Fallout: New Vegas
I finally got around to playing this game, and I must say, it was one of the best experiences in this franchise that I've had. I've spent a couple hundred hours playing Oblivion, and I don't even remember how many hours I clocked with Skyrim but it was over 80. I managed to complete a playthrough of New Vegas in 3 days time, side questing and exploring and I'm going to relay some perspectives that I had.
The problem I've had with the latest installments (Skyrim, fallout 3/4) are that the quests are very black and white. It seems the the basis for every single quest follow this specific formula.
1 .talk to someone
2 .they tell you to go somewhere to get something for them
3 . you explore a cave or vault, fight a bunch of monsters and retrieve the item
4 . bring them the item back for a reward
This formula consists in every quest of fallout 3 and 4. Skyrim gets an exception for some of the more esoteric adventures. As much as I love exploring, it gets old fast when every time you have to do something it's essentially the same thing!
I completed Fallout NV blind in 18 hours, and I noticed a similar trend but there was a very profound difference: the way your quests were completed were based on what you decided to level up. If you were a gunslinger, you could run and gun your way through the game. If you were a scientist/speech character, you could do a pacifist run. I have yet to do a pacifist run but I do think it is possible, unlike in fallout 3 and 4. I think this is because Bethesda is not a part of NV. In fact, NV almost seems like a spin-off title. I was a little disappointed with the choices in guns, but not so upset that it took away my fun. I was able to upgrade the guns I liked and use them to my hearts content.
The survival element was excellent, and truly felt like I was in a wasteland. That being said, the wasteland in NV was much more colorful than fallout 3, and provided me with more desire to explore. The background noise seemed spooky wherever I went. Throughout the game I was able to join 5 different factions.
The characters, story and general plot was engaging and immersive. I often wondered who I could trust, eventually leading into me not being able to trust anyone except a robot (Yes Man) who was programmed to do exactly as I say. I think the game definitely needs a sequel, but I wont be waiting around for it.
In conclusion, New Vegas is a beautiful game with very expansive gameplay compared to it's counter parts. I had fun the entire way through and I would recommend it over most others from the franchise. It left me wanting more, but maybe that's what a good game does. I give it an 8 out of 10.