Fallout: New Vegas - Lonesome Road Review Trio

With Lonesome Road released yesterday, here are the first three reviews we've found. Let's start with the biggest site in this trio, Eurogamer, who score a harsh 5/10:

But it's the big story we're interested in, and it's here that Lonesome Road suffers. Ulysses pops up periodically, speaking via ED-E, and dribbles mouthfuls of mushy exposition into your lap. He talks in the sort of elusive quasi-mythical twaddle that made the later seasons of Lost such a chore to get through, and long before you actually meet him face-to-face, you'll be wondering if all that purple prose is being used to cover up the fact that the story isn't particularly compelling.

Just Push Start is more charitable, calling it "a fitting end" and scoring 3.5/5:

Fallout New Vegas: Lonesome Road is a fitting end for the story of the courier but due to the lack of content/replayability it is a disappointment following the hugely successful Old World Blues. While the story and some of the characters will have you enjoying the experience the rest of the add-on will make that feeling of satisfaction and enjoyment will quickly fade. This is best for those who are heavy duty Fallout fans and those who can look past the problems in the downloadable content.

At the other end of the scale, Empty Lifebar loved it and scores 5/5:

Once Ulysses has made his intentions clear it’s up to you to find him. Along the way you’ll learn about the past you share and his strange fascination with you. You and him will have an ending to things, a meeting between two Couriers that will be remembered for years to come. Your choices at the end of the road have the chance to affect the Mojave, and thus, the rest of your game. There are numerous choices, and thus several different endings. No matter your decision in the end, feel free to sit back and relax, it’s been a long journey, but it’s finally over. Lonesome Road is by far the best Fallout DLC yet, adding tons of new weapons and gear, new combat scenarios, and a well-written story. The way in which the tale ends makes it feel as though it had always been planned as one of the installments. One possible complaint regarding the add-on is the lack of characters to speak with. Aside from Ulysses and your companion, the only voices you’ll hear are that of pre-recorded Holotapes of the long-dead.

More information.

I think all endings are to some extent linear, so that complaint doesn't really bother me. I am more concerned with the complaints about insanely hp heavy enemies. I hate bullet sponges.

I still haven't played Old World Blues!

As far as I'm concerned, Old World Blues easily had the worst encounters of the DLCs. *Those* were bullet-sponges and the spawning/respawning could be real bullcrap at times. Somewhat surprised that so many reviews seemed to overlook that or just didn't care but it annoyed the hell out of me to the point where it severely hurt the DLC.

I've just gone through Lonesome Road, starting at level 23. I don't think the enemies were particularly bullet-spongey at all. They do however have a very high attack output which makes them quite dangerous.
There are some enemies who regenerate when they are in certain areas so those could take a long time to take down unless you lure them out of there.

Originally Posted by Empty Lifebar
Once Ulysses has made his intentions clear it’s up to you to find him. Along the way you’ll learn about the past you share and his strange fascination with you. You and him will have an ending to things, a meeting between two Couriers that will be remembered for years to come. Your choices at the end of the road have the chance to affect the Mojave, and thus, the rest of your game.

I've already read this press release.

Originally Posted by Starwars
There are some enemies who regenerate when they are in certain areas so those could take a long time to take down unless you lure them out of there.

Which ones? I didn't even notice it.

Originally Posted by KapitanUnterhosen
Which ones? I didn't even notice it.

The Marked Men regenerate, really fast, if near radiation sources/near the center of their own camps.

Still waiting for the GOTY or complete edition. Excited to play this game.

LR have been a disappointment so far. It's definitely the weakest for FNV. Ulysses is a great character, probably the best written in Fallout so far, but between your chances to speak with him is emptiness, a 100% linear monsterslayer fest through the least impressive landscape yet (basically they built a twisted version of textures and models you seen before).

Originally Posted by JemyM
Ulysses is a great character, probably the best written in Fallout so far

I know you liked the voicework, but what is it about his writing you enjoy?

I honestly feel the opposite: the slow and deep voicework comes across as someone trying too hard to sound like he's saying something important and meaningful when he's just in love with the sound of his own voice.
The writing's not all that different: there is no meaning to it, no substance to his motives nor his actions and it feels like they used over-the-top voicework and intentionally vague dialog to cover up an altogether incongruent story and character.

I haven't finished the main quest (of the original game) yet. Should I finish it first and then play Lonesome Road, or is it OK to play Lonesome Road and then get back to the main game and finish it, like all other DLCs?

Originally Posted by KapitanUnterhosen
I know you liked the voicework, but what is it about his writing you enjoy?

I honestly feel the opposite: the slow and deep voicework comes across as someone trying too hard to sound like he's saying something important and meaningful when he's just in love with the sound of his own voice.
The writing's not all that different: there is no meaning to it, no substance to his motives nor his actions and it feels like they used over-the-top voicework and intentionally vague dialog to cover up an altogether incongruent story and character.

Look at my statement. Apply your criteria to every single character in the fallout series, anyone strikes you as deeper and more complex?

Originally Posted by KapitanUnterhosen
I know you liked the voicework, but what is it about his writing you enjoy?

I honestly feel the opposite: the slow and deep voicework comes across as someone trying too hard to sound like he's saying something important and meaningful when he's just in love with the sound of his own voice.
The writing's not all that different: there is no meaning to it, no substance to his motives nor his actions and it feels like they used over-the-top voicework and intentionally vague dialog to cover up an altogether incongruent story and character.

I found his motives and preoccupations sort of silly