Now Fallout: New Vegas is praised by many, and for some players it is the best part of the franchise. However, this was not always the attitude towards the project from Obsidian Entertainment.
In a conversation with Game Informer, FNV game director Josh Sawyer noted that it took the community several years to appreciate the game:
New Vegas was not very well received upon release. The game had quite a few bugs, and players and critics noted that we used too much from Fallout 3.
But it took time not only for the players, but also for the creators of Fallout: New Vegas themselves — they did not immediately realize that gamers eventually accepted their vision:
It took the community about five years to change their opinion about the game, and it probably took a few more years for us, the developers, to realize that players really liked the design decisions we made.
Lead writer of Fallout: New Vegas John Gonzales noted that in the game they focused on player choice and the consequences of their decisions, which sets the game apart:
I think what made New Vegas special is the strong emphasis on choice and consequences. [...] we offered an "Obsidian-style game" — everything revolves around giving the player enormous freedom to influence the narrative and control its development. Therefore, if that's what you like, you'll probably consider New Vegas the best game in the series.