Fallout: New Vegas Overview Fallout: New Vegas is a post-apocalyptic role-playing video game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is the sixth installment, following and using the same engine as Fallout 3. The game is set in the post-apocalyptic American Southwest.
Release
The game was released on October 19, 2010, in North America, October 22, 2010, in Europe, and November 4, 2010, in Asia. It is available on the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. A backwards compatible version for Xbox One was released on June 23, 2016.
Story
The player character, known as the Courier, is intercepted by Benny and two Great Khans on their way to deliver a package containing the Platinum Chip to New Vegas. The Courier regains consciousness in the Goodsprings Cemetery, where Benny steals the chip, shoots them twice in the head, and leaves them for dead in a shallow grave. They are rescued by a robot named Victor, who transports them to Doc Mitchell, saving their life. Once recovered, the Courier sets out to find those responsible.
Setting
The events of Fallout: New Vegas begin in 2281, set in the Mojave Desert following the Great War. Three entities are vying for control of New Vegas and the surrounding region, including the New California Republic, New Vegas Strip's Mr. House and Caesar's Legion. The storyline has a definitive ending which is dependent on what actions are taken during the game's events, with separate ending slides for major locations, factions, and recruited companions.
Categories
Gameplay
Combat
Gameplay includes a combat system that allows for both first and third person view and features the ability to use weapon iron sights. Fallout: New Vegas utilizes the Damage Threshold (DT) mechanic. If an enemy has a high DT, some weapons may be ineffective. This is indicated by a red shield near the enemy's health bar when attacking it, both in and out of V.A.T.S.
Hardcore Mode
Hardcore Mode is an optional setting that attempts to make the game more realistic, with gameplay elements such as dehydration, and non-instantaneous healing. It can be turned on and off mid-game. Either a trophy or achievement is awarded for completing Fallout: New Vegas on Hardcore Mode. To earn it, the entire game must be played in the mode from the point first prompted until the endgame sequence, without ever turning the setting off. The Casual/Hardcore Mode distinction is independent of difficulty settings.
Character System
Characters are created in Doc Mitchell's House, via the Reflectron user interface for appearance and Vit-o-Matic Vigor Tester for statistics. The SPECIAL system returns and directly influences speech options and quests. Traits can be chosen and perks are gained every two levels.
V.A.T.S.
The Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System, or V.A.T.S., is an active pause combat system implemented in the game. While using V.A.T.S., the otherwise real-time combat is paused. Use of one's weapon can be seen in slow motion and greater detail. Attacks in V.A.T.S. cost Action Points and one can target specific body areas for attacks to inflict specific injuries. Melee weapons now have special moves in V.A.T.S., such as "Fore!" for golf clubs, along with special Unarmed moves such as "Ranger Takedown."
The player character will take more damage in V.A.T.S. than in Fallout 3 (75%, up from 10%). One can choose to activate or deactivate a dynamic "Kill Cam," which shows one's success in combat in slow motion. The setting can also be changed to only show this cinematic viewpoint for the last enemy of a group.
Karma and reputation
A Karma system is incorporated alongside a reputation system, similar to Fallout 2. Reputation is a form of tracking relationships within the many factions and towns of Fallout: New Vegas, such as the NCR or Goodsprings. A high reputation with a faction or town may give certain benefits, such as gifts from the people who live there, while a low reputation may lead to hits being taken out against them. Karma in Fallout: New Vegas has less of an effect than reputation, which is the primary factor affecting how people react.
Companion Wheel
A new companion wheel has been added to give companions commands such as "Talk," "Use Ranged Weapons," and "Wait Here." It also makes it easier to restore their health using Stimpaks and swap equipment. The companions also have specific likes and dislikes; giving a sniper companion a shotgun, for example, will result in a negative impact and decreased effectiveness.
Weapon Modding
A modding feature allows for the modification of weapons by adding scopes, extended magazines, silencers, and more. Weapons can have a maximum of three attached mods, and they cannot be removed once placed. Obsidian implemented this feature as a direct response to the popularity of the Weapon Mod Kits mod for Fallout 3.[Dev 1] There are also unique versions of weapons in Fallout: New Vegas. Unique weapons have different textures and adornments. Counting all the add-ons, there are a total of 81 unique weapons. Some require the completion of a quest to find, are looted, or can be found in specific locations.
Gambling
The city of New Vegas, as well as other smaller settlements in the game, has a variety of colorful casinos or other forms of gambling to explore. In Fallout: New Vegas, several gambling mini games have been added, including Blackjack, Roulette, and slots. Outside the casinos, many people across the Mojave play Caravan, a card game designed by Obsidian specifically for the game. One's Luck contributes to the outcome of gambling games.
The player character will receive money for winning, and casino floor managers will congratulate the player character with food, drink, or a comped suite at the hotel. Winning too much money after that will result in the floor manager letting them know they will not be able to earn any more winnings. Although one can no longer gamble in that casino, they are still able to enter and buy items or food.
