Fallout series

[HeyYou]

Wrong again. The war was started because China was a Communist dictatorship and America was a democracy, at least on paper. Which is why the latter refused to sell oil to the former. If they were both dictatorships, they would have come to a deal, and there would be no Chinese invasion of Alaska or nuclear war. Even Joe Stalin and Adolf Hitler signed peace treaties with each other before the latter betrayed the former. The main reason the Great War started was because America had this intense spirit of "OOH-RAH!" democracy that made them unflinchingly uncompromising when it came to selling oil to the Chinese.

And who became a part of that Shadow Government, hmm? A cabal of secret interests? No, they were political and corporate idiots voted in to power by the common people or by corporate stockholders. They have no claim to any authority outside of the fact that they were elected to the post. They just chose to betray their electorate and hide in a bunker while the rest of the country burned.

Even without the Enclave, democracy would have started the Great War anyways. A democratic country would never sell oil to a Communist tyranny that it sees as a threat. You would still have the Great War and the nuclear apocalypse. The Enclave was just the top brass deciding that hiding out in a bunker or an oil rig was preferable to dying with the rest of America. The only thing that would change without the Enclave is that the top brass would have died along with the common rabble.

Are you unironically arguing against democracy as a form of government because some fucking video game portrayed the US as a mustache twirling evil fascist state?

 

[LORD IMPERATOR]

Are you unironically arguing against democracy as a form of government because some fucking video game portrayed the US as a mustache twirling evil fascist state?

Not really. But what I am stating is the truth: America was a democracy that was hell-bent on fighting Communist dictatorships, China was a Communist dictatorship. That made the two natural rivals, which made America more hostile to the idea of selling oil to China. That then began a chain of events that led to both countries nuking each other. If America was a Communist or a Fascist tyranny, they would have come up with a deal, since we know from real-life experience that even Fascists and Communists can sign treaties with each other, and the Americans already had fusion-powered cars around that time.

Granted, if America made the right choices during the war (building an anti-missile laser defense system like House did instead of relying on stupid-ass vaults that were broke half the time) they'd have won the war. They were already winning when the Chinese launched their nukes. America was a democracy that made bad calls during the war, whose leaders decided to abandon ship and play stupid games instead of making sensible decisions. But that doesn't remove the fact that America being a democracy made them more resistant to the idea of selling oil to Commies, and that hesitance is what started the war in the first place.

And of course, if you're looking for arguments against democracy, look no further than Fallout New Vegas. Two out of three factions you can join openly dismiss democracy as a form of government. The NCR is the only democracy in the game, and it's portrayed as self-destructive and hopelessly corrupt. The Legion, despite its brutality, runs like an efficient machine, and the same could be said for New Vegas, which is an autocracy under Mr. House or the Courier. It's not like the Courier forms a Congress and a Supreme Court right after their victory, nor do they give away control of New Vegas to a democratically-elected leader. The Courier becomes a tyrant, first and foremost, and in the Yes Man Ending, the Courier seizes control of the Mojave for himself/herself. The Courier rules the Mojave through Bayonet Rule, with the Securitrons and other allies like the Enclave, the Boomers, and maybe even the Mojave Brotherhood of Steel to answer any questions to their rule. House does the same exact thing, except he makes sure to have the Brotherhood eradicated first, because he really hates their guts. The ending slides and some characters like Arcade Gannon really favor the Yes Man Ending, which means that the optimal ending for the game is for you to become the autocratic overlord of the nation of New Vegas and the Mojave Wasteland. No Congress, no Supreme Court, no elections for president. Just one person with a robot army and other allies ruling the place through force of arms.

Also, like many people, you don't understand what fascism is. A fascist government wouldn't hide behind things like Vault-Tec or form shadow governments like the Enclave to work behind the democratic system. They'd rule out in the open as dictators, smash up or arrest anyone who disobeys them in public, and they would have no problems dragging people away for social experiments in broad daylight. They wouldn't need the likes of Vault-Tec to come up with candidates for social experiments. They would also have a shit ton of social benefit programs befitting a socialist state. They'd already have socialism at home, practiced by the government, so the idea of selling oil to Commies to make a buck wouldn't be so offensive to them considering that Fascism is practically Communism with a cross and a flag for ease of digestion, and they would share Red China's disdain for democracy as a system governed by fools and frauds.

