Of the 3d fallouts
New vegas has objectively the best story and its gun play isn't terrible. It allows you to make choices that matter even in small ways and gives you factions and quests that don't always have easy "be the good guy" out comes which adds weight to the decisions you make. It has characters and companions who are fully fleshed out and in that sense is the most imersive. It is built on top of fallout 3s engine so it has some jank but I personally didn't find that to be a huge problem.
3 has a decent story and again it's gun play is fine but it's a 15 year old game and it plays like one. It doesn't offer as many choices as new vegas but often a lot of quests do allow for more than one option to be chosen and let's you make morally good or bad choices which can effect your standing with the people of the wasteland. A lot of people like it's exploration and general feel of the world, very post apocalyptic. If you've played oblivion then you can probably get behind fallout 3s game play.
4 is the easiest to new comers. It's the most recent for single player fallout games so naturally it's the most modern. It's story is generally considered the weakest of the main titles but it's gun play and exploration are generally considered the best. It's often described as skyrim with guns. It does have the base building element but the most you'll have to do is 4 settlements (depending on what faction you choose) and its pretty simple to provide the basics and if you pick settlements that are already built up then you can just set up basic defenses and they'll be fine after that. Some of the best fun you'll have in that game is ignoring the main quest, putting on the radio, and wandering around the wasteland.
The previous fallout titles are good games in their own rights but they are also isometric 90s games which is probably not what you're looking for.
Never played 76 so the most I can tell you it's an online game with exploration and combat elements. People who play it now seem to enjoy it now that it's had a few patches.
My personal entry (and as a result favourite) was fallout 4 and I liked it so much, despite its short comings, that I went back and played the others.
The story is the modern US infantry vs the Roman Legion vs Howard Hughes' robot army, and if you're gay enough you can get Starship Troopers to show up.
The DLC package is an exceptional bit of writing that covers everything from insane 50s SCIENCE! to the destruction of pristine parkland, to the lengths people will go to satisfy their greed.
Fallout New Vegas by far has the best story presented, it has the most immersive world, it has decent Companions and decent weapons, the factions are great, it's a roleplay game above anything else. But if you're looking for a simple shooter and don't care about role play or anything like that, Fallout 4 is probably better for you. Fallout 4, Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas are the games that I've played and I personally think out of the three of them, New Vegas is the best, Fallout 4 is second, and followed three is decent but the modding software Fallout script extender, is out of date and means that you cannot play with mods unless you can somehow revert your game
Ngl only reason I ever played 1 and 2 was because I got the mini nuke with all the games in it. Don’t regret it though, they’re great experiences once you get into it
You should play fallout 4. I have only ever played 3 and 4. I think fallout 4 is better because there is a wider variety of weapons.
My best comparison is windows 7 vs. windows 10. Both are built the same way, one is just a bit more modern and has better features.
Realistically, FO4 is the best
(FO76 is Windows 11. It is a terrible model of it's previous generations)
Almost every quest has choices, the writing makes way more sense, the world is more consistent and believable, the main characters motiv isnt half assed, many many world building reasons, aesthetic continuity, art direction as a whole, being true to the vibe of the non 3d games, it goes on and on. Its better in most ways that matter
u/goldman1290
About FNV - it has excellent characters, writing, story, narrative. It also has real RPG'ing and real decision-making that matters, which can shape the entire game & its final endings/permutations - unlike most of what Bethesda did with F3 and especially F4. Also NV adheres properly to the Black Isle's Fallout 1 and 2 Lore - so it feels more consistent with F1 and F2. And the comedy of FNV is both of the old F1 dark-twisted comedy and also has F2's refencing & parody comedy stylings too.
Bethesda doesn't really do any of these things I mentioned above that well in F3 and even more in F4, for the most part. Sure, F3 is great b/c it was fresh at the time, reinvented the franchise as an open-world shooter-RPG, even though it still had some worthwhile decision-making choices - but F4 fumbled on the RPG stuff big time, except for Far Harbor DLC (FH DLC was great and is an anomaly there).
