Fallout: New Vegas cultural references

300
The Gun Runners' Arsenal challenge "Even a God-King Can Bleed" requires one to cripple Caesar's head with throwing spears. This is a reference to when Leonidas I of Sparta says that by the end of the battle he will prove that even a God-king can bleed, and does so by cutting the Persian king Xerxes with a thrown spear in the cheek, and narrowly missing his head.

Aliens
At the location Guardian Peak There are a series of Log notes to be found. Log page 20 blames someone named Burke from the original survey team for sending them to an area filled with dangerous creatures. Camp Guardian was wiped out, their bodies found in a cave system. In the movie Aliens a man named Burke knowingly sends colonists into an area inhabited by dangerous creatures (the Aliens). The colonists were all wiped out, and their bodies were found in a cave-like setting.
 * Two messages from the NCR emergency radio have references to the film Aliens, but this only happens with the Wild Wasteland trait: "Game over man! Game over!" and, "Christ! They're coming out of the damn walls!"

Anarchists Cookbook
The skill magazine, the Patriot's Cookbook is a reference to the Anarchist Cookbook, a controversial book containing instructions on building homemade explosives. The in-game picture of the Patriot's Cookbook shows a "Banned" sticker on the front cover.

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Mr. New Vegas will end a news segment by saying "Stay classy, New Vegas." In Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Ron Burgundy's signoff is "You stay classy, San Diego".

Archer
The password to the terminal at Third Street Municipal Building is "Guest" should the player have Wild Wasteland activated. A reference to the FX series "Archer," in which all the unknown passwords are "Guest".

Better Off Ted
The Powder Ganger Philip Lem is a reference to Phil and Lem, two scientists from the American sitcom Better Off Ted.

The Bible

 * The title of the quest We Are Legion is a reference to Mark 5:9.
 * The quest Render Unto Caesar is a reference to a famous phrase from the Bible: "Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s" - Matthew 22:21
 * All achievement/trophy names for Honest Hearts are references to the Book of Psalms.

The Black Orchid
The cover of ¡La Fantoma! is a flipped replica of Adventure Comics 428, by DC comics. It is the origin issue of the character the Black Orchid.

Blade Runner

 * That Gun is modeled on Deckard's gun from the 1982 film Blade Runner.
 * The Benefit Or a Hazard challenge is also reference Blade Runner. Specifically, the name refers to Rick Deckard's statement given to Rachel: "Replicants are like any other machine - they're either a benefit or a hazard. If they're a benefit, it's not my problem.", while the challenge itself mimics Deckard's (whose pistol the 5.56mm was designed after) actions during the film.

Brewdog
Inside Brewer's Beer Bootlegging there is a sign for "Strategic Nuclear Moose" which is a reference to the real-life "Tactical Nuclear Penguin" imperial stout produced by Brewdog, a Scottish craft brewery.

Cabazon Dinosaurs
Dinky the Dinosaur of Novac is a reference to Dinny the Dinosaur and Mr. Rex, the Cabazon Dinosaurs.

Carmen Sandiego
During your investigation of a traitor at Camp McCarran, the traitor may utter the words "You're getting too close, Shamus". This is a line from the Carmen Sandiego line of video games.

The Cask of Amontillado
The quest Heist of the Centuries and Fredrick Sinclair's own words is a reference to the short story The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe.

Christianity
The image and title of the perk Lifegiver is a Vault Boy presented in a manner consistent with representations of Jesus Christ.

David Caruso
During your investigation of the White Glove Society, you might encounter an investigator by the name of Crusoe. It's possibly a reference to David Caruso, who has played investigator roles on NYPD: Blue and CSI: Miami. This becomes more apparent with the Wild Wasteland trait enabled, as the investigator has Caruso's red hair and sunglasses.

Day the Earth Stood Still, The
The motion picture The Day the Earth Stood Still inspired the Dead Money holograms stance.