 

[McAfee'sCorpse]

New Vegas is easily the best Fallout game despite the huge rush time. Probably has the second best script other than Fallout 3. I have Xbox 360 New Vegas 30 hour profile. The atmosphere is outstanding, the Mojave feels barren while at the same time, feeling full of adventures. There are so many ways to play the game but you'll probably never get to experience everything the game has to offer. Haven't played the DLCs yet but heard they range from good to awesome. Companions work better than the companions in Fallout 4, and more memorable than any of the companions in Fallout 4 too. Maily stuck with Ed-e and Boone for most of the game, probably best companion duo. Love all the different groups, NCR, Boomers, Legion, Khans, all great. In the end, stuck with the NCR. The game is probably my favorite RPG of all time.

 

[LORD IMPERATOR]

New Vegas is easily the best Fallout game despite the huge rush time. Probably has the second best script other than Fallout 3. I have Xbox 360 New Vegas 30 hour profile. The atmosphere is outstanding, the Mojave feels barren while at the same time, feeling full of adventures. There are so many ways to play the game but you'll probably never get to experience everything the game has to offer. Haven't played the DLCs yet but heard they range from good to awesome. Companions work better than the companions in Fallout 4, and more memorable than any of the companions in Fallout 4 too. Maily stuck with Ed-e and Boone for most of the game, probably best companion duo. Love all the different groups, NCR, Boomers, Legion, Khans, all great. In the end, stuck with the NCR. The game is probably my favorite RPG of all time.

I agree. But Fallout New Vegas feels more like Star Wars than a post-apocalyptic wasteland. In fact, outside of the Sierra Madre and the Divide, most places you visit in New Vegas barely feel like there was a nuclear war at all. You have the American-style democracy rife with corruption, an evil empire that's efficient but brutal, and a businessman faction with robots that shoot lasers. It feels very much like Star Wars, down to the point where you even have a knightly order driven underground, persecuted by the same Republic that used to be their ally AND persecuted by an emperor who hails from that very same Republic.

Fallout 3 captures the post-apocalyptic essence more, but it's more linear than New Vegas, which was more modular and tailor-made to fit the player's playstyle. Whereas Fallout 3 forces you to deal with the apocalyptic wasteland and all its problems, forcing you to adapt to it instead of having it adapt to you. Both have their taste, and both have their advantages and disadvantages.

 

[McAfee'sCorpse]

horrorfan89 said:
Unpopular opinion; red Lucy is best fallout waifu. A strong woman who's not overly Manish but wants a man's man worth his salt and mettle to woo her.

Piper's a ditzy air head, curies the same and a robot then a synth, Cass is a raging alcoholic, veronica's a dyke only caits a close second. But maybe I'm just a sucker for accents

Arcade Gannon will always be the best Fallout waifu.

 

[CWCissey]

I agree. But Fallout New Vegas feels more like Star Wars than a post-apocalyptic wasteland. In fact, outside of the Sierra Madre and the Divide, most places you visit in New Vegas barely feel like there was a nuclear war at all. You have the American-style democracy rife with corruption, an evil empire that's efficient but brutal, and a businessman faction with robots that shoot lasers. It feels very much like Star Wars, down to the point where you even have a knightly order driven underground, persecuted by the same Republic that used to be their ally AND persecuted by an emperor who hails from that very same Republic.

Fallout 3 captures the post-apocalyptic essence more, but it's more linear than New Vegas, which was more modular and tailor-made to fit the player's playstyle. Whereas Fallout 3 forces you to deal with the apocalyptic wasteland and all its problems, forcing you to adapt to it instead of having it adapt to you. Both have their taste, and both have their advantages and disadvantages.