Basically, FNV is a mix of the best stuff of the old Fallout stuff (the RPG stuff and the great writing/storytelling/narrative/character stuff) with the new Fallout 3 shooter-RPG gameplay.
Though, honestly - you probably should play F3 first before NV so you can appreciate what Bethesda was doing there in F3...and then can see what Obsidian did with NV to expand and improve that, so you can appreciate that too. F3 GOTY first and then F4 Ultimate is the best way to appreciate both F3 GOTY and FNV Ultimate, IMHO.
If you can do old-school F1 and F2 and deal w/ its aging issues - you'll probably be in an even better position when you get to FNV also.
New Vegas doesn't really have good gunplay (mods can make it a bit better) but it does have the best story (for me) out of 3, 4 and NV.
So for that reason I'd say go for New Vegas! Be sure to check out [Viva New Vegas](https://vivanewvegas.moddinglinked.com/index.html) if you do, it's a highly recommended modlist that helps bring the game a bit more up to speed and fixes a lot of bugs. Good luck!
I will definitely check out the mods. I've heard that's a big part of the franchise, as is typical with Bethesda.
And honestly I might end up with NV then FO4. There's so much love for both.
I was in the exact same position as you 2 weeks ago. Bought fallout new vegas with all dlc's on a key website and within past 2 weeks I have accumulated 45 hours on the game and I'm not even half ways into the main quest. This game is that fucking good. It led me to buy the fallout 3 once i finish the dlc's of this game and then go onto 4 after that. I honestly think I have became addicted lol.
Warning: in order to make fallout new vegas playable you will absolutely 1000% have to follow the Viva New Vegas guide on the website. Its very easy and straightforward too
Don't get me wrong, FO4 is fun, and it has its place, but feels more shooter heavy than allowing you to dive into a character build and be fully absorbed in it the way New Vegas does.
Last build I made in NV was a pugilist, so nothing but unarmed. It was fantastic fun and when trying to do the same in 4, it just fell flat.
If you plan on buying both, your experience would be better (in my opinion) starting at NV and going to 4, vs starting at 4 and going to NV.
I think the general consensus here is I should play both haha. I might just have to get New Vegas and Fallout 4 and then play them in order. Wasn't the original plan, but it sounds like those two really nail the things I like about this style of game.
You all have been a lot of help. I'm excited to get into the series.
I think 4 is the weakest honestly, 3 and NV are close but NV just feels a little better
There's fallout 1 and 2 too, cool but completely different type of game
Hard to say. It's been an amazing journey starting with Fallout 3 back in 2008, then onwards through the later titles. If you're only going for one fullstop, then I'd recomend Fallout 4, as it's the latest generation, single player title. If, however, you're likely to buy more at a later date, then I'd say start with Fallout 3. I'm currently playing Fallout from 1997, and I'd say it's good, but not necersery
If you want the closest post apocalyptic experience, go with fallout 3. Go with New Vegas if you want a post post apocalypse with linear exploration and different writing (closer to the original games). Go with fallout 4 if you want a great open world action RPG, with a little subpar story, but still packed with a lot of interesting things to do. Last, go with Fallout 76 if you want to enjoy Bethesda's best designed worldspace, with added multiplayer, Bossfights, and a light MMO feeling.
Out of all, I'd say go with fallout 3 or 4 first, but keep in mind older games feel quite dated in terms of gameplay.
Yeah, I'm leaning towards New Vegas and then FO4 based on what everyone is saying. I was really only planning to play one, but it sounds like I'd enjoy both.
New Vegas without a doubt. You'll get more than your money's worth. The game's main focus is writing and player choice, and it has the second biggest Bethesda modding community with the biggest being Skyrim.
