I have to say this play through had gone on far longer than perhaps it should have done, the past few sessions... possibly everything post my return from Big MT have felt more like I'm just fleecing the game rather than deliberately making progress to the story.

With this in mid, I had to make a choice, how to play the end game. I've decided that I'll side with NCR. For some time, I wanted to play this one on the Legion side, but the logistics of things have swung favour to the NCR.

If any of you have played the Legion story, you'll know how much walking is involved going through that damn camp at The Fort to report to Ceasar after several of the quests. I'm lazy and so, that option was dismissed. The reason I'm not playing a 'Mr House' or 'Yes Man' ending is that I'd only recently played through the game previously and just wanted a change.

So, what happens now?

Well, I have to become buddies to the NCR, so I zip back to Camp Searchlight, to pick up a quest to kill off the Legion at Cottonwood Cove. I actually really enjoyed this part, I fast travelled to the cove, and being that my reputation is neutral toward the Legion, I'm able to freely move about. I get closer and then start moving about hidden.

I follow each legion troop until they are separate from the rest, then with one sneak attack critical from behind... one single punch... I kill them all in turn! Only after I'd done this do I think to myself, "that would have made a brilliant video!"

Unfortunately I didn't have FRAPS running and so the tale will have to go down as a story rather than something to watch. I've learned from this that I'll put FRAPS on for some of the next fights, there are some epic parts to come...

Nice Camp, Really.

I zip up the map to Camp Forlorn Hope and in very quick time see to the various fetch, carry, fix sub quests. I then ransack Nelson and kill the Legion troop that remain there.

All this questing earns me a positive relationship with the NCR and now the legion seem rather annoyed. So it's off to Vegas to speak with the NCR Ambassador and to propel my career as an NCR Mercenary about to 'free' the wastelands.

What could possibly go wrong?

I decided to finish my session by accounting for some loot that needs selling, and doing a light inventory sorting, which involves taking stock of my health meds and food supplies.

One of my personal 'choice locations' which features a camp-fire on which I can cook foods is Harpers Shack. It has easy access storage for offloading excess bits and the camp fire is easy to reach from the fast travel point.

I occasionally use the location to raid the Jackal Gangers nearby, but less so in recent sessions as I have no desperate need for income as I once did.

This all sounds very quaint, possibly boring... but those with a keen memory or perhaps an ingrained knowledge of the Mojave will recall that only a short distance from the shack... there is a Deathclaw nest. It goes by the name Dead Wind Cavern. I'd previously seen it from afar, and I ran very fast in the opposite direction.

This time however, I'm feeling cocky. the paralysing palm perk has given me enough bravado that
now, three Deathclaws sounds like a fun challenge rather than a way to experience what it's like to become much smaller and be in several locations at once.

Let's do this!

Filled with stupid bravado (and lots of performance enhancing meds) I begin my attack, sure enough three Deathclaws is an issue, they do an amazing amount of damage causing me to constantly use my pip-boy for healing. Even with paralysing palm. There is one thing I'd overlooked.

Deathclaws are tough, So even knocked out they still take a hammering. I manage to knock them out in some rough sequence, but my meds are low after only a very short while. I manage to kill on e of the smaller one's but only to see a larger, much more angry and definitely not unconscious Deathclaw jumping toward me.

As my body cartwheels backward in slow motion I begin to wonder If I should just save game and then go back to my NCR tasks.

No, don't be silly! I've opted to argue with menstruating velociraptors and I'm going to see it through!

I reload the game, and head back in. I'm sure If I can just get another paralysing knockout that I can do this. I am of course, very wrong... but this time I run. The next problem, can I outrun a Deathclaw?

Before I can answer this, and I'm already presuming the answer would be .. no... I find myself in a rather bad place. a large Jackal Gang encampment ... next to a Molerat nest.

Queue Benny Hill music

I have absolutely no idea how but through sheer luck perhaps I avoid the Deathclaws long enough that some of the gangers attack them and draw their attention, I punch out a miscreant molerat that is hassling me, take cover form the gunfire the gangers are now putting in my direction and knockout the sole Deathclaw that is still on my tail.

So...

Jackal Gangers are being torn to shreds by remaining Deathclaws
Mole Rats, what remain are attacking Jackal Gangers
Deathclaws shredding everything in sight.

... except me.

A lucky break, I use the multitude of meat sheilds to attack a 2nd Deathclaw, and thanks to the gangers gunfire, it's already low on health so is quickly dispatched after a knockout and repeated punching in its silly Deathclaw face.

Two down...

I punch a molerat so hard it backflips and throw myself into the third Deathclaw, ignoring a couple of remaining Jackal gangers, I land a lucky critical in my first VATS to knock out the walking lawnmower and then pummel it into obliteration. After seeing a girl beat two Deathclaws to death with her fists you'd thing the Jackal gangers would be having second thoughts.... but no, they are still shooting at me.

It doesn't last long. I'm now stood among the bodies of a dozen gangers, a brood of molerats and three dead Deathclaws...