Well I imagine the capital city of a nation would feel the effects of a nuclear war a lot more than that of a city that canonically had the local eccentric billionaire build a defence system that shot down 68 out of 77 nukes that were heading for the area.

 

[draggs]

Then how come every car you run across in the wasteland blows up like a mini-nuke when shot at? That suggests that fusion-powered cars were quite common before the bombs dropped. Not to mention even Chris Avellone stated the Fallout Bible is non-canon, so some of its statements could be taken into question. Not only was the Fallout Bible produced long after the original 2 games were released, both its author and Bethesda don't even treat it as canon. They just treat it as an idea bucket that they take snippets from now and then.

Because it's a video game

Why are there still gasoline stations with $9999.99 a gallon signs everywhere if everybody had a fusion car

Because it's a video game

Fusion power being widespread outside of Vaults, military bases, the West-Tek lab, RobCo (huge high tech facilities), power armor, and laser gun ammo is mostly a FO4 retcon where consoomer fusion generators are fucking everywhere

 

[LORD IMPERATOR]

Because it's a video game

Why are there still gasoline stations with $9999.99 a gallon signs everywhere if everybody had a fusion car

Because it's a video game

Fusion power being widespread outside of Vaults, military bases, the West-Tek lab, RobCo (huge high tech facilities), power armor, and laser gun ammo is mostly a FO4 retcon where consoomer fusion generators are fucking everywhere

Mostly because the games are canon, and the Fallout Bible, as stated by its own author, is not canon. It's an idea bucket they occasionally took cues from, but fully dismissed whenever they didn't want to use it.

Well I imagine the capital city of a nation would feel the effects of a nuclear war a lot more than that of a city that canonically had the local eccentric billionaire build a defence system that shot down 68 out of 77 nukes that were heading for the area.

It's not just that. The factions feel Star Wars-y as well. You have the rag-tag democratic group that's overstretched and sinking in red tape, you have the efficient, evil empire that commits war crimes, and you have the corporate faction with robots that shoot lasers. You even have a knightly order that was driven underground and persecuted by both the Republic they once aided and an evil emperor who once hailed from said Republic. It fits Star Wars to a T. Said evil emperor even has a masked lackey who is a talented swordsman and who kills failed commanders to inspire the men.

If that isn't Star Wars, then I don't know what is.

Arcade Gannon will always be the best Fallout waifu.

I would actually say he's one of the worst. He's kinda preachy, hates orderly types, and can easily get seduced by a handsome face. I only put up with him so I can make contact with the Enclave, get their dope-ass power armor, and enlist them to my cause.

I still remember the Call Me Kevin New Vegas playthrough where he seduced Arcade then sold him to Caesar as a slave.

 

[Pulpanator]

Fallout 2 will forever be peak fallout. Fallout New Vegas is probably the best an FPS Fallout game will ever be.

 

[LORD IMPERATOR]

Fallout 2 will forever be peak fallout. Fallout New Vegas is probably the best an FPS Fallout game will ever be.

I don't think so. Mostly because the story is a step back from Fallout 1.

In Fallout 1, at least there was some semblance of sense behind Richard Grey's plan to create a Super Mutant army. They can survive radiation better, they're more united under him than the humans are, they're stronger, faster, etc.. And you can actually talk him out of his plan if you reveal its flaws (ie. the mutants are sterile and will eventually die off). Meanwhile, Fallout 2 is basically spilling with sarcasm all the way. The main enemy force is the Enclave, and they're just hopelessly evil for no real reason other than "LOL we're the true humans!" They're just a blatant Nazi parody mixed with McCarthyism and American jingoism, their plan makes no sense (killing everyone save for a thousand yahoos on an oil rig and a few hundred on a nearby military base? That'll end with what's left of mankind dying off after becoming inbred retards who bleed to death from a paper cut) and despite the fact that they have the firepower needed to restore order and rebuild society, they opt to destroy it anyway, because "right-wing man bad, right-wing man fascist, right-wingers are Nazis."

