While it hasn't taken as commanding a stranglehold over the world's collective consciousness as its debut series did, the second helping of Amazon's Fallout TV show is succeeding in helping drive a number of extra Steam players back to the wasteland. That said, a number of said wastelands being heavily discounted as part of the platform's recently concluded winter sale likely hasn't hindered those efforts.
Prime Video's Fallout TV series has been followed around by a buzzing swarm of canon chatter hornets since the moment its first series emerged from the vault. Such a thing's natural and healthy - people care enough about the games to have thoughts about how this adaptation portrays the world in which they take place. It goes double when when you head to locations which have played host to entries especially beloved for how much say they let the player have in how their stories play out.
Pre-release builds of Fallout: New Vegas recently unearthed at a shop in Utah contain rare files which could be "incredibly useful" to expanding what modders can do with the RPG. Well, at least they doe in the estimation of the folks who claim to have found them, a group of preservationists whose current online presence only looks to have popped up last month.
We're back with a brand new Now Playing. Our team is playing a bit of everything this month, which isn't a surprise with our diverse roster of contributors who jump in each month.We have the latest FPS, celebrated indies, roguelikes, and AAA masterpieces.No matter what we're playing, we want to share with you and maybe send you down the path to try something new. Let us know in the comments what you're playing and what news has you excited for the future!
Charlotte Huston
Battlefield 6
I found myself rather intrigued by the prospects a new Battlefield game would potentially have to offer. I’ve always had a love for the FPS genre, and we haven’t really seen the genre’s flagship IPs shine in recent years the way they did in the late 2000s or early 2010s.
Those who aren’t familiar with the FPS genre are likely confused about why Battlefield has captivated so many in its launch. It’s been a long time coming for a franchise such as Battlefield to return to glory, to deliver an experience that players truly want. I was hoping Battlefield 2042 could’ve been that game, but it unfortunately had its own fair share of issues while also losing the plot on what makes the Battlefield IP so lovable. Perhaps it sounds simpler than it actually is, but that stellar sandbox-y immersive gameplay fans want from Battlefield does not cater to taking notes from Call of Duty’s Operator format in the way 2042 attempted.
Battlefield 6. Source: Steam.
As much as the two franchises get compared, any FPS fan will tell you that the two games play quite differently. Whereas Call of Duty is known for very fast-paced arcadey gameplay, Battlefield prides itself on playing objectives alongside team cohesion. Now was the right time for Battlefield. This moment in time is the perfect instance for Battlefield to truly nail what their fans want, and they were successful in doing that. Interest in Call of Duty has reached an all-time low, with the franchise cannibalizing its own identity with out-of-place collaborations. The average FPS fan does not want to see animated characters running around in their games. They want a game that invokes the feeling of being grounded in reality; the “mil-sim” experience, if you will.
When a game like Battlefield 6 releases in a state where it provides exactly what FPS fans are starved for, you get a game that blows up the way this one does. It’s beautiful to see, and it’s an absolute blast to play. I’ve always been a casual fan of Battlefield, so you won’t get a nuanced breakdown of what’s different in the gameplay from me. The game is enjoyable, and that’s all that matters. It feels wonderful to have a Battlefield game we can consider great once again. We should be rooting for Battlefield and even Call of Duty to be great.
Call of Duty is feeling clear pressure, as evidenced by the Black Ops 7 beta. Activision is finally giving in and rectifying long-standing fan complaints about the series. When there’s steep competition in a genre, we get better games out of it. The winners here are the consumers, who have higher-quality games that they can enjoy. It’s what we want from AAA shooters, and I’m very happy to see Battlefield doing well for that reason. I’d happily recommend giving it a shot if you are looking to hop back into one of these types of games.
Dead Cells. Source: Author.
B. Cantrell
Dead Cells
OK, I’ll admit it: I’m obsessed with Dead Cells. I’ve bought it on almost every platform I own. The only major frustration for me is the lack of cross progression. With a game this deep, progress ends up scattered across devices, and my hard-earned unlocks stay trapped where they were earned. Cross-platform saves would be a godsend. Of course, the smart move is to stick with one version for the long haul, and for me, that’s on the Switch. Because, you see, Dead Cells is very much a long-haul game.
