Fallout: New Vegas

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Fallout: New Vegas
Developer(s)Obsidian Entertainment
Publisher(s)Bethesda Softworks
Director(s)Josh Sawyer
Producer(s)
  • Mikey Dowling
  • Jason Fader
  • Matt Singh
  • Tess Treadwell
Designer(s)Josh Sawyer
Programmer(s)Frank Kowalkowski
Artist(s)Joe Sanabria
Writer(s)John Gonzalez
Composer(s)Inon Zur
SeriesFallout
EngineGamebryo
Platform(s)
Release
  • NA: October 19, 2010
  • AU: October 21, 2010
  • EU: October 22, 2010
Genre(s)Action role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Fallout: New Vegas is a 2010 action role-playing game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Bethesda Softworks. It was announced in April 2009 and released for PlayStation 3, Windows, and Xbox 360 on October 19, 2010. A spin-off[1][2][3] of the main Fallout series, the game is set in a post-apocalyptic open-world environment that encompasses a region consisting of parts of Arizona, California, and Nevada. It takes place in a world that deviated onto an alternate timeline thanks to Atomic Age technology, which eventually led to a global nuclear apocalypse in the year 2077 in an event referred to as "The Great War", caused by a major conflict between the U.S. and China over natural resources. The main story of New Vegas is set in the year 2281, four years after the events of Fallout 3 and 204 years after the bombs fell. It is not a sequel but does feature the return of several elements found in Fallout 2.

Players take control of a character known as the Courier. While transporting a package across the Mojave Desert to the city of New Vegas (built in the ruins of Las Vegas), the Courier is ambushed, robbed of the package, shot, and buried in a cemetery. Rescued and nursed back to health by the inhabitants of a small frontier town, the Courier then begins a journey to find their would-be killer and recover the package, making friends and enemies among various warring factions, and ultimately becoming caught up in a conflict that will determine who controls New Vegas and the Mojave Wasteland.

It was a commercial success, shipping more than 5 million copies, and is estimated to have sold around 12 million copies worldwide. The game received a Golden Joystick Award for "RPG of the Year" in 2011, nominated for two BAFTA Awards (Best Strategy Game and Best Story), received an Interactive Achievement Award nomination for "Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year", as well as a NAVGTR Award for Supporting Performance in a Drama (Felicia Day). The game received four downloadable content add-ons post-launch. At launch, New Vegas received positive reviews, with critical praise for the game's writing, quests, and improved gameplay, though it was criticized for its glitches and bugs at the time. It has since obtained retrospective acclaim, with some critics referring to the game as the best in the Fallout series, as well as one of the greatest RPGs of all time.

Gameplay

Fallout: New Vegas features a wide variety of weapons that players can use in combat. Here, the player fights an enemy known as a deathclaw with a rifle.

Fallout: New Vegas is a role-playing game that can be played from either a first-person or third-person perspective.[4] It set in the Mojave Desert, years after a nuclear war left much of the United States decimated.[4] The player controls a courier who survived an assassination attempt from an unknown assailant.[5] The goal of the game is to complete a series of quests to find the assailant, which eventually culminates in a war between different governing factions vying for control of the Mojave Desert.[6] In addition to the main quests, the player can participate in optional unrelated quests known as side quests.[7] Kristinie Stiemer of IGN estimates that it takes around 100 hours to complete every quest in the game.[4]

At the beginning of the game, the player can customize the courier's physical appearance by choosing their gender, age, and race.[8] They can then allocate points into seven primary attributes: strength, perception, endurance, charisma, intelligence, agility, and luck.[9] These attributes are known as S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats, and range from 1 to 10.[9] Additionally, there are 13 secondary attributes whose point totals are affected by S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats: barter, energy weapons, explosives, guns, lockpick, medicine, melee weapons, repair, science, sneak, speech, survival, and unarmed.[10] If the player has a high intelligence stat for example, then they will be more proficient with the medicine, repair, and science skills at the beginning of the game.[10] The player can add more points into skill stats whenever they earn enough experience points to level up.[10] Experience points can be earned through several methods, such as killing an enemy or completing a quest.[11] When the player reaches an even-numbered level, they can select a perk, which is a permanent beneficial upgrade.[12] For example, the perk Rapid Reload increases the reload speed for guns by 25 percent.[13]

