I can remember back in 1998 I was playing on a 200Mhz Packard Bell computer, which at the time was a pretty average system for most people. I came across an intriguing game title and being the avid RPG fan that I am, I decided to give it a try. I inserted the CD, waited around for half an hour until the “Full Installation” had finished, and continued on to the game. The screen went dark and a video came to light with a weathered voice narrating scenes of burned out buildings and abandoned streets. “War…War never changes…”. And so began my everlasting love for the Fallout series…
Twelve years later millions of hard core RPG fans are eagerly anticipating the release of Bethesda Softworks latest project- Fallout: New Vegas. Scheduled for release on Oct. 19th 2010, New Vegas promises to deliver on every level to satisfy your thirst for adventure. According to Obsidian Entertainment(The developer), it will take hundreds of hours to explore everything the game has to offer. This pales in comparison to the most recent release, Fallout 3, which only had somewhere around a hundred hours of game-play. New Vegas will introduce players to an extra 20 different types of guns on top of what was used in Fallout 3 as well as a story line all of it’s own. You will also be pleased to hear that weapon modifications are made possible in New Vegas. For example, you may be able to increase a weapons rate of fire or it’s clip capacity, further adding to the games overall level of customization.
For those of you who always enjoy a game that involves a sense of realism, New Vegas features a “Hardcore mode”. When enabled, players will feel an added intensity to the games environment and will have to pay closer attention to their surroundings. Food and water consumption will be required on a regular basis, healing rates are decreased instead of being instant, and ammunition will add weight to a players character. Of course if you don’t fancy realistic game-play and would rather take a more fictional approach, just select “Normal” like most of us do.
It looks to me as though Obsidian Entertainment has done a great job of sticking to what has always worked best with the Fallout series.
A Karma system, companions(NPC’s), and unique dialogue options based on your characters personal skills/abilities are all things that were incorporated into the game as far back as the original Fallout. You all know how entertaining the dialogue can get in these games… You’re talking to an NPC(computer character) and you just get the feeling as though somehow this guy is going to be really, really important to you somewhere down the road in your quest through the wastelands, but for some reason the guy always has a really smart comment for everything you say to him. This guy’s ego is just ridiculous! And finally, you see it… That one dialogue option they add into the conversation for you that just has the word “FIGHT” written all over it but it’s so funny it actually makes you laugh out loud to yourself. Isn’t that what we all love about these games? The absolute freedom to pick and choose your battles! Okay enough ranting already. If you haven’t ever played the Fallout series, it’s not too late to get in on the fun. New Vegas will be released in a few months, giving you time to brush up on your wasteland etiquette.