"Fallout: New Vegas," the latest in a line of post-apocalyptic role-playing shooters, copies a lot of what made such a success of "Fallout 3," which scored all kinds of game-of-the-year awards and other kudos for its incredible story, interesting characters, brilliant game design and beautiful visuals. The new title even adds a few improvements. But there are some serious technical problems that potential players should consider before buying the game.

First off, for those unfamiliar with the series, the "Fallout" franchise takes place on an alternate Earth where technology marched forward but artistic and cultural aesthetics stayed in the '50s. Everything from clothing and furniture to soda machines and cars all have that vintage look, although the science advanced to the point of having personal laser pistols and housekeeping robots.

There was a nuclear war with China, and the survivors were either lucky enough to get inside underground biospheres called Vaults or unfortunate enough to get mutated in some grotesque way. The "Fallout" series takes place long after the bombs have dropped, and players assume the role of a survivor exploring the wasteland, either helping or harming its inhabitants and just generally trying to survive.

"New Vegas" unfolds in what's left of Sin City, which compared with the Capital Wasteland (aka Washington, D.C.) of "Fallout 3," is in much better shape. The bombs didn't hit the area quite as hard, and players eventually discover why.

"New Vegas" begins with your character getting shot in the head and robbed -- he (or she) is a courier who has something some people want. After a quick recovery that serves as a character creation process and tutorial, you are off to the Mojave Desert to have words with the fellows who ganked you. This being "Fallout," and unfolding in an open-world, sandbox-like game environment, there are many adventures to sidetrack you, places to explore, creatures to ambush you and treasures to be looted. It's this element of exploration that makes "Fallout" so compelling: curious characters and insidious dangers can lurk just over the next ridge or inside that building off in the distance.

"New Vegas" also gives players a satisfying amount of choice when it comes to how they want to solve various challenges. Many quests can be solved by picking locks, hacking computers, fixing equipment or talking other characters into certain decisions -- all depending on the skills you've built into your character and whatever items you have to boost those skills. This kind of diversity in playing a game is a refreshing break from so many others that have you following a linear path and leading you by the nose.

The new "Fallout" game also offers a few upgrades: New elements have been added to the character creation process; it's easier to interact with the companion characters following you; and there are several different factions in the Las Vegas wasteland to deal with, offering you lots of choices and much replayability.

"New Vegas," much like "Fallout 3," feels organic, raw and wild.

Unfortunately, the coding in "New Vegas" also feels wild and raw, because the game crashes regularly. Over the more than 50 hours I've spent playing "New Vegas," it locked up dozens of times. Sometimes these crashes happened when I entered new areas, sometimes while I was wandering around, and sometimes while I was browsing menus or engaged in dialogue with characters.

"New Vegas" was built on top of the technology behind "Fallout 3," but instead of refining, enhancing and optimizing the system, developer Obsidian's design team made things noticeably worse.

Thankfully, all of the engrossing story, depth and value of a "Fallout" game are there. The code just needs to be cleaned up.