Fallout: New Vegas features an open world map that the player can freely explore.[4] Locations the player can discover range from small settlements and abandoned buildings, to larger locations like the Hoover Dam and the city of New Vegas, which was built from the remnants of Las Vegas.[14] While exploring, the player can recruit some non-playable characters as companions, who will accompany the player and assist them in combat.[14] There a variety of weapons in the game, including standard guns, energy-based guns, melee weapons, and explosives.[15] While in combat, the player can utilize a gameplay mechanic known as V.A.T.S., which pauses the game and allows the player to target specific body parts of an enemy.[4] V.A.T.S. is dictated by a statistic known as Action Points.[4] Each attack while in V.A.T.S. costs Action Points, and when the player runs out of Action Points they must wait a short period of time before they can use it again.[4]

The player's reputation among factions is determined by their previous actions.[14] For example, if the player decides to help a faction, they may be given new armor or access to a secret base.[14] Likewise, if the player's actions are perceived as detrimental, the faction might send assassins to try and kill the player.[14] Reputation extends to companions, as some companions will leave the player if they are disliked by a specific faction.[16]

An optional difficulty level in Fallout: New Vegas is Hardcore Mode, which adds survival mechanics the player must keep track off.[17] For example, the player must routinely eat, drink, and sleep in order to avoid dying from starvation, dehydration, or sleep deprivation.[17] Healing items gradually heal wounds instead of instantly, and crippled limbs can only be healed by a doctor or specific items.[18] Additionally, ammo has weight which necessitates careful inventory management, and companions can permanently die.[18] Hardcore Mode can be enabled or disabled at any point in the game.[19] If the player completes the entire game with Hardcore Mode enabled they unlock an achievement.[19]

Plot

Setting

Flag of the New California Republic, based on the Flag of California

Fallout: New Vegas takes place in the year 2281, 204 years after a devastating nuclear war between the United States and China.[20] Three major entities seek control of the Mojave Desert, known in-game as the Mojave Wasteland: The New California Republic (NCR), a democratic republic that attempts to maintain law; Caesar's Legion, a violent tribal army inspired by the Roman legion; and Mr. House, a mysterious businessman from New Vegas who controls an army of robots called securitrons.[21][22] As part of an eastward expansion from California, the NCR took control of the Hoover Dam, which provides electricity to the surrounding area.[21] Caesar's Legion and Mr. House want to control the Hoover Dam for themselves and advance their own plans for the region.[21] Along with the three main factions, minor ones include; the Boomers, a heavily armed xenophobic tribe at Nellis Air Force Base; the Powder Gangers, escaped convicts from a correctional facility; the Great Khans, a tribe of drug dealers; and the Brotherhood of Steel, a militant organization who aim to secure harmful technology.[23]

Story

While delivering a storage device known as the Platinum Chip to New Vegas, the courier is ambushed by mobster and casino owner Benny, who steals the Platinum Chip and shoots them. Left for dead, the courier is dug out by securitron Victor and nursed back to health by physician Doc Mitchell. The courier then departs on the search of Benny and the Platinum Chip. In the casino on the New Vegas strip, the courier confronts Benny, where they choose to either kill Benny and recover the Platinum Chip or let him escape.

The courier becomes embroiled into a conflict between the NCR, Caesar's Legion, and Mr. House for control of the region. It is revealed that Mr. House survived the war between the United States and China in a life-support chamber. He created the Platinum Chip, which contains a securitron upgrade program meant to protect Las Vegas during the war; however, the war began prior to the delivery. After the Platinum Chip was located, the courier was tasked with delivering it to Mr. House. Benny stole the Platinum Chip in an attempt to usurp Mr. House with a reprogrammed securitron called Yes Man.

Hoover Dam becomes the center of the conflict between the NCR and Caesar's Legion. The player can choose which faction to support, which results in one of four endings. If the player supports the NCR, they successfully repel the Legion's attack at Hoover Dam and annex the Mojave Wasteland. If the player supports Caesar's Legion, they force the NCR to retreat, and conquer the Mojave Wasteland. Mr. House wants to have sole control of New Vegas, and if the player supports Mr. House, the overwhelming securitron army force both factions to leave the area. Alternatively, if the player wishes for the Mojave Wasteland to remain independent of leadership, they can kill Mr. House and let Yes Man take control of the securitron network.

