Fallout New Vegas Review

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(More customer reviews)War...War never changes. But Fallout has over the course of its long-winded history.
It started as a spiritual sequel to 'Wasteland', CRPG that started 'Post-Apocalyptic' gameplay back in 1988 by Interplay, whose division Black Isle is behind seminal CRPG classic such as 'Baldur's Gate' and yes, you guessed it, 'Fallout' and 'Fallout 2'.
After Interplay was disintegrated, some of the people went to Bioware, some of them went on to found Troika, talented but unfortunate developer who met its demise after three original and interesting but very buggy CRPG with dissimal sales. Some of them went on to found Obsidian, yet another talented but somewhat disappointing developer whose track record includes 'Knights of the Old Republic 2', 'Neverwinter Nights 2', 'Alpha Protocol' and upcoming 'Dungeon Siege 3'.
Why am I reciting a history lesson here? When Bethesda acquired the right for 'Fallout' IP from Interplay and released its biggest financial success yet with 'Fallout 3', fans were divided into two distinctive factions and has been feuding over which is better.
Faction Red: Bethesda ruined the memory of the greatest CRPG of all time by dumbing down everything we loved about our precious franchise. It's 'Oblivion with guns'.
Faction Blue: Bethesda successfully resuscitated the dead franchise by streamlining many archaic elements and implementing new refreshing elements. It retains all the core elements from 'Fallout'. We love it.
I personally love all of them and none of them are perfect to feud over petty differences in semantics.
After court-feuding over who's got the right to the entire 'Fallout' series, Bethesda settled with the right to all future single-player Fallout game and right to license the right to Interplay to the development of 'Fallout MMORPG'. So both 'Fallout 4' and 'Fallout Online' are coming; both will be published by Bethesda and 'Fallout 4' will be also developed by Bethesda.
So with the help of creative minds behind the original 2D isometric Fallout games using the same engine and costruction set Bethesda did for FO3, can Obsidian right the wrong by Bethesda? (Bethesda still owns the IP and publishes it.) That has been the question by Faction Red.
If you are a fan of 'Fallout 3', rest assured FONV is exactly like FO3 with nothing taken away with some newly improved elements added. You will feel right at home with the game. Control, menu, movement, combat, Pipboy and VATS are all identical. What's added are new perks system, new aiming system and new NPC companion command system.
Unlike FO3, there are tons more factions now in play and you can choose to side with certain faction with consequences. Faction dynamics play much more intimate and important role, and are tied directly to the choices you have to make (think Morrowind). You cannot possibly satisfiy everyone in FONV. You'll have to actually play multiple playthrough to experience everything. Choices you make will definitely make the differrence in character interaction and will give out whopping 27 unique important quests all littered with different endings with each ending giving you various permutations (think Gothic and The Witcher), unlike the cookie-cutter, same-difference 5 endings FO3 offered. Every time you make someone beneficiary, you will make someone else unhappy. All of your choices will resullt in some type of consequences. There is no more good and evil morality play here. This time, it is a wild wild west. Everyone is a cutthroat. In fact, style of the game is reminiscent of old western movie and FO3 rolled into one.
Dialogues are much more sarcastic and darkly humorous. Voice-works are well-done by many celebrities. Characters are wackier. General tone of the game is morally even murkier and overall darker, albeit humorous on par with the first two games (especially Fallout 2).
Soundtrack once again retains the signature feel of the series by utilizing slew of retro 40s and 50s classic pop music. Orchestral score is once again done by Inon Zur.
While level-cap has been increased to 30, leveling up needs more attention because you cannot be a jack of all trade in FONV; especially in light of new 'Hard-core' mode that is included in the game. You need to hunt and cook / harvest / steal and eat, you need to drink and you need to sleep to survive or pay the consequence. You cannot carry infinite amount of ammo either. You can freely choose whether you want to play as 'Hard-core'.
You can now mod your own weapons on the work bench with more variety and freedom than you were able to in FO3.