Doctor Who

 * One of the messages from the NCR emergency radio is a reference to the British sci-fi series, Doctor Who: "Bravo Bravo Charlie, the Doctor is coming." Bravo Bravo Charlie, is 'BBC' in the phonetic alphabet, the organization which airs Doctor Who in the UK and other countries.
 * In combat, the Securitrons may yell "EXTERMINATE", the signature line of the Daleks.
 * Written on a pillar in a wine cellar in Dead Money is "I am not your mummy!". This is a reference to the episode "The Empty Child", in which the zombie-like enemies with gas-mask faces (who bear a remarkable resemblance to the ghost people in the add-on) ask everyone "Are you my mummy?".
 * With Wild Wasteland enabled, the trauma override harnesses will say "Hey, who turned out the lights?", a reference to the Doctor Who episode Silence in the Library. In the episode alien particles control a spacesuit containing a skeleton which repeats the dead wearer's last words over and over.
 * The sonic emitter from Old World Blues is a reference to the Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver. The weapon appears to be based on said device with an added handle and trigger to make it gun-like.

Dr. Strangelove

 * The achievement Love the Bomb is a reference to Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.
 * The heavily trapped house in Nipton, just across the road from the General Store with a sandbag wall protecting the door, has a note about "vital essence", which appears to be a reference to General Jack D. Ripper's obsession with "precious bodily fluids" in "Dr. Strangelove".
 * The logo for the Atomic Wrangler is a reference to the famous scene in which Major T. J. "King" Kong rides a falling nuclear bomb like a rodeo cowboy.

Duck and Cover
The skill book Duck and Cover! is named after the practice taught to American school children to avoid harm if a nuclear war were to break out, namely to duck under a table or desk and cover their heads.

Eastman Kodak Company
A functioning camera, the Codac R9000 is given to the player by Michael Angelo during the side quest Classic Inspiration. The cameras appearance is almost identical to that of the Hawkeye Brownie, which was produced by Kodak

Elmer Fudd
If the player has Cass as a companion, when sneaking she occasionally says, "Be very, very quiet; we're huntin' shit heads." This is a direct reference to Elmer Fudd's quote, "Be vewy, vewy quiet; I'm huntin' wabbits."

Elvis Presley

 * G.I. Blues and Viva Las Vegas are titles of films starring Elvis Presley who also performed songs of the same titles for the movies.
 * The Freeside gang The Kings are rife with references to Elvis. The King's dialogue frequently uses song titles as turns of phrase. In addition, most members of The Kings talk in a style that resembles how the American youth - influenced by the Rock & Roll era - talked in 1950's movies.
 * In addition, the quests Nothin' But a Hound Dog and Return to Sender are also the names of songs by Elvis Presley.
 * Besides song and movie titles, there is a multitude of references to aspects of Elvis Presley, from the infamous peanut butter and banana sandwich, gyrating hips and many others, on a chalkboard in The King's School of Impersonation.

Forrest Gump

 * The quest title "Run Goodsprings Run" is a reference to an iconic line "Run, Forrest, Run!" from the film Forest Gump.
 * Private Jeremy Watson, the soldier who is to receive a medal from President Kimball during his visit to Hoover Dam, bears many similarities to Forrest Gump: they are both in the army, share the same haircut, and both are less than intelligent. As a further reference, Watson claims he will meet the president personally and receive a medal for his duties. Like Gump, he is unwittingly humble for his achievements.

Frank Sinatra
When the Courier wins 4,500 caps at Gomorrah the floor manager says "Looks like you're on a roll! Luck be a lady tonight!" This is a line from the song "Luck Be A Lady," written by Frank Loesser for Guys and Dolls, the Broadway musical about gamblers and their girls. Frank Sinatra played Nathan Detroit in the film version, but the song was actually sung by Marlon Brando(!) in that movie. Sinatra later made it one of his standards.

Futurama
Inside the Cave of the Abaddon, there is a fossilized dog named Seymour. This is a reference to the Futurama episode "Jurassic Bark", in which Fry finds his dog Seymour fossilized. You can only find Seymour if you have the Wild Wasteland trait.

Heart of Darkness
Caesar and his Legion's morality mirror the character Kurtz and his decent into corruption and madness in the novella Heart of Darkness.

Homestar Runner
In the GECK, the object effect for the Flare Gun is named "Burninate All the Peoples", a line from Strong Bad's Trogdor song.

