I finally got around to playing this game, and I must say, it was one of the best experiences in this franchise that I've had. I've spent a couple hundred hours playing Oblivion, and I don't even remember how many hours I clocked with Skyrim but it was over 80. I managed to complete a playthrough of New Vegas in 3 days time, side questing and exploring and I'm going to relay some perspectives that I had.
There are spoilers for the game as a warning.
The problem I've had with the latest installments (Skyrim, fallout 3/4) are that the quests are very black and white. It seems the the basis for every single quest follow this specific formula.
1 .talk to someone
2 .they tell you to go somewhere to get something for them
3 . you explore a cave or vault, fight a bunch of monsters and retrieve the item
4 . bring them the item back for a reward
This formula consists in every quest of fallout 3 and 4. Skyrim gets an exception for some of the more esoteric adventures. As much as I love exploring, it gets old fast when every time you have to do something it's essentially the same thing!
I completed Fallout NV blind in 18 hours, and I noticed a similar trend but there was a very profound difference: the way your quests were completed were based on what you decided to level up. If you were a gunslinger, you could run and gun your way through the game. If you were a scientist/speech character, you could do a pacifist run. I have yet to do a pacifist run but I do think it is possible, unlike in fallout 3 and 4. I think this is because Bethesda is not a part of NV. In fact, NV almost seems like a spin-off title. I was a little disappointed with the choices in guns, but not so upset that it took away my fun. I was able to upgrade the guns I liked and use them to my hearts content.
The survival element was excellent, and truly felt like I was in a wasteland. That being said, the wasteland in NV was much more colorful than fallout 3, and provided me with more desire to explore. The background noise seemed spooky wherever I went. Throughout the game I was able to join 5 different factions.
NEW VEGAS 
FALLOUT 3
If I had any complaints, I felt that the game was quite small for an open world, but even that allowed for more room for the developers to be creative and expansive. You can fill up a game with a huge world of nothing, or you can pack it all in one that matters, and that's what New Vegas did. However, once the game was beaten, that was it. You don't get to see the world for what it is once you've done everything you need to do. The end was bitter sweet. A generated story spoken by the people you've encountered throughout the game. It left a lot to the imagination, and had they let you continue the story after the final battle, I could have clocked in many more hours just seeing the world I've helped change. 
The characters, story and general plot was engaging and immersive. I often wondered who I could trust, eventually leading into me not being able to trust anyone except a robot (Yes Man) who was programmed to do exactly as I say. I think the game definitely needs a sequel, but I wont be waiting around for it.
In conclusion, New Vegas is a beautiful game with very expansive gameplay compared to it's counter parts. I had fun the entire way through and I would recommend it over most others from the franchise. It left me wanting more, but maybe that's what a good game does. I give it an 8 out of 10.