Products
Collector's Edition
The Collector's Edition of Fallout: New Vegas includes Fallout: New Vegas; "Lucky 7" poker chips, replicas from the ones found in the game; a deck of Fallout: New Vegas themed playing cards; a replica of the "Lucky 38" poker chip (the Platinum Chip) from the game; All Roads, a graphic novel serving as a prequel written by Chris Avellone; and the "Making of Fallout: New Vegas" DVD. The entire package comes in a collectible Fallout: New Vegas box. The Collector's Edition was also available for pre-order.
Ultimate Edition
The Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition was released on February 7, 2012 in North America and February 10 in Europe. The package contents are the base game along with all add-ons, including Gun Runners' Arsenal and Courier's Stash.
Add-ons
| Image | Name | Abstract | Release |
|---|---|---|---|
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Dead Money | As the victim of a raw deal, you must work alongside three other captured wastelanders to recover the legendary treasure of the Sierra Madre Casino. In Dead Money, your life hangs in the balance as you face new terrain, foes, and choices. It is up to you how you play your cards in the quest to survive. | December 21, 2010 |
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Honest Hearts | Honest Hearts takes you on an expedition to the unspoiled wilderness of Utah’s Zion National Park. Things go horribly wrong when your caravan is ambushed by a tribal raiding band. As you try to find a way back to the Mojave, you become embroiled in a war between tribes and a conflict between a New Canaanite missionary and the mysterious Burned Man. The decisions you make will determine the fate of Zion. | May 17, 2011 |
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Old World Blues | In Old World Blues you'll discover how some of the Mojave's mutated monsters, such as night stalkers and cazadores, came to be when you unwittingly become a human experiment at the hands of five pre-War doctors. You'll need to scour the research centers of Big MT in search of powerful weapons to join forces with them against Dr. Mobius, who seeks to destroy all their experiments - or use the technology to get revenge on them for abducting you. You are the only hope of saving the "Think Tank" and all of Science! - but the question is: is Big MT really what it seems? | July 19, 2011 |
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Lonesome Road | Lonesome Road brings the Courier's story full circle when you are contacted by the original Courier Six, a man by the name of Ulysses who refused to deliver the Platinum Chip at the start of New Vegas. In his transmission, Ulysses promises the answer as to why, but only if you take one last job—a job that leads you into the depths of the hurricane-swept canyons of The Divide, a landscape torn apart by earthquakes and violent storms. The road to the Divide is a long and treacherous one, and of the few to ever walk the road, none have ever returned. | September 20, 2011 |
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Gun Runners' Arsenal | The famous weapons manufacturer, Gun Runners, has opened up their exclusive cache of armaments, including new weapons, weapon mods, ammo types and recipes. Their inventory doesn’t come without a price, though. Trek far and wide throughout the Mojave Wasteland in search of this elite class of weapons that range from the outrageously potent to the bizarrely impractical. | September 27, 2011 |
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Courier's Stash | Wake up in the Mojave Wasteland with an edge. Courier’s Stash gives players immediate access to four content bundles previously available only through pre-ordering Fallout: New Vegas. The Caravan Pack, Classic Pack, Mercenary Pack and Tribal Pack each offer unique weapons, apparel and aid advantages that will help you throughout your journey. | September 27, 2011 |
Development
Obsidian submitted a three-page pitch to Bethesda for the project, which initially was named Fallout: Sin City, but subsequently got renamed to Fallout: Vegas and finally Fallout: New Vegas.[Ext 1] The team initially did not have access to the source code until Bethesda cleared its security of it. They used development tools for a few months before they were given the source code, which let them dive in to deeper development.[Dev 2]
Project director Joshua Sawyer commented on the themes of the game, including "recreating the new world in the image of the old" and the familiar overlay of western trappings, imagery of Las Vegas, and the golden age of TV and film westerns in the 50s and 60s.[Dev 3]
Sawyer described the development process as having been "a lot of overtime with a few mandatory weekends of crunch."[Dev 4] The biggest technical issue during development was the PlayStation 3's split memory pool, as the game is very memory-intensive.[Dev 5] The game spent a total of 18 months in development,[Dev 6] during which most of Sawyer's development ideas were realized.[Dev 7] Post-game content and reactivity was planned, but implementation was not possible due to time restrictions.[Dev 8]
The game was announced on April 20, 2009, at Bethesda's London showcase.[Ext 2] The first official information was released in the February 2010 issue of PC Gamer.[Ext 3] A cinematic teaser trailer and a gameplay trailer were then subsequently released.[Dev 9]
Developers
Fallout: New Vegas was developed by Obsidian Entertainment, a company founded by Feargus Urquhart and Chris Avellone, two of the creators of Fallout 2, originally at Black Isle Studios. The project was led by Joshua Sawyer, one of the lead designers of Van Buren (the canceled Fallout 3 project by Black Isle Studios). John Gonzalez was the lead creative designer, while Obsidian founder Chris Avellone, who worked on Fallout 2 and Van Buren, was a senior designer. Joe Sanabria was the lead artist.
