You are funnelled south along a clearly planned path, as opposed to Fallout 3 where you can go anywhere as soon as you leave the vault. Your exploration is limited at the beginning of the game by high level nasties to the North, so the initial 6-8 hours are actually quite structured and linear, relatively speaking. It doesn't have the same constant sense of excitement as to what gems might lie over the next hill. The world itself, however, is lacking compared to Fallout 3. This colour technique is used in other areas of the world too, including a not-so nice effect around Hoover Dam and along the Colorado river, where everything turns a horrible reddish-sepia colour. The screen becomes grey and dusty, everything seeming to lack life and vitality until you enter the strip and are assaulted by an eyegasmic rainbow of neon lights and loud, vivid Vegas culture. The developers very cleverly drain the surrounding slums and urban areas of their colour. Reaching the Strip for the first time is a sublime moment. It feels far more similar to the original games. This is one of the reasons New Vegas is a better sequel to Fallout 1 and 2 than Bethesda's epic was. Vegas is a brighter, cheerier place than post-apocalyptic DC, which is initially a breath of fresh air. If the Legion's raping and pillaging doesn't scare you, their gratuitous leather thong-flashing will.вЂ‹

This is reflected in the multiple endings, which cycle through all of your choices in the game and are a stroke of genius to witness. Get too cozy with one faction and you're going to piss another right off. You will not be able to keep everyone happy. Without spoiling anything, you will be forced to choose one of four options in the game's second act, each one with its ups and downs. For those who want to do right by the people of Vegas, things are more tricky. They are clearly depicted as the 'bad guys' by most NPCs in the game, but should their philosophies hit home with you, or you just feel like some raping and pillaging, then you have the choice. But should you choose to you can ally with them. Sure, there is a main antagonist in Caesar's Legion, a band of slavers who base their ideals on the Roman Empire. There are choices in this game that were so difficult I had to put down the controller, leave the game, then come back to it later when I had decided, never quite getting a feeling I had done the right thing. This is a much better way to drive the moral dilemmas in the game, as it is not the game itself judging you, but the people in it.

The old Karma system returns but is ultimately pointless, relegated in favour of the faction reputation system. There is no real good or bad side to choose, just numerous different factions, each with their own philosophies for you to either support, oppose or ignore completely. Unlike Fallout 3, New Vegas exists largely in shades of grey. 'Marcus, I warned you about those tanning salons in Broken Hills, didn't I?'вЂ‹ 50 hours later meet a third branch, and watch as they voice their concerns about you - undecided if you are friend or foe. 10 hours later, rescue some of the same convict gang from slavers. Choose to save a town from a bunch of escaped convicts, then come back in a few weeks and see it visibly prosper, new lights shining and the casinos filling with customers. This is a game where every NPC you speak to has a potential and noticeable impact on the world around them and your place in it, where every action and reaction is a tiny branch on a giant oak of possibilities and outcomes. Once you get past the fact that New Vegas contains more bugs than the Temple Of Doom you will find the most immersive, clever, funny and mind blowingly complex RPG ever made. This, for the information of all of the very vocal detractors, is why we keep playing games with 'Bethesda', 'Obsidian' and 'Gamebryo' on the box. the production was godawful, cheap and sludgy but the melodies and lyrics shone out through all of the sub-par sonic dirt and took the listener on a wonderful journey. I remember the first time I heard Nirvana's Bleach album. Because underneath all the muddy muddled mess are the best damn songs you've heard in years. The vocals are lost in a wall of scuzz and noise. Tape hiss slithers over muddy guitar riffs that crackle and distort with all kinds of ear-offending frequencies. They make great songs but every album they produce is rushed, cheaply made and sounds like shit. Imagine there's this band you really love.

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