Today, Fallout: New Vegas is 10-years-old. It’s a special anniversary, not only because of it turning the big 1-0, but because of Microsoft’s Bethesda acquisition. With Bethesda Game Studios moving in under the same roof as Obsidian Entertainment, there’s a real possibility that the one-off Fallout entry becomes its own sub-franchise…some day. Nonetheless, in celebrating the anniversary, it’s worth looking at what the Courier got right as a character opposed to the Fallout 3‘s Lone Wanderer and Fallout 4‘s Sole Survivor.
Now, that’s not to say the characters or the other Fallout games aren’t on the same level, just that New Vegas took some creative risks that the mainline games don’t. In the end, that paid off well for the Fallout: New Vegas courier.
In Fallout: New Vegas‘ starting question, Ain’t That a Kick to the Head, players quickly discover that they’ve been shot in the head. That’s about as interesting as it gets from the onset, with the players eventually finding the man who did it, obtaining the platinum chip, and playing a massive role in the future of the Wasteland. After all, the choice between Caesar’s Legion, NCR, House, or an independent New Vegas comes at the end of a series of tough choices and battles, with the Mojave Wasteland setting becoming something more alive than past games.
As the Courier changes the Wasteland, they essentially search for their own reason to believe in the future. On the other hand, Fallout 3‘s Lone Wanderer and Fallout 4‘s Sole Survivor do not, as much any way. Fallout 3‘s PC searches for their father and activates Project Purity, bringing fresh water to the Capital Wasteland, either saving or dooming the future. Fallout 4‘s PC searches for their son, gets involved in faction warfare, and either saves or dooms the future. Whereas the Courier’s search for reason fleshes out the character, the roleplaying elements of Fallout 3 and Fallout 4 feel less impactful. There’s nothing to establish the relationship between the player and James or the player and Shaun, despite their arbitrarily being one between the PC and the family member.
Although not a family member, perhaps the closest “shared experience” for the Courier comes from Lonesome Road’s Ulysses. Through the DLC, the player learns that the series of events in the main game weren’t random, but elaborate constructions by Ulysses for the Courier’s unintentional destruction of the Divide. Obtaining the chip and getting shot by Benny were the results of Ulysses, as well as those in the Sierra Madre, the Big MT, and more. As the Courier changes the world around them, Ulysses is trying to undo, revert, or establish his own changes. This creates a compelling narrative and character arc that encourages role-playing, realization, and relationships with characters, as opposed to the roughly filled-in blank slate of the Fallout 3 and Fallout 4 characters.
Building on that, the end of each character’s narrative strays in various ways, but the Courier’s Impact on the Mojave Wasteland feels much more realistic than the Lone Wanderer’s on the Capital Wasteland or the Sole Survivor’s on the Commonwealth. As aforementioned, both the Wanderer and Survivor’s Impact is essentially limited to save or doom. When it comes to Project Purity in Fallout 3, there’s two choices: purify the water, essentially raising the Capital Wasteland back from the dead, or do nothing, allowing the purifier to self-destruct. The latter options dooms the wasteland and sacrifices a ton of lives…for pretty much no reason.
On the other hand, The Institute and faction warfare storyline of Fallout 4 has more nuance and less clearly right-or-wrong decisions. However, the Institute is the option trying to secure the future, and no matter what happens, factions are eradicated or ejected from the Commonwealth based on the player’s interpretation of events. Again, there’s more nuance, but it feels less like impacting the wasteland and more like unleashed family drama.
In contrast, Fallout: New Vegas‘ courier may support a free and independent New Vegas with the Yes Man ending, may continue the current path of New Vegas in all its pre-war glory with Mr. House, become a cold and despotic power of Caesar’s Legion, or join the republic under the NCR’s banner. Each of these are arguably felt as much as Fallout 4‘s endings, but with much more nuance and reflection of character choices. It’s faction warfare still, but a war with seemingly more meaning. Then, with Fallout: New Vegas‘ DLC run, the larger implications of the Courier’s character and story, as well as their impact on the Wasteland, comes much more to the fore with Ulysses’ philosophies.
Regardless, each game has merit and each likely falls as someone’s favorite Fallout game, all for good reason. The Courier is arguably better in the role-playing sense, and many who elect New Vegas as their favorite game are likely hoping to see something come from the Microsoft-Bethesda acquisition. Whether that’s a proper, direct New Vegas 2 sequel, a spiritual successor in the fan-desired Fallout: New Orleans, or even a numbered title in Fallout 5 that captures this spirit, there’s one thing that’s certain in terms of these video games and their future: war, and war never changes.
A new Fallout game has not been announced.
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