This is, as the name subtly implies, the second entry in the Bounties series of mods by someguy2000. It aims to be bigger and deeper than its predecessor while maintaining that whimsical, blood-splattered charm that made his previous mod such a joy to play through. And does he succeed? Well...
First off, if you have the Someguy Series esm loaded, you can only begin Bounties II by completing Bounties I. To begin the second one once it becomes available simply travel tot he Boulder City Jail, where the NCR's best and brightest have assembled to combat the nefarious forces of the Mojave criminal underworld.
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| NCR's Finest |
Get used to those quirky characters in the bounty office, because you'll be going there a lot. This time around there are more bounties to hunt but you no longer receive assignments directly from your handler. This time you have to track down and find actual Wanted posters scattered throughout the wasteland in order to activate the bounty. Most of the Bounties seem to be worth less this time around, but there's a catch: You can take in several of these targets alive.
I know what you're thinking. "Why would I take any of these scumbags in alive?" We're all thinking that. Sometimes it's just too entertaining to shoot a man and his entire gang, drag their corpses into a pile, then discover just how you can turn that pile of sadness into a joyful rain with the power of high explosives. But, just like the buzzkills from the REAL Old West, your handler gives you a greater reward for bringing people in alive instead of turning them into a fine red paste to be used in crafting recipes. Not all targets can be taken alive, but those that can can be captured in a variety of ways. You're given a shock collar at the beginning which, when used on a captured outlaw, "Encourages" them to turn themselves in with the strategic application of 50,000 volts if they select a different course of action. Essentially, once the collar is on, they run from their current location across the wasteland to the jail, upon which you will receive a notification that they have turned themselves in.
To get the collar on them, however, is done in many different ways. Some you can talk down or threaten if certain skills are high enough (Not always Speech. SPECIAL Stats like Charisma and Perception also play a roll at times, as do things like Melee Weapons, Unarmed, etc.) in which case they just end the conversation, put on the collar themselves, and turn themselves in. Other times you have to go through the formality of shooting them a few dozen times before they're willing to beg for their lives listen to reason. It's entirely possible during these encounters to not realize they're running at you to surrender until after you've turned their head into a pile of chunky salsa. To make matters even more complicated, these lowlifes aren't rendered invincible while running to turn themselves in. Yes, after you went through all the trouble to capture them, they can stumble into a nest of Cazadors and become acquainted with the painful end of their stingers. Which means then you have to march into that nest of devil bugs yourself so you can cut off the guy's finger and take it back for a substantially smaller reward.
Add to that that the posters are scattered all over the wasteland, from Goodsprings to Primm to Ranger Stations and even the Strip and the bounty hunting begins to feel like more of a chore after a while. Thankfully the bounty office contains a computer terminal that tells you where each poster is located in the wasteland, as well as the outlaw's backstory, crimes, and if they're likely to surrender or not.
But most of the bounties you pursue are just random wasteland trash that you haul in for a reward. The actual narrative that continues from the first mod doesn't begin until you choose to go after a fellow by the name of Red Bear. The hunt for Red Bear is extensive and drawn out, but since he's one of the baddest men in the wasteland (Mentioned in one of the plethora of notes at the end of Bounties I) it fits, appropriately building up to the final confrontation with him. After dealing with him however you wish there are a few more targets to go after before the main story ends, with the final one bringing you just a bit closer to the mysterious Marko, some sort of outlaw boogieman that lawmen AND criminals fear equally. The narrative has a heavier focus this time around as things begin to escalate and build up to the final chapter in the series which is welcome, and the crimes of the main targets genuinely make the player want to bring them to justice. The money earned from the bounties in the main story far surpasses that of the secondary targets, and someguy2000 continues his tradition of setting his Big Bads up with unique weapons and valuable loot, so the player won't be wanting for money if they can survive.
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| The Face of Justice |
Yes, survive. This entry into the series is much more difficult than the first. You'll face entire gangs, inhumanly strong bosses, and booby traps. If your speech is high enough you can turn the odds somewhat in your favor. Or, if you can only achieve happiness through unspeakable agony and suffering, you can taunt your foes with a variety of profane and obscene dialogue options which makes them even more powerful and gives them even more mooks to fill you full of holes. In the end though, it's up to the player more or less to choose how the fight will go.
A new saloon is added just south of Novac which is home to the new companion added by the mod, Doc Friday, a former orthodontist. A ghoul gunslinger on a vendetta ride for the murder of his brother, Doc is amicable, honorable, and educated. He'll tell you tales of some of his exploits, the reason he took to gunfighting in the first place, and sheds a little light on the elusive Marko while he's at it. Help him avenge his brother and he'll join you in your adventures. He's a decent companion, good for conversation, but I usually leave him in the saloon and go solo. A few of his lines don't have VO which may be a turn off for some players but I'd recommend giving him a chance.
Speaking of the saloon, it receives deliveries of the NCR's very own newspaper reporting on, that's right, you. You can read of your exploits in the Coyote Courier, expertly and honestly reporting on the slaughtered families and dead children you leave in your wake.
Wait, what?
To say that there is a slight bias in the paper is akin to stating that a meteor only kind of annoyed the dinosaurs. The slant in these papers must be seen to be believed. The reporter paints you as so ridiculously evil it just comes full circle from horrifying to hilarious. You can even visit him in his home and, uh, have a few words with him about his journalistic integrity. Literally, you can talk to him. And convince him to go to the complete opposite end of the spectrum and paint you as the Wasteland's very own Jesus, smiting evil-doers with your righteous .44 Magnum and giving homes to the orphans of the the Mojave.
Other than that there's a side plot about some Legion gold that's infuriatingly difficult to find (The key is in Sergio's House behind a teddy bear. It opens the safe in Fisk's hideout with the key to the footlocker at the bottom of the lake, near the Scavenger's platform), and that's it. The narrative is even more engrossing than before and the Western atmosphere is even more prevalent, which is always a good thing when it comes to New Vegas. Revolvers and dusters reign supreme here. Despite some of the new features being implemented poorly (Geckos eating your bounty before he turns himself in), they are new features, trying to emulate the feel of bounty hunting from the days of yore. If you enjoyed the narrative set up in the first one (And why wouldn't you) the sequel will more than deliver on your story expectations. It remains engrossing throughout.
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