This game has become the most important video game of my entire life. I would write an entire essay about it but I worry that I wouldn't have anything particularly original to say about the game so I will highlight my favorite parts for y'all. [April 29th 2023] Edit: Just finished what may be one of the last play through's I ever do of this amazing game. Enjoyed every second of it all these years later. DLC's were all the more special :)

The amount of LGBT representation in this game that came out in 2010 of all years is actually refreshing and cool. It never feels forced like it often does in other media where execs are just ticking check boxes rather than writing compelling non-cis characters.

The Gambling mini-games add so much heart to the world and are often left unmentioned in reviews. They are simple but very fun and make me personally always shoot for a high luck character because it guarantees you to do well at them.

The weapons and bullet/ammo crafting systems are really top notch and it is unfortunate that other devs have not attempted to copy them. Pair that with the objective best armor mechanics ever put into a game and the meta-game to the combat really stands out as it's own special gem to experience. My personal favorite part about this is how the reloading benches work. You can technically play an entire play through without shopping for ammo and just looting/crafting all the ammo you need. Pair that with giving players the ability to craft OP ammo that can't be bought in stores and it makes investing into the repair or science skills a must for any courier.

I have adapted the card game Caravan into the real world and I play it regularly with my family at the holidays. It is such a satisfying and simple pick up card game. In addition, I spent $250 on an unopened pristine collectors edition box so that I could have the cards showing all the characters from the game as well as the recreations of the poker chips and the platinum chip.

The sheer level of creativity displayed in the writing is one of my favorite things about this game. There are significantly stronger games out there in the narrative and writing department but I implore you to try to find one that matches F:NV level of creativity on a budget. (Other than Disco Elysium ofc)

The final thing I will say is that the endings of this game are almost all satisfying. There are very few ending slides that are wholly disappointing from a role play perspective. Every action that you take in the wasteland that contributes to an ending slide will make you feel satisfied with your choices even if you are role playing an evil or greedy courier.

After over 1000 hours playing mostly vanilla content between Xbox 360. Xbox one, and Steam I can definitively say Joshua Sawyer and the team that came together to create this masterpiece is truly a treasure of the games industry. When I look for RPG's to play this game is the bar they are held to and nothing really has come close outside of KOTOR 2.

If you wanna get even more out of it go find the Viva New Vegas modding guide in order to update the menu's and allow the game to actually render things past 40ft in front of you.