were also still unclear on what marked the clear division between Small Guns and Big Guns (and even Energy Weapons, in the case of the Gatling Laser). Certainly the UI could be improved to help with this (something we have already done for F:NV), but it conceptually was a sticking point.
When I was looking at Big Guns for F:NV, I considered that the list of weapons was small compared to any other weapon category and several of the weapons arguably belonged (or at least could be easily categorized) elsewhere. Moving the Big Guns to different weapon skills and dissolving the Big Guns skill would allow weapons like the minigun to remain as a powerful top tier weapon without needing to invent low-tier "Big Guns" that might further confuse the dividing line. Coming up with a wide power spectrum of Guns, Energy Weapons, and Explosives would not be hard at all. Since our skill point economy is more frugal (I'll delve into this another time) and since we do have Strength requirements on weapons (resulting in increased sway for firearms and a decreased rate of fire for melee/unarmed), where you invest your skill points and SPECIAL points is still pretty important. A fully upgraded minigun wielded by a character with high Guns and high Strength cuts down rooms of people like a scythe, even at relatively long range. In the hands of an unskilled, low Strength character, it sprays a lot of bullets all over the place.
The exact categorization of weapons in F:NV isn't rooted in the logic of transferable skills from real life, but it's arguable they never were previously, either (missile launcher/flamer/minigun, for example). The categorizations have more to do with being clear and consistent with definitions. It follows this basic pattern:
* Does it explode? It's an Explosive.
* Does it use Small Energy Cells, Microfusion Cells, or other energy ammo? It's an Energy Weapon.
* Does it use conventional bullets of some flavor as ammo? It's a Gun.
So while it's accurate to say that Big Guns no longer exists as a category, it's not accurate to say that Big Guns and Small Guns were combined. The weapons in Big Guns were divided among the other weapon skills.
I know not everyone will be happy with this re-organization, but those are the reasons for the change. I hope the reasons are clear, even if you disagree with the decision. Thanks.
First gameplay video:
It's a pretty minor thing to complain about, I don't think most will mind. Super easy to get 100 in everything of you used level up points evenly with all the skill magazines.
Release date confirmed: October 19th, 2010!
http://www.vg247.com/2010/10/18/bethesda-a...-new-vegas-dlc/
Xbox 360 getting (timed?) exclusive DLC for New Vegas... Seems like it will be similar to how it was on Fallout 3.
Xbox 360 getting (timed?) exclusive DLC for New Vegas... Seems like it will be similar to how it was on Fallout 3.
QUOTE
Bethesda announces 360-exclusive New Vegas DLC
October 18th, 2010 @ 16:07
By Johnny Cullen
Bethesda’s just announced details on 360-exclusive DLC for Fallout: New Vegas.
No details on the DLC itself were given, but the press release said the “first downloadable content” would be exclusive to Xbox Live, which seems to imply more would be coming to other consoles as well.
Info on the content will be “released in the coming weeks.”
“We’re excited to continue the partnership between Bethesda and Microsoft, and build on the success of the game add-ons released for Fallout 3 on Xbox LIVE,” said Bethesda’s US PR boss Pete Hines.
“We have no doubt that gamers will be thrilled with seeing a new add-on pack extend their adventures with Fallout: New Vegas on Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE,” added Microsoft GM product manager for IEB, Matt Barlow.
October 18th, 2010 @ 16:07
By Johnny Cullen
Bethesda’s just announced details on 360-exclusive DLC for Fallout: New Vegas.
No details on the DLC itself were given, but the press release said the “first downloadable content” would be exclusive to Xbox Live, which seems to imply more would be coming to other consoles as well.
Info on the content will be “released in the coming weeks.”
“We’re excited to continue the partnership between Bethesda and Microsoft, and build on the success of the game add-ons released for Fallout 3 on Xbox LIVE,” said Bethesda’s US PR boss Pete Hines.
“We have no doubt that gamers will be thrilled with seeing a new add-on pack extend their adventures with Fallout: New Vegas on Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE,” added Microsoft GM product manager for IEB, Matt Barlow.
So yeah, this is pretty much the greatest game EVER so far. When Fallout 3 came out, as much as I loved it, I felt like there were some gameplay and thematic contrivances made in the transition from Fallout 2. Things that made the world feel more "real".
New Vegas has basically returned EVERY aspect I loved that was lost from Fallout 2, and added spades more.
I was not expecting this, I didn't know how much of the old Fallout Obsidian would retain into NV. And it is spectacular.