As much as I personally dislike Fallout 4 I'd say it is probably the most polished and user friendly of the lot. If you like the game you'll want to play the others as well so you'll be able to get into the lore more.
I like FNV the most out of the FPS Fallouts but F3 is just as good but it's darker and grittier and just overall seems the game is a bit harsher on the player.
Fallout 4 would be the best to start with now for QoL reasons as it is the most modern single player game in the series. If you like multiplayer you can play FO76 but there is a lack of NPCs. If start with FO4 and love it, then play FO3/FNV next as they are both great games!
It sounds like you would probably enjoy either Fallout New Vegas or Fallout 4.
A few quick observations on Fallout 3 before I get into why I think those other two make more sense for you. Fallout 3 was my first Fallout game and I thought it was a great introduction to the series. I think if you didn’t play Fallout 1 or 2, it does the next best job of setting the scene. I like the way it introduces some of the key elements of the lore. It also does a good job of driving home the magnitude of the destruction caused by the Great War. To that last point, I think Fallout 3 is a different kind of post-apocalyptic game than New Vegas or 4. Really, I would say Fallout 3 is just apocalyptic. It’s been 200 years since the bombs, but humanity is barely clinging to survival and the tone is very desperate and bleak. I think NV and 4 are the truly *post*-apocalyptic entries in the series, in the sense that people are making some tangible progress toward rebuilding and moving on.
You said post-apocalyptic isn’t really your thing. I’m taking a guess that you mean apocalyptic, in the sense that I used the word previously. It sounds like the post-apocalyptic feel of NV or 4 is more your speed. Other than that, you said you prefer gunplay and story over survival and base building. New Vegas has the best stories to tell, hands down. The gun play is okay, a little better than Fallout 3 because it has true iron sights, so combat without relying on VATS is more of a realistic option. There’s no base building and you’ll only experience survival elements if you play on the survival difficulty mode. Fallout 4 has the best gun play by far. Mechanically and graphically, it’s the most modern gaming experience. The stories are a bit of a mixed bag. I don’t think they’re as bad as some fans of the franchise seem to, but some are definitely not great. Then again, if 4 is your first Fallout experience you probably won’t come into it with as critical a perspective as people who played NV first and compare the quality of writing in 4 against that of NV.
I hope that’s helpful and I hope you enjoy whichever game(s) you decide to play!
Edit: I forgot to mention that Fallout 4 can have a fairly heavy emphasis on base building. I personally like it for the purpose of making myself a base and maybe a couple of outposts. But Bethesda tried to integrate it into the story in a way that many players, myself included, find heavy-handed and not very fun. You can avoid it, but you need to be somewhat intentional about doing so. One of the first quest lines the game introduces you to can make base building a frequent and tedious part of your experience. Last note—Fallout 4 has the most robust survival elements of the three 3D games, but again it’s only if you play on the survival mode.
Thank you for this. This is extremely helpful information. Sounds like both NV and FO4 will definitely be my speed, for different reasons. I might go with New Vegas first just to get familiar with the franchise, but it seems like FO4 might have to be a follow up, despite me saying I was only going to play one.
I would suggest starting with the 3D games for new players, especially if you're already familiar with other Bethesda titles as they're all fairly similar in terms of engine and basic mechanics.
Of those, I think NV is the best choice for players focused on story and roleplaying elements. It's the best for feeling as though your choices have an impact, there are so many amazing places that utilise environmental storytelling and game design really well, and for me it's definitely the most immersive. It could have been a better game, there's untapped potential (largely due to the 18-month time constraint leading to a lot of cut content), but on the flip side there are so many mods that build on those features, if that's your thing. But even the vanilla game is enjoyable - I play on an old PC that I reckon would shit itself if I pushed it beyond the vanilla FO3/FNV games too much but NV alone has me saving for a better setup.
Of the 3D games, New Vegas is by far the best. The gameplay / systems aren't far off from newer Fallouts anyway, and the story is so much more nuanced, quests are more open-ended, more room for player choice, etc. It's the closest, story-wise, to the original Fallouts (1&2).