Development

The origins of Fallout: New Vegas date back to the cancellation of Van Buren, which was intended to be the third game in the mainline Fallout series.[24] Under the development of Black Isle Studios, Van Buren was to be set in Arizona, Nevada, and Colorado, and would have included a mixture of real-time and turn-based combat.[24] Black Isle Studios' publisher Interplay Entertainment was struggling financially, and in December 2003 Van Buren was cancelled.[25] Prior to the project's cancellation, former Black Isle Studios and Interplay Entertainment employees cofounded Obsidian Entertainment.[25] Over the next few years, Obsidian developed the role-playing games Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, Neverwinter Nights 2, and Alpha Protocol.[26]

In 2007, Bethesda Softworks purchased the Fallout intellectual property.[27] The following year they released Fallout 3.[27] Fallout 3 was well received by critics, and sold more than 5 million copies in 2008.[27][28] Prior to the release of Fallout 3, Bethesda had already begun development on what would become The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.[29] Bethesda wanted to support Fallout 3 with more content, and decided to contract another developer to create a large expansion pack.[29] Bethesda creative director Todd Howard successfully lobbied for a full game instead of an expansion pack, and suggested Obsidian based on their previous experience with the Fallout series.[29] Obsidian had previously turned down an offer from Bethesda in 2007 to develop a Star Trek game, but agreed to develop a new Fallout game.[26]

Bethesda wanted the game to take place somewhere in the West Coast of the United States.[26] The first two Fallout games were set along the West Coast, and Obsidian felt that a similar setting would give them opportunities to expand on concepts that were introduced in Fallout 2, such as the NCR.[24] Numerous story elements were proposed, such as setting the game in a city based on Reno, Nevada, or making the main character a ghoul.[24] The latter idea was rejected due to the technical challenges that would arise from ghouls wearing armor.[24] Las Vegas and the surrounding Mojave Desert was chosen as the setting, as they evoked the 1950s aesthetic that the series was known for, as well as the post-apocalyptic imagery of Mad Max.[24] Obsidian wanted Fallout: New Vegas to take place between the events of Fallout 2 and Fallout 3, although Bethesda mandated that each game in the series should follow chronological order.[30]

Project director Josh Sawyer wanted the story of Fallout: New Vegas to focus on the themes of greed and excess.[24] As a result, the history of Las Vegas served as a inspiration, due to the city's connection with organized crime.[31] One of the working titles for the game was Fallout 3: Sin City.[24] Sawyer used the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963 as a cut-off for any historical references.[24] The motif of conflicts between factions was inspired by previous fan requests.[26] During a Game Developers Conference presentation, Sawyer noted that Obsidian wanted to avoid what he described as "Jesus/Hitler" moments, in which factions like the NCR or Caesar's Legion were presented as simply either good or bad.[16] Instead, he wanted to instill a sense of moral ambiguity.[16] According to Sawyer, "A player should feel like there's something good and bad about what they pick."[16]

Obsidian designed the city of New Vegas to closely resemble Las Vegas in the 1950s

In order to capture the feel of the Mojave Desert, Obsidian used data collected by the United States Geological Survey.[24] Additionally, Sawyer traveled to Las Vegas and took reference photos of the surrounding areas, including the nearby Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.[32] Obsidian used the Las Vegas Beltway as a point of reference while designing the map, as they felt a road system circling the map would help the player navigate.[33] Bethesda requested that the game include large structures that the player could use as visual landmarks.[24] Instead of the Washington, D.C. monuments in Fallout 3, the visual landmarks in Fallout: New Vegas mostly consist of kitschy roadside attractions, such as a large dinosaur statue, based on the Cabazon Dinosaurs in Cabazon, California.[24][30] These attractions were part of a broader goal to differentiate the Fallout: New Vegas map from Fallout 3.[30] Whereas the Washington, D.C. metro in Fallout 3 was tightly compact, the Mojave Desert in Fallout: New Vegas is more spread-out.[30] Other differences include a warmer color palette for the graphics, and the inclusion of local flora, such as Joshua trees and prickly pear cacti.[31] Obsidian wanted the city of New Vegas to closely resemble the Las Vegas strip in the 1950s.[31] This meant that each casino was adorned with large neon signs, and their architecture was modeled after the contemporary Googie movement.[31]

The gameplay of Fallout: New Vegas remained largely unchanged from Fallout 3.[34] Obsidian instead focused on making minor adjustments, such as giving the player more tactical options while in combat.[34] The player could now use iron sights on guns, and gun accuracy would be greatly affected by player movement.[34] Optional gameplay mechanics were added that would further evoke a sense of surviving in the desert, such as item crafting and Hardcore Mode.[24] According to Sawyer, "We really approached it from that perspective, like, 'Hey, if you want a more challenging thing that makes you feel more like you're struggling in the desert, then here's this aspect for you."[24] Obsidian took inspiration from the Fallout 3 modding community, specifically the mods that sought to improve the game with quality of life changes.[34] Bethesda provided Obsidian with the Gamebryo engine, which had been used for Fallout 3. No one at Obsidian had ever worked with Gamebryo, and as a result, the company hired a modder who had worked with the engine while developing a mod for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.[24]