By sheer hours alone, it sits near the top of my library, and even after six years of playing it still finds new ways to surprise me. By far, the main thing keeping me hooked is the razor-sharp combat. This is pure action, with every slash, arrow shot, and firebomb feeling visceral. I just love the way busted-up baddies burst into smatterings of crunchy pixel-art confetti - it never gets old.
Kills matter too, because enemies drop glowing orbs, which are the currency for permanent upgrades, so you’re incentivised to fight hard and clear every room (unless you're attempting a speed run, of course). Biomes are procedurally generated, and you choose different routes each time, so layouts, mobs, and secrets keep shifting. The roster of levels is huge, too, from toxic sewers and sunset ramparts to haunted shipwrecks and gloomy castles with vampires; there's always something new to see.
Dead Cells. Source: Author.
Have I gushed about the combat enough? No? Well, here's some more. Enemy encounters are fast and fluid, playing out like a Doom-esque dance of two-dimensional combat chess. You weave sword strikes, projectiles, and tossed grenades while dodging and sliding around hazards. On higher difficulties, it becomes a high-stakes ballet. When it clicks, it feels incredible. But when things fall apart, you usually know why, which makes heading back in for just 'one more run' an easy choice.
The epic boss fights really seal the deal, too. Every few biomes, things build up to a frantic test of everything you’ve learned on the run so far. One mistake can end it all and send you back to the start, which makes endgame victories feel like glorious fist-pumping wins. Another aspect I love: beating the final boss is only the beginning. Boss Cells (rewarded after completing a successful run) let you raise the difficulty for bigger rewards. Each Boss Cell added throws down tougher enemies and new hazards, but also higher-tier loot.
That moment I realised that finishing my first run was only a warm-up blew my mind. Years later, I’m still discovering new weapons and hidden rooms I’ve never seen. Dead Cells feels fantastic to play and offers depth and replayability in equal measure. For me, it's easily one of the best action roguelites ever made.
Keeper. Source: Steam.
CJ Wilson
Keeper
Keeper had my interest based on my experience playing many of Double Fine’s previous games, like Psychonauts, Costume Quest, and Stacking. It’s very much a narrative game with some straightforward puzzles to solve. The gameplay largely revolves around you controlling a sentient lighthouse while also moving a bird who opens doors or turns levers to progress to the next level. While there is no spoken dialogue, the game makes you care about the friendship between the lighthouse and the bird as they make their way towards a mountain. The visuals feature some gorgeous landscapes with psychedelic effects that make Keeper stand out from the games I normally play. As something you can play on Xbox Game Pass, I highly recommend you play it if a short, calming narrative experience interests you.
Ryse: Son of Rome
This is an underrated game that I have played several times now, but I just finished it yet again on my Series X on Legendary difficulty. It’s always fun to replay a game that you enjoyed before, and I just wanted to get more achievements after playing some newer releases this year.
Dispatch
I finished playing Dispatch earlier this week, and I was pleasantly surprised by the writing and gameplay. I laughed out loud many times as I went through each episode. I appreciated the management sim elements of choosing which hero would work best for a given scenario and seeing the synergies formed among the heroes you create. Certain emotional narrative moments will definitely stick with me for a long time, along with the tough choices I made along the way. I definitely would want to replay it to see what the other choices would look like and see if there are any meaningful changes within the story. Dispatch is certainly a game that I see being one of my favorites for this year.
Hollow Knight: Silksong. Source: Steam.
PJ Walerysiak
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Silksong delivers on every expectation I held in my heart and mind. The combat is far more varied and feels more difficult than its predecessor. Its hauntingly beautiful soundtrack enhances both story and environment. And speaking of the story, the narrative threads are woven more tightly throughout every location, every interaction, every item. Yet it doesn’t forcefully drill into your head with its storytelling. It all feels delicately connected yet reactive to your influence. You can see the web and touch the web, even change the web. In short, I’m consistently admiring Silksong’s narrative design; in a word, I’d describe it as thoughtful.
