[quote name='yahoosale14']are the game freezes/bugs as widespread as claimed? are they often for you guys? if i saved frequently/used auto save would i be fine and not pissed as hell?[/QUOTE]
The latter definitely. If this were launch week I would have told you to steer clear of this game at all cost until the first patch were released. A general rule of thumb in all RPGs is to save frequently regardless. It's more or less like this:
Launch NV - Borderline unplayable for those unlucky enough to be plagued by game breakers e.g. corrupted saves, disappearing/irremovable quest items and unresolvable quest glitches, falling into/stuck in environments on a regular basis and companions disappearing at random never to return.
Post Launch NV - Very playable even for those plagued by game breakers though they should expect the semi-occasional console freeze, slightly increased load times, an extremely rare corrupted auto-save here or there and some companions hesitating to engage enemies when appropriate or running off on their own for a few seconds before returning to you.
The patches did a solid job of fixing my two main game breakers (disappearing companions and buggy quicksand environments swallowing me whole) in exchange for random console freezes during load screens on a semi-regular basis. Frozen characters in V.A.T.S. has also become an issue which is something I never experienced pre-patch, but thankfully are rare.
The patches compromised the NPC AI for the NCR Emergency Radio as well forcing them to follow me for a few seconds before returning to the entrance of Camp McCarran awaiting redeployment. Zero point in doing so as this does nothing to fix it. Only an enemy encounter will break the cycle after which there is a good chance they'll freeze in place. And yes, killing them will affect your faction reputation unless it's a sneak attack critical with a silenced weapon and they nor anyone else affiliated notices you. Rangers seem less glitchy than Troopers but it does affect them both. Supply drops are completely unaffected.
Now compared to the launch bugs these are minor annoyances that rarely affect my personal enjoyment of the game. Just save often, pray you don't run into a new game breakers and you'll be fine. Even still I'd urge new players to wait for GOTY or buy a copy on the cheap and expect to run into at least one or two minor glitches while playing.
are the DLCs all recommended or some not worth getting?
I can only speak for Dead Money and I personally loved it. It's definitely not for everyone (especially impatient gun ho rushers) but nowhere near difficult for 20+ characters. Somewhat tedious at times but well paced. Great characters, solid story, loot is a bit disappointing if you aren't into energy weapons or copious amounts of Weapon Repair Kits. I would wait for a sale before plunging in but definitely pick it up.
ed up apocalyptic desert. Giant Yao Guai, giant cazadors, large dogs, tribes gone wild...