Howard Hughes
Mr. House is in most aspects based on the famous recluse Howard Hughes. Many aspects of House's personality, lifestyle and backstory are modeled on Hughes: his reclusive nature, his terror of bacteria, his fixation on Las Vegas, his insistence on working only through trusted lieutenants, his appearance, and his relationships with pre-War film stars. A portrait of House standing in front of a large robot is based on an iconic photograph of Hughes standing in front of a Boeing Army Pursuit Plane in the 1940s.

Hustler, The
The main character of the novel and film The Hustler Minnesota Fats is directly mentioned in one of Vault 21's terminals.

Indiana Jones

 * The Wild Wasteland trait adds an encounter with a refrigerator containing a fedora and skeleton. This is a reference to the scene in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" where Indiana Jones saves himself from an atomic bomb explosion by taking cover in a lead-lined fridge (this scene was infamous for its absurdity).
 * An email outbox on a computer terminal in the Sunset Sarsaparilla Headquarters includes a message addressed to "Marcus Brody, VP of Technology."

Infinity
All of the Think tank doctors' names are references to an infinite loop: Dr. Klein and the Klein bottle, Dr. Mobius and the Möbius strip, Dr. Borous and the ouroborus, Dr. Dala and the mandala as well as 8|Dr. 8 and 0|Dr. Zero.

John Mellencamp
In the Great Khan Encampment, you can find a couple named Jack and Diane. Jack is a dark haired male and Diane is a younger blonde woman. They are likely referencing the John Mellencamp song "Jack and Diane" from 1982, in which the music video has a dark haired male and blonde woman.

Kate Beaton
The unique Tesla cannon, the Tesla-Beaton prototype, is named after Kate Beaton, a Canadian webcomic artist known, among other things, for several comic strips about Nikola Tesla.

La Longue Carabine
Corporal Sterling, a member of 1st Recon at Camp McCarran will, if asked about his gun, state that it is known as "La Longue Carabine". This is a reference from the book Last of the Mohicans, in which La Longue Carabine is one of the nicknames for both Natty Bumppo and his rifle.

Lassie
With the Wild Wasteland trait the player can talk to Rex, and receive a map marker indicating the location of somebody (named Jimmy) who fell into a well.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Dog and God's reference art often revolved around Mr. Hyde from Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentleman comic.

Less Than Jake
In the Goodsprings Cemetery, there is a grave marked Jay Frenzal. This is reference to the song of the same name from the album B Is for B-sides by an American ska-punk band Less Than Jake. The song, in turn, is a reference to Jason Whalley of Frenzal Rhomb, who has one line on the track.

Lost
The only three broadcasts from the NCR emergency radio involving one Unit reinforcing another mention the numbers 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42 likely referencing 'The Numbers' from the television show Lost. The broadcasts are: "Unit 4 reinforce Unit 8," "Unit 15 reinforce Unit 16 at defense point Sigma Delta," and "Unit 23 await reinforcement from Unit 42!"

Logan's Run
In Old World Blues, the trait Logan's Loophole is a reference to the 1976 science fiction film Logan's Run based on the 1967 novel of the same name.

Mad Max

 * The achievements Blast Mastery and You Run Barter Town are both references to Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. Blast Mastery refers to the character of Masterblaster, and Bartertown was the location around which Beyond Thunderdome was set.
 * The leather armor, reinforced also bears a strong resemblance to the armor worn by Max in the series.

Midnight movie
The title of the quest Midnight Science Fiction Feature! is a cultural reference to the Midnight movie on television in the United States in the 1950's and in theaters in the 1970's.

Monty Python

 * At Cottonwood Cove, spray painted on one of the buildings is "ROMANES EUNT DOMUS", which is a reference to Monty Python's The Life of Brian. This only appears with the Wild Wasteland trait.
 * Inside one of the church basements at Camp Searchlight are three Holy Frag Grenades, a reference to the "Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch" from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. These also only appear with the Wild Wasteland trait.
 * Another Monty Python and the Holy Grail reference appears during the quest They Went That-a-Way. When you first talk to Jessup, he will express shock at your survival. One of the possible responses to this is "I got better." This phrase used in this context is one of the many running jokes of the aforementioned film.
 * With the Wild Wasteland trait, you will be confronted by Maud's Muggers, a gang of elderly hoodlums, outside of Cerulean Robotics. This is a reference to the skit, "Hell's Grannies" from "Monty Python's Flying Circus".

