Got it, playing it, loving it. New Vegas is definitely a frog RPG through and through; my tiny amphibian heart is basking in the nuclear glow. I couldn't disagree more with the RPS article. No idea what game he played because it isn't the New Vegas I've got.

Much, much better than Fallout 3 IMO. Better writing. More and better choices. More interesting world. Far better character creation system and leveling - no more uber god with a bajillion and two stat points, and close to maxed out SPECIAL. The combat feels less crappy; ironsights mode is quite fun and I'm worryingly good at popping critical headshots with it. Perks and stats impact on conversation far more than before, and I've seen lots of different skills which can impact on dialogue instead of the limited range in Fallout 3. The main plot isn't cringeworthy. The voice acting is less awful.

Hardcore mode is a bit of a wash so far. I'm not finding it makes much difference aside from crippled limbs being something which makes me wail about the expense of a cure.

It's a more stable and bug free game than Fallout 3 was at release in my experience. I've only encountered a single problem: invisible landmines. In some areas they simply do not show up as objects on the map. I trigger one, then check the area closely for more and see none. The instant I move again, bloom. Repeatedly. In other areas they show up clearly.

Above all the game is filled with - and about - choices. Big, small, permanent, temporary. None so far have had an obvious best path.

I would say more but I'd rather use the time to play the game. Yup. I'm planning 4 playthroughs for this one, a different character type for each of the 4 faction paths. Lone wolf sniper type (current), laser girl, Mr melee with secondary kaboom weapons, and the stealth type. Haven't decided which build will match with which faction yet.