So far, reviews for Fallout: New Vegas have been mostly positive, with the game currently boasting an 85/100 score on Metacritic. However, critics are united in one complaint--well, many complaints, actually, since virtually every reviewer says the game suffers from an array of bugs. One player posted a humorous example from the game's introduction (see below), in which the head of the first character that players meet spins around like a windmill.

Bethesda has released a series of patches to both eradicate bugs and fix technical issues in Fallout: New Vegas.

Now the game's publisher is assuring the public that fixes are on the way. Speaking with GameSpot, Bethesda Softworks' vice president of marketing and PR said, "We are currently working on releasing patches and updates as quickly as possible for Fallout: New Vegas for all platforms." He did not elaborate but did say that "announcements regarding the patches are forthcoming."

[UPDATE] Late Tuesday afternoon, the first New Vegas patches arrived. According to a Bethesda spokesperson, "We have just released an automatic update for the PC version of Fallout: New Vegas that resolves quest and scripting issues. We're working hard to make this update available for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game as soon as possible and will let you know as soon as we have the dates they’ll be up."

She continued, "The issue regarding the PlayStation 3 digital preorder bonuses has also been resolved. Users should attempt to re-enter the codes to download their bonuses. Should the "80023156" error continue, we ask that players wait 24 hours before entering the code again. The code should then activate the bonus without any issue." [END UPDATE]

Developed by many veterans of the original Fallout games at Obsidian Entertainment (Alpha Protocol), New Vegas is set in the Mojave Wasteland and casts players in the role of a courier who is shot in the head and left for dead. After recovering, players roam the desert and the titular metropolis, exploring new areas and modifying weapons. They also get wrapped up in the larger conflict between the New California Republic, the slave-trading Caesar's Legion, and a mysterious New Vegas impresario named Mr. House.

For more information on New Vegas, check out GameSpot's previous coverage, or check back later today for the full review.