I love Fallout: New Vegas. It takes two great steps forward, one for the game itself, and the other for the series as a whole. This is the sequel I’ve been waiting for ever since I played 2008’s Fallout 3. All the things that could have made the series better have been added, such as weapon modifications, better control of your allies, a faction system, and hardcore mode. There is plenty of depth to this game, and you’ll find yourself wondering the wastes for hours on end looking for the next great adventure.

The game starts out with you, a courier in the Mojave wasteland, getting shot in the head and buried in a shallow grave. You are saved by a passing Securitron and nursed back to health by a doctor in the nearby town of Goodsprings. From there, you create your character; editing your traits, skills, and overall appearance. You are then plopped into the wastes in search of the man who shot you, and what was so special about the package he took. There is also a war brewing between the games main factions, the New California Republic and Caesars Legion. The game takes off significantly quicker than its predecessor, which is a welcome change and it also gives you the option of skipping the tutorial all together and getting the adventure started.

Various changes are welcome to the game, such as getting a perk every other level, which, (although may annoy some of you at this news,) allows for an added level of strategy to the game. Another welcome change is the companion wheel, which allows you to mix up your actions of your followers much faster than in the last game. Weapon modifications are also new and helpful, but probably the best new feature is the faction system. This allows the player to ally themselves with a particular group of people and gain benefits from doing so, such as radio support from the NCR.

Although the game is REALLY fun to play, it does have some rather obnoxious flaws. Some of them are minor glitches, such as people fazing through the ground, or the occasional body flying around. But one thing that really makes me mad at Bethesda studios is their lack of careful coding, and looking for bugs. In the 30+ hours I put into the game, the game crashed 9 times, but this didn’t just happen because of my PC; I’ve been told by my Xbox 360 friends that the game has crashed on them as well. Along with this, certain characters didn’t spawn where they were supposed to and made finishing quests kind of impossible. I know this game was stuck to its release date, but I would have gladly waited a couple more months to play if it were to mean less or no more of these annoying glitches and crashes.

Although the game does have its ridiculous flaws, it’s still a blast to play. Getting lost the Mojave is really fun, and enduring the harsh wasteland has its benefits. There is always plenty to do, so you won’t get bored. This is the first time in a while I’ve spent $50 for a new game, but it was totally worth every penny. If you looking for a new adventure or you’re just waiting for Call of Duty: Black Ops, this game is the perfect choice for you.