Fallout New Vegas Review

The Future is SO Depressing :D Actually I played this throughout December 2010, and only got time to review it today. So here's a late review.

Fallout New Vegas or FNV is considered as a sequel to Fallout 3. FNV follows the traditional Fallout story about you as one of the survivor in a post-nuclear war world. In FNV most of the stuff and environment is Wild West and of course Las Vegas themed. Roughly 200 years after the nuclear holocaust (radiation lower and people started to repopulate) you play as a Courier who was shot in the head by a gang of thugs who stole the stuff you were delivering. But you were saved by a doctor. Now you're on a path of vengeance trying to find out who killed you and get back the package you needed to deliver to New Vegas (rebuilt Las Vegas).

The Book of Eli, I Am Legend, Apocalypse
The movie titles above inspires the game a lot, and the developers got that post-apocalyptic mood right. I do feel like I'm a lone wanderer in the nuclear wasteland filled with lunatics and optimists.

Yup, this feels post-apocalyptic alright.

This used to be somewhere I think. Now it's just a gloomy gigantic nuclear bombed crater.

Thank goodness post-apocalyptic people don't dress like Final Fantasy folks. And chicks dig guys with rusty ammo chains around his torso.

Factions:
One thing I like about FNV is the factions system and how your actions affect your relationship with them. For example lobbing grenades randomly in a small town will cause the townfolks to hate you and chase you out with Vermin Rifles. Helping a tribe with their quests will cause them to like you and aid you in whatever way possible. There are many factions in FNV, ranging from the militaristic group NCR, the Roman-inspired tribe Legion, some band of Gatling-gun-wielding supermutants, a bunch of zombies who believed they are destined to go to the Promised Land, crazed bandits, loose prisoners and many many more. They all make your experience unique (P/S: be nice with guys with guns).

I decided to be nice and join the NCR Rangers. Because red berets are cool!

Red beret. Cool innit? Oh this is my buddy Boone.

A Splinter Cell-ish attempt to spy on the Legion revealed a dull warrior culture made up of slaves and conscripts from conquered tribes. Just like the Persian army in the movie 300. Not really my cup of tea.

Karma:
Although it is an open-ended free roam game, the main storyline will lead to a final epic battle for the control of the Hoover Dam (SPOILER). Your actions or inaction will decide what the final outcome will be at the battle and after the battle. Helping a Boomer tribe get in touch with the girl he likes will give good karma and this will lead to the Boomers doing a bombing run at the dam (SPOILER). Abandoning or harming certain tribes will of course cause bad karma and somehow you'll feel the guilt in real life. Aahhh... I wonder what happened to the Bright Followers zombies with their crazy idea to fly to their Promised Land in their old salvaged rockets.

Karma: What happens after you whack a mutant Bloatfly with a sledgehammer.

Companions
You can have certain NPCs as your companions in your adventures in the wasteland. They can range from a NCR Ranger with a dark history to a Supermutant auntie with some nyanyuk or Alzheimer-ish condition. They help drive the story even deeper by revealing their own quests as the story progresses.

I introduced Boone to you earlier. Well, he got issues...

And this is my cybernetic dog Rex. He's 200 years-old.

Gore & Violence:
Let these pictures tell the story:

Meet my big f****** gun! (that I looted from a dead mutant)

Just enter the targeting mode and choose your desired target. I like heads.

Then blast your way to pure gory funness! Paint the ground red! BWUAHAHA!

Out of ammo? Go melee! Use your Power Fists and smash their skulls!

No Power Fist? Chainsaw your way to get to the Legion's boss Caesar! Then kill his bodyguards to get Power Fists THEN beat Caesar to pulp!

Rating
I guess everyone got their own unique experience in FNV. For me, I enjoyed mine and took over New Vegas for myself AND killed all other factions just to seal my place as the dictator of the Mojave wasteland. Hahahahaha!