A Fallout of Epic Proportions

Welcome to Earth, 2277. It has been two hundred and three years since the Great War, a battle that has destroyed the entire world. You are a Courier in the Mojave Wasteland, a land filled with war and death. Two main factions constantly battle for control over this land: The New Californian Republic (NCR) and Caesar's Legion.

As well, the natives of the land inhabit New Las Vegas, more commonly known as New Vegas. This is the namesake of the videogame we talk about today, "Fallout: New Vegas". The game starts you off by getting shot in the face as you look the end of your mail-delivering days in the eye and say "Bite me." Naturally, being the main character, you survive this dark ordeal and wake up about a week later, deciding to trade in your mailbag for a nine millimeter pistol.

As an open world game, you get to travel the Mojave Wastes, battling your way through the fallout of the nuclear war that had happened two hundred years prior to the game. The game has several things to do, and multiple skillsets for different abilities for each individual playthrough. This doesn't mean you can ONLY have a Lockpicking Skill in one playthrouh; in fact, by the end of my main playthrough, I had all but three skillsets maxed out.

The initial Level Cap is 30, just like it was in Fallout. However, with each DLC you get, your cap gets raised by Five Levels. That is five whole levelups to apply! More skills to max out! The most lovely thing I'd ever heard of.

Not only that, but each DLC has it's own deep storyline to follow, all leading up to who you (The Mojave Courier) really are. The story and ending revolves around who you choose to be, who you choose as your friends and enemies, and how dedicated you are to the cause of saving the Mojave Wasteland from whatever you perceive the greatest threat to it to be. You can even be the greatest threat to the Mojave, as anyone and everyone in the game is...well, fair game. Anyone can be killed, and everyone can be killed. But there are consequences to these decisions.

The Symbol of the NCR--a Two Headed Bear

If you kill a quest-giver, or someone related to a quest that needed to be alive for it, you naturally are no longer capable of completing that quest. So maybe exterminating all life in the Mojave is a bad idea. That said, there are many, MANY quests that, even at the Level Cap of 50, I have not done. You can find a lot of quests in close to anywhere in the Mojave, but beware, doing these quests can be a bad idea at times.

You see, this game isn't just "Good and Evil" like Fallout 3 was. This game entails a large variety of Reputation. What is Reputation, you may ask. Why, Reputation is how a faction sees you! Not everyone in the Mojave will see you the same way: for instance, if you are a stout follower of the NCR, and help them wherever you can, their enemies, the Legion, are not going to be very fond of you. Vice versa, as well. However, there are several communities in the Mojave who will all have their own opinions of your actions through the Mojave--everything between being Idolized to being Vilified by a nation.

Concept Art of the Legion slavers

There is still a Karma system, which is really just saying that you are a good or a bad guy. You may notice you have a title somewhere in  your Pip-Boy, the game's GUI system. That title is based off of two things: Level, and Karma. The top three titles are "Messiah", "True Mortal", and "Devil". 

All of these choices, all of these communities, all of these consequences and ideas lead to some very interesting ending scenarios, with great rarity on repetition. Being one of my nice guy games, I always did my best to be my best, and help everyone, so I got some pretty positive endings. I still have two endings I need to see, being "Side with NCR for the war" and "Side with Legion for the war", as I have already made an Independent New Vegas and a House-Ruled New Vegas as two characters.

The DLC's all have their own endings, as well. I will briefly describe each DLC, as they are all good and are definitely worth a look over.

Dead Money: 

You have been kidnapped by Elder Elijah, formerly of the Brotherhood of Steel. Forced to navigate the deadly Sierra Madre Casino and it's outskirts, it is up to you to gather a deadly team out of your fellow inmates and escape this crisis situation. New weapons and companions will aid you as you navigate the deadly terrain, filled with toxic gas and a new kind of Ghoul called a "Ghost Person".

Honest Hearts:

After returning to your Courier roots and deciding that maybe you better remember that you are, in fact, a Courier and not a genocide machine as many people play him as, you head up with the Happy Trails Caravan for a job all the way to New Canaan. However, you are headed off at Zion National Park by tribal bandits, killing everyone but your badass genocide machine self. After allying yourself with the natives of the Park, you find new weapons and enemies in this new area as you try and find your way back to the Mojave. You also get to meet Joshua Graham, known as "The Burned Man" by the Legion, a barely-living legend who is still skilled in combat.