You can't even talk the Enclave out of their collossaly stupid plan, nor could you join them, despite the fact that you can infiltrate them so seamlessly everyone from drill sergeants, comm chiefs, and even their president sees you as one of them. Logically, what's to stop a charismatic Chosen One from talking down President Richardson and convincing him that genocide is wrong, and that bringing order to what's left of America would be more in their benefit?

As someone who came into Fallout through New Vegas, after years of hearing from Fallout hardcore fans that FO1 and 2 were so much better than 3, the first two games really disappointed me. FO2, especially, railroads you so hard it makes Fallout 3 look like New Vegas, because at least in FO3, you can be President Eden's inside man in the Lyons Brotherhood, poison the water with the FEV, and destroy the BoS with the Enclave Satellite Weapon. What if I don't give a rat's ass about the tribals? What if I want to join the Enclave, infiltrate it, and change its direction from within? What if I don't care about getting a GECK for some stinking armpit of a village? People complain about Skyrim railroading you to become the Dragonborn or Fallout 3 railroading you to become the Lyons' Brotherhood's bitch, but FO2 was guilty of that as well, railroading you to destroy the Enclave. The only good thing I can think of from that game is the Enclave, how they introduced this new badass, evil faction into the wasteland that makes Super Mutants and the Brotherhood of Steel look like pussies. But it's a double-edged sword, because not only do their leaders act like retards, but you can't even join them, even though infiltrating their ranks is clearly presented as an option in the game.

 

[A Grey Cat]

Arcade Gannon will always be the best Fallout waifu.

Second best husbando in video games to bear the name Gannon

 

[Punished Benis]

"The thing about happiness is that you only know you had it when it's gone. I mean, you may think to yourself that you're happy. But you don't really believe it. You focus on the petty bullshit, or the next job, or whatever. It's only looking back by comparison with what comes after that you really understand, that's what happiness felt like."

-Kellogg.

Say what you want about fallout 4 but these words have never been more relevant now than ever, you wanna know why? Just take a look outside your window.

Fallout 4 being garbage hurts so much more because of the occasional flashes of real passion and good writing that peek out every now and then. Conrade Kellogg, for how little he actually appears, has a surprising amount of emotional impact to him.

No no you gotta get out there with big iron on your hip, look death in the face and say...not yet old friend but I dare you to try. Only to return to her barley clinging to life with slippery blood covered hands clutching the unborn child of the greatest predator since the great white shark or tyrannosaurus rex and say"you, me now."
God I love New Vegas

The single best way of describing Red Lucy I've ever read.

Fallout 2 will forever be peak fallout. Fallout New Vegas is probably the best an FPS Fallout game will ever be.

I feel like this is an unpopular opinion, but Fallout 2 feels like every area it improved upon 1 is countered by an area it did worse in. It has more stand out moments, but the lows are so much lower. I unironically think 2 is tied with 4 for competition as the worst mainline fallout.

Maybe I just don't have the nostalgia for 2 that I do for 1.

 

[HeyYou]

And of course, if you're looking for arguments against democracy, look no further than Fallout New Vegas. Two out of three factions you can join openly dismiss democracy as a form of government. The NCR is the only democracy in the game, and it's portrayed as self-destructive and hopelessly corrupt. The Legion, despite its brutality, runs like an efficient machine, and the same could be said for New Vegas, which is an autocracy under Mr. House or the Courier. It's not like the Courier forms a Congress and a Supreme Court right after their victory, nor do they give away control of New Vegas to a democratically-elected leader. The Courier becomes a tyrant, first and foremost, and in the Yes Man Ending, the Courier seizes control of the Mojave for himself/herself. The Courier rules the Mojave through Bayonet Rule, with the Securitrons and other allies like the Enclave, the Boomers, and maybe even the Mojave Brotherhood of Steel to answer any questions to their rule. House does the same exact thing, except he makes sure to have the Brotherhood eradicated first, because he really hates their guts. The ending slides and some characters like Arcade Gannon really favor the Yes Man Ending, which means that the optimal ending for the game is for you to become the autocratic overlord of the nation of New Vegas and the Mojave Wasteland. No Congress, no Supreme Court, no elections for president. Just one person with a robot army and other allies ruling the place through force of arms.

