Saturday, January 5, 2013

Fallout: New Vegas - Dead Money Analysis (Pt 1)

Fallout: New Vegas is an RPG that I like very much. It has great storytelling, dialogue and characters. It is one of the best games I have ever played.

What I like about it the most are the DLC expansion packs that were released later on. While it's easy for companies to just rush out a piece of crap DLC for quick bucks or worse yet, purposefully withhold content at day one to charge extra down the road, the expansions of FO:NV are quality stuff and are well thought out stories in themselves. I'd like to explore these games a bit and give comments about its story and themes. Let's start with the very first DLC, Dead Money
But first, some History. Once upon a time there was a rich businessman named Frederick Sinclair who was friends with a singer named Dean Domino. Dean was envious of Frederick's fortune so he hatched a scheme to con him out of it. Dean introduced his fellow singer and accomplice, Vera Keyes, to Frederick and he fell in love with her almost instantly. He fell so in love with her, he worked to build the Sierra Madre Casino, a casino where anyone could reverse his fortunes and begin again. This was his ultimate tribute to her. It also served as a bomb shelter to protect them from the threat of a possible nuclear war with China.

The Sierra Madre was equipped with advanced technologies to survive an apocalypse. It had matter replicator devices, hazardous environment suits and tools made with futuristic alloys that never dull or wear out. It also had a security system that used holograms that could move and interact with physical objects to a limited extent. It was designed to be self-sufficient.

Eventually, Frederick found out about Vera's duplicity. Heartbroken, his love turned to hatred and he set about making the Sierra Madre into a deathtrap, planning to lock Vera and Dean into the treasure vaults below. Vera, overcome with guilt, had a change of heart and confessed to him about the plot to swindle him out of his fortune. Frederick relented and tried to undo the traps he set and to return the Casino back into its original purpose.

Sadly, it was too late. On the night of the grand opening, the same night the bombs fell, the security holograms activated and slaughtered the guests. The Casino shut itself tight; nothing could get in or out. Frederick died to poisonous gas in the Casino ventilation system while he was trying to undo the electrical system for the trap. Before he died, he activated the emergency broadcast system hoping that it would lead the authorities to rescue Vera. Unfortunately, the broadcast system played the Sierra Madre welcome message instead; an invitation for visitors to come and seek their fortunes and a trap luring people to their doom for years to come. Vera remained locked in her hotel suite by security not knowing what happened to Frederick. She overdosed on drugs and killed herself. Dean remained locked outside the Casino and became a ghost that forever coveted the treasures within.

The Sierra Madre remains sealed, shielded from the world by a mysterious cloud of poisonous gas and guarded by macabre "ghost people." The Courier (you) is captured and enslaved by a man named Elijah who is obsessed with the secrets of the Sierra Madre.

 "Has your life taken a turn? Do troubles beset you? Has fortune left you behind? If so, the Sierra Madre Casino, in all its glory, is inviting you to begin again. Come to a place where wealth, excitement and intrigue await around every corner. Stroll along the winding streets of our beautiful resort, make new friends, or rekindle old flames. Let your eyes take in the luxurious expanse of the open desert under clear star-lit skies. Gaze straight on into the sunset from our villa rooftops. Countless diversions await: Gamble in our casino, take in the theater, or stay in one of our exclusive executive suites that will shelter you and cater to your every whim. So if life's worries have weighed you down, if you need an escape from your troubles, or if you just need an opportunity to begin again, join us, let go, and leave the world behind at the Sierra Madre grand opening this October... We'll be waiting." 

 

Continued in Part 2

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