I love how small interactions over time can develop the environment or NPCs, as well as a player’s fondness and understanding of them. It is remarkable how those relationships have the potential to be radically altered in a single moment. I particularly enjoy playing Hornet’s Needolin for every NPC after exhausting their standard dialogue. Each sings a unique song, with words they would not share otherwise. Their tune, their message, gives you an intimate glimpse into their culture and soul: Sometimes it’s funny, and sometimes it’s profoundly sad. Yet it is always an enriching and thoughtful coda from Team Cherry.
The Outer Worlds 2. Source: Steam.
Fallout: New Vegas & The Outer Worlds 2
I’ve been on an Obsidian kick lately. I’m lumping these two games together since I’m not particularly far in either at the moment. This has been a good year for Obsidian. Avowed is an excellent experience, and one I’ll miss since I cancelled my Game Pass subscription – though I’m eagerly waiting for a Steam sale.
In the meantime, I decided to buy New Vegas on PC and play through it for the first time since 2010. Then I just couldn’t help myself and bought The Outer Worlds 2 as well. It’s great fun so far, making me consistently chuckle at its hilarious writing. It feels very cool to see that Obsidian has kept its core DNA active and alive over the decades.
New Vegas encourages an immersive role-playing experience, constantly offering ways to utilize your chosen skill choices through gameplay mechanics or dialogue. It wants you to commit to a character choice, rather than being a Jack-of-all-trades. The Outer Worlds 2 follows suit, jamming every conversation with skill-related options and presenting various ways to utilize your abilities (as long as they’re leveled up appropriately). Both games wind up feeling very rewarding while simultaneously instilling in you a yearning to build an entirely different character next time.
Between these two games, I feel spoiled. The writing in each is great. Their stories have me captivated and entertained. Both do a good job of signposting where you need to go to progress the story, but neither ever tells you how you should do it. You have the agency to choose, which is what a good immersive RPG is all about.
Possessor(s). Source: Steam.
Bryan Finck
Ghost of Yotei
My main gaming endeavour over the last month has been the fantastic sequel from Sony's first-party studio, Sucker Punch. I'm not quite done with it yet due to the fractured nature of my available playtime, but I'm guessing that the end is near. I've loved the fresh story, enhanced and expanded combat, and the multiple relationships that heroine Atsu develops with the various NPCs in and around Ezo. I think it might be padded out a bit too much, but I've rarely felt that any of the activities are dull or repetitive. The visuals are absolutely stunning, a true testament to the power of the PS5, and I'm constantly staring at the horizon and the incredible level of detail in every corner of the world. Make sure you don't miss this one!
Possessor(s)
I reviewed the new side-scrolling Metroidvania from developer Heart Machine Games over at Seasoned Gaming, and really enjoyed my time with it. Combat and traversal are quite enjoyable, with a wide variety of tools available to aid your destructive tendencies and keep things fresh even after many hours. There is ample reason to chase 100% completion, plumbing the world for all its secrets and goodies. The story made me want to keep playing, and there were plenty of late nights spent just wanting to see what was in the next area because the game simply looks fantastic.
A big thank you to our writers for dropping by and to all our loyal fans for being here to check it out! Be sure to tell us what you're playing in the comments, and check back next month for more of what our team is getting into.
Since its release in 2011, Fallout: New Vegas (FNV) has had no shortage of mods—initially to keep the game from crashing and allow the player to move faster than a snail. Soon, however, the modding market quickly branched out into a vast array of weapon mods, companion mods, sex mods, weapon companion mods, weapon companion sex mods, and most notably, quest mods. The Nexus page for FNV has over a thousand quest mods, among them mods allowing the player to build their own casino in Primm, rebuild the Enclave (but as good guys), or travel to places like California, Utah, or Oregon to spread their ideals.
Many of these mods are ambitious undertakings, with some taking years to build. However, a second category of ambitious quest mods exists in which modmakers make several mods over the years, each with its own story, but also telling an overarching narrative. Though the most prominent such modmaker is Someguy3000, other such modmakers include Rikkurikku, CellblockPsycho, and Th3Overseer, whose six-mod series has racked up nearly 400,000 downloads—and who, in a virtually unprecedented move, is now adapting those very same mods into novels.
