Fallout: New Vegas - Dead Money Review (King Halfi Bedalfi)
Alright, so you're probably familiar with New Vegas to a certain extent if you've decided to check out its DLC's. (Or maybe you're just buying them for modding compatability reasons, which is fair and pretty much mandatory if you want this game to run smoothly.) You probably know how, over time, you amass an arsenal of weapons, a good set of armor, plenty of ammo, medical aid, food, drink, miscellaneous items, and probably a few followers to aid you in your journey across the Mojave.
In this particular DLC, everything you have on you is taken away, all your followers are sent home, and you're given a jumpsuit with practically no damage resistance. You're basically as good as naked. You're also given a bomb collar around your neck, which you cannot take off, and a laser rifle in very poor condition. You wake up in a desolate city that's built like a maze and filled with red, deadly fog, and a old man named Elijah in a hologram projector telling you to do as he says or he'll detonate your bomb collar. He tells you there are three other bomb collared victims in the city that you'll need to find, and if one of you die, you all die, so your lives are tied to each other.
He also tells you that there are undead inhabitants of the city, called Ghost People, who are basically undead ghouls in hazmat suits that have a shit-ton of health and who will reanimate if you don't decapitate them or sever their limbs from their bodies, so stealth is recommended at all times. Oh, and one final thing about the bomb collar: there are radios and speakers placed all over the whole place, whose frequencies match that of the bomb collar, so if you get close to one without destroying/turning off the radio or speaker, your bomb collar starts beeping and your head blows up unless you get out of its vicinity in time.
So just to reiterate:
1. You have none of your gear, so until you find some, you're basically defenseless, and the gear you'll find is usually subpar to what you used to have
2. There's a deadly fog blanketed all over the city that'll slowly drain your HP if you're around it (in Hardcore mode) and rapidly drain it if you're in it and the city itself is difficult to navigate
3. Your only companions are the ones found in the DLC, and while they have interesting personalities and backstories, they're only just serviceable in most combat situations and tend to confront the ghost people head-on, ruining stealth
4. There are tanky enemies virtually everywhere that are practically invincible unless you spend a ton of ammo and time on killing them
5. There's a bomb collar around your neck that will detonate if any of your companions die, you disobey, or if you get too close to a radio or speaker source and don't destroy them or move away in time
Is it any wonder this DLC has mixed reviews overall?
Now, you might be thinking "This DLC sounds awful! Why should I ever play something this difficult and unfair?" Well, it's all one big heist you see, and you're Elijah's guinea pig. You're there to rob the casino. Now, I know the DLC's whole theme is about "letting go," but if you play your cards right, you stand to net 37 gold bars, which equals 390,239 caps. In case it isn't obvious, that's a lot of money. And for a DLC that takes roughly 2-4 hours, I say it's worth it. Without that gold, the DLC might as well not be worth playing.
I recommend you start the DLC when you're somewhere between level 40 - 50, even if the game suggests you start it at level 20. I did this on my first playthrough and it was hellish. It was very overwhelming and I honestly couldn't wait for it to be over. But after multiple playthroughs, it's never as bad as I remember it. The ghost people may still be tanky, the radios and speakers just as annoying, and the fog deadly as ever, but you'll have amassed a lot of experience, perks, and skills over time that you can use to your advantage. The DLC is built around Repair, Survival, Stealth, and Guns/Energy Weapons/Melee/Unarmed. I believe that if you come prepared, plan ahead, try not to rush, take things slow, be patient and take breaks if needed, you'll be alright.
I rate this DLC 6/10.