Old World Blues: 

Kidnapped again by scientists, you awake at a dangerous area known as "Big  Mountain". The natives call it the "Big Empty" because "Mountain" abbreviates to "MT" and people phonetically tried to figure this one out. So? You've been in dangerous places before. You now find out you have to help your kidnappers to get something very important back. What could be so important, you ask? That's why you need it back! To find out. There actually is a reason described, but for suspenseful reasons you need to get this DLC to find out.

Lonesome Road:

You get a mysterious message from a man named "Ulysses" saying to go to an area known as "The Great Divide". The Great Divide is a highly dangerous area, filled with radiation and highly destructive winds. A highly lethal place that makes the Mojave seem like a pleasant place to live in. It is here, in the Great Divide, that you learn of your past and who you were before the bullet to your noggin back at the beginning of the game. You have to find Ulysses in the Divide, and settle matters with him once and for all. Whether those matters be peaceful, or end up with Ulysses' corpse is up to you. After settling matters with him, you have to make a choice that would change the Mojave Wasteland forever.








The graphics, however, are outdated. Using the same engine as Fallout 3, it naturally has all the same problems that Fallout 3 had; frequent crashes, not too good looking character models. However, other than those small problems, this is a very good game, and I recommend it highly.

Until next time, I post, peace! Remember that the Elder Scrolls: Skyrim comes out 11/11/11, and Assassin's Creed Revelations only four days after! My wallet is certainly in pain just thinking about it.

Four Against the World

So if you ever got caught in a zombie apocalypse, what would you do? Why, find all of your still-alive friends and team up of course! Many hands make a lighter load, after all. It isn't as though you're going to survive every zombie there is alone, even if you are armed to the teeth with military-grade weaponry and immense piles of ammunition everywhere you go. In the case of the latest game I have been thinking about, "Left 4 Dead" and "Left 4 Dead 2", I am going to say it was a good idea from the start.

The "No Mercy" poster, the first campaign
in Left 4 Dead 1. Pay attention and it looks
like Zoey has three hands.

This isn't the first predominantly multiplayer game I've played, for those of you remembering the second post ever on this blog about "Army of Two: The Fortieth Day". Due to it being predominantly multiplayer for the platforms of Xbox 360, PS3, and PC, it is naturally a very lonely game to play on your own, though the AI is really all you need to play.

Let's start talking about Left 4 Dead 1. This game, like it's successor, plays out in various campaigns that are advertised like movies. It is an interesting concept--the end game results play out like movie credits, and while waiting for it to load you get a different movie poster for each campaign.

You start off and get a brief overview of everything. This is a game by Valve, a company that likes to introduce segments of the story at a time and make it so only a keen observer can see the whole thing. A process which increases replay value a surprising amount.

Now back to the game, since I keep getting distracted by preparing you for the game. It starts by asking you which character you want: in Left 4 Dead 1, your character choices are: Bill, a Vietnam Veteran who's been looking for a meaning to his life. Francis, a biker punk who sees the Apocalypse as "The world's biggest bar fight". Louis, a laid back businessman who worked out once in a while (has a pill addiction according to the internet) and Zoey, a Gamer chick who used to go to college before all hell broke loose.

Naturally I picked Louis. He's a badass. The game starts and my basic loadout is a pistol with unlimited ammunition and an automatic weapon, tier one. I swapped out for a shotgun that was just conveniently  on a table. Francis was anxious, so I shot him before realizing Friendly Fire was on. Well, bad start, sorry Francis, I thought, before opening the door and going down to the apartment complex.

A few zombies, nothing bad. From the CGI I was expecting a "Tank", a gigantic steroid zombie, to be waiting down on the streets, which was kind of why the characters started on a roof. We make it down to the streets and I realize that it is probably not the best idea to waste all my shotgun ammo at once when I have a pistol with unlimited ammunition.

Apparently why Zoey shot the car.