Mister Las Vegas
Wayne Newton is known as Mr. Las Vegas. He voices the radio personality Mr. New Vegas.

Obsidian Entertainment

 * The Basincreek Building is a reference to Obsidian's old office building that was plagued with many problems, such as an ant infestation, flooding bathrooms, and a car crashing into the building.
 * In the South Vegas Ruins, there is a small building called Zapp's Neon Signs. Inside, on a terminal at the bottom of the building, there is a neon sign order from Scott Evert, a reference to Scott Everts.
 * The Evil Gnome has a baseid of Scottegnome.

Om Nom Nom
You may hear Dog saying "Om nom nom" while devouring an enemy, but only with the Wild Wasteland trait.

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
Marcus might say when attacking: "one fist, two fist, red fist, blue fist". This is a reference to the Dr. Seuss book One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.

PEPCON Explosion
REPCONN Aerospace is a reference to the PEPCON disaster, which happened 10 miles away from Las Vegas on March 4, 1988. Said explosion's detonation caused a 3.0 magnitude earthquake and shattered windows at nearby McCarran Airport and buffeted a landing 737. Also, the REPCONN Shakes implies a connection as during an earthquake, the ground shakes.

Patton
The unique Mister Gutsy Ironbelly's line, "There's nothing I like better than making some other poor bastard die for his country!" is a version of a line from the 1970 movie Patton: "Now, I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country."

Quests

 * The quest Aba Daba Honeymoon is named for the song "Aba Daba Honeymoon", written and published by Arthur Fields and Walter Donovan and recorded by Debbie Reynolds.
 * The quest Ant Misbehavin' is named for the song "Ain't Misbehavin'" written by Fats Waller, Harry Brooks (music) and Andy Razaf (lyrics).
 * The quest Anywhere I Wander is named for the song "Anywhere I Wander written by Frank Loesser and popularized by Danny Kaye.
 * The quest Back in Your Own Backyard is named for the song "Back in Your Own Backyard", written by Billy Rose and Dave Dreyer, which was popularized by Al Jolson.
 * The quest Back in the Saddle is named for the song "Back in the Saddle Again" by Gene Autry and Raymond Otis Whitley.
 * The quest Bitter Springs Infirmary Blues is named for the song St. James Infirmary Blues, popularized by Louis Armstrong.
 * The quest The Finger of Suspicion is named for the song "The Finger of Suspicion (Points at You)", published in 1954.
 * The quest Gone Fishin' is named for the song "Gone Fishin'" popularized by Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong in 1951.
 * The quest I Could Make You Care is named for the song "I Could Make You Care", composed by Sammy Cahn, written by Saul Chaplin, sung by Frank Sinatra and published by Columbia Records in 1940.
 * The quest I Don't Hurt Anymore is named for the song "I Don't Hurt Anymore", written by Don Robertson and Jack Rollins, sung by Hank Snow in 1954.
 * The quest I Forgot to Remember to Forget is named for the song "I Forgot to Remember to Forget", written by Stan Kesler and Charlie Feathers, sung by Elvis Presley in 1955.
 * The quest I Fought the Law is named for the song "I Fought the Law", written by Sonny Curtis of the Crickets and recorded in 1959. It then became popularized by a remake by the Bobby Fuller Four, in 1965 and was also recorded by the Clash in 1979.
 * The quest I Hear You Knocking is named for the song "I Hear You Knocking", written by Dave Bartholomew and Earl King and recorded in 1955. With probably the best known version being that of Fats Domino in 1961.
 * The quest I Put a Spell on You is named for the song "I Put a Spell on You", written by Screamin' Jay Hawkins in 1956.
 * The quest No, Not Much is named for the song "No, Not Much", recorded by The Four Lads in 1956.
 * The quest Nothin' But a Hound Dog is named for the song "Hound Dog", sung by Elvis Presley in 1956.
 * The quest Oh My Papa is named for the song "O mein Papa", sung by Eddie Calvert in 1953.
 * The quest One for My Baby is named for the song "One For My Baby (and One More For the Road)" written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer. It was popularized by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Billie Holiday.
 * The quest Return to Sender is named for the song "Return to Sender", written by Winfield Scott and Otis Blackwell, and recorded by Elvis Presley in 1962.
 * The song is also referenced by The King during an interview on Radio New Vegas.
 * The quests Ring-a-Ding-Ding!, My Kind of Town and Come Fly With Me are titles of songs sung by Frank Sinatra.
 * Ain't That a Kick in the Head is the title of a song, popularly sung by Dean Martin.
 * The quest Someone to Watch Over Me is named for the song "Someone to Watch Over Me" written by George and Ira Gershwin for the 1926 Broadway musical Oh, Kay! Considered part of The Great American Songbook, the song has been recorded many times by many artists, including Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Stéphane Grappelli, Keely Smith, Rosemary Clooney, and Ella Fitzgerald.
 * The quest Still in the Dark is named for the song "Still in the Dark" by Big Joe Turner.
 * The quest That Lucky Old Sun is named for the song "That Lucky Old Sun", by Beasley Smith and Haven Gillespie.
 * The quest Wang Dang Atomic Tango is named for the song "The Wang Dang Taffy-Apple Tango," a pop song released in 1959.
 * The quest We Will All Go Together is named for the song "We Will All Go Together When We Go" by Tom Lehrer.
 * The quest Wheel of Fortune is named for the song "Wheel of Fortune", written by Bennie Benjamin and George David Weiss in 1951.
 * The quest The Moon Comes Over the Tower is named for the song "When the Moon Comes over the Mountain" published in 1931 and written by Howard Johnson, Harry M. Woods, and Kate Smith.
 * The quest Why Can't We Be Friends? is named for the song "Why Can't We Be Friends?", by War in 1975.
 * The quest Volare references the popular title of an Italian song best known in English through a translated version sung by Dean Martin. The original full title of the song is "Nel blu dipinto di blu" ("In the blue, painted blue").
 * Bye Bye Love is the title of a song by The Everly Brothers.

