Bethesda and Obsidian recently showed off a number of locations from the next "Fallout" entry, but the one area they kept strictly under wraps is the titular city itself. New Vegas, surrounded by walls and seen by we pressers from only a great distance in game, is the sort of destination we can only dream about at the moment.
While questions were obviously reeling in our minds there were a few tidbits of information we were able to glean from our extensive tour of the game and subsequent one on one with lead designer, Josh Sawyer.
What do we know about New Vegas?
Don't Expect the Same Skyline.
Sawyer was quick to point out that New Vegas is not based on the Las Vegas we know today. The entire "Fallout" universe, as it's been devised, is set after a nuclear fallout in the year 2077 -- a world which is strikingly different than what our 2077 will (most likely) look like. It's a future as envisioned by people of the 1940s and 50s -- The Golden Age of Science Fiction, as it's called. "Our Vegas is not based on real casinos," says Sawyer. "We're basing them off of casinos styled from the 1950s."
So that leaves a pretty blank canvas for the developers to work with. Though we'd be surprised if there weren't similar "themed" casinos out there on the New Vegas strip. Something pirate-y, Egyptian themed, or maybe something eastern wouldn't be too far of a stretch.
It's Still Vegas
Sawyer confirms that there will be gambling in New Vegas across a number of the casinos but, other than that, he remains vague about the rest of the content there. "We want the strip to, well, feel like the strip. And the strip is Vegas."
How that strip ends up feeling though, may be relative to what era they're basing it on. Will we see the streets filled with prostitution banners and fliers like in the late 80s and early 90s? We can probably expect a little of that, but not quite on that level. After all, the 50s still remain the prevalent source for much of the content in "Fallout."
A Grittier "Fallout"...If That Were Possible
The original two "Fallout" games -- especially the second -- were surprisingly grim and gritty. Prostitution, drugs, a general disdain for the human spirit… those were all fairly prevalent issues that developer, Black Isle, delivered rather well. And while "Fallout 3" certainly had its dark moments, I can't remember feeling quite the same wash of grime across the entire game.
New Vegas is looking to bring some of that dirt back into the picture. "There is a very heavy influence on drugs, and sex, and gambling and the impact that it has on people," Sawyer reveals.
"You, as a character, can participate in a lot of this stuff. You can also help bust it up if you want. The focus for that sort of stuff is in the city of New Vegas itself, rather than the larger conflict between Caesar's Legion and the New California Republic…
In New Vegas you will see a lot of things that you remember from New Reno [from 'Fallout 2'], in terms of the under-handedness and how people are used and thrown away a lot."
Personally, New Reno was my favorite city in "Fallout 2" so this news is more than welcome. And whether or not the city of New Vegas is integral to the overall story (it's in the title of the game after all) remains to be seen. From the sounds of it, it looks like it's its own hub of culture like Rivet City in "Fallout 3."
What do you want to see in the city of New Vegas? Let us know in the comments below.