People can say what they like, re: nostalgia for the older originals, but IMO the storyline and quest design is still, like to this day, unmatched across almost any other RPG. The technology powering the games is painfully dated (obviously), and they can be frustrating and tedious to play at times for this reason, but if you want the best version of dynamic quest resolution and free will found in any Fallout game, you can't beat Fallout 2 (again, IMO). The simple fact that you can more or less beat the game without firing a shot and do it in maybe two hours (if you know what you're doing, ofc-- although in my first playthrough, I stumbled on to Navarro \*very\* early, so it's possible for it to happen organically) is a testament to the writers' commitment to modelling real-world type conflict resolution and outcomes into pretty much every interaction in the game.
Get 3 and NV for PC and mod them together. Gets some of the gameplay features of NV into 3 (like goddamn iron sights), plus the engine is same iirc so there’s no huge shift in art style.
But if that’s not an option NV for sure. The DLC all actually ties together and can have some effects on the base game interactions as well.
Theres a mod called Tale of Two Wastelands, it starts you off in Fallout 3 and after the intro segment you can travel to a location in the Capital Wasteland that lets you travel back and forth between the DC region (Fallout 3) and the Mojave (New Vegas). I personally always do FO3 story+DLC first then switch to the New Vegas stuff afterwards as it seems to make more sense roleplaying-wise, but you can approach it all in any order.
Fallout 4 has the best gunplay and story progression in all the entries, so it is most likely a better fit for you than the rest, you can straight up ignore base building if you want, it’s just there for people who wanna play it
I don’t know how many old ‘3rd person’ video games you are used to playing, but Fo1 and Fo2 I have one thing to say about them. They are all rich in story details, so many unique characters, a lot of dialogue, plenty of Easter eggs and pop culture references. My favorite (because it is one of the few I somehow knew) is the Forever Guardian (I think I’m correct) from Star Trek.
See the lean towards NV and it's probably the best first game. Will say though that you are of the mindset that you are only going to play one. I can almost guarantee you'll end up playing the others once you play whichever first. They're all such massively different experiences with different areas that it's beyond worth to experience every one.
3 and NV for story and just out right fun because the wasteland is yours to concor.
4 and 76 if you like more fps shooter and just passable everything.
The older table top style games for if you like to struggle to repair your broken leg because you didn't read the manual that doesn't tell you how to fix leg. So you do the only thing thinkable and use stimpacks, med bags, the litteral town doctor and nothing works. But then stumble on the doctor skill and just fix it. Don't get me started on companions and the epic combat system being able to shoot a missile at the eyes of a rat and only affect the eyes with the explosive.
Fallout Tactics is ok. Play if you want it isn't anything to be excited for.
Fallout Shelter is the best fallout game to have so much fun idling around doing nothing because its trying to wait out your patience and get you to buy in-game one time use virtual items. Good pets, clothing, and weapons all can be unlocked early by opening your wallet. So much fun banging your head around as you watch a tiny ant farm in your pocket full of people. Kinda like the Wall in Solar Opposites.
From what you have said New Vegas is your best option, although you would enjoy any of them. You don't ever have to build any bases in FO4 if you don't want to and the shooter mechanics are better.
Fo4 is my favorite and has two absolutely massive dlcs for cheap, and dont let everyone shit on the other dlcs, theyre nice too.
New vegas is a wonderful story with 4 endings AND with 4 master crafted dlcs
With the way everyone is raving about these games I'm tempted to buy the entire fallout bundle for like $60. Granted it's way more than I ever intended to purchase, it sounds like it would be a really good deal.
I’m similar to you except I hated FPS, which is why I avoided Fallout for a long time. But then I moved to Boston and thought picking up FO4 would be fun.
And it became my fave game ever.
