Fallout: New Vegas Review... Comparison... Thing.
Oct 4, 2013 13:35:20 GMT -5
JMMREVIEW, MMCC0203, and 1 more like this
Post by shabbycat on Oct 4, 2013 13:35:20 GMT -5
In 2010, Obsidian Studios attempted to pick up the torch from where Bethesda left off. In many people’s eyes, the game was a gem. A game that captured the feeling of being in a post apocalyptic, war torn america. Unfortunately, I never had the same feeling as the ones screaming at me through forums, and I’d like to explain why.
First off, the setting. Fallout 3 set off with a good deck of cards; I opened my eyes, kicking and screaming as I flew, destroying the nether regions of my mother. Yes, you start off as a baby. My ‘daddy’ looks down upon me with those unfortunately modeled eyes of his, praising my birth and asking me strange questions about my gender. Needless to say, the game starts with a kick up the arse. For the next 20 minutes, I was hopping around time like Marty McFly on a pogo stick, learning about the people I grew up with and the people I encounter. Everything is hunky. I’ve got a great dad, and some wonderful friends… along with a few enemies, but what is life without conflict? All was well… that is, until things goes tits up, and I end up scraping a bit of overseer from my boot. As I’m exiled from my claustrophobic home, I see the remains of the poor souls once trapped out in the nuclear wastes. However, the sadness is soon replaced by awe as I step out into the capital wasteland… burnt remains of once beautiful houses, shacks built from sellotape and blu-tack, monoliths from a forgotten time. Tone set.
I step out into the wastes, ready to explore this post apocalyptic nightmare, and before I knew it, I was in the middle of nowhere, scavenging through the crispy rubble of what someone used to call home, the melancholy air seeping in. The atmosphere was tense, as I stopped to look around, freezing at the slightest noise. This. This is what New Vegas never gave me.
The problem with new vegas is definitely the elephant in the room. It’s the setting. Where the previous games fit a post apocalyptic, depressive tone, New Vegas strived for something better, and fell over a pebble half way. Burnt trees, piles of ash and debris. These are the small features that made Fallout 3 shine. An uncomfortable feeling you could never really escape, or the tension of the air in an old subway station. However, in new vegas, you could easily mistake any part of the map for a game about being a starbucks barrister in Tuscany. The tropical vibe just didn't fit in with the apocalypse. It was the one chavvy bitch at a perfectly fine LAN party.
Another point is the mechanics of the game. While most of New Vegas was largely unchanged from its previous title (Not a blessing nor a curse), there were some featured added that had more of a hindrance on the player than anything else. For one, when did Fallout become a revolutionary first person shooter? The addition of ‘iron sights’ was not only unnecessary, it was downright stupid. For the time spent looking through those two pieces of ‘innovative’ metal, I felt like I was watching a game of duck hunt through the eyes of someone with Parkinsons.
Another silly addition to the game was the ‘Hardcore mode’. While some people claimed it ‘saved the game’ and added to the overall role playing experience, I was writing to them to explain how much of a gibbon they are. I don’t even know why they call it ‘Hard’. The only difficult part about it was navigating the pip-boy menu every ten minutes looking for something new to shove down my throat. (Oh ha, ha.)
I really hope this has enlightened you, and shown you why Fallout 3 has, and always will be the definitive post apocalyptic role playing experience (In MY eyes); Not the role playing experience of a man with plastic surgery looking for his lucky poker chip.
First off, the setting. Fallout 3 set off with a good deck of cards; I opened my eyes, kicking and screaming as I flew, destroying the nether regions of my mother. Yes, you start off as a baby. My ‘daddy’ looks down upon me with those unfortunately modeled eyes of his, praising my birth and asking me strange questions about my gender. Needless to say, the game starts with a kick up the arse. For the next 20 minutes, I was hopping around time like Marty McFly on a pogo stick, learning about the people I grew up with and the people I encounter. Everything is hunky. I’ve got a great dad, and some wonderful friends… along with a few enemies, but what is life without conflict? All was well… that is, until things goes tits up, and I end up scraping a bit of overseer from my boot. As I’m exiled from my claustrophobic home, I see the remains of the poor souls once trapped out in the nuclear wastes. However, the sadness is soon replaced by awe as I step out into the capital wasteland… burnt remains of once beautiful houses, shacks built from sellotape and blu-tack, monoliths from a forgotten time. Tone set.
I step out into the wastes, ready to explore this post apocalyptic nightmare, and before I knew it, I was in the middle of nowhere, scavenging through the crispy rubble of what someone used to call home, the melancholy air seeping in. The atmosphere was tense, as I stopped to look around, freezing at the slightest noise. This. This is what New Vegas never gave me.
The problem with new vegas is definitely the elephant in the room. It’s the setting. Where the previous games fit a post apocalyptic, depressive tone, New Vegas strived for something better, and fell over a pebble half way. Burnt trees, piles of ash and debris. These are the small features that made Fallout 3 shine. An uncomfortable feeling you could never really escape, or the tension of the air in an old subway station. However, in new vegas, you could easily mistake any part of the map for a game about being a starbucks barrister in Tuscany. The tropical vibe just didn't fit in with the apocalypse. It was the one chavvy bitch at a perfectly fine LAN party.
Another point is the mechanics of the game. While most of New Vegas was largely unchanged from its previous title (Not a blessing nor a curse), there were some featured added that had more of a hindrance on the player than anything else. For one, when did Fallout become a revolutionary first person shooter? The addition of ‘iron sights’ was not only unnecessary, it was downright stupid. For the time spent looking through those two pieces of ‘innovative’ metal, I felt like I was watching a game of duck hunt through the eyes of someone with Parkinsons.
Another silly addition to the game was the ‘Hardcore mode’. While some people claimed it ‘saved the game’ and added to the overall role playing experience, I was writing to them to explain how much of a gibbon they are. I don’t even know why they call it ‘Hard’. The only difficult part about it was navigating the pip-boy menu every ten minutes looking for something new to shove down my throat. (Oh ha, ha.)
I really hope this has enlightened you, and shown you why Fallout 3 has, and always will be the definitive post apocalyptic role playing experience (In MY eyes); Not the role playing experience of a man with plastic surgery looking for his lucky poker chip.