Wild Wasteland

 is a trait which only appears in Fallout: New Vegas.

''Wild Wasteland unleashes the most bizarre and silly elements of post-apocalyptic America. Not for the faint of heart or the serious of temperament.''

In an interview with Chris Avellone, he notes that the Wild Wasteland trait may add more references to older content in Fallout and Fallout 2, in regards to special encounters. Players without Wild Wasteland will find less silly analogues in places where Wild Wasteland modifies things. According to J.E. Sawyer, the trait was added as a compromise because different members of the team often suggested 'wacky' content that others thought would be out of place.

Events that are modified/triggered by Wild Wasteland are indicated. Alien-esque music (that wouldn't sound out of place in Mothership Zeta) will play for a moment. A message saying "..." will appear, and its icon will be Vault Boy with spirals for eyes, identical to the Wild Wasteland icon.

Wild Wasteland Encounters
Officially, there are 15 Wild Wasteland encounters throughout New Vegas.

Hovering Anomaly
Occurrence: You have to fuck a black dog

What Is It, Boy?
Occurrence: Speak to Rex while you're out in the Mojave Wasteland. At some point, Rex will answer with an "aroo!" You then divine that Little Jimmy may have fallen into a well, the location of which is unlocked on your Pip-Boy's world map (northeast of New Vegas, right outside the wall).

A reference to the 1954 Lassie TV series, where "Timmy fell into a well" was a staple of the show, as well as a homage to the Fallout 2 quest where the Chosen One helps look for Jonny with the help of Laddie the dog.

Granny's Grannies
Occurrence: When you exit Cerulean Robotics, three elderly women named Irate Ida, Rancorous Ruth and Malefic Maude wearing Pre-War Spring Outfits and armed with rolling pins will attack you.

This is a reference to a Monty Python sketch named Hell's Grannies.

We Named the Dog Indiana
Occurrence: A battered fridge appears in the Mojave Wasteland; it looks like it has survived a devastating blast, but the occupant has not; the skeletal remains of an adventurer are inside, along with his Suave gambler hat. No snakes, thankfully.

Location: Just after the final bend in the road going south east from Goodsprings to Jean Sky Diving. It's on the left (North) side of the road.

Reference to the scene from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, where Indy avoids a nuclear blast by hiding in a lead-lined refrigerator.

Getting Too Close
Occurrence: During Side Quest: I Put a Spell on You, if you unwittingly divulge to Captain Curtis that you know a mole is using the Control Tower during the night, and then stake it out, he ambushes you there. Right before the ambush occurs, Curtis says "You're getting too close, shamus!" Reference to Carmen Sandiego

R.O.U.S.
Occurrence: You may not think they exist, but in certain underground locations, such as the New Vegas Sewers, the Broc Flower Cave, or Vaults with peeling election posters, are rats one-and-a-half to two-times bigger than normal. These are Rodents of Unusual Size.

This is a reference to the movie "The Princess Bride" and the R.O.U.S.s that inhabit the Fire Swamp.

Owen and Beru
Located in Nipton there are two corpses. One looks to be a male human, while the other is female, lying next to each other. They look like they've been charred. Alas, there's no power converter to loot

This is a reference to Star Wars IV, where Luke Skywalker's uncle and aunt are burnt and their charred corpses' can be seen.

Holy Hand Grenades
Occurrence: Somewhere, in a place where two spires once shot forth skyward, is a basement with a box of Holy Hand Grenades to utilize. There is a sign on the box that reads "Holy Hand Grenades. Pull pin, count to five [scratched out]... 3, and throw." This is a reference to The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and they also appeared in Fallout 2.

In Fallout: New Vegas they can be found in the basement in one of the churches in Camp Searchlight.

Romanes Eunt Domus
Occurrence: Scrawled on a concrete building in Cottonwood Cove, some upstart has scrawled the graffiti "Romanes Eunt Domus."

This is a reference to Monty Python's Life of Brian where Brian is writing graffiti on the palace wall and uses the same incorrect conjugation. 

Crusoe Sucks as an Investigator
Occurrence: During Side Quest: Beyond the Beef, a dead investigator is discovered inside an Ulta-Luxe hotel room. Further investigation of this crime-scene reveals his name to be "Crusoe," with a shock of red hair, sunglasses and a business suit.

This is a reference to CSI: Miami. The main character Lt. Horatio Caine is played by David Caruso, and to the Pink Panther detective: Inspector Clusoe

The Future of Law Enforcement
Occurrence: While listening to the Securitrons interact with the visitors to The Strip, you swore you heard one state "your move, creep." Should you frame Heck Gunderson during Side Quest: Beyond the Beef, the arresting Securitron may have no preference over Heck's life; he's still going with him.

This is a Reference to the 1980s film Robo-cop, when he confronts a criminal.

Stay Classy, Mr. New Vegas
Occurrence: Mr. New Vegas sometimes introduces his music with: "You know, I tried to measure my charisma on a Vit-o-matic Vigor Tester once. The machine burst into flames." The sweet-talking doesn't end there either. He has a special news sign-off, and some home truths about the Mojave.

This is a reference to the movie "Anchorman".

The Big One
Occurrence: Slightly north-west of the Devil's Throat is a large, unexploded bomb known as The Big One. Amid the crackle of your Geiger counter, you can open up the bomb, and scavenge some Energy Weapon ammunition, if you can stand the Glowing One and Super Mutant attacks.

This is a reference to Sid's firework that is used to "blast off" Buzz Lightyear.

Johnny Five-Aces
Occurrence: During Barton Thorn's quest, you're instructed to investigate an overlook south of Goodsprings. There's a dead Prospector up here named Johnny, wearing glasses, with a glass pitcher next to him, and five aces on the table. On the cliff are four balls in a line.

This is a reference to a failed game project, Zybourne Clock, which started on the Something Awful forums. It was ridiculed and became kind of a meme on the forums.

Game Over Man, Game Over!
Occurrence: If you're listening to the NCR Emergency Radio during the final battle for Hoover Dam, among the chatter about positioning snipers and reinforcing positions you may hear lines such as "They're coming out of the damn walls!" or "Game over, man!"

[Reference to Bill Paxton's character Private William Hudson from the movie "Aliens" ©1986].