A world of depravity beckons in Fallout: New Vegas. Source: Th3Overseer.
Th3Overseer got into the Fallout series in 2009 with Fallout 3, and loved it so much he preordered Fallout: New Vegas as soon as possible, which was a terrible error as FNV at launch was virtually unplayable. Time went on, however, and he discovered YouTuber Alchestbreach, who both played and made his own mods and showcased them on his YouTube channel. Galvanized by Alchestbreach, he decided to give modmaking a shot, and after a few smaller mods, produced the quest mod “The Initiation,” which expanded the Great Khans’ quest line. “[The Initiation] was atrocious in hindsight, but proved I could make these things,” says Th3Overseer. “The Initiation sucks, and I regret everything. Baby’s first mod, and all that.” Despite its professed shortcomings, the mod has garnered over 2,000 endorsements and nearly 40,000 downloads on Nexus.
Following The Initiation, Th3Overseer began creating a follow up: His next mod, “Eliza,” features a fully-voiced companion of the same name. Eliza, admits Th3Overseer, “genuinely is two mods that are sloppily tied together. One was a western storyline with the Khans and a wacky new companion character, and the other was a thing about criminals and espionage.” He welded them together and got the idea while he was making it to tell an overarching narrative across his mods.
Although he was dissatisfied with the fusion in the mod, “Eliza” remains the favorite of prominent New Vegas YouTuber Mike Burnfire. Burnfire likes Eliza because, in his eyes, “She's a memorable traveling companion that confidently asserts herself without becoming overbearing or obnoxious, which can be a tough line to walk.”
The story of The Initiation continues in Eliza and then into the next mod in the series, Headhunting. During Headhunting, the Courier (the hero of New Vegas) tracks down bounties on people all across the wastelands, from disc jockeys to bridge sellers to ransom-seeking kidnappers. The Courier even has a massive shootout with a sprawling family of inbred moonshine-swigging hillbillies.
Eventually, the skeleton of the series' story arc was formed, with most of the plot driven by two dueling antagonists: Senator Burke, a corrupt New California Republic senator who represents the worst aspects of the Old World; and Sheridan, a notorious psychopathic raider leader who represents the worst aspects of the New World. Sheridan’s associates provide violent, overpowered targets for the Courier to fight across the series, while Burke’s associates try to hamper the Courier politically and send assassins after them when all else fails.
Another recurring organization is the Office of Mojave Affairs, a shady NCR agency working in the background with enigmatic motives and loyalties. The plot line of the series would see the Courier working to take down Burke and Sheridan, taking lots of drugs and making lots of money along the way.
Ultraviolence plays a large role in Th3Overseer’s mods, as in the main game. Source: Th3Overseer.
"The North Road" came next, where the Courier roams a devastated part of Nevada north of New Vegas to capture or kill a child molester, in a plot line Th3Overseer says was inspired by Sin City. It was followed by "The Depths of Depravity," in which the Courier confronts some of the most evil and corrupt aspects of the NCR. True Detectiveseason one was a major inspiration for Depths; however, as with The North Road, its story quickly became its own unique and fulfilled plot line. “The High Desert” is the unintended conclusion to the series, in which the Courier helps set up a saloon in Primm, goes on a drug trip in a commune of kooky characters, and works for a lesbian pirate.
The series was well-received by the community. Aside from the thousands of downloads and endorsements, other prominent YouTubers like Ramblelime have spoken of their fondness for the mods. “[Th3Overseer’s] mods improve over time and build on each other,” Ramblelime says. He views that as one of their strengths, together with how the mods fill out the world of New Vegas. He added, “My favorite is The Depths of Depravity…it’s a fascinatingly gritty mystery; a mod has never been able to give me that pit-in-my-stomach feeling before or since.” Ramblelime even made a retrospective video essay analyzing the series, speaking to its strengths and weaknesses.
