Anthony's Film Review - Fallout: New Vegas (Video Game, 2010)

Fallout: New Vegas continues the thrill and excitement of the Fallout series...

Fallout 3 was such an incredible video game that I wanted more. I wanted another Fallout game to immerse myself in, to enjoy exploring a wasteland, killing enemies, making friends and allies, discovering all sorts of cool things, and ultimately surviving the whole thing. Knowing that the Fallout series takes place in a United States destroyed by nuclear war and that each game takes place in a different part of the country (what's left of it, that is), I was eager to play another Fallout game to explore more of the wasteland. I was pleased that Fallout: New Vegas would take players into Nevada, specifically in and around what used to be Las Vegas.

The world of Fallout: New Vegas is a fascinating place. If you enter Nevada from the south and reach the top of the hill where you can get a distant view of Vegas, you are in the presence of the New California Republic, an alliance originating from the west. The same is true if you stop by McCarran Airport, because NCR is now using it as a base. Then there are little settlements here and there. While some occupants are not dangerous, others are very much so, especially members of Caesar's Legion. This is a violent group of Caesar-worshipping thugs that are based very close to the Hoover Dam, with NCR keeping them at bay in an ongoing tense standoff.

Then there is Vegas itself. It still has some of the glamour of its former days, though it is surrounded by a wall and you would now have to possess a special pass in order to be given permission to enter. Once inside, there are some interesting things to see. In one casino, you may meet the mysterious casino magnate Robert House. It is said that the house has the edge, and it is no exception with Mr. House. There's also Vault 21, whose members are subject to a human experiment whereby all disputes are settled by gambling, like rolling dice. Then there's a casino where cannibals like to get together. I kid you not.

The story in this game is that you are a courier tasked with delivering a special package. Unfortunately, you get shot and left for dead by a man named Benny. (Really cool fact: Benny is voiced by Matthew Perry, who expressed his love for Fallout 3 on Ellen DeGeneres's talk show and would later be hired to do voiceover for Fallout: New Vegas.) Thankfully, you are brought back to health by a doctor. Once you get back out there, you embark on a quest to hunt down Benny and learn about why you were ambushed. Through exploration, you meet plenty of interesting characters and participate in various side quests.

Because this game uses the engine and graphics of Fallout 3, there really isn't anything different in gameplay between Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, but I'll gladly recap it here. You can choose to play in first-person or third-person. It's up to you. You walk and run around, pick up items, talk to characters, and, most importantly, fight all sorts of enemies. You can use blunt instruments, small pistols, machine guns, and other weapons to fight vicious humans, robots, and creatures such as the dreaded Deathclaws. When fighting, you can do so in real time or freeze the action to select the specific enemies to strike and what parts of their bodies to hit. As you gain experience, you can level up certain attributes of your character's SPECIAL profile (Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, and Luck) and give yourself Perks to possess cool abilities. Overall, the game combines the best of action games and role-playing games.

But even with the familiarity of playing Fallout 3, the story and setting of Fallout: New Vegas still provide an exciting new world to explore. As before, I loved going from place to place to see what I might find, especially if there are great rewards to collect after, let's say, battling a horde of enemies. Some of my favorite moments include discovering an underground arena where one fights various creatures, uncovering a Caesar's Legion spy, and meeting Mr. House in person. Like Fallout 3, the game's ending is determined by certain actions you take or do not take throughout the game. And I love how there are at least three major paths you can take as you get far into the story. Your choice will determine the fate of the Vegas wasteland.

That's all I'm going to say about Fallout: New Vegas. Overall, it's another exciting game in the Fallout series and is guaranteed not to disappoint.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Fallout: New Vegas, visit the Internet Movie Database and Moby Games.