Immersive & stimulating // Recommended for marathon gamers looking to get lost in a world

This review is based on a purely vanilla playthrough.

LockeProposal's Big Day Out

+ RPG & levelling elements; fairly standard in practice, but work well and mesh perfectly with the feel of the game+ Myriad available perks add enormous flexibility to a player's role+ Karma system is a lot of fun to play around with, and also goes a long way to showcase the consequences of one's actions+ Combat is fairly run-of-the-mill for an RPG FPS; certainly not fast-paced, but is implemented in a way that rewards planning and preparedeness+ V.A.T. system functions well-beyond a simple gimmick; functional to the point of being vital in its proper use, intensely fun, and sensationally cinematic (save for one minor scruple, outlined below)+ Environment, while graphically aged, is nonetheless incredibly detailed; there are always interesting things to find off the beaten path, and the player is encouraged in (and often rewarded for) exploring+ Map is expansive and populated with secrets and locations to visit+ Voice-acting is largely excellent, with only a few minor characters standing out as being less than exemplary in vocal quality+ Side-missions are well-detailed, fun & interesting to complete; the rewards for doing so can sometimes be extraordinary+ Plot moves forward at a pace set by the player, and is interesting to see through to the conclusion; writing ranges from passable to excellent, and never strays from the game's established charm+ Total freedom in the way problems are solved and obstables overcome+ Extremely, stupidly mod-friendly (via third-party applications - I recommend NexusMod, personally)+ Modular damage, for both the player and encountered enemies, is very well-implemented; damage to certain areas of the body will hurt perfomance appropriately, further emphasizing a sense of immersion+ Boasts a seemingly unending variety of items and weaponry; the hoarding game is real- Oddly enough, this game uses GFWL, but is easily bypassed (simply by exiting out); this won't be counted thrice against the game (as GFWL, in this case, appears bafflingly neutered), but it does pop up, so it should be mentioned- Camera can sometimes prove buggy and unreliable during V.A.T. kills- Character models and animations are below-average in presentation (easily remedied via third-party mods, of course)- There seems to be a bug where GFWL asks for a nonexistent product key; this is easily bypassed by simply exiding GFWL within the running game