Akratus
Self-loathing fascist drunken misogynist asshole
Never thought they tried to go for an isolated/Gothic feel. The trope that hits you over the head like a sledgehammer is America's occupation of the Middle East.
In Goodsprings?
Sure it's there to some extent but you're talking about the starting/tutorial area of the game.
That's part of my point. The starting area is the player's introduction to the world. That's when you tell the player what they can expect. With Goodsprings, Obsidian tells us we're going to be playing a technologically anachronistic Western with odd humour, and by the time we get to New Vegas the game's turned into something altogether more manic.
Contrast that with something like ... Baldur's Gate. (Everyone's played BG, right?) Candlekeep sets the tone for the rest of the game- all of it- within the first thirty minutes. There's no confusion as to what they're going for, what you're supposed to be feeling, how you're supposed to react to events, what your goals are. As another counterpoint to NV, notice how they introduce the overarching story thread. It's there right from the beginning and is developed, fleshed out, and given nuance throughout the rest of the game. NV leaves you confused until you get to Vegas, at which point it beats you into submission with a bunch of exposition from a handful of characters within the span of five minutes.
That's not how to do it.
Addendum: mystery plots work when the audience/player proxy is sufficiently defined at the beginning, which definition acts as an anchor for the audience/player to hold to as they get their bearings. The problem is that your character in NV isn't that anchor, and can't be, because you start with what amounts to a non-character.
I'm. . I'm so confused. Should I pick up this gun?. . . But this game is clearly a tram riding simulator. I don't get it, where is the next tram? Why would any of this be in a game called half-life anyway. . .? . . . I don't understand.