Review

Fallout: New Vegas – Old World Blues

As much as I don’t like stating the obvious, I see no other way of describing the environment I reside in. I have been shot in the head, buried alive, made to travel all over the Mojave, fight mutants and giant bugs, and had an explosive collar placed on my neck while being forced to loot a death trap of a casino. And now, on my latest adventure, certain vital organs have been stolen from me in the name of science. Yes, I will state the obvious; the world of Fallout is one messed up place to live in!

Old World Blues (OWB), developed by Obsidian, is the third expansion to Fallout: New Vegas. It seems that the life of a Courier is a tough one, as you are again knocked unconscious and taken to a dangerous place. This time when you wake up, you’re missing a few organs. No, you don’t wake up in Mexico in a bath tub full of ice. Instead, you’ll find yourself in a laboratory in the Big Empty that’s run by a group of robotic scientists. Apparently, they need you to help procure pre-war tech to use against a former colleague who has taken over the Big Empty. The removal of certain organs (replaced with machine parts) is supposed to help you in this endeavor. Of course, you have no choice in the matter. Dr. Mobius, the rogue scientist, has been sending robotic scorpions to attack anyone trying to leave the Big Empty. So, it seems that you have to help them just to be able to leave. You’ll need to battle back the scorpions and other perils before finding out what’s really going on in the there. This leads you to some interesting places as you grab each piece of equipment.

Even though Old World Blues presents us with a plot, I feel that it plays second fiddle to the action. When it came to the main story (as well as the other DLC), it seemed to drive the player which in turn made each encounter feel important. The DLC introduced new areas that were only mentioned during the main game. At the same time, each one felt like a progression of the main story and not just a side venture. This is because they lead the player further down the road to catching the first Courier (the one that started all the trouble for you in the first place). While playing OWB, I felt my self asking many questions. Why am I here? Why am I doing this? How does this relate to anything else? To be fair, there is enough found back-story that gives insight on what happened there and how it became the Big Empty (it was a mountain and now it’s a crater). Searching through the files on old computers provided great information on the past experimentation. I mean, it’s not like you wouldn’t want to know what happened. You’ll also get more information on the first Courier just like in the other add-ons, though I haven’t found every secret so there may or may not be more information to gather on him. While all of this is true, Old World Blues still felt like a giant side quest. This is mainly due to the fact that majority of the time is spent collecting items. On top of that, you aren’t given much of an explanation as to why you’re collecting them until you’re close to the end of the story.

With all that being said, don’t take what I am saying as a sign that you shouldn’t check out this add-on. As a Fallout fan, any reason to dive deeper into the lore is good enough for me. This is compounded by the fact that OWB is a blast to play. Everything from the witty dialog to the cool new weapons adds to the overall experience. Speaking of dialog, Obsidian gets a gold star for getting James Urbaniak (Dr. Venture) to voice Dr. O. He lends a great deal of humor to the conversations that feature him. I found myself laughing out loud not just as a result of his dialogue but from the dialogue overall. Almost everything in this add-on had something hilarious to say (including the light switches). This helped to balance some of the more “dark” elements of OWB. One such element is found in some of the enemies you’ll be facing. These failed experiments were forced into their roles as monster, all in the name of science. After reading about what happened to them, it makes killing them a heavier burden then before. Of course this is a good thing as it gets you to think more about your actions; this idea has been a staple in the Fallout series.

Exploring the wastelands never gets old for me. There is just so much content packed in each installment or add-on that it’s easy to get lost in Fallout’s world. Old World Blues is no exception as it brings me one step closer to finding the original Courier. Even if the story isn’t exactly on par with the other DLC, it’s still an awesome addition. I will say that if you aren’t a fan of Fallout, OWB won’t convert you. The wheel won’t be reinvented anytime soon. If you are a fan, this should be an easy purchase. I for one can’t wait for the next add-on so I can continue my stay in Fallout’s world!