14 DAY TRIAL // It's hard to create compelling story in a computer game these days, with the growing popularity of sports simulations and first person shooters, both genres which do not encourage a complex narrative thread, so there were not too many games which could claim an award for story in 2010.
And even if they were, it's unlikely they could compete with Fallout: New Vegas, the second Obsidian made title to launch in 2010 after Alpha Protocol, a title that was also heavy on the story and the dialog but has lackluster mechanics.
The game is set in the post apocalypse world which was explored in the previous three cannon Fallout titles and explores the trials of one unlucky courier who goes on to influence the fate of New Vegas and its surrounding.
The story is both flexible and well defined as it allows the player to align himself to four main factions to determine the outcome of the main story while also exploring relationships with smaller groups and with a wide array of characters, whose faiths can be influenced in more direct or more subtle ways.
It's all nicely cataloged in the end sequence and a quick look at the Fallout wiki (spoilers aplenty) can quickly show anyone who went through the game just once how much variations he missed, which worked on me on the two occasions when that page sent me back to the game to try something new.
The writing is also top notch when it comes to how the characters and groups are characterized, with the highlights being The Brotherhood of Steel, which is very true to its original depiction, and Caesar's Legion, with their mix of historical fiction and lack of moral compass.
The trouble with New Vegas, as with other open world games, is that the good writing is spread all over the map and the main quest can easily be completed without traveling to some of the most exciting places, like some of the Vaults, and meeting some of the most interesting characters, like a certain Nightkin possible companion or a Doctor who is not who he seems to be.
The game is also darker than Fallout 3, meaning less laugh lines for characters and more sarcasm and idealism introduced in order to show off the dark nature of the new world emerging around New Vegas but also the hope linked to the rebuilding process.
We also have a full review of Fallout: New Vegas on Softpedia.