Playing Fallout: New Vegas this morning brought me to a rather unexpected situation, one where I felt genuinely shaken and slightly disturbed, in a good way mind.
As part of my fourth play-through of the game, I took it upon myself to explore one of the few vaults that featured in the game, namely Vault 11. Now, I won't go ruining it for those that haven't played it, but the contents of that vault are heavily impacting and a truly brilliant piece of game design, sleuthing and storytelling.
Briefly put; the citizens of Vault 11 were, once upon a time, subject to annual elections for their overseer. Upon your arrival at the Vault, the walls are plastered with slanderous propaganda styled posters, and the floors are littered with bodies. Hallways are patrolled by mere Giant Rats and Giant Mantises, so there's no real concern over potential injury.
Your job is simply to explore and discover what happened to the inhabitants of the abandoned shelter. The story may not be particularly deep or expansive, but it certainly leaves a lasting effect, at least it did on me. After accomplishing what was required of me, and emerging from the vault after a little bit of backtracking, Vault 11 had certainly left it's mark on me.
Not only that, but it had performed a fantastic job in allowing to come to a re-realisation of why I fell in love with Fallout 3. The sheer darkness of the story behind Vault 11, compiled with the tense exploration of the forgotten tunnels acted as a sufficient reminder of what Fallout was all about, something I feel was initially lost on me when playing New Vegas for the first time. I suppose I had become accustomed to what to expect, but such a stark reminder of gaming brilliance worked magnificently.
So, take my word. If you've yet to pick up New Vegas, sort yourself out. If you've yet to explore Vault 11, stupidly, like myself, hop to it, you won't be disappointed.
SanityEdge
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