Despite having five or six more mods planned, the series was discontinued after The High Desert. In 2021, Th3Overseer was already taking a break from FNV to focus on other projects. Then Nexus Mods, the massive modding website that hosted all his mods, announced a series of sweeping changes to their policies. Most notably, Nexus removed the right for mod authors to delete their own files from the website, something Th3Overseer publicly protested as unethical. Nexus removed his announcement, accused him of spreading misinformation, banned him from posting images on the site, and threatened to terminate his account if he ever criticized Nexus’s staff again.
Th3Overseer was incensed, deciding to semi-retire from modmaking and not to release any of his future quest mods on Nexus again. He has released a series of humorous mods, such as adding Dr. Gregory House to the Lucky 38; anime girls to Red Rock Canyon, the Pip-Boy, and the Powder Gangers; and Sonic the Hedgehog to a set of armor. He's also made a few serious quality-of-life mods. None of these mods has been released on Nexus.
In 2022, as it became evident he was unlikely to work on any more such mods in the near future, Th3Overseer released an outline of his future unmade mods, explaining how the Courier would wipe out Sheridan’s gang and deal with the Burke family. He answered various questions on his Discord and other social media about his various plans as well as other unresolved plot threads, but for the time, it looked like that would be the end of the Overseer series.
Source: Th3Overseer.
In 2025, however, things changed. Th3Overseer (just barely) makes ends meet doing various freelance writing gigs and is currently trying his hand at his own low-fantasy series. In the midst of his writing career, an idea came to him: Modmaking had many sloggish elements, and he admits he was never as competent as other modders. The Initiation, in particular, is a coding mess, as he freely admits. Modding also pays very poorly (which is to say not at all). Nevertheless, he wanted to finish the story he was telling and satisfy the fans, and the result is The Sunset Frontier.
The Sunset Frontier is Th3Overseer’s solution, a planned series of novels under the pen name J. Marshall, meant to retell the events of the mod series and eventually draw it out to its originally planned conclusion. The first novel, released on Amazon in September, titled Headhunting, largely adapts the plot of the bounty-hunting mod by the same name. Rather than have the Courier, the protagonist of Fallout: New Vegas, be the main character, Eliza is instead the heroine.
Although all Fallout intellectual property belongs to Bethesda, it was easy enough for Th3Overseer to lift his story lines into a new setting. Though Las Vegas is briefly teased at the start of the story, Eliza ultimately settles in the novel’s new main setting in the ruins of Barstow, California. The New California Republic (NCR) becomes the Western Government Coalition (WCG); Caesar’s Legion becomes the American Restoration Authority; the Fiends and the Great Khans become the Wreckers and the Kestrels. All original characters, such as Burke, Eliza, Sheridan, and so on, retain their names. A few gags are present for longtime fans of the mods, among them references to the prevalence of oldies tunes blaring across the wasteland’s airwaves, as well as the platoons of Legion hit squads that regularly ambush the vilified Courier outside the offices of Tully Headhunting.
The ease of the transition has been a pleasant surprise for Th3Overseer. The sole other main change was realism. “I made a decision very early on that I wanted the adaptations to hew to realism far closer than anything in the game settings would allow.” Though he likes learning things, he admits, “There’s still a lot more moving parts here [as opposed to] the mods, where I can just shrug and go: ‘Yeah, but the vanilla game doesn't care that much about making up fictional landmarks and hand-waving logistical details, so...’” This means no ghouls or other irradiated mutant monsters exist in Barstow that are easily found in the Mojave Wasteland; humans are the real monsters, after all.
Due to differences in storytelling between video games and books, Th3Overseer has a few advantages. The order of events can be more strictly controlled than in a video game, or shuffled around, and a greater sense of progression follows as a result. Headhunting takes place before the events of Eliza’s gang initiation, as told in the Eliza mod. The events of the Eliza mod take place before the events of Headhunting, for various story-related reasons. Other changes can be made based on how Th3Overseer’s writing has matured. Eliza, Th3Overseer felt, was obnoxious in her initial incarnation. With a second crack at things, he can fill out her character better.
