Singin' the Old World Blues

With 1280 Microsoft Points burning a hole in my account and an ongoing Fallout: New Vegas obsession, I figured it was time to pick up some DLC.

I had heard good things about all three of the currently released expansions, Dead Money being the least popular (though not to say it's bad). Old World Blues seemed like the best choice.

Fallout 3 handled DLC well, in that all items could be brought back to the main world. Only Old World Blues in New Vegas allows this, which is strange. OWB also allows haircuts, facial reconstruction, and skill reset. The first two were available in Fallout 3 without additional content, so I always wondered why New Vegas didn't have them.

So yes, nifty features and new gear. There's a definite energy weapons/scientist benefit from OWB, not that other types of characters wouldn't benefit. But it was perfectly suited to my character, Dr. Lazarus Beam.

Dr. Beam, being the smart and energy-weapon-capable man that he is, still struggled with the enemies. Now, enemies in New Vegas were bad enough… things haven't changed much in the Big MT.

Unless you have power armor and super-high Strength, you'll get torn to shreds. It's the same problem as the regular game; you stumble upon a group of enemies over the ridge. Literally no where to run or hide. Your best bet is to save frequently so you can learn from your "mistakes".

Your character should be prepared
for some... invasive procedures

The game actually cautions taking characters under level 15… I'd say 20 just to be safe. I mistakenly brought very little equipment with me, thinking I'd have a lot to haul back. But the inclusion of storage at your base, and the ability to go back to the main game, negate that. Until you find the better guns and equipment, bring some of your own. You can start out with it right away, after you take off your surgical gown (don't worry, boxers underneath. Wusses).

That gripe aside, you have pretty standard fetch quests. The characters are outstanding, though. It took about 20 minutes to get through all the introductory dialogue, but it was worth it. The whole B movie mad scientist(s) angle meshes well with the Fallout universe. In fact, the whole concept for OWB would have made an excellent game on its own.

And one of the characters, Dr. O, is voiced by James Urbanik, Dr. Thaddeus S. "Rusty" Venture himself! That was a real treat to hear. He perfectly nails the sardonic (and often inept) scientist, imagine that! The cast is overall well written and acted, dare I say better than most of New Vegas.

I was actually going to hold off on buying and New Vegas DLC, at least until the final expansion was released. I figure there'll be a discounted bundle of some sort (practically everything on Xbox Live goes on sale eventually). But I don't regret getting Old World Blues in the slightest.

If anything, it's a matter of timing. By the time New Vegas DLC is discounted, there'll be plenty of other games vying for my attention. So if you're like me and want to get some quality time in with New Vegas before the fall deluge, I recommend Old World Blues.

It's SCIENCE, bitches!