I BEAT DEAD MONEY!


Hello everybody,

Well, I felt I owed my fellow gamers here at the Bethesda Fallout New Vegas forum my final thoughts on the much disputed DLC: Dead Money, since I did the most complaining about it. From the minute I started playing Dead Money I hated it and was furious at the fact that I couldn’t leave the DLC and return to the regular game. I think my negative reaction was mainly due to the type, feel and gameplay which were apparent within the first 15 minutes, that and the fact that I couldn’t leave without finishing the DLC – I was locked in. Nonetheless I had only one real choice and that was to finish what I started.

Ok, onward. Well once I killed a few Ghost People, figured out a few traps, and solved some of the game’s many puzzles, I started to enjoy Dead Money – not completely - but more!

To me, the most frustrating parts of the game were getting your head blown off every 10 seconds from traveling too far from the safe zone, also the collar beeping and beeping and beeping and frickin beeping some more, I felt like a nervous wreck for the entire duration of Dead Money. Another thing that bugged me was the constant need to figure out puzzles within the game – puzzles essential to solve if you wanted to move forward.

But I must admit the more I played Dead Money the more I started to like it. It took on sort of an evil charm and I found myself wanting to beat every challenge (while walking around in the dark, inhaling toxic gases and stepping on countless bear traps, mind you). However, I absolutely couldn’t have made it through Dead Money without the help of my friends on the forum. I would have been toast. Come to think of it, it was my forum pals that helped change my negative attitude into the desire to give the game another chance. Kudos to you for turning me around and shoving me in the right direction.

By the time I reached the end and the final cut scene was rolling, I felt a great sense of accomplishment and had a big smile on my face. I was wrong about Dead Money. Now I feel it is a great DLC. It has a dark, ominous and sometimes empty feel and I’ve never played any DLC for any game that was so morally complex or difficult. So to those who have ever quit or skipped over Dead Money, I urge you to jump back in there and give it another try; I think you’ll be glad you did.

Finally, I’d be lying if I said Dead Money was my favorite DLC of all time, but it’s certainly the most intriguing and most difficult and I can say with no reservations one of the most satisfying DLC s I’ve ever played. Thanks everyone that helped me. There you have it.
Gardenia

+1
Glad u gave it a chance. Hopefully this post will help others who instantly disliked it in the first 15 mins.

I think this tends to sum up New Vegas and Dead Money in general, and I think it's why Dead Money is often one of the more beloved DLCs (at least, beloved among anyone who didn't absolutely despise it).
Fallout 3 just gives you a world. A world, a basic plot, and some quests. ANYONE can jump right into FO3 and have fun.


New Vegas? Dead Money? They have a theme. They have a theme and a plot. New Vegas is absolutely riddled with philosophical, moral and historical themes, Dead Money also proudly declares itself as a survival-horror with some moral themes. The reason these can be so polarizing and why many people put down New Vegas and Dead Money before they even pick it up is because they're essentially judging a book by it's cover. They're reading the label and seeing "survival horror" or "philosophy," then deciding they're either not in the mood or, in their experience, not fond of those themes.
The thing is though, in the same way that that's a weakness in that it drives off a lot of players, it's also a strength. Yes, FO3 and OWB have very friendly themes that make it so anyone can pick them up and enjoy them, but Dead Money and New Vegas have character. They excel at what they do and excel at what they like, whereas games that go in the direction of FO3, OWB and other such titles tend to fall flat in the long run, simply because they provide no extra detail or personality to extend their own content.


At any rate, glad you ended up liking it. If you're playing the DLCs in order, Honest Hearts is up next, which is far more brief and gives you more freedom.

So a game presented you with a real challenge and you stuck to it and overcame that challenge and derived accomplishment and satisfaction from doing so.

Insanely enough this is actually what computer games used to try to do as a matter of course before the "press button to win" design mentality took over because we can't risk making a player feel frustrated anymore. He might not buy $30 of [censored] DLC if he has to engage with his brain at any point. Where's the fun in a game if you can beat it without any real effort? Games like New Vegas can offer sufficient compensation in other areas to keep my interest but the criticism Dead Money takes for its challenge is a major symptom of what's wrong with game design these days.

I truthfully didn't like Dead Money much, but because I was never a fan of the survival-You're about to die in a desolate hole unless you kill EVERYTHING that moves-horror genre in video games. Though for some reason I like F.E.A.R.. Which is sorta horror-ey. Anyway.

Dead Money had fantastic writing. And a lot of people overlook that just because they dont like the way you have to do Dead Money, and maybe because of the whole think on your feet stuff. And hey, its a tad difficult. :>

But like that one guy said, glad you actually tried it instead of playing five minutes and then going "LOLNOPE DIS DLC SUX". .

Dead Money introduced the best super mutant in New Vegas. And I love that.

Glad you at least enjoyed some of Dead Money Garden. Now, save before you enter the next DLC in case you royally screw up. Which, according to those "OMG did I break Honest Hearts DLC?" or "Honest Hearts svcks!!!1 It has no story" threads, you will. Have fun Gardenia.

This.

Save your game right before you enter Honest Hearts. If you find yourself playing it and asking "what the HELL is going on" because your quest markers are pointing you in odd directions and the DLC is over in the matter of ~1 hour, then come here and we'll tell you what you did wrong.

Be careful, as this is a test to find out if you qualify to join our SUPER EXCLUSIVE CLUB here on the forums, complete with T-Shirts and bragging rights.

The Distinguished Order of the Patient will convene on the next Honest Hearts thread to review the one rule.

It's good that you persevered but I personally didn't find DM to be that annoying.

First time I played DM I had that same problem like 2 years ago when it first came out. I played it again and you just can't finish DM and not fall in love with it. Only problem I had were how confusing the suites were, I got so lost, haha. But it is one of the best DLCs, especially the story.

Congrats on soldiering though Dead Money Gardenia! It's definitely a different style of game, one that takes a lot ( A LOT) of patience. Once you start to understand what you're up against and begin to figure it out, the task is much lest daunting. I'm doing Dead Money right now (well not RIGHT now, I'm at work) and I'm taking my time through it to make sure I find every chip, every Dean's Stash, everything piece of WRK parts. It's a beautiful place, once you take out the GP and the Cloud (as much of it as you can anyway).

Look on the bright side, you now own one of the most powerful weapons in the game (Holorifle).

I still don't know how people shoot Follows Chalk. He's clearly marked as a "friendly" object on your Pip Boy.

Thanks, and yep I love the Holorifle too! Come to think of it I'm going to use it as my main gun while I explore the Mojave tonight.

Can I join? I didn't shoot Follows Chalk, because unlike some, I play the game like a Civil War soldier I.E. don't shoot until you see the whites of their eyes.
On-topic: Congrats, I felt the same way after completing Dead Money for the first time. However after the third run-through I absolutely fell in love with Dead Money. Not saying you'll be the same way, but you never know. c:

You'll be served well to do so. Still understand, you're not gonna be one shotting Deathclaws. Don't be caught off guard.