Fallout 3 was well received in general. Although some called it “Oblivion with guns,”, the game won tons of prizes and awards. In the original we got to explore the post-nuclear wasteland around Washington D.C., and some other areas in the DLC expansions. Bethesda did their best to stay true to the original series and mixed both turn-based and real-time gameplay. The awesomely brutal visuals and atmosphere were also quite faithfully converted to modern hardware.

In the continuation of the saga, we get to visit New Vegas and surroundings and meet its residents. In short, it is an entirely new game with a new character, a new giant map to explore, and a few changes to the game mechanics over Fallout 3. It’s not Fallout 4, but it’s pretty close.

The Story

The game  starts somewhat surprisingly with You, an unsuspecting delivery boy at work, receiving a bullet in the head from a man in a striped suit and buried.  Fortunately a helpful cowboy robot is around and takes you to see the doctor in a small town close to the graveyard.

Your first thoughts as you wake up from your coma is of course ones of violent retribution. At least that’s the intention, but this is Fallout, so you are free to to wander around the wasteland and perform side quests for 50 hours or more before moving on to the main adventure. Freedom in New Vegas is quite impeccable.

That said, the game has a main story, and you get shoved in a general direction. You can find answers to the questions the young messenger set up, whether you like it or not. But what you choose to do with this information is completely up to you.

Open-Ended, Irradiated Nevada

Having freedom to do more or less what you want in the game world is not a new concept, but Obsidian has done a great job in this regard when it comes to Fallout: New Vegas. Your freedom to move around and do what you want is impeccable and frankly, one of the best parts of the game. ven if the game – just like Oblivion and Fallout 3 – is a little bit too balanced, since your enemies will be adjusted to your character’s level.

The game’s view on morality is quite balanced – nothing is entirely black or white, so whether you want to be a real bad-ass or an angel of mercy, you are going to have to face some challenging decisions. While taking out an entire town with a flamethrower is all fun and games, it may have a negative impact on what happens later, i.e., some quests will be unavailable thanks to your previous actions. It’s easy to immerse yourself in the game and it’s very hard to put it down, which is an aspect that all RPGs should strive for.

Turn-Based or Not?

The completely turn-based Fallout 1, 2 and Tactics were all excellent games but in an isometric perspective. With the move to 3D, Bethesda had to make the tough choice between pleasing fans of the original games and moving to a more mainstream, FPS-like game.

As in Fallout 3, the VATS system is this compromise, which is awkward at times. My personal preference would be uing VATS (turn-based mode) throughout the game, but you can’t use it for more than a set number of turns before it returns to “FPS” mode. It’s frustrating but somewhat understandable that Bethesda had to go down this road.

Conclusion

Exploration is still a large part of the game and a very satisfying part at that (yes, there’s an Enclave power armor to be found). The game world is massive and there are countless little places to discover. In all, Fallout: New Vegas is an immersive and engaging RPG that will keep you entertained for at least 50 but possibly over 100 hours. Replay value is somewhat limited, since you will know all the locations when revisiting the game, but that’s hardly necessary as the game itself is huge. It’s a unique, desolate and strangely wonderful world to explore, with an atmosphere that has can’t be compared to anything outside the Fallout universe.

For anyone with a little interest in role-playing games of all varieties – and specifically Dungeons & Dragons universe – Neverwinter should be a familiar place. In a few months you wil be able to pay the city a visit once again.

Atari Europe and Cryptic Studios have announced that an RPG with the simple title Neverwinter is in development for PC with an intention to launch in the fourth quarter of 2011.

The game will be a classic D & D adventure and developer Cryptic is working closely with Wizards of the Coast in the work of the game. Cryptic have previously been behind the titles City of Heroes City of Villains, Champions Online and Star Trek Online. Bioware is however not involved this tome around.

Neverwinter is a team-based RPG where you can choose from five D&D classes and form cooperative groups of five, either with friends or with CPU allies. Players can also create their own stories and quests using a system known as the Forge.

Something that bodes well for the game is that the best-selling author R.A. Salvatore has been involved in creating the backstory. Salvatore’s first book in a new Neverwinter trilogy, Gauntlgrym, is already available if you want to get in the right mood right away.

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will be released on December 7, says Blizzard in a recent statement. The third expansion for the – to say the least – most popular online role-playing game will be more than just an expansion, according to the developer:

“Cataclysm includes the best content we’ve ever created for World of Warcraft. It’s not just an expansion, but a recreation of much of the original Azeroth, complete with epic new high-level adventures for current players and a redesigned leveling experience for those just starting out. ”

Now, with the help of a few beta testers, Blizzard intends to polish a Cataclysm before its release date, which happens to coincide with the holiday shopping season. Call me a cynic.

