Fallout: New Vegas vs. Outer Worlds: Which Is the Better Obsidian Game?

If you have played The Outer Worlds, you are no doubt aware that it bears many similarities to Fallout: New Vegas, both having been developed by Obsidian Entertainment. While New Vegas is a nine-year-old game at this point, it has recently been added to Xbox Game Pass and is also available with PlayStation Now.

Recommended Videos

These are both definitely big games, so the investment of your time might be a problem, which one would be a more worthwhile time sink?

Story

Fallout: New Vegas

Both Outer Worlds and New Vegas have a similar starting framework: you are a character with a mostly unimportant past given one important goal to strive towards while meeting characters along the way to help you accomplish it.

For New Vegas, the character you play as is a mystery, a (mostly) blank slate. All you know is that you were ambushed while on the way to deliver a package. You were shot in the head and left for dead, the injury robbing you of your memory. You are then informed that someone in the nearby bar might be able to help. Your main goal is to figure out what happened to you, and who took the package.

In The Outer Worlds you are awoken from cryo-sleep, having been one of many aboard the Hope, a colony ship headed for a new world. The problem is that the Hope never made it, and has been drifting for so long it has become urban legend. Phineas Welles, the scientist who awoke you, says that its dangerous to pull anyone out of cryo-sleep for as long as you have been, but has the right chemicals.

Problem is, Welles used all of the chemicals to bring you back and now needs you to find more. You are tasked with heading down to a nearby planet and linking up a smuggler hired by Welles.

While both games have the same ‘you are person, now go do thing’ attitude, New Vegas doesn’t offer quite enough in comparison. You are dropped into just about the middle of nowhere with a vague idea what your actual purpose is. There aren’t any stakes. With The Outer Worlds you are completely ignorant to this new corporate world order, but you know that your purpose is to save your people, and time is very much of the essence.

Winner: The Outer Worlds


Twinfinite is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more
related content
Read Article 10 Things Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Changed From the Original Game That Made the Story Even Better
Image Source: Square Enix via Twinfinite
Read Article 10 Things Marvel Rivals Can Learn From Overwatch 2
Marvel Rivals promo art
Read Article 5 Ways Marvel Rivals Is an Overwatch Clone & 5 Ways It’s Completely Different
marvel rivals characters backs
Related Content
Read Article 10 Things Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Changed From the Original Game That Made the Story Even Better
Image Source: Square Enix via Twinfinite
Read Article 10 Things Marvel Rivals Can Learn From Overwatch 2
Marvel Rivals promo art
Read Article 5 Ways Marvel Rivals Is an Overwatch Clone & 5 Ways It’s Completely Different
marvel rivals characters backs
Author
Cameron Waldrop
Cameron is a freelance writer for Twinfinite and regularly covers battle royales like Fortnite and Apex Legends. He started writing for Twinfinite in late 2019 and has been lucky enough to review many really great games. While he loves a good shooter, his heart will always belong to JRPGs.