Fallout New Vegas' missing goals

After two weeks of manic, obsessive play, I've burned out on Fallout New Vegas.  All the humor and grace notes that marked Fallout 3 are missing, so dang if I can figure out what FNV is all about.  I'm on level 23 28, and maybe the only burning issue left for me is how to survive an attack by three or four (or more) deathclaws and put Quarry Junction on the map.  I've got the anti-material rifle, so maybe that's the clue.

Can't say I care enough to find out.  In Fallout 3, the more familar you got with super mutants, the more whimsical they became.  Super mutant conversations heard in passing eventually became hilarious, but they were still murderously inconvenient.  Except Fawkes.  And Uncle Leo, the super mutant with a Socratic turn of mind.

In FNV, the only similar turn of events is the blind deathclaw wandering in a cave, and Jas' hint about shooting them in the eye.  Red herring?  An inferior game, anyway, compared to Fallout 3.

[Update] Since  posting this, I found the gauss rifle.  May keep playing a bit more.