After last week's teaser, Fallout fans (including ourselves) were left wanting more on New Vegas. Courtesy of some magazine reveals (one being PC gamer) and the diligent fans at Duck and Cover, about everything you could want to know at this stage is here, though take it all with a grain of salt of course. We won't post the scans -- you'll just have to pick up the mag for those, or scour the net.
First thing's first: New Vegas will be a first-person action RPG running on the Gamebryo engine (same as Fallout 3). Certainly, this is a dissapointment to fans of Van Buren (the "real" Fallout 3, the hardcore might say), but doesn't mean the game won't be great -- it's our hope the game will combine the best of both Fallout 3 and its predecessors (like the SPECIAL stats system and Super Mutants, both of which are returning).
The VATS combat system is intact, complete with new special moves for melee weapons, like "Fore", which seems to be a groin shot as administered by a golf club that knocks the opponent down.
Dialogue and skills have grown more sophisticated: if you're highly skilled in Explosives for example, you'll be able to talk to some characters about explosives. Interestingly, all dialogue options will be visible regardless of your stats, and no matter what you pick, you'll never "wind up in a worse position than you were before selecting [one]."
In addition to Karma, the reputation system returns, with (seemingly) separate reputations for each of the game's factions (there are three), as in Fallout and Fallout 2.
Vets will be pleased to know a "Hardcore Mode!" will be included. Designer Josh Sawyer says despite the inevitable mods, it's something he likes to start with, and "it's the only way [he] plays it." On this difficulty, Stimpacks heal over time (instead of instantly), combat is harder, ammo has weight, and you can suffer dehydration. Normal difficulty will be similar to Fallout 3.
In the true spirit of Fallout, the game will have much of the distinct humour the series is known for. One of the Super Mutants, for example, is named Tabitha. Sporting a blonde 50s-style wig and heart-shaped glasses, it's implied she's "not all there." Another: after failing to convince a woman an ambush will help rid her town of a raider gang and using the Sneak skill, the woman says, "Good luck with your, uh, ambush."
On the story front, you play a courier, "wounded and left for dead in a shallow grave." A former vault dweller/doctor named Mitchell and his friendly robot Victor (the one we saw in the teaser, presumably), find you and fix you up, and the doc gives you a Pipboy. The plot focuses on the conflicts between factions: the New California Republic, Caesar's Legion, and New Vegas locals.
That's all the juiciest bits for now. Stay tuned for more New Vegas -- we'll surely have a proper trailer or five between now and the autumn launch.
Source:Duck and Cover
Alternate Source:Bethesda Softworks forums
Sections:Microsoft Consoles, Console Games, PC Games, Sony Consoles
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‘Dear John’: Dead Letter, By Kurt LoderFallout: New Vegas Debut Trailer