Graphics are still competent but are aging fast now. The general tone of the color scheme is changed from green to orange. While Obsidian claims graphic is slightly improved, I think graphically everything looks little bit uglier overall, probably stemming from mismatched color schemes throughout the environment. Sometimes, the world feels like messy crayon artwork from kindergarten wall. But the world is much livelier and you now see some level of active civilization represented by glowing neons of Vegas Strip.
So it sounds like I am trashing FO3 and praising FONV to no end. Not so fast. FO 3 is still a great game but I like FONV slightly better in terms of the improved gameplay. However, FO3 is much better in depth of contents, presentation and storytelling. Morrowind and Oblivion is still my king of CRPG with much stronger community support. So what is wrong with the game?
Welcome to the bugfest 2010. It's a grand feast of technical mess; frame rate stuttering issue, game crashing and freezing, characters stuck in the environment, disappearing act of characters and items (even save-game files make the cameos in the act) are some of the widely reported bugs across the all platforms. Yes, CRPG and nonlinear, free-formed, open-ended game in gigantic scope as big as FONV will always be buggier than linear, focused games like Halo and Modern Warfare due to virtually impossible task of QA stemming from endless in-game possibilities, and yes, nothing gamebreaking, But there are tons of minor glitches that are annoying and tiresome when you play the game that gives you anywhere from 40-200 hours and upward. This is the buggiest Fallout entry.
Here's a helpful site to alleviate your potential problems.
[...]
Another thing is everything in FONV is awfully familiar with FO3, not necessarily a bad thing in itself. Just don't expect the same kind of awe-inducing wow moment like when you came out of Vault 101 for the first time in FO3 or cinematic end-battle.
If you are not a fan of CRPG or you hated FO3, there's nothing new for you to see here. Just like FO3, this is not a FPS, even with enhanced aiming mechanics. Hit points and damage are governed by your stats. This game will be just as boring as FO3 to you.
If you are a fan of open-world game such as GTA, be warned; FONV is not a open-world action game. It is open-ended, nonlinear, free-formed CRPG that focuses on traversing and finding new places, engaging with different characters, performing quests, dungeon-crawling and "role-playing". There are tons of small, interesting and quite often excellent depiction of personal conflicts and backstories, but there's no 'save the humanity' type of grand plot and cinematic cutscenes between each level.
And if you think 'Borderlands', which is by the way solid and entertaining action game, is better than FO3, stay away from FONV. Customization of stats, leveling up, armors and weapons by themselves do not make action game like 'Borderlands' a RPG. You'll be wondering why your excellent marksmanship repeatedly proven via endless hours of online multiplayer session is not effective in Nevada / Mojave wasteland.
Last, but not least, PC version of FONV utilizes Steam, which is the most popular DRM and the least intrusive DRM currently available in the market. It offers many incentive, convenience and great pricing for older games compared to other DRM, but Steam is still DRM. Convenience of not having to worry about the actual gamedisc by using Steam is nothing compared to not having any DRM so we can install the game and put away our game for display and collection. We won't be worrying about gamedisc if DRM doesn't check the disc every five second during the gameplay if the disc is authentic in the first place. Dual release with non-Steam version after initial release or guaranteed future DRM deactivation patch will surely pacify every morally just legitimate paying customers who genuinely want to support developers but are turned off by hands-on DRM.
So why did I still choose PC version over console version?; GECK, easier patching and community support, because I expected that game like FONV would always be buggy. To Bethesda's credit, the game looks and plays exactly the same on either PC or console, barring framerate, graphics and resolution, so the experience will be identical unlike other CRPGs like 'Dragon Age: Origins', 'Two Worlds', 'Sacred 2', 'Divinity II', and 'Risen' on consoles to name a few.
But to Steam's credit, it's 'one-time only' activation through Steam and it doesn't require for you to keep the disc running in your optical drive once the game is installed. There's no constant Internet connection requirement while you play your game and there's no installation limit. And if you are into social-networking aspects of Steam, you won't have much problems. But if you are turned off by anything other than disc-based DRM, you are warned. I found myself grudgingly and reluctantly giving up to the spell of Fallout series this time but this is only...Read more›

