Gameplay
Another interesting addition to the game is that you can now buy add ons for your guns to make them more powerful, which is very cool. You can also break down guns and ammo you don't want at work benches to build new items or ammo you'll actually use.
Skills and stats are handled differently here as well. There aren't any stat boosting bobbleheads this time around. And the skill books which add permanent points to your skills are very, very rare. Instead, there are skill magazines that will boost a skill for a limited period of time by 10 points. This way, if you come across a computer you can't hack, lock you can't pick, or a conversation option is blocked, you can use a skill book to temporarily boost your stat so you can do it anyway. Another change is that you only earn perks after every other level now instead of every level. The actual perks are better this time around, but choosing the right ones for your play style is even more important.
Bethesda
Replay Value
The replay value is through the roof in New Vegas, just like Fallout 3. There are multiple ways to finish the game, depending on which faction you side with, which means you'll have to play through it a few times to see everything. You can also choose to play hardcore mode, which requires you to eat and drink and sleep every day, and every item now has weight so you can't just loot willy-nilly and take everything. And, of course, just like FO3, depending on what path you take through the game world and how you complete quests, and when you find weapons and how you build your character when you level up, each play through will be drastically different from the last. It will keep you busy for hundreds of hours.
The only real problem with Fallout: New Vegas is that it is glitchy. Crazy glitchy. Like, game breaking glitches popping up all over the place that make quests not work or cause the game to crash. NPC characters flip out and start running for the horizon for no reason. Companions get stuck on the environment too easily. Etc. Etc. Etc. It is far worse than Fallout 3 was at launch in terms of glitches. Thankfully, the worst offenders are being taken care of, and after the first patch came out a couple of days after release, I personally haven't had many problems in 35 hours of gameplay. It is still sort of a work in progress, and other people have had glitches continue, so keep that in mind. When it breaks, it is absolutely frustrating. But when Fallout: New Vegas works, it is one of the best games of the year.
Graphics
Visually, New Vegas is kind of a letdown. It is a little brighter and more colorful than Fallout 3, but the assets are the exact same as FO3, so the games look pretty much identical. Building interiors are exactly the same. The character models and animation are the same. Graphical glitches and texture pop in are pretty much constant, and the game struggles to maintain a steady framerate in places. I wouldn't say it is a bad looking game, especially considering how huge and detailed the game world is, but the visuals are really showing their age.
Bethesda
Sound is kind of hit or miss here. The sound effects are generally good, with some absolutely frightening sounds coming from the non-human enemies and some great ambient / environmental sounds. But on the other hand, the voice acting is a little off, even though the writing and actual dialogue is fantastic. Also, the radio sucks. I loved Three Dog and all of the music in Fallout 3. New Vegas doesn't have as good of songs, they repeat a lot (a lot!), and host Mr. New Vegas (Wayne Newton) is all kinds of awful. The highlight on the radio dial is Black Mountain Radio, which is run by super mutants, but even they repeat their talk show segments and play the same music as the other stations.
Bottom Line
In the end, Fallout: New Vegas is a bigger, better version of Fallout 3, for both good and bad. Bad, because it looks dated and is full of glitches (though, developer Obsidian does have to take some of the blame for that, they do have a bit of a reputation at this point), but good because it still presents a fantastic world to explore with cool people to meet and neat stuff to do, and genuinely fun and interesting gameplay. It is glitchy, and you definitely do feel deja vu when you first start, but eventually you get into the rhythm of the game and it is crazy, insane fun. I got hooked all over again. If you loved Fallout 3, you will love New Vegas. End of story. Buy it.