The soundtrack for Fallout: New Vegas was composed by Inon Zur, and was intended to evoke the soundscape of the American Southwest.[31] The first email Zur received while working on the soundtrack included the following descriptors: "Southwest in the Future. Open, Spacious, Raw, Lonesome, Cowboy, Rattlesnake, Desert, Wind, Heat, Rust, Steel, Dirt, Grit."[35] Inspired by the soundtrack for the film There Will Be Blood, Zur worked with audio director Scott Lawlor to compose music for a string quartet.[31] Fallout: New Vegas features an adaptive music system, which means the soundtrack will change depending on what is happening to the player.[35] While exploring, the music is quiet and ambient, and when the player enters combat, the music becomes loud and powerful.[35] In addition to the original soundtrack, Fallout: New Vegas features licensed music that the player can listen to via in-game radio stations.[35] The licensed music features songs from the 1950s, and encompasses several music genres, including country and bluegrass.[34] Over 65,000 lines of dialogue were recorded for Fallout: New Vegas, which at the time, set a Guinness World Record for the most lines of dialogue in a single-player role-playing game.[36] Numerous celebrities were brought in as voice actors, including: Matthew Perry, Wayne Newton, Zachary Levi, Kris Kristofferson, Danny Trejo, Michael Dorn, and Felicia Day.[31]

Bethesda gave Obsidian 18 months to develop Fallout: New Vegas, which several journalists have noted is a very short period of time to develop a Triple-A game.[24][32][37] When asked about the hastened development, Sawyer said: "We were working somewhere between forty and fifty hours a week, which is not too crazy ... It was a really tight schedule, but I don't think we had a point where we all thought 'this is crazy we can't do it.'"[38] The contracted development meant that some areas of the game needed to be cut. For example, there were planned settlements east of the Colorado River, including three locations controlled by Caesar's Legion.[24] These locations would have provided more information about the faction.[24]

Release and downloadable content

Promotional material for Fallout: New Vegas at PAX (left) and IgroMir (right)

Fallout: New Vegas was announced in April 2009, and the first trailer was shown in February 2010.[39] There were four different pre-order bonuses available for players who pre-ordered the game from Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, Steam, or Walmart.[40] Each pre-order bonus included weapons and items that the player could access at the beginning of the game.[40] These four pre-order bonuses were later released in one bundle as downloadable content.[41] Another pre-release item for Fallout: New Vegas was a collector's edition, which included the game itself, as well as seven poker chips, a replica Platinum Chip, a deck of cards with character illustrations, a prequel graphic novel, and a making-of documentary.[42] Pre-order sales for Fallout: New Vegas were higher than those for Fallout 3 in North American and the United Kingdom.[43]

Fallout: New Vegas was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 on October 19, 2010, in North America, October 21, 2010, in Australia, and October 22, 2010, in Europe.[44] By November 8, 2010, the game had sold 5 million copies worldwide, and achieved $300 million in revenue.[45] Electronic Entertainment Design and Research, a market research firm, estimated that by 2015, the game had sold 11.6 million copies worldwide.[46] Fallout: New Vegas suffered from numerous glitches upon release, including crashes, saved game corruptions, and frame rate issues.[24] The large number of glitches were heavily criticized by fans, and was commonly discussed by video game journalists at the time.[24] In the months after release, Bethesda published multiple patches to fix the glitches.[47][48]

Fallout: New Vegas was supported with six downloadable content (DLC) packs.[24] Designer Chris Avellone spearheaded the development of the DLC packs.[24] His goal was to expand the story of Fallout: New Vegas, and incorporate gameplay ideas that would not have worked in the base game.[24] Avellone cites the survival horror elements of the DLC Dead Money as an example.[24] Avellon said, "It would feel weird if you designed even maybe a big Fallout New Vegas level around that. But as a DLC, it felt like, 'Oh, cool. This is my trip to a horror realm.'"[24] In Dead Money, the courier is captured and forced to stage a heist on the Sierra Madre Casino, which was concealed by a deadly toxic cloud.[49] The second DLC was Honest Hearts.[50] Set in Zion National Park, the story revolves around the courier's involvement in a conflict between two tribes.[50] The third DLC, Old World Blues, features B movie humor and a plot about a mad scientist.[51] The final story driven DLC was Lonesome Road, in which the player tracks down another courier named Ulysses, who had turned down the job to deliver the Platinum Chip to Mr. House.[52] Two additional non-story driven DLC packs were released: Courier's Stash and Gun Runners' Arsenal.[53] Courier's Stash granted access to the items that were originally released as pre-order bonuses, and Gun Runners' Arsenal added new weapons, modifications, and new types of ammunition.[53]

Reception

Fallout: New Vegas received "generally favorable reviews" from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic. Critics praised the gameplay improvements and expanded content over Fallout 3, while criticizing familiarity and technical issues.

