Okay, before I move on to the bulk of this essay, let me make something abundantly clear: I am a Fallout: New Vegas super fan. It’s one of my favourite games of all time and if Steam didn’t have a handy little feature that showed how many hours I’d logged in New Vegas, I’d probably have to calculate that metric of time with a calculator. Not one of those simple calculators either, the kind of calculator you have to turn your phone on its side to use.
I’m clarifying this upfront because at the heart of this, is that there’s a direct comparison between New Vegas and The Outer Worlds, beyond both being first-person shooter role-playing games developed by Obsidian Entertainment. Maybe it’s not fair to hold them up as directly comparable, but I feel comfortable enough saying that because at this point enough people around the Internet have made similar observations to such an extent that I think it’s become somewhat of a pseudo-tagline for The Outer Worlds: “New Vegas in space”. To a large extent, it’s a fair analogy to make. They employ so many of same systems, RPG mechanics and themes that in many ways The Outer Worlds feels like it could slot comfortably into the Fallout canon.
To some extent, I agree with the close comparisons that have been drawn between the two. I’ll admit right now that it was something I experienced first hand when I started playing The Outer Worlds. The crash-and-zoom camera during dialogue, the dynamic conversations that change based on your states, the factions scattered around Halcyon – it was the sequel I’d always wanted.
Yet even in the beginning, something felt off. I wasn’t sure what it was, but something wasn’t sitting right with me. I brushed it off, focused on the experience at hand and tried to remind myself that The Outer Worlds is its own unique thing. By the end of that game, that feeling of “offness” had grown, manifesting itself throughout my whole playtime. What started out as a really engaging, enrapturing experience just…slowly lost its steam over time. I ended up feeling…okay, this is tricky to describe. Not disappointed, but unsatisfied. Which is one of those silly semantic differences I find myself getting caught up on all too often.
At first, I couldn’t put into words where that lack of satisfaction came from so I did what I thought any Obsidian fan would do and started up a new game of New Vegas…again. It didn’t take me long to figure out where The Outer Worlds felt wrong for me from the get-go and it’s not an issue with gameplay or mechanics or combat or anything that many people could obviously point at and say, “It’s broken and unfun”.
For me it came down to…myself. Or more specifically, the character I was embodying. See, The Outer Worlds differs from Fallout: New Vegas in that you’re chosen by the game to be the main character. Which is weird, I know, but I liken it to films that employ that age-old storytelling device of making the protagonist “The Chosen One”. It’s a tired plot point that basically just serves as an excuse for the main character to go on their quest or overcome whatever evil they’re opposed; it’s separate from the character’s internal struggles and challenges because it’s something they were always destined to do. Look, it’s become a trope for a reason because it can be used to tell effective stories of self-acceptance and growth but many writers fall into the trap of using the “Chosen One” narrative as an inciting incident, the thing that pushes the hero to start their journey and, quite frankly, it’s more often than not just an excuse to get the plot moving forward.
So bearing that in mind, let’s looks at how The Outer Worlds and Fallout: New Vegas start. Bear in mind, I’m going all-in on spoilers here, so if you’re sensitive to those go leave an angry comment at the bottom of this article now and be on your way. The Outer Worlds starts with a mad scientist selecting you as one out of a thousand different colonists in the abandoned transport ship The Hope as the person that will save the colony. Phineas V. Welles, the scientist in question, selects you because you’re the most talented, well-rounded member of the whole colony; the only one that can save The Hope and help him save Halcyon. In contrast, Fallout: New Vegas has you start as a courier who gets shot in the head. That’s it. You’re a random courier. You’re just like everyone else, only had an unlucky delivery.
You’re nobody. Which makes Fallout: New Vegas feel that much more powerful.
I think that’s what I’m getting at. What’s the big difference, on a textual, thematic level between The Outer Worlds and Fallout: New Vegas. Well, I would say that The Outer Worlds wants you to be the saviour of the galaxy; it wants you to be important. While Fallout: New Vegas couldn’t give a shit who you are. You got shot in the head, go find that dude and ask him why. Which I think is a fairly important distinction to make between the two. The Outer Worlds wants you to role-play as the ultimate hero or villain, but Fallout: New Vegas just wants you to play a person.
There’s nothing special about The Courier in New Vegas. You’re a person who got messed up in an exchange you shouldn’t have, because of decisions made by those above you, and thus become embroiled in the battle for New Vegas. You’re not the hero that liberates The Strip or sacrifices New Vegas to The Legion because you were chosen to fulfil such a role; For most of the game you’re really just stumbling between the power struggle trying to figure out how to get through it all. You’re nothing special, which is what makes Obsidian’s take on the Fallout universe feel like such an authentic role-playing experience.
While The Outer Worlds certainly plays like that kind of authentic role-playing game, I was never able to really transfer myself into my character because I knew, from the very beginning, I was special. I was the one that would fundamentally change Halcyon, for better or worse, no matter what decisions I made. Put it this way, from the very beginning of The Outer Worlds, it’s fairly simple to plot out how the story unfolds because you’re the figurative “Chosen One”, everything you do is powerful and important. Whereas in New Vegas, you really have no idea what’s going to happen because, well, you’re nobody special.