Mr. New Vegas

 * Mr. New Vegas's "new album", Nuclear Winter Wonderland, is a reference to the song Winter Wonderland.
 * Occasionally, Mr. New Vegas will say "I hope I'm not comin' on too strong", a reference to "Comin' On Too Strong" a song recorded by Wayne Newton, Mr. New Vegas' voice actor.
 * Mr. New Vegas will also occasionally have an intro that ends with "you're nobody until somebody loves you", a reference to "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You".

Misc

 * The perk and challenge Day Tripper is the title of a Beatles song.
 * The perk Mister Sandman is a reference to the song of the same name.
 * The Miss Fortunate Son (or Daughter) challenge refers to the song 'Fortunate Son' by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Plan 9 from Outer Space
If the player has the Wild Wasteland trait, one of Mobius's lines of dialogue is replaced to refer to Plan 9s, an indirect reference to Plan 9 from Outer Space.

Planet of the Apes
If the player has the Wild Wasteland trait, and nukes both sides at the end of Lonesome Road, the ending slide will quote Charlton Heston and show a picture representing the ending scene from the original Planet of the Apes.

The Princess Bride
With the Wild Wasteland trait, rodents of unusual size can be encountered in various places. The protagonist of the film, Wesley, states that he doesn't believe that rodents of unusual size exist, before promptly getting attacked by one.

Léon: The Professional
The perk The Professional is a cultural reference to the French movie Léon: The Professional, also known as 'The Professional' and 'Léon: The Professional'. In the movie, Léon remarks that 'rifles are for beginners' as they let you keep a distance from your target; a true professional gets up close. The plant next to the Vault Boy is also a reference to the movie. Also, the clothes, hat, glasses, and face stubble portrayed by Vault Boy are identical to the character played by Jean Reno in the movie.

