Scans of the article concerning Fallout: New Vegas in Playstation Magazine has made its way onto the Internet.  I found these care of Duck and Cover so many thanks to them for getting this out quickly.

As you may notice, the images used in the article are identical to those found in PC Gamer so there is not much new to see.  We do get a better look at the interface for controlling your followers — it appears much more helpful and involved than the system in Fallout 3.  I am hoping the emphasis on followers doesn’t make things too easy.  I actually avoided followers on my second play-through of Fallout 3 for that very reason.

One new feature which caught my eye is that the player can upgrade weapons.  In page 5, the image in the upper right hand corner says the the mini-gun used in the image is upgraded to decrease spook-up, which (I believe) means that the aim is less affected by recoil.  It is also mentioned in page 6 that upgrades increase the value of the weapon.  I wonder what other aspects of weapons can be altered?  Does this also apply for melee weapons?

The game’s new difficulty, “hardcore mode”, is addressed as well.  This time it mentions that healing limbs will now require an additional item aside from just a stimpak.  The item is called a doctor’s bag.  I am not sure if this is a key item or a consumable item.  Since it’s pluralized in the article it sounds like a consumable item, but the way it was going to be utilized in Fallout Tactics suggests a key item.  Either way, I am sure it’s added weight thus hindering the player.

The article is just another take on the same game intro which Obsidian appears to have presented in both publications.  This article does seem to stress that the decisions the player makes have far reaching consequences and play largely into both the different factions in the game and the ending the player receives.  I definitely appreciate the interaction between the player and the game’s story.  Sounds like a great update to the series.

Related Entries:
Fallout New Vegas: Teaser Video
Fallout: New Vegas Details Emerge
Fallout: New Vegas Scans

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As promised, I managed to track down most (or all?) of the scans for Fallout New Vegas from PC Gamer Magazine.  You can check them out here:

The game’s appearance certainly does not stray far from Fallout 3’s, possibly due in part to both games running on the same engine.  Textures seem a bit improved; I noticed this especially in the image of the bearded man in the straw hat as well as in the title page featuring the NCR member.  Colors also appear more vibrant, which reminds me a bit of Borderlands.  I know some people complained of the monotony in terms of color in Fallout 3, perhaps that is the reason for this change.  The colors also seem like they would accent the Vegas aesthetic well.

You can check out the original scans from the magazine which also feature a writeup on the game below.  There is  a lot of info in these pages which elaborates on much of what I discussed yesterday:

While visually it doesn’t seem like much has changed, I think these scans are really only scratching the surface.  I look forward to seeing more about Fallout New Vegas in the near future.

Related Entries:
Fallout: New Vegas Rumors Emerge
Fallout: New Vegas First Teaser Image… Maybe?
Fallout New Vegas: Teaser Video
Fallout: New Vegas Details Emerge

Roy bethesda, ps3 1 comment

February issues of several magazines are featuring exclusive content concerning Fallout New Vegas.  One such magazine, PC Gamer, released somewhat early to their subscribers so naturally the details on the game have begun pouring out onto the web.

There is now an optional level of difficulty called “hardcore”, which increases the game’s realism and conversely the difficulty in the following ways:

• The player character will be required to drink water to survive.
• Ammunition now has weight.
• Healing is not instantaneous.

Being forced to either carry water or hover around a water source will certainly prove interesting in a desert environment.  Likewise, healing while under heavy gunfire will prove more difficult with the effects setting in slowly.  I imagine more powerful weapons will also have heavier ammunition, suggesting players will have to carefully choose what to bring with them on their journeys.  I believe having companions will almost certainly be a requirement on this setting at least for the purpose of carrying more gear.

I appreciate the realism here, which already is making the world of the game feel more dangerous.  Also, this higher mode of difficulty is more appealing to me than “hard” in Fallout 3, which only affected the strength of enemies and the EXP the player received.

The player character (PC) was once a courier, left for dead in the desert.  A robot named Victor (quite possibly the one in the teaser trailer) unearths the PC and presents him/her to his owner, a doctor named Mitchell.  The doctor treats the PC’s wounds and presents a vigour test, described as an electric parlour game, which determines SPECIAL.  Mitchell, a former vault dweller, presents the PC with both a Pip-Boy and a vault suit.

Major factions appearing in the game include, as speculated, the New California Republic (NCR), a group of slavers dubbed “Ceasar’s Legion”, and the residents of New Vegas.  The three appear to all be at odds with each other.  With whom will the player character ally?

