in celebration of the new fallout season, I thought it was due diligence to pay new vegas a proper visit once again. the sheer brilliance of this game cannot be encapsulated through a mere review. there is an overwhelming amount to unpack here; substance in abundance; evidence at every turn supporting why it is so revered. new vegas is a title that dominates bethesda RPGs on nearly every conceivable front.

you awaken in the town of goodsprings shortly after being shot in the head during a cinematic introduction. you define your character and their attributes, then you are immediately cast into the wasteland to piece together who tried to kill you. it is an exceptionally fitting opening.

within goodsprings, you encounter the first of many dilemmas, choosing between defending the local townsfolk or siding with the powder gangers who terrorise the settlement.

this represents one of many decisions throughout the game that establishes its broader themes and underlying philosophy. there is never a net positive outcome when choosing a side. defending goodsprings feels morally justified on the surface; however, doing so damages your reputation with the powder gangers; a gang that wields tangible influence across the mojave. you may be hunted as a direct consequence of what appears to be a righteous act.

this absence of clean victories is precisely what makes the narrative so compelling, while rendering the mojave all the more believable. balance is nonexistent; neutrality is a fantasy. each town you encounter presents its own crisis, its own impossible equation.

whether you choose to assist the new california republic in novac or support the kings in freeside, there is no objectively correct resolution. fame is gained as infamy is incurred. the game repeatedly asks you to decide what matters more to you. no decision can ever be universally correct; every player walks away with a distinctly personal interpretation.

these conflicts echo real world political dilemmas. many games offer honour systems, karma meters, or clearly defined good and bad endings, often guiding players toward an obviously virtuous path. players typically adopt a moral playstyle initially, followed by a deliberately chaotic approach on subsequent runs just for the fun of it. new vegas denies that comfort entirely. moral certainty is never afforded. net positives simply do not exist.

you are instead asked to gamble on what appears to be the lesser evil. whether such a distinction can even be justified remains an open question; evil, after all, remains evil regardless of scale. these decisions elevate the experience into something far more profound.

do you align yourself with the new california republic despite witnessing their repeated failures across the mojave, their inability to adequately serve their own citizens, their internal decay? do they truly prioritise the people over institutional self preservation? every encounter paints a clearer picture of their ideology. do you support what the new california republic could become rather than what it currently represents? do you intervene in hopes of nudging them toward a more tolerable equilibrium?

do you side with caesar’s legion, a modern dictatorship masquerading as a resurrected roman empire? the immediate response is rejection; however, the game compels genuine curiosity. caesar’s legion is not presented as a hollow villain. its members articulate their beliefs with conviction, offering rationales rooted in historical precedent. the roman empire achieved order and dominance through brutality, yielding results despite moral costs. speaking to legion members reveals the psychological environments that shaped them. disagreement feels inevitable; comprehension feels unavoidable. some individuals may genuinely resonate with caesar’s philosophy, viewing cruelty as a necessary mechanism for stability.

this ideological contrast is where new vegas truly shines.

do you side with mister house, a capitalist technocratic autocrat promising long term prosperity through authoritarian control? do you choose independence, granting vegas autonomy during your stewardship while risking collapse after your departure? do you accept bureaucratic inefficiency as the cost of freedom? the game forces contemplation without granting answers. its refusal to validate any single path is remarkable.

approval, infamy, loyalty, resentment; every decision reverberates across cities, communities, and factions. the cumulative effect is astonishing.

within the fallout and elder scrolls games, this is the most gripping narrative experience I have encountered. the intrigue remained constant. the mojave itself is compelling; however, the main questline stands as something exceptional. in many similar games, side content eclipses the central narrative. new vegas achieves both. its world is dense with subplots and characters while its main storyline ranks among the finest in the genre.

you pursue the man in the checkered suit from goodsprings to primm, nipton, novac, boulder city, freeside, and finally vegas itself. fragments of a larger picture slowly emerge. confronting benny feels earned. he exudes style and charisma, from his iconic suit to his unmistakable accent. matthew perry’s performance completes the character flawlessly. rest in peace.

the dialogue system deserves particular praise. skills and special stats meaningfully shape conversations. speech, in particular, dramatically expands available options. other skills open alternative routes, allowing you to bypass conflict or reshape interactions entirely. persuasion feels genuinely rewarding. for instance, a high stat in medicine allows you to a manipulate a character through their unresolved trauma, unsettling as it may be. this barely scratches the surface. sometimes I deliberately attempt dialogue checks I know I will fail simply to witness the alternative outcomes. curiosity is consistently rewarded.

every non playable character in new vegas is killable. unlike other bethesda titles where essential characters are protected due to narrative necessity, new vegas commits fully to player agency. chaos is permitted without restriction. characters continue to serve narrative functions through terminals, inventories, or indirect consequences even after death. this design choice expands the scope of possibility dramatically. questlines account for the plausible death of nearly anyone. towns continue functioning despite catastrophic outcomes. the level of foresight involved is extraordinary, reinforcing how meticulously constructed the mojave truly is.

everything matters. upon completing the game, the ending meticulously outlines the long term consequences of your actions. four major endings accompanied by over twenty variations respond directly to your decisions involving factions, towns, companions, and DLC narratives. the finale feels earned, offering a definitive farewell shaped entirely by your journey.

thank you for taking the time to read this review. obsidian struck gold with new vegas. it stands as a contender for my all time favourite video game. I will forever mourn the lost potential of the fallout new orleans project that never came to be after bethesda pulled the plug. I wholeheartedly recommend this game.

fallout new vegas

Patrolling the Mojave almost makes you wish for an official remaster.