WithStarfieldjust around the corner andThe Elder Scrolls 6looming on the horizon, speculation about the future ofFallouthas already started. Bethesda has confirmed thatFallout 5will be its next project followingThe Elder Scrolls 6. With this information in mind, many are already expressing opinions on the direction this game should take. The fan favoriteFallout: New Vegasis toutedonce again as the blue-print for future games in the series. AfterFallout 4failed to meet expectations for some, fans hopeFallout 5takes more queues fromFallout: New Vegasand improves upon the missteps ofFallout 4.
Although received generally positively,Fallout 4made certain changes that fans felt detracted from the game as a whole. Combined with the critical fiasco that wasFallout 76,it’s time Bethesda looked back at what madeFallout: New Vegassuch an acclaimed entry in the series. Developed by Obsidian Entertainment rather than in house by Bethesda Game Studio, many thought it was a pipe dream to ever see anotherFalloutgame done in the style ofNew Vegas. However, with Microsoft’s acquisition of Obsidian in 2018, followed by its blockbuster acquisition of Bethesda in 2021, hopes have been renewed that these two studios can work together again to reproduce the lightning in a bottle that wasFallout: New Vegas.
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Gameplay Changes that Irked Fallout 4 Players
At their core, theFalloutgames have always been about role-playing. Allowing players to select a dialogue option from a series of choices based on a speech skill check has been a staple of the series.Fallout 4changed this mechanicfrom having full sentences as options to simple words or phrases to convey the gist of the dialogue. An option would appear green, yellow, or red depending on its probability of success based on the player’s level in the required stat, unlike previous entries that displayed the percent chance of the skill check succeeding. Although lines were fully voice acted by the protagonist, this dialogue system as a whole felt incomplete and lacked the robust role-playing capability of previous titles.
Another controversial changeFallout 4made was the replacement of skills with perks. In previous games, as players leveled up, they would receive points to allocate towards skills based on their S.P.E.C.I.A.L aptitude in addition to the choice of a perk to unlock.Fallout 4did away with skillsin favor of a perk tree where players could spend points to unlock perks or use those points to increase one of their S.P.E.C.I.A.L stats to unlock higher tiers of the perk tree. Many players disliked this change, as it locked crucial skills behind high tiers of the tree, meaning they would have to grind for levels just to unlock one perk. While in theory this change was made to streamline the way perks were acquired, it created a messy system of unbalanced character builds and grindy gameplay.
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New Vegas Sets the Series Standard for Open World Design
Bethesda brought theFalloutseries into theopen world RPG genre withFallout 3—the first game developed after it acquired the IP. WhileFallout 3andFallout 4both had interesting worlds in their own right,Fallout: New Vegasconstructed a thoughtfully designed world that has yet to be matched in aFalloutgame. It perfectly captures the feeling of wandering the wastes of the Mojave Desert.
Landmarks and major points of interest such as the Lucky 38 on the New Vegas Strip, the Novac dinosaur, and Nellis Air Force Base are meant to be seen from far across the desert, beckoning players to come investigate. As a result, some of the most beautiful views in theFalloutseries can be found inthe Mojave Wasteland.
For a game set in the desert, there is a lot of diversity when it comes toNew Vegas' environments. The first settlement players will encounter, Goodsprings, depicts an idyllic, small desert town in the middle of nowhere. Players can expect much more than just desert as they venture towards theneon lights of the New Vegas Stripor into the overgrown nightmare that is Vault 22. Players can even explore a nuclear winter ski resort in the form of Jacobstown. With a unique and interesting world beyond just destroyed buildings and open wastes,Fallout: New Vegasoffers a well of inspiration for future games to pull from.
Fallout 5 Needs to Prioritize Storytelling to Stand Up to New Vegas
Without a doubt the most agreed upon aspect that setsFallout: New Vegasabove the other games in the series is its story. Rather than taking on the role of a survivor whoexits the safety of the Vaultin order to track down a missing loved one, the story of New Vegas is one of revenge. The Courier protagonist was on their way to deliver a package to New Vegas when they are ambushed and left for dead.
The story then unfolds around a quest to find the attacker and return what was stolen from you, all while managing relationships with the various competing factions struggling for control of the Mojave Wasteland. While it shares similar tropes and story beats with other games in the series,Fallout: New Vegasput a different spin on the usual post-apocalyptic fare and recontextualizedtheFalloutworldin a way that was fresh and innovative.
Such interesting character motivations drive the story through to its climax which concludes with an all-out battle for the Hoover Dam involving all the region’s factions. A large scale battle like this is nothing new toFalloutgames, nor should it be discarded inFallout 5. It is a great way to see the results of your choices play out during the climax. However, the context for this climactic battle is what’s important for a satisfying story. Perhapsthe premise ofFallout 5could include star-crossed lovers coming from waring factions, or maybe a tale of murder and political intrigue as a relatively stable region is plunged into a war of succession after the leader of the dominant faction is assassinated.
There are any number of viable stories to be told withinFallout’svast universe of lore. If Bethesda wants to regain the favor of fans, then committing to breaking the mold that failedFallout 4and embracing the story-telling strengths ofFallout: New Vegasis the way to go about it.
Fallout: New Vegasis available now for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.
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