Fallout: New Vegas Preview

If you haven't yet had your fill of GamesCom coverage, there's a new preview of Obsidian's Fallout: New Vegas on offer over at Digital Spy. The usual excerpt, complete with Josh Sawyer commentary:
"Basically what we found is that there are a lot of people who thought that the difficulty of Fallout 3 was perfectly fine, and there was a subset of people who really wanted more challenge," Sawyer said. "To accomplish that we put in Hardcore Mode, because it's mechanically a big shift away from the standard gameplay style. I think it's worked so far, people who are used to playing standard Fallout 3 have found it much more challenging. Hopefully we'll keep the fanbase happy while catering for those looking for more of a challenge."

There's no doubt that Obsidian has attempted to pull a real fan-pleaser out of the bag. Not only is the game modelled on Fallout 3, its plot and setting tie in with the late-90s originals. According to Sawyer, the game picks up where Fallout 2 left off, showing developments in the West Coast region since the events of the second game. In many ways, it's an attempt to acknowledge the series' roots, perhaps to encourage contemporary gamers to go back and play the classic originals. "Fallout 2 showed the growth of the society in the wasteland after Fallout 1, we thought this a natural progression," said the director. "If people played those games, they'll really enjoy it. If they haven't played those games, it will be all new content for them."