Fallout: New Vegas review

New Vegas is the latest entry in the Fallout series, the post-nuclear adventure games best known for their massive worlds, addictive action and wicked humour.

Within the first five minutes of New Vegas, you’ve been dumped in a shallow grave after taking a bullet to the head – a far cry from the safety of Fallout 3’s vault 101. After being rescued and patched up, you’re let loose into the Nevada desert to seek revenge on your would-be killers.

Exploring the massive game world might seem daunting, but luckily there are plenty of people to help you out along the way. Several warring factions are fighting for control of New Vegas, and all are happy to recruit you to their cause. While picking one side might seem like an obvious choice at the start of the game, not everything is as black and white as it first appears.

The west coast setting will feel familiar to Fallout 3 veterans, but compared to the Capitol Wasteland New Vegas is almost a different world. Ironically Nevada, home to hundreds of atomic tests in the 1950’s, escaped much of the radiation from the atomic disaster that devastated the East Coast. Many of the buildings are still standing and much of the wildlife has survived mutation-free.

This doesn’t mean Fallout 3’s menagerie of mutants and monsters have been ignored. The massive game world contains all manner of quirky people to meet, both human and … other. Finishing every quest and meeting every character will take an estimated 150 hours. Missions are varied and situations often have several possible outcomes, your moral decisions affecting your character’s personality and notoriety. The previous game’s Karma system has been tweaked and now individual towns react to you differently depending on your local reputation.

The developers have listened to fan feedback from Fallout 3, adding some welcome extra features to New Vegas. Iron sights are now available for most weapons; rewarding accuracy and making first person combat feel more responsive. Weapons can also be modified for the first time in the series. Adding silencers, scopes and other attachments provides bonuses that increase your character’s combat effectiveness.

The excellent V.A.T.S. targeting system makes a return, letting you pause the action to target specific enemy body parts for maximum damage. The over-the-top gore is still present too, so expect to send limbs flying with well-placed shots. AS well as tougher enemies, you must manage hunger, thirst and fatigue in the new hardcore mode.

We were worried New Vegas would feel like an expansion pack rather than a new game. However, reusing the existing game engine has given the developer time to concentrate on a fresh storyline and improved gameplay. By doing so, it has succeeded in creating a game that not only feels new, but actually surpasses the brilliant Fallout 3 with a raft of improvements and masses of new content. An immersive and graphically stunning adventure that goes far beyond mere fan service, New Vegas is the definitive Fallout experience.