Fallout: New Vegas - Honest Hearts Review
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Honest Hearts' biggest problem, I think, is one of structure, both in narrative and gameplay. While there's nothing wrong with it on the surface, Honest Hearts' story focuses much more heavily on the (tribal politics) than one might expect, with significant amounts of time dedicated to setting up the situation, the cultures of the tribes, and so forth, but very little spent on actually giving the player much to do save for the aforementioned fetch/collect/kill quests. The story is short, almost cripplingly so, not out of a lack of content in the game world, but because there simply isn't that much meat to it. There's a huge amount of exposition to go over, but when it comes time to actually play, there's not much left to do as far as the story's concerned walk around, deliver this, murder that, and then you get to choose which ending you want. It's disappointing, to say the least, and also confusing given the high standard set by the backstory and characters. Speaking of, the characters themselves are mostly excellent it's just that they're used poorly. Joshua Graham makes a strong appearance, though he's far different from the Hanged Man initially planned for Van Buren, coming across less as a violent psychopath and more as a repentant, but still brutally efficient man who does not shy away from violence if it serves his ends. He is complex and fleshed-out, but given the colossal hype that's been given to his character, not just in New Vegas, but as hinted by Van Buren as well, perhaps it was a given that he'd come across as just a little bit of a let-down. Daniel, meanwhile, is an intelligent, younger and more sympathetic character, one who serves as a constructive, peaceful leader for the tribes he serves as missionary to, but finds himself mired in doubt over those pacifist ways as he stands in Graham's shadow. Daniel's somewhat naïve, idealistic and uncertain ways serve as a great counterpart and contrast to the resolute, yet subtly violent personality of Graham. It's a shame that the story built around them is so anemic, as one gets the sense Graham especially is much too big a character to be confined as he is to such a short and middling story.
Then there's the issue of linearity, which finds itself at odds with the open-world structure. While the Courier is free to explore the world at his or her leisure, and to pick and choose the order some quests are performed in, there's no choice or consequence whatsoever beyond the ending and a couple of interactions with the companions (which open up mini-quests that are over practically before they begin); even with multiple endings, and some choice within those two end sequences, the options still feel unsatisfying. It's simply puzzling, for instance, why diplomacy with the White Legs isn't available, and pitting two tribes led by two men with very different ideals against each other would have been a far stronger setup; instead, they're reduced to mindless raiders, and when given the choice between exterminating them or running away, it's very hard to see why anyone would shy away from simply slaughtering them like the monsters they are. Proper interaction and diplomacy with the White Legs would have truly let the two characters of Graham and Daniel to shine, and would have allowed for a much greater degree of moral ambiguity. and coming from Obsidian, it's quite surprising that the add-on didn't take such a route.
The odd thing, after all this, then, is that Honest Hearts still manages to be enjoyable. While its story presents possibly the biggest of missed opportunities seen in all of New Vegas yet, its world has been crafted with a lot of attention to detail and care. The new artwork made for the environments errs towards the stylized rather than realistic, but it stands out from the bleakness of the Mojave rather well. Gameplay-wise, it places an increased emphasis on verticality you'll spend a significant amount of time climbing mountains and crossing natural rock bridges over perilous canyons, scampering down cliffsides, and will probably break your limbs far more often than normal as you navigate the hazardous terrain. Some of the vistas are quite stunning, even discounting the dated game engine, and there are a good 30+ locations to find, most with some sort of loot, a building or cave to explore, or some other object of interest. There's even a compelling non-journal quest involving the diaries left by a post-war survivor stranded in the park, and this ends up being far more emotionally gripping and poignant than the main story hopes to be. For all its other issues, Honest Hearts does an excellent job with exploration, and for many this will be the primary draw. Like Fallout 3's Point Lookout, Zion represents a different, more dangerous change of pace from the main game setting, and in this respect there can be few complaints about the quantity and quality of content available.
Conclusions, then? Honest Hearts feels like a missed opportunity that nevertheless manages to be somewhat memorable and worthwhile. While there are undeniable flaws with its story and quest design, the quality of the lore and characters are as good as they've ever been in New Vegas, and Zion is a sturdy addition to the Fallout canon. Add to that the requisite new monsters and enemies to fight (the stand-out being giant, acid-spitting green geckos), new weapons and armours (a Tommy Gun? Yes, please!), level cap increase (in case your character wasn't stupidly powerful enough already), new perks and crafting recipes that integrate well into the rest of the game, and you've got a package that still manages to be more or less worth its asking price, despite all the flaws. While I can't recommend Honest Hearts to players who are solely looking for a strong narrative experience, for those who are more concerned with exploration and discovery, Honest Hearts should provide anywhere from 2-5 hours of additional play-time. Zion may not be a promised land, but it's certainly worth visiting on your post-nuclear tour.