When it comes to enemies, ghouls are of course returning in full force.  It is also confirmed that a ghoul can be recruited as an ally if they player rescues him/her in a certain quest.  Super Mutants come in more varieties including the intelligent Nightkin.

Real world locations that appear in the game include:

• McCarren Airport which serves as the base for NCR in Nevada.
• The Hover dam which is supplying New Vegas with electricity.
• Area 51 (rumored, no confirmation)

The Karma system is back and will be coupled with a reputation system.  Karma is character specific where Reputation is location specific (e.g. how the NCR feel towards the PC may differ that how Slavers feel about the PC).  Lastly more conversation options are unlocked depending on the skills the player excels at.  This system is much more complex than in the past providing different levels of options depending on the PC’s aptitude according to J. E Sawyer.

Thanks once again to a fan and The Vault for getting this info out as quickly as possible.  Now I am just waiting on some scans!  Once they are available I will certainly be posting them.

Related Entries:
Fallout: New Vegas Rumors Emerge
Fallout: New Vegas First Teaser Image… Maybe?
Fallout New Vegas: Teaser Video

Roy bethesda, ps3 1 comment

Today Bethesda released a teaser trailer for Fallout: New Vegas.  Sadly very little information on the game is revealed, but this is probably just the beginning of Bethesda’s marketing campaign which will last until the game’s release which has been confirmed for this Fall.

The trailer opens with some unknown variety of robot sifting through sand and garbage on the outskirts of New Vegas while Sinatra’s Blue Moon plays.  As the camera pans back we see what appears to be a member of the NCR (New California Republic) gazing on.  He states  (in Ron Perlman’s voice) “War, War never changes” — a classic quote from the series.

The only other information we have to go on beside the teaser trailer is this summary from Bethesda’s main site:

Experience all the sights and sounds of fabulous New Vegas, brought to you by Vault-Tec, America’s First Choice in Post Nuclear Simulation. Explore the treacherous wastes of the Great Southwest from the safety and comfort of your very own vault: Meet new people, confront terrifying creatures, and arm yourself with the latest high-tech weaponry as you make a name for yourself on a thrilling new journey across the Mojave wasteland. A word of warning, however – while Vault-Tec engineers have prepared for every contingency,* in Vegas, fortunes can change in an instant. Enjoy your stay.

* Should not be construed as a legally-binding claim.

This blurb, like the trailer,  sheds little light on the game’s story or mechanics.  The part that mentions “simulation” worries me a bit but I will wait until all the facts are in before I start throwing punches.

Both Official Xbox Magazine and Playstation 3 Magazine will have articles concerning Fallout: New Vegas released February 11th.  The articles are said to include screens and information presumably more concrete than the above trailer.  I will certainly be picking up a copy of that and possibly uploading some scans unless I find some first.

EDIT: Both magazines are released exclusively in the UK.  Bummer.  Any English fans wanna provide me some screens?

Special thanks to The Vault and their excellent community of fans which really helped me collect the information for this post amidst a sea of blocked websites at work.  I think this is going to be an exciting Fall indeed.

Related Entries:
Fallout: New Vegas Rumors Emerge
Fallout: New Vegas First Teaser Image… Maybe?

Roy bethesda, ps3 4 comments

I know what you’re thinking: how much can this moron talk about this dumb image — you’re about to find out!  So it would appear that the next issue of Official Xbox Magazine will feature the first info on Fallout: New Vegas since the game was announced last April.  Always with the XBox love Bethesda, honestly…

On first impression I thought this was an image from Fallout 3.  It wasn’t until I squinted and realized that the famous “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign appears in the background that this was indeed from Fallout New Vegas.

I admit to being slightly disappointed with the strikingly similar appearance between Fallout 3 and this image.  I think if the sign weren’t there, there would be absolutely no way to confirm that this is from the newer title.

Maybe the sign was photo-shopped into an image from F3?  Las Vegas is not exactly known for being mountainous, especially near the strip where this sign appears…

Does this give any sort of credibility to the rumors that have been floating around lately?  It was mentioned that details would be revealed in the near future.  Next month is pretty near…

Man, I really have a problem.  All I know is that I am now considering buying a copy of an Xbox magazine.  That’s my level of obsession, people.

Roy bethesda, ps3 1 comment