Happy Valentine’s Day, CHS! February is celebrated as the month of love, so this month, the game will have nothing to do with love, because it’s gross.
Fallout: New Vegas was developed by Obsidian Entertainment and released by Bethesda Softworks on October 19, 2010. New Vegas continues the main theme of the Fallout series: a post-apocalyptic wasteland with very few remnants of civilization.
The game follows a character who doesn’t have a name because you choose his name; however, he is commonly known as “The Courier” or “Courier Six”. In October of 2281, the Courier is ambushed by a mysterious man and his group, called The Khans. The man plans to steal a Platinum Chip and use it to overthrow Mr. House and gain control of Las Vegas, now known as New Vegas. The unknown assailant shoots the Courier in the head at point-blank range; after the Courier loses consciousness, he is shot again. Hours later, The Courier wakes up in Goodsprings, a small town in Nevada. He is greeted by Doctor Mitchell, who explains that he found the Courier unconscious near the cemetery with serious wounds inflicted by a man named Benny. The Courier decides to track down Benny and reclaim his platinum chip. He confronts Benny in his suite; if Benny escapes, he is later captured by Caesar’s Legion, where you can fight him in an arena or allow the Legion to crucify him. During Courier Six’s plans to pursue Benny, he becomes involved in the conflict known as the Battle of Hoover Dam, in which multiple factions clash to gain control of the dam — the Mojave’s primary power source. Which faction Courier Six supports determines the victor. In Fallout: New Vegas, there are four major joinable factions.
New California Republic (NCR): A quasi‑military government whose goal is to restore prewar civilization to Nevada and the surrounding areas, including taxation, law, and public services.
Caesar’s Legion (Legion): A large, autocratic slaver society modeled on the Roman Empire. They favor rigid discipline, uniform clothing, and melee weapons such as swords and spears.
Mr. House (House): A highly controlling, technology‑driven ruler of New Vegas. Aligning with House typically leads to the defeat of Caesar’s Legion and the withdrawal of the NCR from the Vegas Strip.
Yes Man: A Securitron model that can be programmed to give the player full control of New Vegas. Supporting Yes Man can result in the player gaining the greatest independent power in the Mojave, driving both the Legion and the NCR away from Hoover Dam, and removing Mr. House from power.
Though the game lets you decide the ending of the Battle of Hoover Dam and the control of New Vegas, in‑game lore suggests that the NCR ultimately wins. I have been a fan of the Fallout games and the TV series for a while, so when I learned Bethesda planned to update New Vegas and Fallout 3, I was very excited. New Vegas is one of — if not the — most popular and beloved games in the series. I love the game, but because of the older game engine, there are several parts that feel glitched or unusual. Even so, I love the open‑world, “write your own story” aesthetic. I’d rate it an 8.5/10, mainly because the janky engine makes some parts of the game less fun than they should be.