Spotlight Blog: Fallout New Vegas

In this series, we will focus on a movie; tv series or videogame that has gambling elements or are based in and around casinos. We will talk about how it incorporates these elements and how good a watch it is or how fun it is to play and so on. There is no better place to start this series than with the cult classic video game Fallout New Vegas.

Background of New Vegas

As you can probably guess from the name, this game is centred around the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas but not as you know it. This version of Sin City has been reborn after a nuclear winter. The game is set in 2281 and takes place at a time of turmoil for the New Vegas strip. Three power groups are vying for control: Caesar’s Legion, The New California Republic and Mr House. In addition, there is a fourth faction you can side with, but he is not a faction. His name is Yes Man, and as the name suggests, he will do whatever the player wants to do.

You take control of the courier who is given the task of delivering a platinum poker chip to Mr House on the New Vegas Strip. Benny (voiced by Friends star Matthew Perry), who robs your character and leaves them for dead, brought this simple delivery to a halt. Thankfully a helpful robot called Victor comes to save the day and takes you to the local town doctor, Doc Mitchell, who patches you up and sends you out into the wasteland to confront your attacker and decide the fate of the Mojave desert.

This game gives the player the freedom to play the story as they want to. You can side with any of the major factions present in the game, and you can build your character to be better in specific skills like charisma, or you can go for a more loud and proud skill like guns or explosives, which will make you more effective in combat. But, siding with more violent skills will make it harder to talk your way out of combat scenarios which can mean the game becomes very chaotic.

The Many groups of New Vegas

There may be three main factions, but there are several groups dotted around the wasteland that the player can interact with to help or hinder them in their adventure. These groups all have their motives and wants in the Mojave wasteland, and the player needs to decide which ones to help and which ones to hinder. The player isn’t alone in their quest across the vast desert; you can recruit two companions to help you on your journey. One of these can be a humanoid, and the other is either a dog or a floating robot.

Going back to the reason why we are focused on this game is because of where it is set. When you hit the New Vegas strip, there are some casinos you can try your hand at. You can play the most iconic table games like blackjack and poker as well as roulette and slots. Be careful though if you win too much money, you can be barred from the Casino.

Once you have explored the wasteland, there are four pieces of downloadable content for you to get your teeth stuck into.

Dead Money

The first is the most Casino themed; it’s called Dead Money. This takes the player to the smoky town surrounding the fictitious Sierra Madre Casino. The player is a captive of Father Elijah who wants to break into the Casino’s vault and steal all the money for himself and leave you trapped in the vault. It is up to you and a few other captives to overthrow your captor and escape the terror of the Sierra Madre Casino.

Honest Hearts

The next is Honest Hearts. This is more light-hearted but only slightly. You go on an expedition to Zion National Park but are jumped by raiders, and then you get embroiled in the conflict between the tribes of the area and the mysterious group led by the burned man. Your decisions again will decide the outcome of this picturesque land.

Old World Blues

The third DLC starts at an old fashioned drive-in theatre, and you are then transported to Big Mountain (very original name) and the think tank. When you wake up, you realise those robots at the think tank have taken your heart, brain and vertebrae, as part of some weird science experiment. You are tasked with finding your missing pieces and then confront Dr Mobius to return to the Mojave finally.

Lonesome Road

Finally, we have The Lonesome Road DLC. This starts when you receive contact from your predecessor, who wants to contact you about why he did not deliver the chip that almost caused your death. Your predecessor Ulysses promises to answer the question as to why you are willing to cross the lonesome road of the Divide and find him. This is the DLC that ends the story and concludes with what is going on.

We can’t recommend this game enough to people who like their casinos and their video games.