Professional Wrestling
During the quest G.I. Blues when heading over to the Old Mormon Fort in Freeside, there are three men in one tent named Roy, Wayne, and Farris. The three names put together are a reference to Roy Wayne Farris, a professional wrestler who wrestled for WWF and WCW during the 1980s and 1990s as "The Honky Tonk Man".

The Rat Pack
The group of actors/singers of the 1960s, the Rat Pack, made up of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop, is poked fun at by the Rad Pack Revue, the group of entertainers working at The Aces theatre in The Tops. Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin both performed songs used in Fallout: New Vegas.

Return of the Living Dead
Red-haired, death-obsessed Trash, whom the player finds dead in a shack beside the Old Nuclear Test Site, is a reference to the character Trash in Return of the Living Dead.

Rime of the Ancient Mariner
The name of the challenge ...And Not a drop to Drink, is part of a commonly misquoted couplet from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem "Rime of the Ancient Mariner." The actual lines are:

"Water, water, every where,

Nor any drop to drink."

RoboCop
The name of the Gun Runners' Arsenal challenge Ne Ne Ne Ne... is a reference to the film RoboCop, in which Alex Murphy was was dismembered by a shotgun while Clarence Boddicker uttered a beeping noise (which sounded like 'ne ne ne ne') beforehand.

Sammy Davis, Jr.
Tommy Torini bears striking resemblance to Sammy Davis, Jr. the only African-American member of the entertainment group, the "Rat Pack", even down to the missing eye, which Sammy Davis, Jr. lost in an auto collision.

The Simpsons
The Radiation King company is the manufacturer of the Simpsons' television on the cartoon of the same name.

Six String Samurai
The name and icon for the New Vegas Samurai achievement is a reference to the Palm Pictures film Six-String Samurai. The guitar, stubble, and glasses are all references to the film's main character, Buddy.

Sneakers
The two passwords for the Eastern and the Western reflector control terminals are text encoded in hex and can be found in the notes. The decoded Eastern password is Too many secrets and the Western decoded password is My voice is my password. - both are notable passphrases in Sneakers.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
In the add-on Old World Blues with Wild Wasteland on near by the Construction site the player will be able to find seven garden gnomes stood facing the red stones, with a number of pickaxes on the ground. This is a reference to the childen's story Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs about a girl who escapes her evil step mother and lives with a small group of dwarven miners.

Something Awful

 * The YCS/186 Gauss rifle is named for the "Your Console Sucks" forum that has the forum ID number 186.
 * The abbreviated console command for disabling Hardcore Mode is "Babby", a reference to a meme that originated on the Something Awful website. In addition, the word "Babby" is often used as a pejorative in various Something Awful subforums.
 * A Wild Wasteland encounter found near Goodsprings consists of a man in glasses named Johnny found dead at the edge of a cliff. Johnny is surrounded by various objects including five ace cards and four orange balls. This is a reference to Zybourne Clock, an infamously awful failed amateur game project that originated on Something Awful.

Soylent Green

 * Salient green is a reference to the 1973 film Soylent Green.

Star Trek

 * The perk Set Lasers for Fun is a reference to the phrase "Set phasers to stun" from Star Trek.
 * The damage challenge "Beam (Weapon) Me Up" is a reference to the phrase used to request transportation to a starship.
 * After updating House's Securitrons to Mark II, they may say "Obedience Brings Victory". This was one of the main catch phrases used by the Jem'Hadar in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
 * During combat, if Marcus is hit by an enemy weapon, he may occasionally cry out, "I am NOT a merry Mutant!" This is a reference to Michael Dorn's role as Worf on Star Trek: The Next Generation, specifically the episode "Qpid", in which Worf protested to being given the role of a "merry man" in Q's Robin Hood recreation. This is also a reference to Fallout 2, as Marcus says the same line as the Chosen One's companion.
 * When dealing with The Kings in Freeside for Ambassador Crocker if you have the Wild Wasteland trait, Ambassador Crocker will tell you "Damn it, I'm an ambassador, not a doctor!" It's a clear reference to the "I'm a doctor, not a {type of profession}" line of quotes from Leonard "Bones" McCoy in Star Trek.

