Fallout: New Vegas

More Incredible Speedruns From AGDQ 2016

As I continue watching the many speedruns from Awesome Games Done Quick I have a couple I wanted to share y'all could watch. The first one above is the Fallout New Vegas run by progamingwithed that took 24 minutes! It uses a strat I haven't seen before in that you can exploit a reload animation to travel very fast and jump incredibly high. If you like pacifist runs this is very close to that as progamingwithed needs to only kill a couple people making this one of the most peaceful Fallout runs i've even seen.

Contra Race

This years AGDQ featured a lot of great races and this one is a must watch. Themexicanrunner and toad22484 complete Contra in 10:40 and I don't want... Read All

Returning to the Mojave

A few years ago, I stepped into the shoes of the Courier, and ventured into the Mojave Wasteland. I made friends, made even more enemies, and brought peace to the New Vegas strip. For me, this as continuing a long tradition of traversing the wastes. I grew up with Fallout, even going so far as to play that atrocious Xbox game 'Brotherhood of Steel' that came out years back. For me, the wastelands has long since been home.

My wife, on the other hand, is a recent convert. Not just to the wastelands, but to a lot of gaming in general. I Introduced her some months ago to Skyrim, and a few hundred hours of game-time later, I think it's safe to say it's been a hit.... Read All A few years ago, I stepped into the shoes of the Courier, and ventured into the Mojave Wasteland. I made friends, made even more enemies, and brought peace to the New Vegas strip. For me, this as continuing a long tradition of traversing the wastes. I grew up with Fallout, even going so far as to play that atrocious Xbox game 'Brotherhood of Steel' that came out years back. For me, the wastelands has long since been home.

My wife, on the other hand, is a recent convert. Not just to the wastelands, but to a lot of gaming in general. I Introduced her some months ago to Skyrim, and a few hundred hours of game-time later, I think it's safe to say it's been a hit. Eventually, though, Alduin had fallen, the civil war was over, Lord Harkon was slain, and Miraak was put in his place. Mods can only get you so far for adding to the game, and eventually, you just, well, run out of game to play.

Then the Steam Winter Sale rears it's head, and Fallout: New Vegas is a whopping $2.49. At that price, I figure I'm not really out anything if she doesn't like it, and, if nothing else, two and a half bucks is a hell of a deal for a nostalgia trip. So, I boot it up for her, put the controller in her hand, and sat back. As the opening cinematic rolled, I looked at Benny like an old friend. A butthole of an old friend, but an old friend nonetheless. I get to watch as she jumps when Benny shoots you, and laugh as Doc Mitchell examined her. I even took the time to install a mod that allows you to answer 'two bears high-fiving' to the last test, because, seriously, it's two bears high-fiving.

It's always an interesting thing to see, watching someone delve into unfamiliar territory. Here was a woman that laughed as she fought two and three dragons at a time suddenly run from anklebiting praying mantises. It's easy to forget sometimes that these kinds of games can go vastly different with the decisions of two different players. I lamented a bit when she decided that Primm was safest in the hands of the NCR, and elated when she welcomed the Legion in Nipton with a shower of dynamite instead of running off to 'spread the word of the glory of the Legion'. I was proud when she sent Jason Bright and his brotherhood to the skies, instead of simply getting rid of the ghoul problem. She even did one better than me, and negotiated a truce in Boulder city, instead of leaving a trail of bodies. With the exception of the Legion, she has not made an enemy of anyone yet, even going so far as to become friends with the Powder Gangers.

I've had to fight the urge to funnel her towards the same conclusions I made, as the beauty of this game is that it is her journey, and not mine. I may disagree with how she handles one situation or another, but, taking the path that she's on, I'm excited to see just how many people answer her call when the Battle of Hoover Dam comes calling. I regret nothing when it came to my time in the Mojave, but, I'll admit, I was pretty lonely come time to face the music. It'll be good to see what it's like when you actually have favors to call in.

GregoPeck Member wrote on 01/03/2014 at 04:34am

That's awesome! I was new to Fallout with Fallout 3, which I got for the PS3. I was disappointed with the issues I had with the add-ons, some of which I was unable to complete (like Brotherhood of Steel). New Vegas was pretty cool! At first I didn't like that you only got to choose new perks every other level, but in the end I think it worked out for me. I still ran into some issues on the PS3 with some of the add-ons, but those issues weren't as bad as the ones I had with Fallout 3.

It's been some time since I've played that game and can't remember exactly which sides I chose. I think I remember siding with the computers at the end of the game (the main computer being voiced by René Auberjonois, the guy who played Odo, on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, was awesome to me). I think Old World Blues was my favorite add-on, I thought it was humorous.

Nick_Donahoo Post Author wrote on 01/03/2014 at 08:48am

Oh, god. One of my favorite things going back through this is just taking in the voice acting. I mean, damn. Every third person in the game is a celebrity of some sort, and so much of it was so well done.

Travis Admin Member wrote on 01/03/2014 at 06:12pm

Greg, Katie and I just finished Deep Space Nine and I was looking up what I'd seen Odo in before, and it kinda blew my mind that he was Mr. House. Listening to it now, it's obvious, but yeah.

The PS3 versions of games using Bethesda's engines are always worse than the others. The DLC for Skyrim was delayed for months because they couldn't get it working properly.

Timogorgon wrote on 01/03/2014 at 06:56pm

Good to see you on the site again Nick. Another great post!

I was new to the Fallout series with Fallout 3 as well but I absolutely love that game (even if I still need to go finish the last mission or two...). I did pick up Fallout 1, 2 and Tactics while GoG was handing them out for free, so I plan to dig a little bit deeper into the franchise at some point. :) Which Fallout game would you say is your favorite? I've also heard that Fallout 1 can be a little rough, and was wondering if I should skip that one and go straight into 2. Thoughts?

jdodson Admin Member wrote on 01/04/2014 at 04:57am

I _love_ Fallout 3 and a year or so ago got New Vegas in a Bethesda pack in a Steam sale. I tried the game and stopped a bit after starting because I wasn't in love with how the game started. I've heard it really picks up later and in many ways is superior to Fallout 3 and plan on heading back and trying it out.

Thanks for posting this, the game just went a little bit higher on my list :D

jaelte wrote on 01/05/2014 at 06:43am

That reminds me. I still need to finish New Vegas. And Skyrim. And maybe some of the DLC for Fallout 3.

jdodson Admin Member wrote on 01/05/2014 at 06:46am

I have some levels left in PixelJunk Shooter and the Burial at Sea Ep. 1 from BioShock Infinite.

After that I was thinking of maybe starting up Earthbound or something else like XCom. But I can't plan that too far ahead, if I do, more often that not it won't happen :D

If you want to join this conversation you need to sign in.

More Incredible Speedruns From AGDQ 2016

Returning to the Mojave

Recent Activity...

Five Hours of Pure Rage (My Rage 2 First Thoughts)

Five Hours of Pure Rage (My Rage 2 First Thoughts)

Five Hours of Pure Rage (My Rage 2 First Thoughts)

Alienware Aurora R4 5 Years Later