IGN's Keza MacDonald praised the game's script, but criticized the character models and facial animation as "wooden and unbelievable".[55][56] Eurogamer commented that "Obsidian has created a totally compelling world and its frustrations pale into insignificance compared to the immersive, obsessive experience on offer. Just like the scorched scenery that provides its epic backdrop, New Vegas is huge and sprawling, sometimes gaudy, even downright ugly at times – but always effortlessly, shamelessly entertaining."[17] According to GameSpot's Kevin VanOrd, the game's "familiar rhythm will delight fans of the series, and the huge world, expansive quests, and hidden pleasures will have [the players] itching to see what other joys you might uncover. However, as time wears on, the constant glitches invade almost every element of the game and eventually grow wearisome."[58]

Giant Bomb's Jeff Gerstmann reviewed Fallout: New Vegas for the Xbox 360 positively, despite its many crashes, bugs, and glitches. Gerstmann wrote: "When I reflect on the experience, I'll probably think about the times the game locked up on me or broke in a dozen other crazy ways first, before thinking about the great world and the objectives that fill it. If you were able to look past the issues that plagued Fallout 3 and Oblivion before it, New Vegas will eventually show you a real good time."[70] 1UP.com's Mike Nelson wrote "On one hand, it feels like I can recommend this to any fan of the Fallout series. I single these fans out because they're willing to forgive silly bugs like meeting characters who walk into walls or occasionally float in mid-air. These fans realize that the game as a whole is greater than the sum of minor graphical anomalies. On the other hand, I simply can't ignore or forgive the game for crashing on me when I walk around the Mojave Wasteland; or for quests that simply can't be completed because of a game glitch; or for making my companions disappear when I need them the most during a battle. These are some of the most frustrating bugs I have ever encountered with any game, especially when attached to a series that I deeply enjoy."[54]

Despite the criticisms, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Fallout: New Vegas for "Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year" during the 14th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards.[71]

Reappraisal

In the years since its release, Fallout: New Vegas has been critically acclaimed, with praise given to its story, role-playing elements and improvements on its predecessor.[72][73] Some critics referred to the game as the best in the Fallout series,[74][75] while others described it as one of the greatest RPGs of all time.[76][77][78][79][80] In 2020, Eurogamer's Wesley Yin-Poole wrote "While it suffered a raft of technical problems – as most of the games built on Bethesda's RPG engine did at the time – its reputation has only grown more positive over the last decade, and it is now considered one of, if not the best Fallout game."[81] Emma Kent wrote in 2019 that "it felt like even the smallest story was carefully crafted to maintain interest and deliver a rewarding kicker" and that "on the macro scale, New Vegas took a more serious tone by weaving a complex power struggle that mirrors many current real-world conflicts."[82] At the end of 2019, Den of Geek ranked Fallout: New Vegas as the twelfth-best game of the decade, with writer Matthew Byrd describing the game as "the glorious comeback of [...] more complex RPG elements. Developer Obsidian fought against a buggy engine and a tight production schedule to turn in an RPG adventure that is all about navigating the possibilities and burdens of player agency in a world where it often feels like you can't properly predict the consequences of your decisions. It's a true role-playing game that takes place in a world you wouldn't want to live in but can't help but be engrossed by."[83]

Fallout: New Vegas has an active modding community on the website Nexus Mods.[84] News outlets like IGN and PC Gamer recommend playing the game with mods for the best experience, as many of the mods offer quality of life improvements to the gameplay, fix glitches, and include new customization options for weapons and clothing.[84][85] Larger mods are sometimes described as total conversion mods, as they can add new gameplay mechanics, quests, and areas to the original game.[86] Among the more notable total conversion mods include Fallout: New California, which is set in the San Bernardino Mountains and acts as a prequel to Fallout: New Vegas, and Fallout: The Frontier, which features three linear questlines.[85][86]

Cultural impact

A saloon in the real town of Goodsprings, Nevada hosted gatherings for New Vegas fans in 2022 and 2023.[87] The city of New Vegas would later briefly appear in the 2024 television adaptation of Fallout, which takes place 15 years after New Vegas.[88][89]

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