Also, like many people, you don't understand what fascism is. A fascist government wouldn't hide behind things like Vault-Tec or form shadow governments like the Enclave to work behind the democratic system. They'd rule out in the open as dictators, smash up or arrest anyone who disobeys them in public, and they would have no problems dragging people away for social experiments in broad daylight. They wouldn't need the likes of Vault-Tec to come up with candidates for social experiments. They would also have a shit ton of social benefit programs befitting a socialist state. They'd already have socialism at home, practiced by the government, so the idea of selling oil to Commies to make a buck wouldn't be so offensive to them considering that Fascism is practically Communism with a cross and a flag for ease of digestion, and they would share Red China's disdain for democracy as a system governed by fools and frauds.

I feel like you either didn't pay attention to the lore or are willfully ignorant. The NCR's occupation of the Mojave is portrayed as self-destructive, certainly, and it has a lot of problems, but as a nation state it is stated to be incredibly powerful. It has working railroads, luxury good industries, working power grids, agricultural planning, satellite communications, organ cloning, cybernetic implants, working vertibirds and well maintained infrastructure. The NCR might seem like a piece of shit in New Vegas, especially compared to House, but the game deliberately takes place on the frontier of NCR territory because otherwise the game wouldn't be post-apocalyptic. Life is pretty damn normal within the borders of the NCR.

Also, the pre-war US was a pretty damn clear fascist/authoritarian government. It outright invaded Canada and openly annexed it (while executing freedom fighters), forced every piece of media to write propaganda, spied on citizens and made them disappear if they were considered seditious, abducted Chinese-Americans and placed them in internment camps, and had a fucking gestapo/commissariat analogue in the Political Office. West Tek was even straight up nationalized in 2076. The parallels could not be any more clear.

 

[LORD IMPERATOR]

I feel like you either didn't pay attention to the lore or are willfully ignorant. The NCR's occupation of the Mojave is portrayed as self-destructive, certainly, and it has a lot of problems, but as a nation state it is stated to be incredibly powerful. It has working railroads, luxury good industries, working power grids, agricultural planning, satellite communications, organ cloning, cybernetic implants, working vertibirds and well maintained infrastructure. The NCR might seem like a piece of shit in New Vegas, especially compared to House, but the game deliberately takes place on the frontier of NCR territory because otherwise the game wouldn't be post-apocalyptic. Life is pretty damn normal within the borders of the NCR.

Also, the pre-war US was a pretty damn clear fascist/authoritarian government. It outright invaded Canada and openly annexed it (while executing freedom fighters), forced every piece of media to write propaganda, spied on citizens and made them disappear if they were considered seditious, abducted Chinese-Americans and placed them in internment camps, and had a fucking gestapo/commissariat analogue in the Political Office. West Tek was even straight up nationalized in 2076. The parallels could not be any more clear.

Er, no, it isn't. The NCR is practically the weakest of the nation states. Their only power is numbers, a power that the Legion matches them rather well. Except even the NCR leaders like Colonel Moore admit that the average Legion mook is far better at fighting than the average NCR mook, which Chief Hanlon states that they sometimes even lack proper armor or service rifles. Also, most of those luxuries you state are mostly serving the upper crust of society while the rest of the peons are stuck with an army that can't even protect the populace from raiders and monsters while the rich get power-armored troops protecting their brahmin barns. At most, we saw ONE vertibird, and vertibirds aren't even that impressive when focused fire from small arms can destroy them. I can't count the number of vertibirds I blew up in Fallout 3, and Fallout 4 similarly allows you to destroy vertibird squads with enough turrets mounted on your bases. Life in the NCR is practically shit for the lower classes. Caesar's Legion is proof of that; commoners like Edward Sallow and his parents can't even be protected by the NCR from jet-addicted raiders, and that of course, led to Caesar's Legion forming from the mind of a former NCR citizen angry that his country can't even protect its people. The rich and powerful live comfortable lives, but the common man could easily get killed by a deathclaw or have his wife and daughter get taken as sex slaves by random-ass gangs, and the NCR government barely cares so long as the rich people are happy.