There’s a certain kind of freedom one earns when one is aware that destiny doesn’t apply to them. The freedom to not follow a certain path, not treading the path that something omniscient has prescribed for you. I suppose it’s a tradeoff of what kind of effect you want players to experience within a role-playing game, but I think using the angle of “Your character is special, destined for great things” you instantly put a box of expectations around them.
Which is great for that feeling of empowerment that video games do so well, but when you want someone to project themselves into a character, to really create an experience that’s unique and special to their playstyle, I don’t think making them unique is the option. Making them just like everyone else, the one that rises above and proves their special, that’s powerful.
I think that’s why The Outer Worlds left me a little cold. I don’t want a game to tell me how powerful I am, how important my actions are. I want to show the game that I’m worthy of that power, that my decisions matter because I can prove how influential they are. In The Outer Worlds, I saved Halcyon because it was what the game expected of me, but it New Vegas I claimed The Strip for myself because I earned the right to stake my claim on the city.
To players, power is important. But a lack of power is meaningful.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Critical Hit as an organisation.
Last Updated: November 4, 2019
HairyEwok
November 4, 2019 at 14:23
I’m leaving an angry comment because I was told to do it, also don’t want none of those spoilers on my eyes.
Admiral Chief
November 4, 2019 at 14:33
Basically, in the Outer Worlds, you must use the Force to defeat Agent Smith to avoid war with Mordor and bring balance to the warp fields in your Delorian tractor
HairyEwok
November 4, 2019 at 15:25
Wait, so where does the infinity stones fit in all this? I heard they are in the game.
Admiral Chief
November 4, 2019 at 15:48
Yes, by their power combined, they become…Captain Obvious
Admiral Chief
November 4, 2019 at 14:23
So, what I’m getting from this article, is that Brad likes to be a nobody?
😛
Admiral Chief
November 4, 2019 at 14:23
[puts on angry face]
Brad is a chop!
[Goes to read article]
Yozzie
November 4, 2019 at 14:23
This is where WoW also went off the deep end. I don’t want to be a leader or a commander. I just want to be “Yozzie the indecisive”, running around forging my own path and saving the world from certain doom because I thought it would get me sweet elf ass. Not for damn fame and glory.
Yondaime
November 4, 2019 at 14:51
Gotta love some sweet elf ass
Kromas
November 4, 2019 at 14:51
Well I mean they made certain characters go from quite strong to “can destroy the Lich Kings crown with her bare hands”
I am done with wow.
Yozzie
November 4, 2019 at 17:14
I kinda liked it. Sure the whole Sylvanas power boost is kinda silly. Since for a decade we were made to believe “There must always be a Lich King”. And she undid that in 2 min.
Yozzie
November 4, 2019 at 17:14
I kinda liked it. Sure the whole Sylvanas power boost is kinda silly. Since for a decade we were made to believe “There must always be a Lich King”. And she undid that in 2 min.
Kromas
November 4, 2019 at 17:14
Nah the story has been going off the deep end for a while now.
Admiral Chief
November 4, 2019 at 15:02
“sweet elf ass”
xD
Kromas
November 4, 2019 at 14:41
I am of a differing opinion. My favorite series of all time is Mass Effect. In that series Shepard was chosen to be the first human specter. Chosen to be resurrected and chosen to be the final salvation of mankind. It is the one reason New Vegas felt off to me. None of the missions really mattered and you have no real stake in what is happening. I myself much prefer the chosen one type of game.
Admiral Chief
November 4, 2019 at 15:02
I agree. Nothing made me more determined to save the galaxy than being the Shepard Commander
Kromas
November 4, 2019 at 15:13
To quote a lawful evil character. “The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference …. in the world”
Admiral Chief
November 4, 2019 at 15:25
Prepare for unforeseen circumstances
Kromas
November 4, 2019 at 17:42
consequences you mean.
Admiral Chief
November 4, 2019 at 20:54
Indeed, typing two things in two different places, and sampling new product
The Big Bad Wolf
November 4, 2019 at 14:41
I certainly get your point. New Vegas has a very sinister aura about it in that there’s not much to care about and there’s no one who will really care about you. It nails a much harsher atmosphere.
Though that is kind of what makes me prefer Outer Worlds. I don’t much care for the Chosen One narrative but it does elevate one’s sense of importance in what they are doing. There is ascribed meaning to rushing around Halcyon either patting or stabbing people’s backs.
Jacques Van Zyl
November 4, 2019 at 15:03
Guess who is going to reinstall New Vegas tonight now. Thank you.
G8crasha
November 4, 2019 at 15:13
I finished downloading the game last night (my PC has been out of commission for a few weeks), and I’m simply going to play it and enjoy it for what I believe it is – a classic RPG from RPG Masters, Obsidian!
