Release of the week – Fallout: New Vegas prices compared

It’s great when we don’t have to scramble for a “release of the week” candidate. This week’s obvious choice is Fallout: New Vegas, which has been developed by Obsidian Entertainment. For those who have just tuned in, Obsidian is a developer formed from the ashes of Black Isles Studios – the team responsible for creating the original Fallout universe.

In many ways then, Fallout: New Vegas is seen as the true spiritual successor to the original Fallout franchise. Officially, it is not even considered a true sequel to Fallout 3, and is instead being called a “spin-off” by IP owner and publisher Bethesda.

New Vegas is set 3 years after Fallout 3, and as you may have guessed, it takes place in Las Vegas and the broader Mojave desert, which is now a wasteland. The Mojave wasteland is roughly the same size as the Captial Wasteland in Fallout 3, which most considered a sufficiently large playground.

Since Las Vegas itself managed to avoid any direct nuclear explosions, its buildings are still intact. Of course, radiation has caused mutations among its inhabitants, as well as various other generally unpleasant developments within the region.

Players step into the boots of a courier who is found lying left for dead in the middle of the desert with a bullet hole in his head. A robot named Victor rescues and drags the courier back to town, where a doctor patches him up. This is essentially where the game starts, and where players go through the traditional character creation process.

New Vegas will be based on Fallout 3. It is a bit sad to think that the original Fallout creators are now limited to developing a “spin-off” which has to be in-line with another developer’s vision of their original property. The Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System (V.A.T.S) will be utilised, as will the Bethesda’s Gamebryo engine.

Fallout: New Vegas has got a few unique tricks up its sleeve, however. Weapon customization will allow players to modify guns in various ways, from mounting scopes, to increasing rate of fire and changing the magazine size. Crafting is also being introduced, and players will be able to customize special ammunition. Players will also be able to harvest plants, and an all new reputation system is being introduced; this was necessity due to the introduction of various factions within the game world.

One of the most enticing new features being introduced is hardcore mode, which ups the realism. In hardcore mode players will have to eat, drink and sleep to survive. They will not be able to instantly heal with Stimpacks, but instead will heal slowly and will require a high medical skill and equipment to heal damaged limbs.  Enemies will be more efficient in combat, and players will have to implement strategic planning on order to succeed. Ammunition will have weight, and players will have to carefully manage their resources.

Fallout: New Vegas is due out this week Friday, and is being released on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

There is not a lot of difference between the core gaming outlets, with the biggest difference coming down to delivery charges. Exclus1ves.co.za continues to impress with its excellent pricing and free delivery, and Zaps is also offering free delivery on pre-orders. It is worth noting that pricing at select retailers remains subject to change once the game has been released. 

Discuss Fallout: New Vegas SA pricing on the MyGaming forum.