Square Enix has announced that it plans to release its MMO epic Final Fantasy XIV for Windows on September 3, meaning that PlayStation 3 owners will have to wait – at least until March 2011. A special edition of the game will be released as early as September 22nd, which will include a map, a journal and a DVD where you can watch the development of the game, plus some other goodies.

BioWare now offers yet another piece of downloadable content for Dragon Age: Origins. The latest episode has been named Leliana’s Song.In Leliana’s Song, you take on the role of a young Leliana, when she follows her old mentor Marjolaine on a mission that turns out to be deadlier than expected. Leliana quickly finds that she can not rely on her charm, looks or skills, but has to kill or be killed to get out of the political intrigues she finds herself entagled in.

In other words it’s a Leliana-centred prequel: you get to follow the circumstances that led up to her joining the monastic world in Ferelden  in this brand new adventure.

JoWood has let out some interesting footage featuring gameplay from the upcoming Gothic 4 Arcania. Looks interesting – let’s hope that unlike Gothic 3 this one is reasonably bug-free.

The Polish developer CD Projekt anticipates releasing The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings during next year’s first quarter, according to a representative of the publisher of the game’s official forum.

This is only for the PC though – console versions are also planned, but there are no more details on that (or in a secret patch somewhere). Among the new innovations for The Witcher 2 is a more hack ‘n slash-type combat system, dialogue with multiple characters simultaneously, and some gratuitous nudity. A new website for the game is to be launched April 7, then we’ll know more.

The draconic head of the Darkspawn is dead, the world is saved and there are warm, fuzzy feelings aplenty. But did everyone live happily ever after? Of course not. If so, how would BioWare be able to roll out new gigantic expansions. Shortly after the events in Dragon Age: Origins you head off for the northeastern part of Ferelden, to a keep previously associated with the Howe’s.  The Gray Wardens have seized a fortress and this is the starting point for the coming adventures.

Before the expansion starts, you can choose whether you want to import your old hero or create a new one from Orlais – if so, the game assumes that there was no Gray Warden left in the country f Ferelden. Creating a new character is probably not an option for most players, but in case you didn’t build a great one in Origins it could be an alternative worth considering. Otherwise – just like in Mass Effect 2 – all of your decisions and relationships from the first part will carry over, as well as your equipment.

As the new leader of the Gray Wardens, your new responsibilities include settling disputes; decide how resources should be allocated, and judge in criminal proceedings among other things. There is no way to make everyone happy, but you can still choose between playing the villain or the hero in lots of situations.

New Features and Characters

The expansion has a lot in common with the original story. You get several new quests right away, one of which is the main quest, but you can choose in what order you want to do them and skip some if you want to. You have a sizeable to-do list in Awakening, and some of the side quests are pretty short and to the point, which ups the overall tempo of the game.

As this is a real expansion, it means new abilities (including an extra specialization slot) and a new colorful cast of characters, although some of your old friends will also show up of course. It looks like BioWare has put some extra effort into the visuals – all of the basic mechanics of the game engine are still there, but the environments and items have been given extra details.

Unless you had already reached higher, you start at level 18. There’s a host of new abilities once you reach level 20 and above, which adds a lot of new options for character customization. However, since your characters are now so strong, the game feels somewhat easier than the first part of Dragon Age: Origins. It’s not as likely that you get your butt kicked by surprise. New passive abilities enhance your health or mana, and new potions let warriors and thieves increase their stamina even further.

Summary

Dragon Age: Origins Awakening is a worthy expansion for one of the best RPG experiences right now, and it’s definitely worth the money. It adds a major new campaign that further develops the game world and expands and improves on an already brilliant RPG. Considering all the cheap downloadable content that is so popular these days, it’s worth pointing out that this is an old-school expansion, which genuinely adds another dimension to the game and at least two dozen hours of new gaming.

*********~ (9/10)

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Deus Ex 3 will be the first tangible collaboration between Square Enix and Eidos after Square Enix bought the company. The third part of Deus Ex 3 is in development at Eidos Montreal, and Square Enix will be contributing with pre-rendered movies to the game.Knowing how the Final  Fantasy in-game cut-scenes have looked in the past this is no doubt a good thing.  How much they are contributing is unclear, but it should a the very least involve the game’s introduction.

A trademark that has been registered in Europe and North America implies that the game will be titled Deus Ex: Human Revolution. It seems that Eidos Montreal is getting ready to reveal more about the game in the near future, which could mean that the game will appear in some form during the Games Developer Conference starting next week.

We have been waiting for about 10 years for another installment of Diablo III, and what does Blizzard have to say on the matter? The game won’t be out for another year! Seriously? Judging from the pics they’ve at least had the courtesy to release, it looks pretty much finished to me, but I guess Blizzard really wants everyone to keep the hype going. By next year it will probably look hopelessly dated… anyway, here are some pictures to wet your appetite.