If you recently finished watching the Amazon Fallout TV show and were desperate for more, you should check out Fallout: New Vegas. It’s hailed as one of the best RPGs of all time and it’s certainly a highlight in the Fallout franchise.
If you find yourself heading out into the Nevada wasteland there are definitely going to be some hidden details and secrets that you’ll miss and if you played it back in the day and are revisiting it, make sure you don’t miss these great moments.
He’s still waiting
If you seek out the Cave of the Abbadon in the Lonesome Road DLC you will stumble across a fossilised dog who is the goodest boy. Take a look at his collar and you’ll spy his name is Seymour. This is a nod to the saddest episode of Futurama, Jurassic Bark, where Fry discovers the fossilised remains of his dog, also called Seymour, who waited for him to return, only to pass away. This is not the only pop culture reference in New Vegas.
Do you recognise him?
To the southeast of Goodsprings players can find an old fridge, which is not a surprise in the wasteland. However, it’s what’s inside the fridge that you might find interesting. You’ll see a skeleton tucked inside with a whip and a fedora. This is a little easter egg from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull alluding to when Indy gets inside a lead-lined fridge to escape a nuclear blast.
In a wasteland far, far away
For one more pop culture reference just travel to Nipton. It’s a town burnt and looted by Caesar’s Legion. Head towards the town hall and you’ll find two skeletal corpses burned to a char. Check out their names. You’ll find a nice little connection to Star Wars. This couple is named Owen and Beru, after Luke Skywalker’s aunt and uncle who are murdered by Imperial Stormtroopers.
Musical magnum
A fun weapon that might pass you by is the Mysterious Magnum and it’s linked to a Fallout character who has appeared in several games over the franchise's history. Every once in a while, in combat, a mysterious stranger will appear and kill the enemy for you before disappearing. You can find a magnum handgun that plays the stranger’s musical theme whenever you pull it out. To get this weapon you need to find Lonesome Drifter who also appears randomly across the map. Fight him, kill him, and the gun is yours.
It’s a big boy
This little secret is only available to those with the Wild Wasteland trait and you’ll need to hike out to the far northeast corner of the map. Out here you’ll find “The One”, an unexploded nuclear bomb. Interestingly Bethesda used the same textures found on the nuke in Megaton from Fallout 3. There’s not much to see out here and you can’t detonate the bomb, but you’re likely to spot some super mutants hanging around, so be careful. If you have science skills you can ransack the bomb of components.
Gremlins
Going back to the pop culture well, there’s a house to be found in the Old World Blues DLC and it has an interesting pet in the backyard. You’ll find a kennel with the name Stripe on it, referencing the leader of the Gremlins in the film of the same name. What lives here though is not a gremlin, it’s a tiny deathclaw who has as many hitpoints as a legendary deathclaw and will chase you right out of the garden.
It’s Doctor, not Dr
There are a few Doctor Who easter eggs to find throughout New Vegas. The first you’ll notice are the Securitrons who will shout ‘EXTERMINATE’ at you as you fight. The other big reference comes in the quest ‘Dead Money’. The enemies you’ll find in this quest are ghost-like enemies who look a lot like the gasmask-wearing Doctor Who baddies that ask “Are you my mummy?” In fact, “I am not your mummy” is written on a pillar in the wine cellar you find during this quest.
Monty Python
Our last secrets tap into the British comedy legends of Monty Python. There are a few nods to the classic comedy sketches including Holy hand grenades that are found in the Camp Searchlight basement, these only appear with the Wild Wasteland trait. Another nod comes from "ROMANES EUNT DOMUS" (Romans go home) scrawled on a building at Cottonwood Cove. This slogan comes from The Life of Brian film.
Topics: Fallout, Bethesda, Obsidian Entertainment