We reached the first "Safehouse", or checkpoint in the level at last after Zoey shot a car and set off a car alarm. She was caught in the zombie horde so I left her, and everyone else, behind while bolting for the safehouse. If they don't feel like living, fine by me. So Bill and Francis miraculously survive due to Zoey dying and them no longer caring, (Louis cried out in agony as Zoey died. I sense fanfics all over the internet) so they ran to the safehouse.

So we start the second part of the campaign, and I start reading things on the wall. In Apocalypses, the Internet and forums and chats are replaced by painting on the wall and hoping the intended recipient stops long enough to see them. After amusing myself a bit, I realized that Zoey had respawned in the safehouse, and patted myself on the back for not caring for the stupid car-alarm activating zombie attracting female. I slapped Bill and Francis for caring and trying to help. Yes, you can smack things, it makes reloading in the middle of a horde attack a lot easier. And when you have stupid companions who care for other stupid companions.

After whacking around my companions for a bit, enjoying my safehouse paradise for a little while, and debating whether to leave or not (on singleplayer, of course), I finally decided to start killing zombies from the safehouse door. They just sit there, putting their arms through the bars, like they're waiting for us to kill them. Why not pull out my shottie and pick them off? I have unlimited ammo as long as I am in the safehouse.

After some more amusement, we went through the subways, running around and killing zombies. We ran into a tank at what was known as a Crescendo Event, where zombies just start charging in from everywhere. After the Crescendo event (and Francis' unfortunate demise) we blew up a gas station once going topside.

Zoey died again and I finally made it to the safehousse with Bill. The rest of the campaign was running through a sewer to get to the hospital, and fighting through it. After encountering a whole host of zombie menace, such as the Smoker, a zombie with a boa constrictor tongue, the Hunter, who would disembowel their foes, a Witch which has near one hit kills, and a Boomer which can attract more zombies to the scene, I was thoroughly impressed by the time we almost escaped the hospital by helicopter. Only Francis got on the copter, everyone else got caught by a Freak Tank Accident, and we died.

But hey, Francis survived! The guy I shot survived the apocalypse...for now.

The second campaign of Left 4 Dead 2, showcasing that
all of the characters are, indeed, tall enough to die.

Now for Left 4 Dead 2. The game isn't all that different, in reality, save for a bit wider variety of bombs now accessible to the party. A new cast of characters now tries to survive their own zombie apocalypse, before and after the events of Left 4 Dead 1.

The first campaign of Left 4 Dead 2 is called "Dead Center", which is similar to Left 4 Dead's first campaign in a few aspects: First, it starts on a rooftop with the characters desperately wishing they had a helicopter. Second, it involves diving headfirst into the zombie horde to get to a public center (mall, hospital, what's the difference?) where they are expecting a rescue to be possible. The differences start when you get to the rooftop of the public place. In Left 4 Dead 1, there actually is a rescue waiting. In Left 4 Dead 2, you and your partners end up being left behind again once reaching the rooftop.

Your character is one of four, like the original game. Your characters are: Nick, a gambling alcoholic mafia wannabe kind of guy. Rochelle, a news reporter that got caught up in all this. Coach, the nameless fat PE teacher who unites the four like a family, and Ellis, my favorite, the redneck hillbilly kid that has all sorts of stories that may or may not be embellished.

Ellis, being my favorite character, is the one I picked, naturally. So we battled our way to the mall, after learning about the new Special Zombies: the Jockey, a zombie that will ride on your shoulders and drag you away from your group, and a Spitter which breaks up concentrations of Survivors with their acid spit.

After some banter while in an elevator, the group introduces themselves to eachother. Ellis then realizes that there is a racecar driver's racecar on the ground floor of the shopping mall, with tanks of gas that conveniently happen to be lying around for just such an occasion. After the mall scramble, Coach got caught by a Charger, which is like a Tank but with one arm instead of two. Ignoring his death and waiting for Nick and Rochelle to give up trying to save him, I wait by the car, patiently killing enemies as they attack me.