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Welcome to Vegas. New Vegas. It's the kind of town where you dig your own grave prior to being shot in the head and left for dead...and that's before things really get ugly. It's a town of dreamers and desperados being torn apart by warring factions vying for complete control of this desert oasis. It's a place where the right kind of person with the right kind of weaponry can really make a name for themselves, and make more than an enemy or two along the way.As you battle your way across the heat-blasted Mojave Wasteland, the colossal Hoover Dam, and the neon drenched Vegas Strip, you'll be introduced to a colorful cast of characters, power-hungry factions, special weapons, mutated creatures and much more. Choose sides in the upcoming war or declare "winner takes all" and crown yourself the King of New Vegas in this follow-up to the 2008 videogame of the year, Fallout 3.Enjoy your stay.

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S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl Review

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(More customer reviews)A well done FPS!.
This game is set in the future, with a plot that begins around the time of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. It is a game of intense action, atmosphere and involves some strategy and choices.
As with any game there are positives and negatives...let me explain
The Pros:
1.)A great selection of weapons and ammo (with the better ones becoming available as you proceed in the game). Some are better than others and some are quite heavy (you have a limit to how much you can carry).
2.)Different armor is also available at different points in the game.
3.)Realistic "fog of war" occurrences; weapons jam (with increasing frequency as they become worn); your player tires and gets hungry affecting his ability to perform.
4.)Great atmosphere; spooky ambient lighting in dark halls and tunnels, in the outdoors you have rain, lightening and night time; and then there are always the unexpected attacks (anywhere) by an assortment of men, animals and mutants.
5.)Enemy AI that is realistic: their guns need reloading and occasionally jam; they hide behind objects when shot at; they sneak up from the unseen side; animals attack in packs and from behind while one or two distract you from the front. All in all an enemy that appears to "think" about what it's doing instead of just standing there and blasting away at you.
6.)Although the game requires you to the complete main missions to proceed in the game, you can roam around the country side unrestricted. As a bonus, however, there are several side missions that you can do (these are optional and not required to finish the game but may give you substantial rewards in money or items)
7.)Easy save and load feature.
8.)3 different endings, depending on the choices you make near the end of the game.
9.)Some re-playability; you may want to try different endings, side missions and other weapons and armor.
10.)Many hours of intense, hectic game play.
Cons:
1.)You'll need fairly good hardware and lots of RAM to run this game as it was meant to be played.
2.)No vehicles to ride for battle or transportation purposes. (and annoyingly, towards the end, you must walk back almost to the starting point to get an important piece of info) or you can't get into the last 2 endings.
3.)Maybe, just maybe a little too hard even on novice (especially towards the latter part of the game).
4.)You'll need at least 9GB of disc space to load this game.
5.)I found there were occasional crashes or freeze ups after long periods of play.
Suggestions; (SPOILER)
1.)Early on, go to "Dark Valley"; this will give you a chance to
a.)obtain a sniper scope (useful a little later) and
b.)while here, do a side mission that requires you to "rescue a fighter's friend" (here you'll find, in the same building as the "friend" (but in another room), a piece of great armor and many useful and powerful "artifacts".
2.)Take every bandage you find; medkits will heal wounds but do not stop bleeding (and if you don't stop bleeding, well...you bleed to death).
Conclusion:
This was a game that I really enjoyed (even though the novice level could be a real challenge at times); it featured my favorite type of game, that being, a FPS with some RPG upgrades. If you liked such games as Deus Ex, System Shock or Dark Messiah, I'm sure you'll pleased with this game. 5 Stars. R. Nicholson


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Homefront Review

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(More customer reviews)A little about my gaming experience, i've been playing PC FPS games since DOOM including Counter-Strike, all the PC Call of Duty games, all the PC Battlefield games, and so many more. I would consider myself a fair reviewer, I even found the 2010 Medal of Honor to have its redeeming qualities despite most others disliking it.
Prior to this games release I saw some promo material such as videos and the interactive website, which were masterfully done, to set the stage for what should have been a great game with an interesting story. Unfortunately, this was not the case.
First off, the graphics seem below par for the genre but are not horrible. The animation seems worse off though, as the way characters movement seem jerky in a way that is obnoxious and an eyesore.
Single-Player:
The game was noticeably short, clocking in at around 5 hours. The characters, environment, and story was surprisingly generic and the ending was an abrupt one that brought no closure. This was done on Normal difficulty by an experienced FPS player, so your mileage my vary. This was by no means an attempt at clearing it in a short time either, this included me dying at several places and reading several of the in-game history documents scattered around. While single-player campaign was surprisingly uninteresting given the great story they had to work with, it wasn't terrible. Even though the majority of it was bland it still had some fun moments.
Multi-Player:
This is the mode that I value the most in any FPS I buy as it is ultimately what I spend the most time playing. Homefront's take on multi-player has it's unique elements, such as aquiring Battle Points (BP) from doing actions such as killing an enemy or capturing an objective. This in-game currency and the only way to get power-ups such as RPGs, vehicles, remote-controlled attack drones, and such. One major issue with this system is that all items that destroy heavy vehicles are BP purchases. If you are stuck with low BP you can very easily be repeatedly killed or spawn camped by a helicopter with no way to destroy it.
The next major issue is sniping, in which the flaws of Homefront being console developed and ported to PC become very apparant. Players can start with a default sniper rifle which is semi-automatic with very little scope sway and recoil. In addition to this, it is a one shot kill to the body with no bullet drop. The combination of all these factors with the large maps makes it a sniping/camping nightmare. There is little skill needed to one shot kill someone from far away, as the sniper rifle has a high rate of fire with fairly low recoil.
There are many other smaller issues that I could go on about, but i'll try and shorten it into the all encompassing idea that Homefront just lacks polish. Everything seems rushed including balance issues and content. What could have been a great game got bogged down by poor implementation of ideas.
Bottom line:
Homefront does not stand up against any other quality FPS. Whether you are a fan of Call of Duty, Battlefield, Counterstrike, or any other FPS, you will probably find this game lacking in the aspect that makes that FPS series your favorite. Unless there is a major overhaul with future patches, I would not recommend this game to any FPS gamer.

