FIVE STARS and the subject line says "horrible"?! I'll keep it short: Get this and New Vegas, download Tale of Two Wastelands. While installing, keep the balances introduced by New Vegas. The game (now a mod) then launches from FNV. Then mod everything else to your liking. Congratulations, your head-canon just got a lot wider, plus your arsenal from FO3 can now be carried over to FNV! Playing this standalone? Nah. The story is lackluster at best, the dialogue is poorly written, the animations are... horrid, and everything else is an unbalanced mess. If you can't fix the story, might as well let FNV's base mechanics and mod enhancements take over.
FIVE STARS and the subject line says "horrible"?! I'll keep it short: Get this and New Vegas, download Tale of Two Wastelands. While installing, keep the balances introduced by New Vegas. The game (now a mod) then launches from FNV. Then mod everything else to your liking. Congratulations, your head-canon just got a lot wider, plus your arsenal from FO3 can now be carried over to FNV! Playing this standalone? Nah. The story is lackluster at best, the dialogue is poorly written, the animations are... horrid, and everything else is an unbalanced mess. If you can't fix the story, might as well let FNV's base mechanics and mod enhancements take over.
Track down your nemesis, and decide his fate. Train military misfits to survive in battle, or lie about your skills and let them suffer the consequences. Save a dictator's life from a brain tumor, or let nature take its course. Work with the status quo, or against it. .308 or surplus ammo. FNV's greatest strength lies in the weight of every decision you make. It's not just about shooting the wrong guy and having other guys come after you - your dialogue, your actions, and how, when and with whom you do them carve your story. And it should go without saying: mod the game and make your story truly yours.
Track down your nemesis, and decide his fate. Train military misfits to survive in battle, or lie about your skills and let them suffer the consequences. Save a dictator's life from a brain tumor, or let nature take its course. Work with the status quo, or against it. .308 or surplus ammo. FNV's greatest strength lies in the weight of every decision you make. It's not just about shooting the wrong guy and having other guys come after you - your dialogue, your actions, and how, when and with whom you do them carve your story. And it should go without saying: mod the game and make your story truly yours.
Worship Stone Heads, Vaults and the occasional Totem Pole. Produce villagers (Braves), train them, and turn them into a deadly army. Convert Wildmen to your tribe, or send out Preachers to indoctrinate your enemies. And when everything is in place, lay waste to your opponents along with your trusty Shaman and her myriad of amusing spells that can even transform the battlefield (Earthquake and Volcano on a 3D plane? Bring it!). If only you could remap certain keys and allow adjustment of the framerate to be as smooth as possible, but alas, it cannot be done. But that doesn't mean it's a bad game - it does offer a lot of enjoyment for the first-time player, like it did back in the late 90's. Mess around with your armies or your spells - and remember, NOTHING beats creating a backdoor with the Landbridge spell!
RECOMMENDATION: Multiple playthroughs + Survival Mode, 4 solid stars I've fallen in love with the swordplay. Slicing through hordes have never felt so satisfying, with body parts flying everywhere and bonuses that will keep you going out for more. Double-tapping a directional button + primary fire will unleash skills (there's just three, though), that either stabs, gives you a ranged attack or downright slices enemies around you, their heads flying off. It gives you a nice incentive to dig in to the front line, and not just kite. I can assure you that you won't be playing this for the story. No, sir, the story's uninspired and stale, with plot twists getting incredibly predictable. BUT - you can count on it's incredible writing. The banter between Lo Wang and his companion is hilarious, and even Lo Wang by his lonesome can garner chuckles. Cutscene FMVs are well done, drawn and animated with incredible art. All in all, it's one incredibly-polished game if you can forgive it's faults. It does remind me of Painkiller a lot - whole lot of action, checkpoints and the occasional huge boss, with very little depth; but what is depth if you're given an excuse to eviscerate demons by the dozens, and look so good doing so? Definitely grab this, and with a Survival Mode thrown in after the patch, you'll be playing this for a long time. Also, you'll dig the last chapter. Trust me on this.
