Fallout: New Vegas

In the follow-up to one of the best games of 2008, Fallout 3, Bethesda Softworks is back with another post-nuclear role playing game. This time, however, Bethesda focused on producing, while Obsidian Entertainment took control of development. And instead of Washington, D.C., Fallout: New Vegas takes place in--you guessed it--a revived Las Vegas. But are these changes worth $60? That's a slope slipperier than liquid mercury, slipping down...a sloping...thing. (Steve Martin rules!)

Fallout: New Vegas takes place in the portion of the Mojave Desert that surrounds Las Vegas, now known as New Vegas. While most of America's other major cities were ripped to shreds during the nuclear holocaust of 2077, Vegas made it out virtually unscathed. Thanks to Hoover Dam, it gets a healthy supply of clean water and power. It's currently controlled by the New California Republic, a faction that superfans would remember from the earlier Fallout games. But an army of slaver tribes calling itself Cesar's Legion wants to take control of the dam, thus controlling New Vegas. You play as a courier who managed to get him/herself caught up in the middle of this struggle. You can choose to join either side, or join no one at all. It's up to you.

Much of the gameplay style isn't different from Fallout 3, but there are a few notable differences. For example, the companion system has improved. You can now have one human and one non-human in your party, and it's easier to get them to behave the way you want them to. Along with the returning workbench you used to build new weapons, there are also campfires and reloading benches you can use to make new healing items and ammunition. Ammunition is now available in armor piercing and hollowpoint, and can be crafted or purchased from dealers. You can also look down the sights of many of your guns.

But of course, what would a game set in Sin City be without gambling mini-games? Along with blackjack, roulette and slot machines, Obsidian also invented their own confusing game called Caravan. (If you figure out how to play it, please explain it to me.)

The biggest addition to the game is hardcore mode. Designed for those who thought Fallout 3 was too easy, hardcore mode truly makes wasteland survival more difficult. It makes your character need food, water and rest in order to stay alive. It also gives weight to ammunition and limits the effectiveness of stimpacks. The game even recommends not playing in hardcore mode. But if you really want a challenge, and or you're an achievement/trophy whore, don't say I didn't warn you.

The New Vegas Strip is to Fallout: New Vegas what D.C. was to Fallout 3; the place where all the danger and fun is. But don't forget to explore the entire map, which is mostly settlements and abandoned buildings scattered across the Mojave Desert. There are so many quests to complete, Bethesda has boasted over 100 hours of content. But like Fallout 3, you won't seem to mind. The storylines and gameplay of New Vegas is just as addictive as it's predecessor.

That being said, there are a few things that make this game fall a bit short of the standards that Fallout 3 set back in 2008. The game will freeze at times due to glitches in the computer code. In fact, Bethesda has already released a patch to fix this issue. The main story is also a bit weaker this time around, although there is a greater number of possible endings this time. I also found the crafting process a bit more annoying this time around. I got tired of hauling around all of these ingredients and parts that I couldn't even combine.

At the end of the day, Fallout: New Vegas is just as fun and addictive as the last Fallout game, despite the issues it has. From excellently crafted post-nuclear settings, to hilariously entertaining characters, it's what every fan of the series would come to expect. Grab your copy now, and be ready for the first DLC scheduled for this holiday season, exclusively on the Xbox 360.

Available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. Rated M for Mature. Produced by Bethesda Softworks, developed by Obsidian Entertainment.

Image provided courtesy of Unigamesity.com.

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

You know how a lot of third-person games involve the annoying task of protecting an NPC one or more times in the game? Well, imagine doing that for the entire game! Now you can with Ninja Theory's latest lackluster title, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, an action-adventure/platformer that seems to have all the same flaws as Heavenly Sword.

The game takes place 150 years in the future, where the world is a wasteland ruled by machines and slavers. You play as Monkey, your typical lone badass who wanders this post-apocalyptic world while fighting for his own survival, blah blah blah. One day he wakes up imprisoned on a slaver airship, but manages to escape when it crashes in what used to be New York City.

He awakens to find himself wearing a slave's headband. It was applied by another crash survivor, Trip, a techie who looks suspiciously similar to the main character of Heavenly Sword. (Guess Ninja Theory has a thing for scantily clad women with red, braided hair.) Trip has modified the headband to work for her. If Monkey doesn't follow her orders, she gives him a headache. If he still resists, the pain kills him. And if she dies, so does he. So...basically they're married. Zing!

Anyway, if Monkey wants his freedom, he'll have to help Trip get back to her village, which is located somewhere west of New York. Along the way, they have to help each other fight their way through hordes of mechs that know only one thing: kill all humans.

What makes Enslaved different from Heavenly Sword is it's smaller focus on combat and story, or greater focus on platforming and puzzle solving. Does that make it any better? Of course not. It only takes about seven hours play, and there's zero replay value. While everything is upgradeable, the combat is still pretty stale. And the story balances between unoriginal and boring.

Now, I can't say I hated everything about Enslaved. Like Heavenly Sword, the backgrounds are breathtaking. The enemy AI is also descent, and weapons like the laser shooting staff and the hover board are fun for a while. You'll also occasionally have the chance to choose stealth over direct combat, which can sometimes make things more interesting. There's also a third character who brings some comic relief to the game about halfway through, making the dialogue a bit more entertaining.

Besides the main story, the only other thing there is to do is the downloadable content, and it's not even out yet!

While I can't say I can't say this game was completely horrible, I also can't even recommend renting Enslaved:Odyssey to the West. There's nothing original or impressive about it, so don't waste your time.

Available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Rated T for Teen. Published by Namco Bandi Games, developed by Ninja Theory.