Starting off with character creation: Traits are back, there are 10 (i think) you can choose from to start with, and each carries with it a bonus AND a penalty, so there's no unbalanced "uber combo". You can also choose to not go with any traits at all, if you wish. I went with "Four Eyes" that gives me +1 perception if I am wearing glasses, but -1 if I'm not, and "Wild Wasteland", which increases the odds of unique encounters both good and bad. They've also revamped the skills; I had posted earlier in this thread about eliminating "Big Guns", consolidating all ballistic weapons into "Guns", and then shuffling flamers to energy weapons, and rockets/grenade launchers to explosives. This opens a slot for the return of "Outdoorsman" skill, which factors into cooking/crafting and survival.
Lastly on the stats, they've returned to the original perk system, rather than doling out perks every single level, you only get one every other level. This definitely makes the perks feel more special and meaningful. They have also completely eliminated all the "points in skill" perks, ones that only contributed points to one or more stats. Any seasoned Fallout 3 player knows those perks were completely worthless, because the exp system in the game grants you more than enough skill points to max out all the skills you'd need for a powerful min-maxed character. If you were persistent enough you could even max out EVERY skill to 100 in Fallout 3 without any exploits. Now every perk serves a purpose, so you won't feel that regret when you realize you didn't need to pick that shitty perk that only added 5 points to guns and repair, or whatever.
Crafting plays a HUGE role in the game now, not just limited to 6 or so oddball weapons you could make like in Fallout 3. Now you can make food, more powerful chems (think Jet with double the potency, super stimpacks, etc), and special ammo types. You can even break down ammo you collect and then reassemble those parts into different ammo, so you're not stuck with "worthless" bullets for a weapon type you don't use. You start out with a sizeable amount of recipes, but you find more as you gain perks and quest as well. You can also make special traps, weapon repair kits (so you don't need the same weap/armor to fix your things, great for those hard to find or unique pieces), and many other things.
Food is MUCH more useful now. In Fallout 3, any type of food, prepared, raw, or scavenged junk food, was basically worthless for healing compared to stims. At most you'd get 15 or so HP, and a nice dose of rads to go with it. Now food carries a heal-over-time property, and cooked meals can regen a VERY sizeable amount of health, as well as provide other buffs. Also very important if you're playing hardcore mode, because stims do not heal instantly, they have a heal over time property as well, so stacking that with food helps a shitload, while also staving off debilitating hunger pangs.
The gunplay has had a big overhaul too, with "true iron sights" being added. Basically you get to ADS just like in any COD-type combat game now. The guns also feel more responsive and accurate too, with the game being VERY clear on exactly what the repair status of a gun means towards its effectiveness. This makes normal (read: non VATS) combat a reasonable and fun way to play the game, a great change of pace from Fallout 3. One thing that did bug me is there is a "cinematic kill cam" mode thats enabled from the start. This means that randomly, when you get a crit in normal combat, the game will pull out to a 3rd person slo mo view and show the impact. This can happen CONSTANTLY if you build your character towards crits and it slows down combat tremendously. Luckily you can disable it, and i strongly recommend doing so. It has no effect on the VATS killcams, so you're not missing out on anything.
The weapon variety is excellent, another callback to the old games. Instead of having just one or two weapons in each category, there's TONS of options, lots of different handguns, rifles, shotties, etc. And you can add custom mods too, extended mags, scopes, and the aforementioned ammo types. It just helps to make the world feel "bigger", less repetitive.
Finally, HARDCORE MODE. I feel this is the way you should be playing the game. Stims don't insta-heal, so you can't jack the button in an emergency and survive ridiculous encounters. You suffer from hunger, thirst, and sleep deprivation (although these are easily managed with food if you're attentive, just like real life
) Ammo has weight so you can't carry 50 mini nukes with reckless abandon, so every chest you loot is a tactical decision on what you actually scavenge. And you can't heal limbs with stims, you need to use a "doctor bag" item, or visit a doctor to repair them. Resting doesn't heal you to 100% health either. This is the "real" wasteland experience, and I fucking love it.
If you missed the bandwagon on Fallout 3, don't skip this. Its got its own story and setting, so you won't be "lost" not having played the previous games, but if you have, then there's a GRIP of nostalgia and fanservice to be had. And if you played any previous Fallout and enjoyed it, you owe it to yourself to get on New Vegas as fast as possible.
New Vegas has basically returned EVERY aspect I loved that was lost from Fallout 2, and added spades more.
I was not expecting this, I didn't know how much of the old Fallout Obsidian would retain into NV. And it is spectacular.
Starting off with character creation: Traits are back, there are 10 (i think) you can choose from to start with, and each carries with it a bonus AND a penalty, so there's no unbalanced "uber combo". You can also choose to not go with any traits at all, if you wish. I went with "Four Eyes" that gives me +1 perception if I am wearing glasses, but -1 if I'm not, and "Wild Wasteland", which increases the odds of unique encounters both good and bad. They've also revamped the skills; I had posted earlier in this thread about eliminating "Big Guns", consolidating all ballistic weapons into "Guns", and then shuffling flamers to energy weapons, and rockets/grenade launchers to explosives. This opens a slot for the return of "Outdoorsman" skill, which factors into cooking/crafting and survival.
