Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Genre: First-person shooter/ RPG
ERSB Rating: Mature
Release date: Available now

Even though the Fallout games for the Xbox 360 have shown tremendous replay value and depth, they have also been defined by exceptional downloadable content. Fallout 3 offered several new missions and quests which opened up the world in novel directions, allowed for expansions to the player’s created character, and even helped resolve some questions left over from the game’s conclusion. Needless to say, many have been excited about New Vegas’ first bundle of downloadable content, Dead Money.

Dead Money begins with your character receiving a radio transmission, inviting anyone who hears its call to come and enjoy the glorious opening of a new casino, the Sierra Madre. The Sierra Madre makes the promise of being the hottest new place to see and be seen. Since we as players are the curious type, we follow the source of the transmission to an underground bunker. Once inside, however, the player is taken hostage, stripped of weapons, and forced to recruit others to retrieve the fabled golden treasure which lies within the heart of the abandoned Sierra Madre.

The gameplay of Dead Money is identical to that of New Vegas, and like many other quests, it has its own quirks. As stated previously, the player is essentially robbed of all weapons, aid and apparel, so it’s a bit like starting from scratch once the episode begins. It should be noted too that once the quest is started, there’s no quitting or turning back until its completion (i.e. you can’t return to the main storyline unless you activate an older save point). There is a nice reward for playing through it, however, which is that you’ll have the ability to upgrade your character from level 30 to level 35 as a result.

Dead Money is an extremely long and arduous side game. The cost more than covers the length of the quest, in that it will probably take most players several hours to complete. The puzzles are complex, and it has the same level of intricate detail gamers have come to expect from the series, including in depth level design, dialogue and characters.

Good length and getting value for your money only constitute a solid deal if the game is actually fun to play. So while it’s great that Dead Money is nice and long, it’s just so darn hard and repetitive, that it’s tough to get any real enjoyment out of it. I finished the entire quest and was more happy that it was over than feeling any sense of accomplishment. The game gives you a warning not to even try undertaking it unless you have an experience level of 20 or higher, and they sure do mean it. Also, Dead Money assumes that your character is proficient in skills other than weaponry (i.e. Science, Lock picking, etc.), which isn’t always the case for many players.

Dead Money is only for the hardcore Fallout lovers who are obsessively compelled to get every achievement and meet every person in its universe. But at the end of the day, even if you really enjoy Fallout: New Vegas game, if you skip Dead Money, you’re not missing all that much.

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