No it wasn't. The pre-war US wasn't even close to fascism. Instead, America in the pre-war situation was a democracy with corrupt politicians planning to backstab the people who voted them in. They invaded Canada, but that doesn't mean they're fascist. Older US invaded Mexico and stole their land, and they slaughtered entire Indian tribes while moving west. Does that make the 1800s America fascist? The America of the Civil War and the World Wars also created propaganda, spied on its people for potential traitors, and as per Abe Lincoln's orders, SUSPENDED HABEAS CORPUS. FDR even threw all Japanese Americans in jail. And that was back then when the US was fighting fascists (WW2) and slave owners(Civil War). If that's your definition of fascism, then America during the Mexican War, Civil War, expansion era, and WW2 would be classified as fascist.

Again, you don't even understand what fascism is. Fascism as it was defined by its practitioners is national socialism, ie. taking socialism's authoritarian yet welfare-heavy approach and combining it with nationalism and openly mocking the idea of democracy. America pre-war still openly praised democracy even as its politicians secretly planned to stab their electorate in the back. Fascism openly decries democracy as useless and corrupt, and would openly rule in public without hiding behind corporations and shadow governments. In a fascist system, THERE IS NO SHADOW GOVERNMENT. The Enclave wouldn't exist, because you'd have an autocracy ruling out in the open instead of manipulating democratic governments under the shadows. Companies like Vault-Tec would be totally absorbed into the US government, unable to do things like build secret vaults that the government didn't know like they did in Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel. RobCo would also be absorbed, meaning that Robert Edwin House would become a salaried government employee who can't build jack shit without Uncle Sam knowing, so say goodbye to that defense grid unless the entire country gets it.

But most especially, a fascist government would also have welfare up the ass and practice socialism. The only difference is that they won't throw nationalism or religion into the scrap pile. They'd keep those elements, but everything else from how the government runs to how the corporations become parts of the state, all of it will copy socialist ideas on how things will run. Not only that, but they'd share Red China's disdain for free-market capitalism and democracy, since a fascist detests both as tools of corrupt oligarchs, whom fascists persecute. Especially when Benito Mussolini took over Italy, he started persecuting the Mafia oligarchs who used to run the Sicilian half of the country, hence why the mob was in league with Uncle Sam to take down Fascist Italy. This of course means that a Fascist America would have no problems selling Alaskan oil to China, since while they will detest China's atheism, they will share its socialist policies, and its disdain for capitalist oligarchs and western-style democracy, which means they'll have more in common with Red China than with western democracies..

Once again, I refer you to this picture:

That is the face of a fascist, pal. Not someone who would cry out for democracy and expand capitalism, but one who would utterly obliterate both of them for the glory of the community and the state.

 

[HeyYou]

Er, no, it isn't. The NCR is practically the weakest of the nation states. Their only power is numbers, a power that the Legion matches them rather well. Except even the NCR leaders like Colonel Moore admit that the average Legion mook is far better at fighting than the average NCR mook, which Chief Hanlon states that they sometimes even lack proper armor or service rifles. Also, most of those luxuries you state are mostly serving the upper crust of society while the rest of the peons are stuck with an army that can't even protect the populace from raiders and monsters while the rich get power-armored troops protecting their brahmin barns. At most, we saw ONE vertibird, and vertibirds aren't even that impressive when focused fire from small arms can destroy them. I can't count the number of vertibirds I blew up in Fallout 3, and Fallout 4 similarly allows you to destroy vertibird squads with enough turrets mounted on your bases. Life in the NCR is practically shit for the lower classes. Caesar's Legion is proof of that; commoners like Edward Sallow and his parents can't even be protected by the NCR from jet-addicted raiders, and that of course, led to Caesar's Legion forming from the mind of a former NCR citizen angry that his country can't even protect its people. The rich and powerful live comfortable lives, but the common man could easily get killed by a deathclaw or have his wife and daughter get taken as sex slaves by random-ass gangs, and the NCR government barely cares so long as the rich people are happy.

