The Fallout: New Vegas trailer has gone live, a release date announced, and fans are excited about getting back into the post-apocalyptic world later this year. Does the trailer hold clues about what we can expect in the game?
I've been over the trailer with a fine-toothed comb, picking out choice bits in the hope of finding some meaning in it all. I used a little of my own knowledge, a heaping helping of The Vault Fallout Wiki (thanks guys!), and now it's up to you. Check out what I've singled out, and then add your own thoughts and speculation. Go crazy with it.
The Scary Cowboy
Does the scary cowboy mean something, or is it simply tossed in to make the player afraid of cowboys? Having been taking small doses of cowboy at regular intervals over the past 36 years, I am immune.
The Body
Does one more dead body buried under the sands outside of Vegas make a difference? Is this someone in particular, or just an example of mobster violence being alive and well in New Vegas? In the original Fallout, NPC Tycho said that his father used to tell him about Vegas, reminiscing about a fat mobster who lived there, making reference to Fat Freddy, a character from Wasteland, an ancestor of the Fallout series. Oh great, it's a Mafia clone! I kid.
The City of Lights
References in previous Fallout titles suggest that Vegas had been largely rebuilt after the Great War, which would explain all of the buildings and lights. Vegas isn't the type of city to let a little apocalypse keep it down.
The Figure
Who is this guy supposed to be? Just a random wanderer, or is he something more? He reminds me a bit of the description of the NPC Tycho from Fallout, who was described as "a man in dusty leather armor with a trenchcoat and gas mask." Of course, Fallout's final art for Tycho looks completely different. Perhaps it's just a random desert ranger?
The Flag
If he is indeed a desert ranger, he's a desert ranger that's been to California, as he is holding (or standing next to) the flag of the New California Republic. Is there a war going on? An invasion? Considering the state of most cities following the Great War, a restored city like New Vegas would be a tasty target for conquest.
And Then Came The Glow
Those don't look like the eyes of the figure glowing. It actually looks like something being reflected off of his mask. What's red and glowing and heading towards New Vegas?
77? In A Row?
What's the signifigance of 77 in the Fallout universe? As far as I can tell, the only reference to the number is Vault 77, the Vault storied in the Penny Arcade companion comic for Fallout 3, which consisted solely of one man and several puppets. Perhaps it's a reference to that? Note that the figure also has a single 7 on his helmet. 777? Jackpot? Note - Now that I look over it again, it looks like an A7, seen clearly when he turns his head. Whoops.