This is simply the greatest game ever made.

Do you want an intriguing story with realistic choices and consequences? New Vegas - without spoiling too much - essentially has you choosing between capitalism, a dictatorship, democracy or pure anarchy as the best solution for the region. Or of course, if you so choose, you can simply pick the one that benefits your character the most. You may read that list and think democracy is obviously the best choice, but what New Vegas does is it challenges you to understand the flaws of each, so even if you stick with democracy, you will absolutely be exposed to some inherit flaws of that system and be asked time and time again "are you sure" and you will absolutely be faced with compelling arguments against your choice. This is the game that intrigued me so much it introduced me to philosophy, because a number of characters quote real-world philosophers as inspiration for their lifestyle. It's a game where the conflicts are often based on real-world history and you can put the game down thinking "this type of conflict could actually happen." (yknow, without all the Sci-fi parts)

The first time I played this game, I had to put the game down because the weight of responsibility that was suddenly thrust upon me was too much at first. So many opportunities to make a choice you regret, and I hated that. I only came to appreciate the game once I sat down and pushed through, deciding to simply play as a loyal NCR Soldier and picking whichever option benefited them, allowing me to see the game's content from a neutral perspective as the audience. Once I saw all the game had to offer, I never turned back.

The story isn't all that's on offer either. Something New Vegas does that I've never seen any other game do right is that there's no "best" weapon in New Vegas, the best weapon is subjective. Depending on your stats, one gun could be crap and another could be amazing, but take that same gun and put it in the hands of a different character with different stats, it might perform drastically different. Any gun that reloads one bullet at a time for example demands agility, certain guns demand good luck to abuse their crit rate, and traits affecting your accuracy vs. firing speed will more or less enable or lock off your ability to use certain weapons viably.

The perks are fantastic too. What this game understands is that every new perk should feel like it's unlocking a new way to play the game. Reload speed too slow on your favorite gun? Have a perk to up reload speed significantly. Being rushed down by too many enemies? Have a perk that lets shotguns knock them on their butt when shot. Love the crafting system? There's a number of perks to unlock additional craftables depending on category. (consumables, explosives, ammo types, etc)

The crafting system is fantastic too. Almost every junk item in the game has a use, it's only a question if you want to bother carrying it to the next crafting bench or not, and it can be surprisingly fun once you opt to get involved in some of the more complex recipes.

This is also the first game where I've had no buyer's remorse with the DLCs. Every single one of them feels worth the price. They're all dramatically different in style, yet they tell an interconnected story, which is a super neat concept leaving you eager to play the next. You may find one you don't like, but that'll be it, because all of them deviate in style so dramatically.

Top it all of it's got great characters with great voice-acting. This is the game that left me puzzled that Bethesda always hires 1-2 famous actors and traditionally kills them off fairly quick. This game has soooooooo many fantastic voice actors and great names, I don't understand how they could afford it or how Bethesda CAN'T afford it for their titles. You will encounter a number of characters that grab your interest and have a story you can relate to, whether it be a character struggling to let go of their past or one that wants to help the world, but doesn't know how and needs inspiration to do so.

War. War never changes. Men do, through the roads they walk. And this road? Will change you.

This is simply the greatest game ever made. Do you want an intriguing story with realistic choices and consequences? New Vegas - without spoiling too much - essentially has you choosing between capitalism, a dictatorship, democracy or pure anarchy as the best solution for the region. Or of course, if you so choose, you can simply pick the one that benefits your character the most. You may read that list and think democracy is obviously the best choice, but what New Vegas does is it challenges you to understand the flaws of each, so even if you stick with democracy, you will absolutely be exposed to some inherit flaws of that system and be asked time and time again "are you sure" and you will absolutely be faced with compelling arguments against your choice. This is the game that intrigued me so much it introduced me to philosophy, because a number of characters quote real-world philosophers as inspiration for their lifestyle. It's a game where the conflicts are often based on real-world history and you can put the game down thinking "this type of conflict could actually happen." (yknow, without all the Sci-fi parts) The first time I played this game, I had to put the game down because the weight of responsibility that was suddenly thrust upon me was too much at first. So many opportunities to make a choice you regret, and I hated that. I only came to appreciate the game once I sat down and pushed through, deciding to simply play as a loyal NCR Soldier and picking whichever option benefited them, allowing me to see the game's content from a neutral perspective as the audience. Once I saw all the game had to offer, I never turned back. The story isn't all that's on offer either. Something New Vegas does that I've never seen any other game do right is that there's no "best" weapon in New Vegas, the best weapon is subjective. Depending on your stats, one gun could be crap and another could be amazing, but take that same gun and put it in the hands of a different character with different stats, it might perform drastically different. Any gun that reloads one bullet at a time for example demands agility, certain guns demand good luck to abuse their crit rate, and traits affecting your accuracy vs. firing speed will more or less enable or lock off your ability to use certain weapons viably. The perks are fantastic too. What this game understands is that every new perk should feel like it's unlocking a new way to play the game. Reload speed too slow on your favorite gun? Have a perk to up reload speed significantly. Being rushed down by too many enemies? Have a perk that lets shotguns knock them on their butt when shot. Love the crafting system? There's a number of perks to unlock additional craftables depending on category. (consumables, explosives, ammo types, etc) The crafting system is fantastic too. Almost every junk item in the game has a use, it's only a question if you want to bother carrying it to the next crafting bench or not, and it can be surprisingly fun once you opt to get involved in some of the more complex recipes. This is also the first game where I've had no buyer's remorse with the DLCs. Every single one of them feels worth the price. They're all dramatically different in style, yet they tell an interconnected story, which is a super neat concept leaving you eager to play the next. You may find one you don't like, but that'll be it, because all of them deviate in style so dramatically. Top it all of it's got great characters with great voice-acting. This is the game that left me puzzled that Bethesda always hires 1-2 famous actors and traditionally kills them off fairly quick. This game has soooooooo many fantastic voice actors and great names, I don't understand how they could afford it or how Bethesda CAN'T afford it for their titles. You will encounter a number of characters that grab your interest and have a story you can relate to, whether it be a character struggling to let go of their past or one that wants to help the world, but doesn't know how and needs inspiration to do so. War. War never changes. Men do, through the roads they walk. And this road? Will change you.