Steam Description
It’s the kind of town where you dig your own grave prior to being shot in the head and left for dead…and that’s before things really get ugly. It’s a town of dreamers and desperados being torn apart by warring factions vying for complete control of this desert oasis. It’s a place where the right kind of person with the right kind of weaponry can really make a name for themselves, and make more than an enemy or two along the way.
As you battle your way across the heat-blasted Mojave Wasteland, the colossal Hoover Dam, and the neon drenched Vegas Strip, you’ll be introduced to a colorful cast of characters, power-hungry factions, special weapons, mutated creatures and much more. Choose sides in the upcoming war or declare “winner takes all” and crown yourself the King of New Vegas in this follow-up to the 2008 videogame of the year, Fallout 3. Enjoy your stay.
Key Features! Feel the Heat in New Vegas! Not even nuclear fallout could slow the hustle of Sin City. Explore the vast expanses of the desert wastelands – from the small towns dotting the Mojave Wasteland to the bright lights of the New Vegas strip. See the Great Southwest as could only be imagined in Fallout.
Feuding Factions, Colorful Characters and a Host of Hostiles! A war is brewing between rival factions with consequences that will change the lives of all the inhabitants of New Vegas. The choices you make will bring you into contact with countless characters, creatures, allies, and foes, and determine the final explosive outcome of this epic power struggle.
New Systems! Enjoy new additions to Fallout: New Vegas such as a Companion Wheel that streamlines directing your companions, a Reputation System that tracks the consequences of your actions, and the aptly titled Hardcore Mode to separate the meek from the mighty. Special melee combat moves have been added to bring new meaning to the phrase “up close and personal”. Use V.A.T.S. to pause time in combat, target specific enemy body parts and queue up attacks, or get right to the action using the finely-tuned real-time combat mechanics.
An Arsenal of Shiny New Guns! With double the amount of weapons found in Fallout 3, you’ll have more than enough new and exciting ways to deal with the threats of the wasteland and the locals. In addition, Vault-Tec engineers have devised a new weapons configuration system that lets you tinker with your toys and see the modifications you make in real time.
Let it Ride! In a huge, open world with unlimited options you can see the sights, choose sides, or go it alone. Peacemaker or Hard Case, House Rules, or the Wild Card - it’s all in how you play the game.”Reception
Fallout: New Vegas received a Metacritic metascore of 82/100 on PS3, and 84/100 on both PC and Xbox 360.[Ext 4][Ext 5][Ext 6] The game received several awards and nominations, including a Golden Joystick Award for "2011 RPG of the Year" and nominations for two 2011 BAFTA Awards including Best Strategy Game and Best Story.[Ext 7][Ext 8][Dev 10] Until 2020, Fallout: New Vegas has sold at least 12 million copies.[Dev 11]
Gallery
PC version
PS3 version
Back cover art
Xbox 360 version
Ultimate Edition box art
Steam description
Main title texture file
Main title texture file
Promo Wallpapers
Videos
See also
External
- Fallout: New Vegas on Steam
- Official site (Archived)
References
- ↑ GameSpot "Fallout: New Vegas E3 2010 Interview: Chris Avellone" on YouTube
- ↑ Fallout: New Vegas 10th Anniversary Charity Stream (reference starts at 4:47:53)
- ↑ Joshua Sawyer on Twitter - (archived)
- ↑ "Reboot Develop 2018 - Josh Sawyer, Obsidian Entertainment / Take Care" on YouTube (reference starts at 42:16)
- ↑ Fallout: New Vegas 10th Anniversary Charity Stream (reference starts at 3:25:37)
- ↑ Joshua Sawyer on Formspring (archived)
- ↑ Fallout: New Vegas 10th Anniversary Charity Stream (reference starts at 4:53:34)
- ↑ Joshua Sawyer on Tumblr (archived)
- ↑ "New Vegas News: It’s done! Plus PC reqs, and cake" on Bethblog (archived)
- ↑ "Legendary RPG Developer Feargus Urquhart - IGN Unfiltered 15" on YouTube (reference starts at 26:00)
- ↑ Joshua Sawyer on Twitter (archived)
- ↑ "Fallout: New Vegas was once Fallout: Sin City and had three playable races" on Eurogamer (archived)
- ↑ "Bethesda, Obsidian Announce Fallout: New Vegas" on Gamasutra (archived)
- ↑ "PC Gamer, Developers Talk Fallout: New Vegas" on GameSpy (archived)
- ↑ Metascore for Fallout: New Vegas on PC (archived)
- ↑ Metascore for Fallout: New Vegas on Xbox 360 (archived)
- ↑ Metascore for Fallout: New Vegas on PS3 (archived)
- ↑ "Fallout: New Vegas Awards" on IMDB (archived)
- ↑ "Golden Joystick Awards Announced, No Surprises Whatsoever Among Winners" on GamePro (archived)