The Best of Fallout in a DLC Package
I love Old World Blues because it epitomizes the reasons why I love the Fallout series (and New Vegas in particular): a well-written and told story presented by memorable characters with a few surprisingly emotional moments that stick with you long after you stopped playing. Spoilers Ahead.
Old World Blues's 1950's cheesy sci-fi movie-inspired story is surprisingly deep and meaningful. Although the interactions between the six scientists and the antagonist Dr. Mobius in the beginning imply a lighthearted homage to old sci-fi movies, the player learns the history of Big Mountain and Dr. Mobius's mission to stop the runaway progress of science from affecting the Mojave. Indeed, cazadores and nightstalkers the player sees in the main game were created in Big Mountain and the parallels of this danger to the launch of the nukes in Fallout's history serve to guide the player's choices at the end. I decided to spare Mobius and convince the think tank to stay in Big Mountain, and it was fulfilling seeing the ending sequence narrate my character's duty to oversee Big Mountain and let its scientific benefits trickle out to benefit the Wasteland.
Old World Blues's best quality, though, is its memorable characters. I can still vividly remember every scientist, sentient appliance in The Sink and other characters that make an appearance in the Big Empty. It speaks to Obsidian's level of skill and care when I can still remember that The Sink's light switches are mutually jealous of each other, the central intelligence unit's outward dislike for the other appliances erodes enough to see its comfort in the sense of community the other appliances provide, Doctor Dala's grin-inducing double entendres and your brain's weariness of wasteland life, citing the Courier's past of punching a deathclaw and one-time charge at armed enemies with only a pen as dangerous conditions it would rather avoid by sitting in a comfortable, Mentat solution-filled tank.
There was even a surprisingly emotional moment when you bring Dr. Borous his dog Gabe's bowl. After fondly remembering how Gabe would sit with his head on his lap listening to a young Dr. Borous talk about being bullied at school, Dr. Borous becomes melancholy and expresses guilt for the horrible experiments he conducted on Gabe, which even then, was responded by a dog's loyalty and love. At this point, I had killed Gabe a few hours earlier (not knowing his significance) and hearing this, I felt profound guilt and remorse. Years from now, I'll remember Old World Blues by this particular moment, and how it exemplified the strength of its characters and storytelling.
