PLATINUM REVIEW: Fallout: New Vegas

This is the first of my series of platinum reviews. These differ from traditional reviews in that I am not evaluating the games themselves (although my perception will certainly be influenced by the quality of the game), but the platinum trophy associated with each game.

In these reviews, I will discuss notably enjoyable, rewarding, annoying, or complicated trophies in each game. Then I will rank the platinum on scales of fun, difficulty, and time-wasting ridiculousness. Finally, I will ask, "If given the chance, would I plat it again?" In other words, if I could get credit for platting the game a second time, would I do it? Today's installment is my most recent platinum, Fallout: New Vegas.

Synopsis:

Fallout: New Vegas is a post-apocalyptic FPS/RPG taking place in the Mojave Desert during the year 2281. It is a follow-up to Fallout 3, one of the most lauded games of this generation. Though it does make some basic improvements to its predecessor's formula, this game is essentially Fallout 3.5. However, one does not need to have played Fallout 3 in order to enjoy New Vegas—the plots are related in only the slightest of ways. If you're looking for value in a game, this one provides it: you could easily get more than 100 hours of gameplay from this single disc. There are problems with slowdown, freezing, and other glitches, but none of that made me feel like the game was completely broken (although maybe a bit annoying). This is definitely worth a playthrough whether you are a fan of the Fallout series or have never had the pleasure to be introduced.

Most Rewarding Trophy:

Hardcore

This made an easy game slightly more difficult and I got a gold trophy in the process. And with bullets actually weighing something, it actually requires some semblance of strategy! The game becomes less about loot collection and more about resource allocation when you consider how much food and water to carry and what to do with the surplus. How many times did I sell some ammo or water and then curse myself an hour later? Way too many times. The only annoying part was that my companions died at the drop of a hat (especially whenever I fought a group of cazadors). Still, I think this is the way the game should be played.

Most Annoying Trophies:

All or Nothing

Eureka

No Gods, No Masters

Veni, Vidi, Vici

Doing the exact same things four different times is not at all my idea of varied gameplay. Hey, I'll do the NCR ending! 1. Boomers. 2. Brotherhood of Steel. 3. Great Khans. 4. End game! How about the Mr. House ending? 1. Boomers. 2. Brotherhood of Steel. 3. Great Khans. 4. End game! Ugh. Talk about an artificial extension of the gameplay time. It got to the point where I just killed the leaders of the different factions right away, since it was notably faster and I don't need any extra help in the final battle, anyway.

Most Fun Trophy:

Caravan Master

Caravan is awesome. The developers did a great job of creating a new game that I actually want to play. I do wish that more people in the Mojave Wasteland played it, since I ended up playing the game against the same guy several times in a row for the trophy (and by the end, he was bidding zero caps!). I will say that the computer's AI should have been better—the game was not very challenging. Caravan is fun enough that I intend to play it with real cards against actual human opponents.

Most Pointless Trophies:

Globe Trotter

Legend of the Star

No, seriously. I hate collection trophies. I cannot stress this enough. Globe Trotter wasn't too bad, since there were only seven items to collect and they were not at all hard to locate. Still, why do I need to bother? It's stupid and so are these trophies.

Best Game Expander:

Blast Mastery

Lead Dealer

Love The Bomb

New Vegas Samurai

Old-Tyme Brawler

On Fallout 3, I never used melee, unarmed, or explosive weapons at all (except for mini nukes to kill the super mutant behemoths, of course). Since I could carry unlimited ammo and had worked up my small guns and energy weapon skills, I used machine guns and plasma rifles pretty much exclusively. On Fallout: New Vegas, with ammo weighing something and the need to expand my damage sources, melee and unarmed weapons became my best friends. This actually added a lot to the gameplay, so I like these trophies. Except for Love The Bomb. I never get into explosive weapons.

Platinum Rankings:

Fun:

A good game (despite the constant crashing) and a fun platinum, even if there are several trophies that are a bit redundant.

Difficulty:

New Vegas is not difficult at all—in fact, it's a little too easy. Almost every trophy on this game requires more time than skill. I would have appreciated a little more struggle, honestly.

Needless Grinding:
I mentioned that the four faction endings result in some needless repetitive grinding. Other than those and the hated collection trophies, this game is pretty straight forward. Getting 10,000 health from food probably would have been really annoying, except for the fact that I began concentrating on it early and worked up my survival skill to make it happen.

(or maybe...)

If Given The Chance, Would I Plat It Again?

Absolutely not. Yes, it was fun. But to me, this isn't the type of game to inspire a replay, and especially not for a second platinum. While I can deal with the crashing during an initial playthrough, I would lose patience on any subsequent tries. I'm glad I played this, but now I'm done.

Overall:

An okay platinum for a good game, but not anything special.