Fallout: New Vegas
Fallout: New Vegas is a 2010 action role-playing game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game, which was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, is set in the Mojave Desert 204 years after a devastating nuclear war. The player controls a courier who survives an assassination attempt, and becomes embroiled in a conflict between different governing factions that are vying for control of the region. Fallout: New Vegas features a freely explorable open world, and the player can engage in combat with a variety of weapons. The player can also initiate conversations with non-player characters in the form of dialogue trees, and their responses determine their reputation among the many different factions.
After the release of Fallout 3 in 2008, Bethesda contracted Obsidian to develop a spin-off game in the Fallout series. The developers chose Las Vegas, Nevada, and the surrounding Mojave Desert as the setting because they evoked the 1950s imagery the series was known for, as well as the post-apocalyptic setting of Mad Max. Project director Josh Sawyer wanted the story to focus on greed and excess, and used the history of Las Vegas as an inspiration. To design the game's map, Obsidian used data collected by the United States Geological Survey and reference photographs taken by Sawyer. Bethesda gave Obsidian 18 months to develop New Vegas, which several journalists have noted is a very short time in which to develop a AAA game.
Fallout: New Vegas was a commercial success and is estimated to have sold 11.6 million copies worldwide. Critics praised the writing and quests, but questioned the lack of significant gameplay changes when compared to Fallout 3, and criticized the numerous glitches present at launch. Six pieces of downloadable content for the game, including four story-based add-ons that added new areas for the player to explore, were released. Since its release, fans and journalists have re-evaluated New Vegas and it is now regarded as one of the best games in the Fallout series and as one of the greatest video games ever made.
Gameplay
Fallout: New Vegas is an action role-playing game that can be played from either a first-person or a third-person perspective. It is set in the Mojave Desert, 204 years after a nuclear war that decimated much of the United States. The player controls a courier who survived an attempted killing by an unknown assailant. The initial goal in the game is to complete a series of quests to find the assailant; the game eventually culminates in a war between governing factions that are vying for control of the Mojave Desert. In addition to the main quests, the player can participate in optional, unrelated side quests. Kristinie Stiemer of IGN estimates completing every quest in the game takes around 100 hours.New Vegas features a freely explorable open world map. The player can explore locations ranging from small settlements and abandoned buildings to large locations like the Hoover Dam and the city of New Vegas, which was built from the remnants of Las Vegas. The player is equipped with the Pip-Boy 3000, a wearable computer that serves as a menu and allows them to access items they have acquired, view detailed character statistics and active quests, and look at the map. They can also use the Pip-Boy to fast travel to previously discovered locations, and listen to makeshift radio broadcasts.
The player can engage in combat with non-player characters. The weapons in the game include standard guns, energy-based guns, melee weapons, and explosives. Guns can be equipped with additional modifications such as a scope. While in combat, the player can use a gameplay mechanic known as the Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System, which pauses the game and allows the player to target specific body parts of an enemy. VATS is dictated by a statistic known as Action Points. Attacks made using VATS cost Action Points; when the player runs out, they must wait a short period before they can use VATS again. Some NPCs can be recruited as companions, and will accompany the player and assist them in combat.
Role-playing mechanics
At the start of the game, the player can customize the courier's appearance by choosing their gender, age, and race. They can then allocate points into seven primary attributes: strength, perception, endurance, charisma, intelligence, agility, and luck. These attributes are known as SPECIAL stats. There are 13 secondary attributes whose point totals are affected by SPECIAL stats: barter, energy weapons, explosives, guns, lockpick, medicine, melee weapons, repair, science, sneak, speech, survival, and unarmed. If the player has a high intelligence stat, for example, they will be more proficient in the medicine, repair, and science skills at the beginning of the game. The player can add more points into skill stats whenever they earn enough experience points to level up. Experience points can be earned through several methods, such as killing an enemy or completing a quest. When the player reaches an even-numbered level, they can select a permanent, beneficial upgrade known as a perk. For example, the Rapid Reload perk increases the reload speed for guns by 25 percent.The player can initiate conversations with NPCs in the form of dialogue trees. For example, early in the game a doctor tells the player that they nursed them back to health and looked through their belongings for identification. The player can then choose to respond with one of the following dialogue options: "Thanks for patching me up, Doc.", "You shouldn't have gone through my stuff.", and "What do I do now?" Some response options are only available if the player has enough points in a certain stat, such as 50 points in the Barter stat to ask a shopkeeper for a discount. The responses the player chooses during conversations with NPCs as well as any previous actions determine their reputation among the in-game factions. For example, if the player decides to help a faction, they may be given new armor or access to a secret base. If the player's actions are perceived as detrimental, a faction might send assassins to try and kill the player. Some factions dislike one another; if the player is helpful to one, they may be unable to complete quests for another. Reputation extends to companions; some companions will leave the player if a specific faction dislikes the player.
An optional difficulty level in Fallout: New Vegas is Hardcore Mode, which adds survival mechanics the player must keep track of. For example, the player must routinely eat, drink, and sleep to avoid dying from starvation, dehydration, or sleep deprivation. Healing items gradually heal wounds but crippled limbs can only be healed by a doctor or specific items. Ammunition has weight, which necessitates careful inventory management, and companions can permanently die. Hardcore Mode can be enabled or disabled at any point, but if the player completes the entire game with it enabled, they unlock an achievement.
Plot
Setting
Fallout: New Vegas takes place in 2281, 204 years after a devastating nuclear war between the United States and China, known as the Great War. Three major factions vie for control of the Mojave Desert, known in-game as the Mojave Wasteland: the New California Republic, a democratic republic attempting to restore representative government and maintain law and order; Caesar's Legion, a violent totalitarian army of tribal slavers inspired by the Roman legion; and Mr. House, a reclusive New Vegas businessman who commands an army of Securitron robots and rules as the city's technocratic dictator. As part of an eastward expansion from California, the NCR took control of the Hoover Dam, which provides electricity to the surrounding area. Both Caesar's Legion and Mr. House seek to control the Hoover Dam for themselves and advance their own plans for the region. Minor factions include the Boomers, a heavily armed xenophobic tribe at Nellis Air Force Base; the Powder Gangers, escaped convicts from an NCR correctional facility; the Great Khans, a tribe of drug dealers; and the Brotherhood of Steel, a militant organization that aims to secure and hold old-world technology.Story
While delivering a data 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 the courier in the head. A Securitron named Victor digs out the courier from a shallow grave, and physician Doc Mitchell nurses them back to health. The courier departs to search for Benny and the Platinum Chip. They confront Benny in a casino on the New Vegas strip; the courier can either kill Benny and recover the Platinum Chip or let him escape.The courier's actions attract the attention of the NCR, Caesar's Legion, and Mr. House, and the three groups each attempt to recruit them to aid in their efforts. It is revealed Mr. House survived the nuclear apocalypse in a life-support chamber. He created the Platinum Chip, which contains a program capable of upgrading his Securitron army; the device was initially meant to protect Las Vegas during the Great War, but the war began before the Chip could be delivered. After the Platinum Chip was located, the courier was tasked with delivering it to Mr. House. Benny stole the Platinum Chip as part of his plan to usurp Mr. House with the assistance of 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, resulting 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 into the Republic. If the player supports Caesar's Legion, they force the NCR to retreat as the Legion conquers New Vegas and the surrounding area. If the player supports Mr. House, the overwhelming Securitron army forces both the NCR and the Legion out of the area, securing control of the region for House alone. Alternatively, the player can usurp Mr. House and take control of the Securitron network themselves with the help of Yes Man, establishing an independent New Vegas.