Fallout: New Vegas - review

I've spent the last few days trying to put my finger on what it is exactly that makes the Fallout series so singularly captivating.

Is it the dark humour? The unparalleled sense of freedom? The decisions and consequences that give the your actions such a sense of significance?

Perhaps its greatest strength is the fact that everybody can play it differently. Rigidly follow the main storyline – or wander off and ignore it entirely. Try and be as moral as possible – or kill and rob the first merchant you come across. It's a tailor-made gaming experience where everything can be done at your own pace and in your own way – no wonder it resonates with so many people.

Fallout: New Vegas, the latest addition to the franchise, exemplifies all these great qualities in the series' best outing to date.

The action this time takes place on the US west coast – the setting for the first two Fallout games – a decision which has granted Obsidian much greater scope for variety in landscaping and colour than the washed-out Washington DC of Fallout 3.

Being further away from the game's titular nuclear fallout, there's blue skies, singing birds and more signs of civilisation – a marked tonal shift from the unremittingly bleak scenery seen previously.

Aside from the familiar burnt-out cities and trailer parks, the centrepiece of this new setting is the New Vegas strip – a wonderfully distorted and dark version of its real-life counterpart. Vomiting drunks, voluptuous prostitutes and a selection of fully playable casinos (better max out your Luck rating first) make it every bit as vivid and memorable as the decaying US capital of the last game.

In terms of the story, there's next to no foreshadowing this time around – players are expected to be familiar with the Fallout universe – and the main narrative follows your attempts to unravel the events leading up to your near-death, which prefigures the game.

I've been asked a few times whether it's 'better' than Fallout 3's central plot and to be honest it's hard to say. It's a looser strand to follow, meaning side-questing fits in much more easily, though the blank nature of your character means it's hard to care too much about what happened to you – especially when there's so much fun to be found elsewhere.

While we're dwelling on the negatives, critics will point out that New Vegas is far from being Fallout 4 – and it's true, the majority of tweaks and new features are unlikely to greatly affect what is a near-identical gameplay experience. But it's hard to care too much when there was so little wrong with its predecessor.

Familiar problems, such as regular crashes – I've had to switch my Xbox off using the power button roughly once every two hours so far – and a lack of signposting for irrevocably game-altering decisions can be frustrating, though perhaps understandable given the huge scope of the game. Getting into the habit of regular saving is more important than ever.

These however are small niggles in a overwhelmingly impressive - and simply huge - gaming experience. The map, though similar-sized to Fallout 3's, seems more jam-packed than ever – New Vegas is less a sandbox game than whole beach to play around in.

That "just one more mission" feeling that lead to entire evenings and weekends lost exploring the last wasteland is more apparent than ever. The simple thrill of finding an abandoned shack in the middle of nowhere packed with exciting new gear is hard to match.

Levelling up now caps at 30 (up from 20 in the last outing) – meaning there's much more incentive to delve deeper and deeper. There's dozens of new perks to unlock, and the return of some familiar enemies and weapons from earlier in the series will do even more to delight hardcore fans.

Graphics and voice-acting are noticeably improved, and the new tribe-by-tribe reputation system adds another layer of depth to the myriad choices you'll have to make throughout the game. This essentially means you can't be liked by rival groups at the same time – tough for those wanting to unlock all the companions, missions and dialogue in one playthrough, but more reason than ever to start again once you finish the game.

Along with this new feature there's now tweaked companion controls, weapon modding, card games, craftable ammo and herbal remedies for your to tinker with, though it's the left-trigger iron sights which I feel may be the most significant addition.

Combat is no longer a case of simply hoping you have enough AP to finish off your assailants and running backwards if you need to recharge – VATS can be now pretty much ignored if it's not to your liking. This allows for a more visceral FPS experience for those that want it – and the option of a mix between the two styles for everyone else.

The question of whether New Vegas could convince those that so far haven't been keen on the series is a difficult one. The focus is very much still on immersion and exploration, and despite some concessions for action nuts, those looking for shallow shoot-em-up thrills and spills are still best catered for elsewhere.

For the rest of us, Fallout: New Vegas is simply every bit as good as you'd expect. Writing this review has been difficult simply because I've been itching to strap on my Pipboy, get back to the wasteland and do a bit more exploring – there's nothing quite like it. I think you'll feel the same.

Reviewed on Xbox 360