FNV: Dead Money Review

Well it was released originally on December 23rd on the XBOX 360. I however didn't have it. I have Fallout on PC and PS3 so I did feel as if they were directly aiming this at moi. Now Dead Money is out for the PS3 and the PC. I wasn't really looking forward to this DLC after seeing the ad and hearing the descriptions. It seemed too linear and way too un-falloutish for me. Here's my verdict on it.


Dead Money is set in the Ruins of the Sierra Madré casino and villa. Once a little slice of heaven in the desert, it's now covered by a toxic fog, falling apart and populated by the vicious Ghost people and of course the infamous radio signals which detonate your bomb collar after a short time.. Once loaded you recieve an alert of a radio broadcast telling you to head to the abandoned Brotherhood of Steel bunker and a notification that your level cap has increased.
Once you enter said bunker, surprise surprise, in true Fallout tradition your gassed. Once you wake up you are on the premesis of the Sierra Madré and introduced to your captor, Father Elijah, former leader of the Mojave chapted of the Brotherhood of Steel. To put it simply, he wants the contents of the vault of the Sierra Madré. With a bomb-collar attached to your neck, Elijahs will is your law. You must recruit a group of people who too are in the villa,

1. Dean Domino (Old World singer, now ghoul, who can be seen on the loading screens of the base game)
2. God/Dog (A scitzophrenic nightkin)
3. Christine (A hume who has been mutilated by a faulty Auto-Doc).

Once you round up your crew you activate the Gala event opening the way into the casino. All the while an army of Ghost People, a wave of toxic gas and radio signals which detonate your collar after a short time are constantly in the way and it dosen't get easier in the casino as invincible holograms with a VERY powerful laser attack. You eventually get to the vault ,and after a long and quite brilliant story line for a dlc, and then decide what to do with Elijah.
I really enjoyed this DLC. If including the Fallout 3 DLC then it would probably place 2nd or 3rd. So my favourite DLCs would go like;

1. Point Lookout
2. Dead Money/ Broken Steel
3. Dead Money/ Broken Steel
4. The Pitt
5. Mothership Zeta
6. Operation Anchorage- The one DLC I just didn't enjoy

This is different from what I had expected. It completly deviates from what a Fallout DLC is, in a good way that is. It's sort of Fallout meeting the horror feel of Bioshock. I find it terrifying when your faced with an enemy that can't be killed (Easily). The Ghost people can only be killed after decapitating their unconcious bodies, The Holograms can only be killed once you destroy their generators which are either hard to find or don't exist. It dosen't help that stims, good food and chems and ammo are hard to come by making it a form of survival horror DLC. I really liked this aspect seeing as when you find some buffout you don't just go meh... you go "ZOMGZZZZ!!?!?!?!?!? I CAN HAZ BUFFOUTZZZ!?!?!?!". That's how rare good health boosts are.

As far as equipment goes there are some good'uns. A unique .357 magnum called a police pistol. Sierra Madré armour, Assasin suits and my favourite... A Holo-Rifle, Which is a sniper energy rifle shotgun. It'sa very nice.

Overall I thought this was a great DLC, Full of scares, challenges, and a somewhat limited inventory you recieve for completion and with the fact that you can't return i'm giving this a 8/10.


Obsidian also hinted at future DLC, Namely "The Big Empty" which is meant to be the setting of "Lonesome Hearts" and is described as Graveyard for old war tech. Then Ulysees (The cancelled companion who the DLC "Old World Blues" is centered around) is hinted at by Christine enquiring about the player character.