Lastly on the stats, they've returned to the original perk system, rather than doling out perks every single level, you only get one every other level. This definitely makes the perks feel more special and meaningful. They have also completely eliminated all the "points in skill" perks, ones that only contributed points to one or more stats. Any seasoned Fallout 3 player knows those perks were completely worthless, because the exp system in the game grants you more than enough skill points to max out all the skills you'd need for a powerful min-maxed character. If you were persistent enough you could even max out EVERY skill to 100 in Fallout 3 without any exploits. Now every perk serves a purpose, so you won't feel that regret when you realize you didn't need to pick that shitty perk that only added 5 points to guns and repair, or whatever.
Crafting plays a HUGE role in the game now, not just limited to 6 or so oddball weapons you could make like in Fallout 3. Now you can make food, more powerful chems (think Jet with double the potency, super stimpacks, etc), and special ammo types. You can even break down ammo you collect and then reassemble those parts into different ammo, so you're not stuck with "worthless" bullets for a weapon type you don't use. You start out with a sizeable amount of recipes, but you find more as you gain perks and quest as well. You can also make special traps, weapon repair kits (so you don't need the same weap/armor to fix your things, great for those hard to find or unique pieces), and many other things.
Food is MUCH more useful now. In Fallout 3, any type of food, prepared, raw, or scavenged junk food, was basically worthless for healing compared to stims. At most you'd get 15 or so HP, and a nice dose of rads to go with it. Now food carries a heal-over-time property, and cooked meals can regen a VERY sizeable amount of health, as well as provide other buffs. Also very important if you're playing hardcore mode, because stims do not heal instantly, they have a heal over time property as well, so stacking that with food helps a shitload, while also staving off debilitating hunger pangs.
The gunplay has had a big overhaul too, with "true iron sights" being added. Basically you get to ADS just like in any COD-type combat game now. The guns also feel more responsive and accurate too, with the game being VERY clear on exactly what the repair status of a gun means towards its effectiveness. This makes normal (read: non VATS) combat a reasonable and fun way to play the game, a great change of pace from Fallout 3. One thing that did bug me is there is a "cinematic kill cam" mode thats enabled from the start. This means that randomly, when you get a crit in normal combat, the game will pull out to a 3rd person slo mo view and show the impact. This can happen CONSTANTLY if you build your character towards crits and it slows down combat tremendously. Luckily you can disable it, and i strongly recommend doing so. It has no effect on the VATS killcams, so you're not missing out on anything.
The weapon variety is excellent, another callback to the old games. Instead of having just one or two weapons in each category, there's TONS of options, lots of different handguns, rifles, shotties, etc. And you can add custom mods too, extended mags, scopes, and the aforementioned ammo types. It just helps to make the world feel "bigger", less repetitive.
Finally, HARDCORE MODE. I feel this is the way you should be playing the game. Stims don't insta-heal, so you can't jack the button in an emergency and survive ridiculous encounters. You suffer from hunger, thirst, and sleep deprivation (although these are easily managed with food if you're attentive, just like real life
) Ammo has weight so you can't carry 50 mini nukes with reckless abandon, so every chest you loot is a tactical decision on what you actually scavenge. And you can't heal limbs with stims, you need to use a "doctor bag" item, or visit a doctor to repair them. Resting doesn't heal you to 100% health either. This is the "real" wasteland experience, and I fucking love it.If you missed the bandwagon on Fallout 3, don't skip this. Its got its own story and setting, so you won't be "lost" not having played the previous games, but if you have, then there's a GRIP of nostalgia and fanservice to be had. And if you played any previous Fallout and enjoyed it, you owe it to yourself to get on New Vegas as fast as possible.
Definitely going to get my hands on this game. Just need to set aside some time to really dig into it. Loved Fallout 3 to death. Modded the hell out of it too.
Getting this after reading the review. I played 3 for PS3 and loved it.
Haha I fucking love this game, and every single bit about it.
An Ocean's 11 heist with a crew of misfits? Sounds interesting.
Check out this upcoming mod for FNV, Project Nevada. It has a ton of awesome gameplay enhancements/improvements.
PC Master Race up in dis bitch. Glad I haven't played the game too much, with these mods it looks like it's gonna make the game feel a lot more fresh.
Yeah, I can't skip the PC version. Still wanna S-rank the xbox one though....
The 2nd DLC for New Vegas "Honest Hearts" is coming out May 17th. This will start the "regular" schedule of DLC releases, one a month for the next 3 months. Each DLC will also raise the level cap of the game by 5.
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