Fans of the infamous Fallout series have a lot to argue about these days, but even players who have been there since the beginning will agree on one thing: that Fallout: New Vegas still reigns supreme over all the other games in the franchise. Although the game was made in just under two short years, New Vegas is still a fan favorite. But why is a game that was made in seemingly such a rush so beloved while other games that took so much longer to make aren't?
Back in 1988, a video game company called Interplay Productions began publishing its own games, including titles like Necromancer, Battle Chess and Fallout. Unfortunately the company went through many ups and downs, and eventually had to file for bankruptcy in 2006, and, to help soften the blow, sold its Fallout IP to Bethesda Softworks in 2007. After the company dissipated, most of the former Interplay employees went on to form their own video game company, calling themselves Obsidian Entertainment.
Bethesda Softworks, now armed with the rights to a new franchise, released Fallout 3 in October of 2008 to generally positive reviews, and was rewarded a Golden Joystick Game of the Year award. After that, Bethesda wanted to continue with the franchise, but this time, outsourced most of the work to the recently-formed Obsidian Entertainment, since most of Obsidian's employees had worked on Fallout 1 & 2 in the past. The team was given just 18 months to complete it, but at the end of the road came Fallout: New Vegas, just two short years after Fallout 3. The game was received very positively upon release, with a current standing of 8.5/10 on IGN and a 10/10 on Steam.
Why New Vegas Is So Memorable Compared To Fallouts 3 & 4
Fallout: New Vegas had a much more well-written and engaging storyline than Fallout's 3 and 4 did, at least according to many players. Obsidian is known for their unique writing, and since they had the upper hand on New Vegas's plot the story shined much more in this installment as opposed to others. Players also noted the atmospheric touches of the Nevada wasteland, slightly enhanced color scheme, and different style of RPG elements. The game also sported a Survival mode and a crafting system, systems which had not been seen in Bethesda's Fallout 3 and had yet to become popularized in nearly every video game like they are today.
The game did have a few downfalls, with some fans noticing at first that the shooting was not the smoothest, but most seemed to get past that. Some of the other upsides included the many interesting characters and lengthy side-quests in Fallout: New Vegas, and many players seem to agree that New Vegas was the game where old and new Fallout mentalities collided in a way that just made sense. On top of that, once New Vegas's numerous DLC's came out, it only enhanced the original story line and gave the game new meaning.
The Fallout series will always have a place in fan's hearts, and is currently one of the most well-known video game franchises of all time. Even though Bethesda's Fallout 76 blunders have caused quite the controversy in the video game industry within the last two years, fans still love and appreciate the other installments in the franchise. Fans have been begging Bethesda and Obsidian to work together again to make a second Fallout: New Vegas game, with Obsidian saying that it is "very doubtful" that it would ever happen. Instead, Obsidian has focused on its own unique IP's, culminating in a triumphant return to the industry with 2019's The Outer Worlds. Obsidian is continuing to work on its own products, with other titles such as Grounded and a new first-person RPG that is already getting compared to Skyrim called Avowed. While players might never see another game like Fallout: New Vegas again, can look forward to the other new games that Obsidian has to offer.