How am I supposed to argue with factually wrong statements like what you wrote here?

 

[Pond Scum]

He's kinda preachy, hates orderly types, and can easily get seduced by a handsome face.

Agree on one and three but when does he hate orderly types? He's always seemed uptight to me, but I haven't heard a lot of his dialogue.

 

[LORD IMPERATOR]

How am I supposed to argue with factually wrong statements like what you wrote here?

It's not factually wrong. It's what both NCR and Legion characters say.

Cass speaks of how her caravan, traveling from the west, gets molested by bandits. Edward Sallow lost his father to some jet-fueled addict. Chief Hanlon talks about how power-armored troops are diverted from the front lines to Brahmin Baron farms. Moore states how Legion troops are superior to NCR troops, while Hanlon whines about how NCR troops sometimes even lack proper armor or service rifles. Quite literally, everything I said about the NCR is not only my opinion, but is supported by statements from characters on both sides of the argument.

And as for vertibirds, anyone who's played Fallouts 3 and 4 knows how easy it is to blow those birds out of the sky. Heck, the Legion makes a joke of it by slapping a bomb onto the NCR president's vertibird, and if you don't stop it, the aircraft will explode. with the NCR president on it.

Agree on one and three but when does he hate orderly types? He's always seemed uptight to me, but I haven't heard a lot of his dialogue.

He hates the NCR, the Legion, AND House. I can understand hating the Legion and the NCR, since the former are slavers and the latter persecuted his family's friends, but what did House do to earn Arcade Gannon's hatred? Civilize tribes and rule Vegas? Without House, Vegas would be a crime-infested shithole like New Reno, as Stella states:

Courier: "What was that like to grow up in New Reno?"
Stella: "Imagine New Vegas if there was no Mr. House-type fella keeping the peace, then give everybody a gun and a Jet addiction. Town's run by a bunch of crime families, no law to speak of. Make trouble, and you wind up buried in Golgotha, outside town. The scuzz factor's off the charts. Non-stop whoring and drugs. Couldn't walk down the street without getting asked to star in a porn movie. So I got my ass out of there while I still owned it."

 

[HeyYou]

It's not factually wrong. It's what both NCR and Legion characters say.

I'm not referring to that, I'm referring to you unironically claiming the NCR is the weakest of the nation states. That assertion is just objectively wrong.

 

[The Dude]

I've been a longtime Fallout fan ever since high school when the first game came out and I'd spend hours hanging out at my best friend's house playing FO and FO2 with him long into the late night. It was such a unique world full of richness and depth, easy to get lost in. I remember when Black Isle started working on Van Buren (their version of Fallout 3 and the main influence for New Vegas). My friend and I were really excited for the game, especially since much of it was to take place in our home state. When Black Isle was shuttered and Van Buren canceled we were both really bummed and figured we would never see another Fallout game again.

I didn't get back into Fallout until I got an Xbox One and decided to give FO4 a whirl. It was OK, far more fun as an easy to mod sandbox than it is as a Fallout game, but it rekindled my interest in the world of Fallout. I started reading up on the lore on the Fallout wiki and started watching lore videos and play throughs from YouTubers like Oxhorn and fell in love all over again. I decided to play New Vegas while waiting for Cyberpunk 2077 to release (used to play the pen and paper RPG with the same friend) and have absolutely loved it. It's become one of my favorite video games. I'm really not a big fan of the Bethesda made games because they just don't feel like Fallout to me. Especially FO4. With the original two games and NV you can really play whatever character you want and approach every quest and problem in a variety of ways with a variety of solutions. With FO3 and FO4 it's really clear that Bathesda intends for the player to play the game in a set way and you're mostly locked in to being varying shades of "good guy".

Playing New Vegas feels so familiar though since it was written and made by several of the people who made the first two games, given that Obsidian was formed by refugees from the shuttering of Black Isle and they incorporated much of what they had planned for Van Buren into it. In fact, New Vegas was written as though the events of Van Buren had taken place in it's past since Van Buren took place during the 1st Battle for Hoover Dam.

