Fallout: New Vegas: Old World Blues takes a different approach than the past two add-ons. Rather than taking place in a small area to play around in with a linear path,
Old World Blues is an open-world offering more in-line with the core game.
It all starts when you're summoned to a remote area of the desert, only to be kidnapped. You wake up in Big Mountain (called Big MT by the locals) and soon meet Dr. Klein, a brain hooked up to a trio of monitors serving as his eyes and mouth. He's joined by a group of scientists in a similar state. Did I mention you're not in the best of shape either? The scientists have removed your brain, as well as your heart and spine. As it turns out, you're a bit of a curiosity for the scientists since your body is still able to function without your brain, apparently making you a great candidate to help Klein stop Dr. Mobious, a "mad" scientist locked in his lab cooking up things like laser-mounted scorpions.
Old World Blues is drenched in 50's style sci-fi elements. Though they have always played a role in the series, Obsidian has gone all-out with including off-the-wall elements. There are loads of elements and even wilder characters to meet as you poke around the facility. The actual real estate is small, but there is a lot to do and discover. I like the return to the heart of the Fallout experience.
Exploration pays off in a number of ways. You'll discover a lot of backstory reaching all the way back to Fallout: New Vegas, though you'll also stumble upon new, incredibly useful equipment. There's a new machine gun that actually barks as your shoot it, as well as a Sonic Emitter that can disintegrate nearly anything it hits. As a bit of an added bonus, the weapon can be enhanced with sound chips, offering new abilities and sounds, like an opera singer.
Old World Blues also ups the level cap by five, granting access to a handful of new perks. You'll also unlock new abilities via The Sink, your own little residence in the facility. The area is home to some of the game's more colorful characters, like a militant toaster who wants to declare war on the other appliances or light switches who are programmed to not get along. The fixtures are funny and grant a couple of really cool options, such as a character re-spec.
