The Mojave Desert of today is a paradise in comparison to the Mojave Wasteland of Fallout: New Vegas, developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Bethesda. The wastes act as a cesspool of interesting characters ranging from cannibalistic casino goers, Romanesque legionaries, religious zealots, and millionaires struck with Old World Blues.
Making you wish for a nuclear winter…
The post-nuclear wasteland of Fallout: New Vegas is unforgiving, deadly, and strangely punctual—so what better way to start your journey than the old-fashioned way: getting shot in the head?
You are the Courier, an unnamed messenger of the Mojave Express tasked with delivering a platinum poker chip to the infamous Mr. House, the godlike technocrat and sole owner of the New Vegas Strip. However, you are intercepted by a casino owner, Benny, and swiftly given a “lead nap.”
Awakening from your beauty sleep, you might expect to march straight to the Strip and confront your killer. However, the route is blocked by the hazards of the wasteland, forcing you down the long, lonesome road to New Vegas.
Concept Art
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly…
On your journey to Vegas, you encounter a wide range of characters, starting with the man who quite literally puts your brain back together—Doc Mitchell. After ensuring your mind is in working order, he sends you on your way, where you’re almost immediately introduced to the factions that define the Mojave.
First are the Powder Gangers, escaped convicts formerly imprisoned by the NCR. Through them, you’re introduced to the New California Republic, a force attempting to rebuild the old world from the ashes. Opposing them is Caesar’s Legion, a brutal, Roman-inspired dictatorship seeking order through fear and conquest.
And finally, there’s New Vegas itself—ruled by Mr. House, operating through an army of robots to maintain his vision of a pristine, capitalistic paradise.
Damned If You Do…
The biggest conflict in the Mojave centers around the Hoover Dam, and you sit at the table as the wild card between the New California Republic, Caesar’s Legion, and Mr. House.
Every choice matters. You can support a faction, betray them, or walk away from all of it and claim the Mojave for yourself. The game doesn’t just track your decisions—it remembers them. Characters and factions react accordingly.
Be kind, and people stand by you. Burn your bridges, and they stay burned. Murder the town that saved you? (Entirely possible.) Don’t expect a warm welcome when you come back.
As the world struggles to rebuild from nuclear Armageddon, you aren’t just another survivor—you’re the pocket aces in a stacked deck. And whether you play them well… is entirely up to you.
These decisions aren’t small—they’re nuclear. Do you divert water to NCR-owned farms or to the people of the Mojave dying of thirst? Do you trust the warnings of old men in a world where men die young, or face the horrors of the wasteland yourself? Do you side with the man who always wins, or go all in and carve your own path?
Choose.
Decide.
In the Mojave, every answer just leads to more problems.
Viva New Vegas
Fallout: New Vegas is a narrative masterpiece, and I highly recommend anyone pick it up despite its age. It has its issues—owing both to its age and the nature of Bethesda titles—but it sets the standard for what open-world storytelling can be.
9/10