I regret that I waited this long to play FO:NV. I've been really enjoying myself. I've completed most of the games, just finished Lonesome Road, and really only have maybe some minor side quests to complete before the final battle at Hoover Dam. But I'm really reluctant to finish the game, even though I'm going to be deeply involved with Cyberpunk 2077 and likely won't return to the Mojave for a good while. For my first time playing NV I decided to go with Yes Man and fight for an independent New Vegas. I'm maxed out at level 50 and the only skills I don't have a 100 are survival, unarmed and meele. I didn't spec into one specific type of weapon, like sniper rifles or cowboy guns, but instead spec'd my character to be more or less equally skilled with all weapons with a focus on heavy weapons. I took all three levels of Demolitions Expert, and I can tell you that with Demo Expert 3 and using Mercy loaded with plasma grenades, it makes short work of the biggest, baddest Deathclaw, even at level 50. But the weapons I tend to favor most are the K9000 Cyberdog Gun and FIDO, the Shoulder Mounted Machine Gun, the Gatling Laser and SprtlWood, the CZ57 Avenger, and the Plasma Caster. All the ones that can be modded have all their mods, of course. I also really like that one of a kind Gauss Rifle as well and the GRA Anti-Materiel Rifle for taking those long range sneak criticals. For when things get up close and personal I like the GRA 12.7mm SMG, Riot Shotgun, and .45 SMG. Most of my perks were taken to allow me to carry a wide variety of weapons, making those weapons more effective (Laser Commander, Demolitions Expert, Shotgun Surgeon, Better Criticals, etc.), and keeping my weapons well-fed and in tip top shape (Jury Rigging, Handloader, Vigilant Recycler, etc.), but I also built him to not only take a beating, but also talk or think his way out of any situation. Just for variety. Ever since I finished Arcade Gannon's personal quest I've been wearing the Gannon Family Tesla Armor since it has high DT and can be fixed with any medium armor with Jury Rigging, but I've swapped that out for the Elite Riot Gear since I finished Lonesome Road. Less DT than the Tesla Armor, but more item HP, I love the way it looks, and I really like the Sneak Sight feature in the helmet. But I've got most of the unique weapons and armor safely tucked away in my Lucky 38 suite so I can change things around depending on my mood.

My favorite companions have been Arcade and Raul. I really enjoy their dialog and reactions to situations and I think they're the funniest of all the companions. I usually have Ed-E as my "pet" companion since he can fix my weapons, help me reload ammo, gives me earlier warning when enemies are nearby, and now that I've finished Lonesome Road and have all five upgrades for him it also means I get a +5 damage boost to beam weapons. With that damage boost, my perks, and using Max Charge Electron Charge Packs, it means that a fully modded Gatling Laser does around 800 DPS! So I've retired my beloved SprtlWood. I thought all the DLCs were excellent, but Old World Blues is probably my favorite. Not only did I get the K9000 and FIDO from the Big MT, but it also had some of the best humor and characters in the whole game. And it really started to tie all the threads together for the side story of the Courier and Ulysses. And I really love all the different appliance personalities in the Sink, especially Muggy. I wish I could have Muggy as a full-time companion because he's just so hilariously neurotic. And I got a real kick out of the Think Tanks, especially Dr. 0 (I'm a big Venture Bros. fan) and Mobius. Besides Old World Blues characters, I really liked Joshua Graham, Dean Domino, and Ulysses.

I really hope with Microsoft owning Obsidian and buying Zenimax/Bethesda that it will mean we get a Fallout: New Vegas 2, or at least let Obsidian have another go at making a Fallout game. And Microsoft also owns inXile they could maybe even get Brian Fargo involved. Since Chris Avellone is a freelancer now they could hire him on if he'd be willing, and it would almost be like the Black Isle days were back.

 

[Overcast]

Been playing/modding New Vegas again and stumbled upon this beauty:

As someone who really wanted a mod that brought back how large and bulky the power armor was in the original games, this made me happy.