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Homefront is a first-person shooter that challenges players to survive and impact a fictional future scenario in which America has been economically devastated and occupied by a foreign power. In the face of overwhelming oppression, you must choose whether to submit to military forces, take the fight to the enemy or even throw your lot in with the invaders. Additional features include: a single player campaign written by Hollywood screenwriter John Milius, online multiplayer support for up to 32 players, ground and vehicular combat, and more.

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Fallout Collection (Fallout, Fallout Tactics, Fallout A Post Nuclear RPG) Review

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(More customer reviews)The Fallout games have still not been replaced after ten years of RPGs. The extreme, even libertine freedom that defines the series has not since been captured in a videogame. One can literally go anywhere, fight with anything, and kill anyone within the setting of the game.
The original Fallout and Fallout are turn-based, top-down perspective role-playing games. Though they feel dated in some reguards (graphics, minimal voice-overs, dated AI), they still exhibit gameplay superior to more recent role-playing videogames (libertine freedom, moral choices, engaging dialogue, and a "sandbox" feel).
Fallout's "sandbox" feel is one of its greatest strengths. While most games will force the player to adhere to a certain rigid path, or force him/her to stay in one area until he/she advances in level, Fallout disreguards these limiters. Players can venture into the most dangerous and hostile areas as soon as they begin the game. In Fallout 2, for example, one can beat the game in under an hour if their character was properly oriented (and if they were so inclined).
Fortunatly, the massive worlds and the many ways to play the games will keep players holding their ultimate victory and exploring more of the game. The first two Fallout games have not yet been replaced. The freedoms granted in the Fallout games are comparable to Morrowind or Oblivion, but The Elder Scrolls games lack the complex dialogues and social engineering of the Fallout games. The worlds and the style of play are comparable to the Baldur's gate series, but Fallout has so much greater a sense of freedom than any Dungeons and Dragons videogame ever released. Fallout and Fallout two have not yet been replaced, and I doubt they ever will be.
Fallout Tactics is a tactical strategy game, and it fails to retain the strengths of the other games in the series. As a strategy game, the in-depth dialogue interactions and moral choices simply do not exist. Likewise, the immense feeling of freedom that defines the earlier Fallout games is non-existent in FO:Tactics, as the game progresses on a linear mission-to-mission basis.
Unlike the previous Fallout games, in Tactics the player -directly- controls a squad of up to six soldiers. The combat is either fought in the traditional, turn based Gurps system of the previous games, or in a newer pseudo-real-time mode. In the new system, "action points" recharge over time instead of after ending one's turn. While an interesting twist, controlling one's entire squad is far easier, and in the author's opinion, more fun in traditional turn-based combat.
Veterans will be pleased to know that the main changes to the game's ruleset are simply re-orienting combat towards real-time. All skills from the previous games remain, as well as most traits and perks. Nostalgia aside, the game is boring for the audience of the original games. While the setting and "ruleset", if you will, stay the same, the focus shifts from a "sandbox" to a monotonous "shoot-shoot-shoot" game. Tactics is only for hardcore fans of post-apocalyptic fiction, and only after they are bored of Fallout 1 and 2. There are much better games in the tactical strategy genre (see Jagged Alliance or X-Com).
This release/printing/issue of the Fallout series is very well executed. While the box art is mediocre at best, the single DVD contains Fallout 1, 2, and Tactics; a set that previously would have appeared on 5, that's f-i-v-e compact disks. The extras are wonderful. While I was at first, dissapointed to see a lack of a manual, I then realized that the DVD contains the wonderfully designed and written manuals of all three games in PDF format. The manuals contain some great background story, and even recipies! (see Fallout 2's appendix 8 for "Carrion Kabobs") The extras on the disk are rather nice, but nothing amazing. The concept art is entertaining, but nothing too insightful.I am extremely happy with my recent purchase of the Fallout Collection on DVD. I highly reccomend that any fan of post-apocalyptic fiction, role-playing videogames, "retro" gaming, and to any fan of the Fallout series should pick up this editition.
PS: This game is rated M! The current display of "T" is a mistake! Finally, this game is on a DVD, as the description states. Not a CD.

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