I'm With Geek
  • Home
  • Geekery
    • TGH
    • Creative
    • IWGCast
  • Film
    • The Essentials
    • Hit Play/Hit Stop
    • Trailer Parks
  • TV
  • Games
  • Comics
  • Books
  • About
  • Our Team
  • Contact
  • Editors Blog

Looking Back (and Forward) on Fallout: New Vegas

6/29/2015

 
Picture
by Vanessa 'Nessie'  Hague

FALLOUT 4
IS COMING, FALLOUT 4 IS COMING. THIS IS NOT A DRILL, I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A DRILL. Any gamer worth their salt would have watched Bethesda announce the much anticipated installment in the Fallout franchise a few weeks before E3 this year. They would have also watched the E3 conference itself where Bethesda teased some gameplay and showcased some new features. 

You know what a new title means, don't you? Why a lovely look back at a previous title to see what Bethesda should include, of course! Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas essentially have the same gameplay mechanics and features and since New Vegas is the newer out of the two titles (and since I'm currently replaying it), New Vegas shall be the title I'll be looking at and drawing inspiration from.

New Vegas, which was initially released back in 2010 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC (wow it's five years old), follows The Courier as they travel through post-apocalyptic Las Vegas and the surrounding Mojave Desert. Whilst it wasn't a direct sequel to Fallout 3 and developed by a different team, New Vegas does build upon the base mechanics and features that were implemented in 3.

I'm going to give a run down on some of things used in New Vegas that I consider to be Fallout staples and hope they make a return in Fallout 4.

Companions

Picture
So far, the only companion that has been revealed for Fallout 4 is a dog. Whilst a dog companion has always been a staple inclusion of the franchise, New Vegas had an extensive rosta of companions you could recruit. Each had unique personalities and perks that would assist the player. Whether you wanted to recruit Boone and help him overcome personal demons and utilise his "spotter" perk (which highlights enemies onscreen) or repair and learn more about ED-E the eyebot and utilise it's "enhanced sensors" perk (increased the range of your radar) - there was a broad choice which suited a variety of playstyles. I hope Fallout 4 has a bigger and better selection of companions to choose from (and I also hope that they can't die on easier difficulties).

Levelling and Perk System

Picture
Each time you levelled up in New Vegas, you could attribute points to a base set of skills and then usually choose one perk from an extensive list. The skillset has been subject to little change and why fix something that isn't broken? The perk system however, has continued to grow from game to game; with perks that grant damage bonuses, help the player by adding contextual boosts and even allow unique dialogue options with both the opposite and same sex - the system has continued to allow players to craft and customise their gameplay to greater extents. Fallout 4 needs to keep building on these systems in the same manner to allow that player freedom.

Customisation

Picture
If it's one thing that Bethesda seem to have nailed down for Fallout 4, it's customisation. Customisation and player choice has always been the backbone of the Fallout franchise. From customising your character during the opening, picking dialogue options and clothing, choosing perks and customising and modding weapons; New Vegas included a wealth of different things to offer greater player freedom than 3 before it. There was even a perk that allowed you to create a lesbian or gay (or bisexual) character, if you so wished. Less isn't always more and Bethesda need to build upon the character customisation and make it as extensive as it can and has been - not whittle it down. Building houses is cool and everything but I'd rather have extensive control over the character I want to create and I hope they haven't forgotten.

Those are the three main areas that are jumping out at me at the moment. We've heard that there are over 70 weapons to find and play with in Fallout 4, we were shown combat gameplay. V.A.T.S makes a welcome return and seems to have been tweaked a little (though I did like it when it stopped time and it didn't just slow down but that's me being picky). Bethesda know their selling points for their combat and they've stuck with them; the unique 50s sci-fi weapons are still there and V.A.T.S hasn't really been messed with (if it ain't broke, don't fix it).

I love the Fallout franchise, I love the gameplay and the weird futuristic "stuck-in-the-50s" post-apocalyptic aesthetic. I love the lore and I love the characters and making my own characters. Here's to hoping that Bethesda can deliver on the hype and continue to build upon the franchise as previous titles have done - here’s to hoping that Fallout 4 is going to bigger and better than anything we've expected. 

Escape the Vault...

Picture
There is so much to look forward to later this year, including Fallout 4, but it will always be high on our list. 


Are you looking forward to Fallout 4? What are you hoping it will add to the franchise? Let us know in the comments below! 


Comments are closed.
    Picture
    Head of Games
    Ben Mapp

    [email protected]

    Categories

    All
    Alien Isolation
    Anne Marie Beach
    Arkhamverse
    Assassins Creed
    Atari
    Batman
    Ben Mapp
    Bioshock
    Call Of Duty
    Carla Hodge
    Carla Hodge
    Chivalry
    Chris Crompton
    Christopher Money
    Consoles
    Cosplay
    Dc-comics
    Deus Ex
    E3
    EA
    Edward Mitchell
    Fable
    Far Cry
    From Games To Movies
    Gameboy
    Game Generator
    Game Of Thrones
    Gamescom
    Graeme Stirling
    Graham Osborne
    Gta V
    History Of Gaming
    Indie
    Infamous
    Jamie Kennett
    John Jennings
    Joseph Mitchell
    Josh Crooks
    Josh Foote
    Kim J Osborne
    League Of Legends
    Leah Stone
    Link
    Luke Kirby
    Mario
    Matthew Battles
    May-the-forth
    Metal Gear
    Microsoft
    Monthly Gaming
    New Release
    News
    Nintendo
    Paul Robert Scott
    Paul-robert-scott
    Pc
    Readership
    Reece Merryweather Brown
    Reece Merryweatherbrownfbc7f0236b
    Reflection
    Retrospective
    Review
    Rpg
    Saints Row Iv
    Sherlock-week
    Sony
    Star Wars
    Steam
    Stephen Hyland
    Superman
    Telltale Games
    The Last Of Us
    Tomas Keavney
    Tomb Raider
    Tom Sams
    Top 10
    Trailer
    Tv Adaptation
    Twisted-beast
    Ubisoft
    Vanessa Hague
    Video Games That Need Movie Adaptations
    Vr
    Watch Dogs
    Way To Play
    Way-to-play
    William John
    You Should Be Playing
    You Should Play
    Zelda
    Zombies

    Games

    Reviews and discussions on the latest games, as well as some classics. Whether you're partial to the PS3, the Xbox 360, or the PC, I guarantee the Games section will have something to keep you entertained and intrigued.

    Archives

    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013

    RSS Feed

    Click to set custom HTML
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.