Finally, everyone else dies but me, and the game registers me as the only survivor of the Mall Massacre. Sweet! I survived. Now I'm alone...so did I really want to survive? I predict that I'd be dead if I helped Coach and Nick and Rochelle, but I am alive now. Ethics don't exist in zombie Apocalypses. They don't, I swear!

Actual in-game screenshot

The game is an absolute must-play with plenty of replay value for storylovers like myself. However, the game gets very repetitive, especially because it does not change very much between the first and the second game. It ends up being "Run through this area, kill zombies, stay alive", which, while staying true to genre, makes for a depressing game after a while.

But wait! There's more. Online, there is a "Vs Mode" which allows one team to play as the zombies. This was true for both games. VS mode is an interesting twist, as on the Survivor Team, the Special Zombies are no longer as predictable, (depending on player, of course), and especially, playing as a zombie.

Each different Special Zombie, or Special Infected, has their own unique HUD and abilities. Hunters pounce victims, Boomers puke, Jockeys grab, Spitters break up groups, Chargers smash the group apart one Survivor at a time, and it each different one has their own controls, making a refreshing playthrough. Though after a while, this too gets repetitive, especially because this is only available online. So you have to deal with other players and their droll...

So like I said, definitely worth a playthrough or two. Or four. It gets repetitive, though, so build up a good amount of patience beforehand.

Until next time I post, see ya around!

I punch harder than bullets

So anyway, I've been playing a lot of Halo: Reach lately, from the Legendary Mode campaign with friends to Firefight Mode to Matchmaker Mode. I have to say, the game has really been fun so far.

Out of no hatred to Halo, I have prolonged actually playing Halo: Reach and beating it for some time. However some time ago I did actually beat the game, and I really enjoyed it. Keep in mind, Halo is a brilliant franchise, and as much as haters may say that the series has no originality or whatever, it really does. They probably just don't know what originality is--that, or I go cynical and say "Nothing new under the sun."

Me, getting ready to kill an enemy in Infection Mode

Now, I will say that Halo is best played with a friend. Even the campaign mode is best played with a friend, and that is true of both Halo 3 and Reach. The multiplayer is much the same as the singleplayer, except that you respawn whenever you or a partner are killed in battle. If all players are killed, they go back to checkpoint.
The control scheme is close to identical to all Halo games, save for the addition of Armor Powers, including Armor Lock, Jetpack, Sprint, Portable Shield, and Active Camo. Each ability doing almost exactly as it explains, it definitely adds an element to Halo not seen before.

The story takes place before Halo: Combat Evolved. As the Spartan known solely as Noble VI, you have joined the team Noble Six. A team that has been contracted to--what else?--save Reach from the coming alien invasion. As you progress through the game, it gives a sense of melancholy. Anybody who has played any of the Halo Trilogy, and has the combined knowledge that Reach is before that, knows that this battle is destined to be a failure.

That is where this game gets it's uniquity. It is about saving the world, but ultimately losing. You can try your hardest, but no matter what--the game will end with the destruction of Reach. Therefore, the game takes several liberties in missions--hordes of enemies, loads of dropships, and barely any allies whatsoever. It makes you feel like a badass as Noble VI is one of the few people able to do anything about it.

As Noble VI, an unnamed character that is widely unexplored, you get to be close to whoever you want to be. You even get to customize his armor, for use in both campaign and Online Modes. As you progress in Multiplayer and Campaign, you get upgrades to your military rank, from Privateer all the way to General, then to Master and Hero.

The more you play, the more credits you get. According to rank and credit amount, you can buy different armor and helmets, as well as things like Firefight Voices and Armor Effects. Firefight Voices being what they sound like--the voice Noble VI will have--and Armor Effects being the effect that happens when you die. It can be anything from Birthday Party Confetti all the way to Thunder and Lightning. They have no effect on the overall game, however.

Having logged enough hours of play to achieve Warrant Officer Grade 1 rank, I highly recommend the game. It is an action shooter, still, and keeps to the theme Halo has had throughout the whole series: Humans vs Aliens. I suggest it if you are looking for a good game, a refresher from standard Halo. The replay value is "Meh" unless you're playing with friends, and the online maps are actually quite fun. (coming from someone without the map packs)

Until next time I post, see you around!