The most liberating freedom of choice, the least restricted opportunities for authentic roleplaying, the richest narrative, and the most pointed writing to come out of a western RPG since the first two Fallout games. While the jank that comes with Bethesda's engine may look like a step back, the immersive presentation and more accessible action gameplay mechanics make it stand proudly alongside its predecessors. Not content to regress, Fallout: New Vegas is a natural and still unrivaled lateral evolution to the CRPG formula.
Sure, the game is full of bugs and it's not hard to imagine what could have been expanded or refined if Obsidian had any more than an eighteen-month development cycle. Still, while it's hard to call it perfect, it has a way of comparing favorably to anything you put it up against in one way or another, even against the all-time greats of the genre. A few examples:
• Skyrim also has an open world and a similar suite of mechanical options, but the narrative impact of your role-playing is shallow by comparison.
• Planescape Torment is a masterpiece, but New Vegas lets you define and take ownership of your character and their history almost completely.
• Mass Effect 2 is incredible, but New Vegas makes that game's moral choices look as deep as a choose-your-own-adventure book.
• Baldur's Gate 2 changed RPGs forever, but its writing and characterization still aren't as authentic, complex, or layered as New Vegas.
• Pillars of Eternity is full of Obsidian's trademark branching, stat-influenced dialogue trees, and yet it lacks a number of alternative, mechanics-driven quest solutions--many fights have scripted starts to prevent the use of kiting, traps, or other creative (if cheesy) strategies. Stealth is also nowhere near as versatile as New Vegas; you can't even pickpocket.
• Deus Ex may be the best video game ever made, but it's so focused on mechanical expression that it can't match a game like New Vegas's suite of dialogue and role-playing options.
• Alpha Protocol is great, but it also sucks ass.
That's not a slight against any of those games, either; some of them are also among my all-time favorites, and many of them are just as good in their own ways. New Vegas is just the complete package.
Sure, the game is full of bugs and it's not hard to imagine what could have been expanded or refined if Obsidian had any more than an eighteen-month development cycle. Still, while it's hard to call it perfect, it has a way of comparing favorably to anything you put it up against in one way or another, even against the all-time greats of the genre. A few examples:
• Skyrim also has an open world and a similar suite of mechanical options, but the narrative impact of your role-playing is shallow by comparison.
• Planescape Torment is a masterpiece, but New Vegas lets you define and take ownership of your character and their history almost completely.
• Mass Effect 2 is incredible, but New Vegas makes that game's moral choices look as deep as a choose-your-own-adventure book.
• Baldur's Gate 2 changed RPGs forever, but its writing and characterization still aren't as authentic, complex, or layered as New Vegas.
• Pillars of Eternity is full of Obsidian's trademark branching, stat-influenced dialogue trees, and yet it lacks a number of alternative, mechanics-driven quest solutions--many fights have scripted starts to prevent the use of kiting, traps, or other creative (if cheesy) strategies. Stealth is also nowhere near as versatile as New Vegas; you can't even pickpocket.
• Deus Ex may be the best video game ever made, but it's so focused on mechanical expression that it can't match a game like New Vegas's suite of dialogue and role-playing options.
• Alpha Protocol is great, but it also sucks ass.
That's not a slight against any of those games, either; some of them are also among my all-time favorites, and many of them are just as good in their own ways. New Vegas is just the complete package.