Star Wars

 * The Wild Wasteland trait adds an encounter in the town of Nipton. If you follow the road from city hall east, you will find a burning house with the skeletal remains of Owen and Beru, Luke Skywalker's uncle and aunt who were burned by stormtroopers in A New Hope.
 * The challenge "...And Know Disintegrations" is a play on Darth Vader's line in The Empire Strikes Back.
 * During the quest You'll Know It When It Happens, Ranger Grant asks you to report what has happened at the top of the guard post when you kill a Legion assassin, one of the dialog options when responding to him is to say "Everything's fine up here, thank you. How are you?." This is a reference to A New Hope, when Han Solo says the same thing while he and Luke Skywalker rescue Princess Leia from the Death Star.

The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo
The Courier Who Broke the Bank is a reference to Joseph Jagger (1830–1892), a British engineer who was widely known as The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo.

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
The theme, location, climate, and design of Sierra Madre is loosely based on the 1948 flim The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. The film is about prospectors hunting for gold in Sierra Madre, threatened by bandits, elements, and worst of all, personal greed.

This Man Is Your Friend
There are several posters of NCR Rangers in NCR camps with the caption 'This man is your FRIEND, He fights for FREEDOM'. These posters use the same style as a series of posters created in 1942 by the US Government depicting soldiers of allied nations.

Tootsie Roll Pops

 * The quest The Legend of the Star is a reference to a decades-old rumor regarding Tootsie Roll Pop wrappers that dates back to the 1930s. Some Tootsie Roll Pops come packaged in wrappers that depict a boy dressed like a "wild west Indian", shooting an arrow at a star. Ever since the wrappers were found rumors have circulated that there is some kind of secret prize attached to sending in wrappers. In the 1980s the Tootsie Roll company began replying to queries about the wrappers with a short story entitled "The Legend of the Indian Wrapper" that forms the basis for the story Festus tells the player upon the completion of The Legend of the Star.
 * The terminal entries found in Sunset Sarsaparilla Headquarters depict the Sunset Sarsaparilla company capitalizing on a similar rumor about star caps.

VALVe Corporation

 * At the REPCONN Test Site, on a terminal you can find a entry from a man named Gordon who is disappointed because there was no cake at his retirement party. This references Half-Lifes main protagonist, Gordon Freeman, and the "cake is a lie" meme from Portal - both of which were developed by VALVe.
 * There is also a terminal with a message about "A spy, one of the Reds pretending to be a Blue", a possible reference to the Spy from Team Fortress 2.

United States nuclear weapons program
The weapons mod Fat Man Little Boy kit references the code names of the atom bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. The reasons for the names were that Fat Man was an implosion-style device with a spherical core, while Little Boy had a longer and slenderer gun-type mechanism. This reference caused the game to be censored in Japan.

Up to Eleven
During the quest Ant Misbehavin', when asked by Loyal about what frequency a sonic emitter would need to have to kill mutated ants, with insufficient Science skill, the player can suggest to "turn it up to eleven". This is an idiom, coined in one scene from "This is Spinal Tap", referring to the act of exploiting something to its utmost abilities. The idiom itself is a reference to the volume setting on a guitar amplifier, the maximum of which is usually 10, and by "turning it up to eleven", one goes beyond the maximum.

Vegas Vic
Victor's name as well as the image used for his face is based on Vegas Vic.

Watchmen
The graffiti found at Hoover Dam and occasional loading screens say "spirit of 2277" which is a reference towards the spirit of '77 in Watchmen chapter 8: Old Ghosts.

W.B.Yeats
In the underpass near the Nipton Road Reststop there is a piece of graffiti which states "The centre cannot hold", a quote from the Irish poet WB Yeat's poem "The Second Coming."

The Wizard of Oz

 * In Boulder City when Victor meets up with the player, if the player responds with "I don't like being followed." Victor will say "Now now, its not my fault that Dorothy and the Tin Man happened to be on the same yellow-striped road, is it?"
 * In Old World Blues Dr. Mobius refers to a group of murderers who were looking for a heart, a brain and courage, er a spine which they had all along.

X-Men
Adamantium Skeleton is a reference to Wolverine. This perk was carried over from Fallout 3.