The Classic Movie Reference You Missed In Fallout: New Vegas

There's nothing quite like going back to a game you haven't touched in years and spotting a reference to another franchise that you'd never noticed before. Hidden Easter eggs are a long standing tradition in video games, with even more serious titles like "Red Dead Redemption 2" and "Ghost of Tsushima" slipping in a few for dedicated players to uncover. Series that have a more humorous tone tend to be packed to the brim with them. "Borderlands 2," for instance, has an entire side-quest dedicated to hunting down a "Splinter Group" consisting of four mutants who live in the sewer and can only be lured out of hiding with pizza –- an obvious reference for any "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" devotees.

Another franchise that enjoys hiding Easter eggs in its entries is "Fallout." Bethesda Game Studios' post-apocalyptic wastelands are far from empty, featuring numerous little references for fans to discover amidst the wreckage of a civilization collapsed by nuclear war. Some adventurous gamers might have noticed the Edgar Allan Poe reference in "Fallout 4" or the Mothman in "Fallout 76", but most people probably didn't find the "Gremlins" reference hidden near Dr. Borous' house in "Fallout: New Vegas."

For those who haven't seen the 1984 film "Gremlins," Stripe is the leader of the evil Mogwai and the primary antagonist. Mogwai start out as fuzzy, adorable little critters, but can metamorphose into the scaly green monsters known as Gremlins if they eat after midnight.

What does this have to do with "Fallout?" Well, there is an area in Higgs Village in "New Vegas" where the player can encounter a shrunken Deathclaw. This is already a strange sight, since Deathclaws are usually massive reptilian creatures roughly the size of a large bear. This one is only about knee high (about the size of a Gremlin) and comes charging out of a doghouse. Targeting the creature also reveals that it is one of the only Deathclaws in the game that has a name: Stripe.

If the name and size of the creature aren't enough, there is also a plate with a chicken leg just outside the doghouse. This is likely a reference to the fact that it was a plate of chicken that caused the Mogwai to transform in the movie. Players shouldn't let Stripe's cute appearance fool them into thinking he's a pushover though, as he is every bit as powerful as the full-size Alpha Male Deathclaws. He's just much harder to hit.