The citizens of Goodsprings did warn me to stay on the road in my travels, so I can’t say that the game didn’t warn me of the hazards that might await me. A few paces later, I was left cleaning out the mess I made in my trousers after running into a friggin’ Deathclaw, the Fallout series equivalent to a Terminator.

After loading up a save game, I decided that traveling west was perhaps ill-advised, and decided to try the northern path. Unfortunately, the game had other plans for me, and I was quickly impaled by a Giant Radscorpion. I picked a direction and began to walk, nervous but resolute that I’d make a name for myself in the Mojave Desert. I decided to take advantage of my newfound freedom and play New Vegas the same way as I played Fallout 3. However, what it lacks in initial immersion is quickly made up for by getting to the point and sending you out into the desert to find out why someone would want a lowly courier dead. New Vegas gets straight to business, shying away from the oppressive and claustrophobic opening of Fallout 3. Rather than reincarnate you through some sorcerer’s spell or give you the chance to roll through the wasteland as a zombie (think of the possibilities here!), the gray matter left smeared on the sands is put back in place by a kindly doctor who gives you the chance to customize your character in a process very familiar to fans of the WRPG genre.

The story begins with you getting your head blown off in the Mojave Desert. All of these accomplishments and accolades are forever tarnished, however, by a myriad of bugs, odd design choices, and a general lack of fun – the most important quality of a game for me.

The world is bursting at the seams with player choice, character, humor, and all of the other great things associated with the franchise. On the one hand, the game is essentially a giant expansion pack to one of my most beloved games of this generation. Writing a review of Fallout: New Vegas is quite difficult for me.

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