Admiral Chief
November 4, 2019 at 15:25
Amen brudda
Alien Emperor Trevor
November 4, 2019 at 15:13
I get invested in the journey, not the starting point. A game has to get you started somehow, and I can’t say I prefer one way over another or that one way is inherently superior to another from a storytelling point of view. To me it all depends on the game and how the mechanics of its story and game play work together, not whether or not that starting point is more powerful.
To me it makes sense that a more linear game, like Outer Worlds, gives you less freedom in defining your character and pushing you out into the world with a firm starting point and end goal. New Vegas had the luxury of being a massive open world game that you could tackle at your leisure and from there decide for yourself who you want to be, being a nameless character played into that. I remember people trying to claim Witcher wasn’t an RPG because you were forced to play as Geralt – and yet that’s one of the most compelling RPGs I’ve every played – and he started off with amnesia, a trope as bad as chosen one.
To be blunt it sounds more like you set yourself up for disappointment by buying into all the “it’s F:NV in space!” hype when it’s a completely different game despite sharing some DNA.
G8crasha
November 4, 2019 at 15:25
VVVV See below VVVV
Yozzie
November 4, 2019 at 15:25
tl;dr
Admiral Chief
November 4, 2019 at 17:42
😀
Alien Emperor Trevor
November 4, 2019 at 17:42
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/34a6265f7d40c31dc7324b96205fd090b9096ba05b21e4a200e87214ff91a86f.jpg
Yozzie
November 4, 2019 at 21:08
Using my own cat as a meme against me… not kool bruh
Alien Emperor Trevor
November 4, 2019 at 21:20
Look at that face!
Yozzie
November 4, 2019 at 21:31
That’s the same face I made at todays lunch.
Admiral Chief
November 4, 2019 at 21:32
Ok, I’ll bite. What was today’s lunch?
Yozzie
November 4, 2019 at 21:43
Cold salad, with colder salad. 3 soggy frikadelle and potato salad
Yozzie
November 4, 2019 at 21:43
Cold salad, with colder salad. 3 soggy frikadelle and potato salad
Admiral Chief
November 4, 2019 at 22:54
Ahhhh, naweek oorskiet
Yozzie
November 4, 2019 at 23:07
Nope. Meer soos werk se lunch.
Admiral Chief
November 4, 2019 at 22:54
“3 soggy frikadelle” sounds like a Premium Parow Porno
MONKYLE
November 4, 2019 at 15:25
I would like to know how many hours you put in Fallout New Vegas.
Quentin Huggett
November 4, 2019 at 19:39
Aaaah ok picture comes into view. Brad don’t let your non conformist needs dictate your enjoyment or lack there of what ever you have in front of you.
Shane E. Davis
November 5, 2019 at 05:19
“Phineas V. Welles, the scientist in question, selects you because you’re the most talented, well-rounded member of the whole colony; the only one that can save The Hope and help him save Halcyon.”
This is not correct at all. You are chosen because you happened to be the colonist he was looking at when the authorities arrived and your pod was easy to get back to his ship at that exact moment.
Thomas Jenkins, Fire Marshal
November 5, 2019 at 15:18
bingo. you are a bigger nobody in outer worlds than in new vegas. in new vegas, your exploits as a courier aren’t unknown. the final DLC (and probably best) made sure of that. you just aren’t known in the vegas area. in outer worlds, you are just picked from a lot of thousands.
Mike Salamandrin
November 5, 2019 at 17:44
If you take too long building your character he starts grumbling about the meritocracy of all the colonists he’s sorting through.
MarcTrain[NPO]
November 5, 2019 at 08:25
Fair point of comparison but just remember: the protagonist in the Classic Fallout games literally is chosen to do the job that is set out in the main quest.
Fallout 1: Chosen by the Overseer of Vault 13 to find a new water chip for the Vault’s water system before the Vault dies of dehydration.
Fallout 2: (Literally called ‘The Chosen One’ as a resident of a tribal village sent out by the Elder to find a GECK to save your tribe from being wiped out by famine in the Wastes.
The mechanic works well.
Thomas Jenkins, Fire Marshal
November 5, 2019 at 15:05
you aren’t just a nobody in new vegas, though. you are a famous courier that gets chosen to take the 6th package and then victor chooses to dig you up from your shallow grave. you aren’t special, but you are the one chosen to deliver the platinum chip. it’s no different in outer worlds. you aren’t this “chosen one.” you just happen to be the one phineas decides to unthaw. you are equal to the thousands of other colonists frozen in space. the only differences is that phineas needs certain skills and you were the closest thing he could find.
the “chosen one” argument applies to games like skyrim where you a god-like entity and it’s decided from the opening cutscene.
Mike Salamandrin
November 5, 2019 at 21:48
My favorite conversation choice is in answer to why save the Hope’s colonists;
“because if the colonists are half as competent as me they can turn things around”
Mike Salamandrin
November 5, 2019 at 17:44
But you’re “The Chosen One” in New Vegas also; you’re the one courier chosen to carry the platinum chip that the whole Mojave’s fate depends on, your special head injury is what sets off the events of Old World Blues, You being the only competent kidnap-ee wins Dead Money, and Lonesome Road is all about how you contributed to the nuking of an entire town.