IGN Previews Fallout: New Vegas; New Details Emerge

IGN has a fantastic preview on Obsidian’s upcoming title, Fallout: New Vegas. Though you should really head on over there to read the whole thing, here are some choice details which may be of interest to you fellow vault-dwellers:

-A new hardcore mode, which includes details such as “adding weight to even little things like bullets, forcing the player to regularly eat and drink water to stay alive, requiring a doctor visit to heal broken bones, and making Stimpaks heal over time instead of instantly.” As those who played Fallout 3 know, its version of difficulty was defined as “enemies have more health” and “your guns always need to be fully repaired.”
For the masochist among us, IGN says that “Obsidian is promising a treat for those that make it through to the end.”

-More guns with more customization. You can “find and equip weapon mods and specialty ammo” for an arsenal of weapons which “contains twice as many weapons as Fallout 3.” Who can’t say that one of the most enjoyable parts of Fallout 3 was trying out all the neat retrofuturistic weapons? Furthermore, weapons can now have “Scopes, extra clips, special ammo” and “every change you make to the gun is reflected in its look in the game.” It’s like playing Barbie dress-up, only with guns!

-The inclusion of a “companion wheel” for giving out orders to companions. It sounds like the radial menu/abilities wheel which we have seen on games such as Mass Effect and Dragon age.

I’m just hoping that with Obsidian at the helm, Fallout: New Vegas will be more faithful to the franchise than Fallout 3 was. Not that Fallout 3 was a bad game-it was fantastic. It just wasn’t a good Fallout game. Another concern is in regards to the Fallout 3 engine, which is being used for New Vegas. Undoubtedly it will show its age in comparison to newer titles.