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I don't think I've ever seen a New Vegas LP get as far as one of the DLC's before.  OWB is a good DLC, and a lot of people's favorite. It's probably the best quality entry overall. I'm really looking forward to Dead Money as well, given our protagonist's... culinary adventurism.
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Apr 24, 2018 00:48
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Rigged Death Trap posted:In fact I'd go so far to say that FO3 was the worst FTFY  I actually agree with you, although I've never much liked the Bethesda engine in any of the Fallout games. Something about the clunky interface and lousy FPS execution really kills it for me. I love New Vegas to pieces, but it's in spite of the combat/interface, not because of it.
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Apr 24, 2018 22:35
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Oh yes, the Robo-scorpions. They're all over the place, they always appear in groups of 3+, they do respectable damage, and at high levels, become unreasonably durable. They're the main reason why the best time to do this DLC is after you've picked up some decent gear/perks, but before level 25 or so. They can be a major pain to deal with after that. And yeah, the Proton Axe is good stuff. The only thing that bugs me about it is the impact sound effect when it hits something; it's curiously soft-sounding, like you're hitting a bean bag with a stick. Kinda underwhelming. Still my favorite weapon from the DLC, though.
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May 6, 2018 16:27
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So there's a bug in New Vegas in which NPC heads will suddenly... rotate in weird ways. I'm not sure how to explain it, but you can see what it looks like here. On one of my playthroughs, a bunch of Ghosts got affected by this bug. So all of a sudden they're shuffling towards me, twisting their necks around at impossible angles. It was actually an extremely cool effect- their animations are sort of disjointed and alien anyway, and IMHO it actually added to the whole experience, in a body-horror sort of way. The writing and characters of this DLC are rightfully praised, but I feel like the sound work doesn't get its due. When you're exploring in the villa, the background "music" is less of a song and more background noise, very slow and rhythmic. It'd be almost hypnotic, except it sounds wrong, so you never really relax. The Ghosts' breathing is recognizably human, but much too harsh and grating, with a strange "buzz" to it. Even the broken radios/speakers emit a garbled signal that almost has a recognizable voice, sometimes disturbingly so, but it's completely unintelligible. For me, when combined with the visuals, all of this perfectly sold the mood and atmosphere of this ambitious resort fallen to ruin- eerie, sad, lethal, and above all, forbidden. It kind of reminds me of Silent Hill, in a good way. Sorry if I sound like a pretentious reviewer, I just really, really like this DLC. It does all kinds of things wrong, but it's a real treat if it gets the chance to shine.
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Jun 23, 2018 07:51
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I love the Dean-Vera-Sinclair soap opera backstory. It just encapsulates the pre-War world so neatly- exaggerated, treacherous, romantic to the point of silliness. And it ties in perfectly with the theme of obsession, too. Can't wait for the next update!
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Jul 12, 2018 06:09
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Obsidian has done some really cool stuff with themes. Another story of theirs, the Mask of the Betrayer expansion to Neverwinter Nights 2, is all about, well, betrayal; what happens when you have to choose between loyalties? That might be loyalty to one's lover, or family, or culture, or faith, or even sense of self. Just about every character in that game has to grapple with betraying someone, being betrayed themselves, or very often, both. It's very well-done. If you're not familiar with it, I believe there's a pretty good screenshot LP up at the archive. Well worth the read if you like Obsidian's writing. This DLC has betrayal in it, but I think its main theme is obsession. Every character, past and present, has an obsession with someone or something, and Dead Money is the story of what happens when all these obsessions come together. Think about it: in the past, we have Sinclair, Dean, and Vera. Sinclair is obsessed with Vera, that much is clear. Dean is obsessed with Sinclair (ruining him, that is, and eventually the casino that is his legacy.) Vera is tougher, because while Dean speaks for himself and Sinclair left personal writings, we only get glimpses of her personality. Still, it seems to me like she is obsessed with approval- she desperately wants to be liked. Hard to know without hearing her side of the story, though. Contrast that with the present: we have Elijah, who is obsessed with remaking the world; Christine, who is obsessed with punishing Elijah for his crimes; Dean, who hasn't changed; Dog, who is obsessed with approval and being liked; and God, who is obsessed with control. Each character defines, justifies, and acts on their obsessions in their own way; and not only that, they must navigate around the obsessions of others, even people who have been dead for centuries. And in what is IMO a stroke of brilliance, the player's obsession with winning/success is presented by way of the gold bars at the end: unless you know exactly what to do, claiming the prize almost certainly leads to a game over. Of course you can reload the game or read a guide or abuse game mechanics. But who would do that, unless they were obsessed? And doesn't that prove that letting go truly is the hard part when you're in such a mindset? We can (and should!) judge characters like Dean and Elijah to be cruel and selfish; but their inability to let go is far from monstrous. On the contrary, it's strikingly human.
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Jul 18, 2018 22:05
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ApeHawk posted:I DID miss the Sierra Madre snowglobe, unfortunately! It's inside a hole in the wall, accessed via the rooftops, next to one of Dean's stashes, in Salida del Sol. I honestly never bothered to get it... ever, since it gives you Sierra Madre chips instead of caps (makes sense, but still not that great) and the maze-like structure and infinite-spawning Ghosts makes it hell to navigate. My bad! I've replayed this DLC several times over different NV playthroughs, and I actually enjoy it more now that I know where everything is and how to beat it. The writing and atmosphere turned out beautifully, the gameplay... not so much. As I think about this, I realize the F:NV is my most recent Obsidian game. I've never played any of the Pillars of Eternity or South Park games, the former because I find micro-managing a party in RTwP combat to be a huge headache, and the latter because I have no real interest in South Park. For anyone who's played them, any thoughts on how they compare to New Vegas, quality-wise?
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Jul 19, 2018 06:52
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I think Daniel is an interesting character, actually. Not because I agree with his conclusions or decisions, but because he seems like such a stranger in the Fallout universe. He is willing to sacrifice everything to protect the "innocence" of the Sorrows, which is a very curious motivation to find in a game like this. Selfless and noble on some level, but also flawed in many ways that he either brushes off or is just unaware of. He's also a good bit more selfish than he realizes, which is an extremely human flaw. I dunno, I think he's well-written. Probably wouldn't want to hang out with him, though. It also doesn't help his case that Joshua Graham is much more charismatic and has the badass repentant warrior-priest thing going for him.
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Sep 16, 2018 04:50
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