Danger lurks behind every target Tully Headhunting wants dead. (Aside from the radio host.) Source: Th3Overseer.
As of right now, Th3Overseer plans to conclude the series eight years in the making. “Unless I hit some big financial emergency where I must drop everything and devote myself entirely to some horrible job, yes, I intend to finish the book series even if it doesn’t, in and of itself, pay my bills. It's a step in my desired path of being an author.” Eliza is the planned protagonist for most of the series, but other fan favorites from the mods, like depraved junkie Todd and traumatized hitwoman Charlie, are also intended to be point-of-view characters.
Scant literature exists that analyzes story mods in video games, despite their prevalence and popularity. Technically, all story mods are fanfiction, even if they do not contradict canon, and there is a history stretching back two decades now of authors creating successful book series based on their fanfiction. Tremaire by Naomi Novik began as Master and Commander fanfiction; Cassandra Claire's The Mortal Instruments series began as Harry Potter fanfiction; and Tamsyn Muir's breakout hit The Locked Tomb is theorized to have begun as Homestuck fanfiction.
Th3Overseer concedes the point about story mods and fanfiction, but says that "Mods are more technical than fanfiction, but the basic idea is more or less the same. It's unauthorized, third-party writing set in an existing IP that the author doesn't have official permission to use." There are degrees to it, he argues. "A quest mod that purports to give the player the untold early-life story of Fantastic, a vanilla NPC, is very deep in 'fanfiction territory,' whereas my own content, while originally utilizing the setting of FNV, was able to be very cleanly divorced from the Fallout IP and made into its own thing." In any case, Th3Overseer is travelling uncharted waters in the field of video games and literature.
Plenty of novels set in video game franchises exist; some of them are actually good. But a modder adapting their stories for another medium—and even making (some) money off of it—is an unprecedented move. The degree to which the series will become popular is currently unclear; it may only stay in the circle of Th3Overseer's dedicated fans and their immediate friends.
But perhaps one day Th3Overseer may be cited as one of the first transformational authors of the third millennium in a postmodern world. Or maybe he'll win the lottery like Oliver Swanick and ride into the sunset to bury some treasure in Lake Ivanpah before even publishing book two. Whatever the case, his fans can look forward to a true conclusion to the series and the ultimate confrontation with Sheridan and the Burke family.
You can download Th3Overseer’s mods on his Nexus page (be aware you may have to turn on “Show adult content” to see most of his story mods). You can buy the first book in The Sunset Frontier on its Amazon page.
Ok, before you get angry, all I know is that the Home Alone guy's playing someone either in Caesar's Legion or who dresses as a member of Caesar's Legion, not that he's nailed on to be wolf hat bloke. I just liked the headline. Now that disclaimer's out of the way, Amazon's Fallout TV series has gotten another trailer ahead of its December 17th debut.
As previous trailers have outlined, this chain of episodes is set in NEW VEGAS. That's NEW VEGAS, the setting of obscure 2010 RPGFallout: NEW VEGAS. There are characters, factions and things from NEW VEGAS, which the established cast will be interacting with because they're heading to NEW VEGAS. Capische?
With season two of the Fallout TV Show and a Fallout 76 expansion going all-in on Goggins, December's not short of Fallout things. Yet, on the day that sees Fallout 4 be re-released in proabable mod-messing up fashion, I'm sitting here looking at a different Fallout thing and thinkling it might be the one of the four I'm most interested in checking out. It's a beefy New Vegas expansion mod called Fallout: Long 15 and it's set to release on December 12th.
It's not often that a developer comes out to publicly criticize another's work, and yet that is precisely what Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 Game Director Daniel Vávra did yesterday via his X account. The game he targeted was Obsidian's latest roleplaying game, The Outer Worlds 2, which he scored 7 out of 10. Arguably, the most scathing bit was that, even with 'Microsoft's money' (Obsidian was acquired in November 2018 by Microsoft, alongside inXile), they haven't managed to innovate in the last fifteen years following the release of Fallout: New Vegas, which Vávra ranks among his favorite games. Here's the […]
