FALLOUT: NEW VEGAS

PLATFORMS: PS3, PC AND XBOX360

GENRE: RPG

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: Steamworks digital platform (Games for Windows is the certification)

Operating System: XP, Vista, Windows 7

Processor: Dual Core 2Ghz (enhanced for multi-core)

Video Card: Nvidia GeForce 6 Series or similar (ATI 1300 minimum)

Memory: 2GB

Hard Disc Space: 10GB

When Bethesda released Fallout 3 in the fall of 2008, it was lauded as one of the greatest open-world role-playing games of the time. Now, two years later the juggernaut of a franchise has another addition to its repertoire with Fallout: New Vegas. It appears that Obsidian didn't feel the need to change much about the successful formula, as the similarities to its predecessor are so significant I often want to call it Fallout 3: New Vegas. Since the first game was so widely loved, that's certainly not a bad thing, but New Vegas does feel like a giant, awesome expansion. 

You're a courier in these troubled times with no defined background. Just a seemingly regular guy or gal, you're tasked with delivering a package to the New Vegas strip, but let's just say complications arise. Though the story provides pops of color and a few necessary minor twists to keep things interesting, it's predictable just the same. There are three possible endings to the main quest, and similar to Fallout 3 at launch, once you complete it you won't be able to continue your journey through the wastelands unless you re-load an old save. This is a bummer, especially since that was a major complaint with Fallout 3 and Bethesda later fixed it with downloadable content. 

If you've played Fallout 3, you won't miss a step when transitioning over to New Vegas since it's largely the same in terms of gameplay. Wandering the desert, you'll meet friendly people and kill aggressive monsters and thugs. Or maybe you'll kill friendly people and become friends with the thugs, though you should still kill the monsters. New animal foes are present in the West, including but not limited to pesky Cazadores (giant flying insects that will poison you), Giant Praying Mantises (er, they are what they sound like) and Nightstalkers (a scary crossbreed of rattlesnake and coyote). All these creatures sport colorful designs, making them pretty to look at while you shoot them. There's something intensely satisfying about lighting an enemy on fire with a flamethrower, then capping them in the head with a .357 Magnum and finishing them off with a Plasma Rifle. Killing is never a chore, and always an adventure. 

In New Vegas, the fun Fallout 3 formula is intact, with more polished combat, high-quality side missions, and the exciting setting of the Vegas strip. Unfortunately, the bugs also tagged along for the ride. If Obsidian and Bethesda had polished up the game by fixing the AI, improving the animations or even gotten it to run smoothly, perhaps it would feel less like a giant expansion of Fallout 3 and more like its own game. Be that as it may, Fallout 3 was a great game, so as similar as it is, Fallout: New Vegas is still a fun ride that offers more for fans of the series to enjoy. If you can look past its shortcomings, this is definitely a wasteland worth exploring.