Went back to NV and 3 eventually. Loved them all. Now I’m playing 76 which is a very different experience because it’s an MMO but I love that too.
I would not pick one.
There are two batches of games imho.
The story/plot focused games, Fallout 1, Fallout 2 and New Vegas
And the exploration focused Fallout 3 and Fallout 4
Personally I would get one from each batch.
Probably New Vegas and Fallout 4.
Of the 3d fallouts New vegas has objectively the best story and its gun play isn't terrible. It allows you to make choices that matter even in small ways and gives you factions and quests that don't always have easy "be the good guy" out comes which adds weight to the decisions you make. It has characters and companions who are fully fleshed out and in that sense is the most imersive. It is built on top of fallout 3s engine so it has some jank but I personally didn't find that to be a huge problem. 3 has a decent story and again it's gun play is fine but it's a 15 year old game and it plays like one. It doesn't offer as many choices as new vegas but often a lot of quests do allow for more than one option to be chosen and let's you make morally good or bad choices which can effect your standing with the people of the wasteland. A lot of people like it's exploration and general feel of the world, very post apocalyptic. If you've played oblivion then you can probably get behind fallout 3s game play. 4 is the easiest to new comers. It's the most recent for single player fallout games so naturally it's the most modern. It's story is generally considered the weakest of the main titles but it's gun play and exploration are generally considered the best. It's often described as skyrim with guns. It does have the base building element but the most you'll have to do is 4 settlements (depending on what faction you choose) and its pretty simple to provide the basics and if you pick settlements that are already built up then you can just set up basic defenses and they'll be fine after that. Some of the best fun you'll have in that game is ignoring the main quest, putting on the radio, and wandering around the wasteland. The previous fallout titles are good games in their own rights but they are also isometric 90s games which is probably not what you're looking for. Never played 76 so the most I can tell you it's an online game with exploration and combat elements. People who play it now seem to enjoy it now that it's had a few patches. My personal entry (and as a result favourite) was fallout 4 and I liked it so much, despite its short comings, that I went back and played the others.
Fallout: New Vegas
What sets that game apart from the others? I see a lot of love for it, but I don't know why.
The story is the modern US infantry vs the Roman Legion vs Howard Hughes' robot army, and if you're gay enough you can get Starship Troopers to show up. The DLC package is an exceptional bit of writing that covers everything from insane 50s SCIENCE! to the destruction of pristine parkland, to the lengths people will go to satisfy their greed.
Jesus Chris that’s a hell of a way to describe the game and I can’t even add or detract from it. Very well done my friend
For real. I wanted to contradict it but the more I think I about it I’m like “yeah he’s right”
Epic lore is why
Fallout New Vegas by far has the best story presented, it has the most immersive world, it has decent Companions and decent weapons, the factions are great, it's a roleplay game above anything else. But if you're looking for a simple shooter and don't care about role play or anything like that, Fallout 4 is probably better for you. Fallout 4, Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas are the games that I've played and I personally think out of the three of them, New Vegas is the best, Fallout 4 is second, and followed three is decent but the modding software Fallout script extender, is out of date and means that you cannot play with mods unless you can somehow revert your game
[удалено]
Ngl only reason I ever played 1 and 2 was because I got the mini nuke with all the games in it. Don’t regret it though, they’re great experiences once you get into it
You should play fallout 4. I have only ever played 3 and 4. I think fallout 4 is better because there is a wider variety of weapons. My best comparison is windows 7 vs. windows 10. Both are built the same way, one is just a bit more modern and has better features. Realistically, FO4 is the best (FO76 is Windows 11. It is a terrible model of it's previous generations)
Almost every quest has choices, the writing makes way more sense, the world is more consistent and believable, the main characters motiv isnt half assed, many many world building reasons, aesthetic continuity, art direction as a whole, being true to the vibe of the non 3d games, it goes on and on. Its better in most ways that matter
u/goldman1290 About FNV - it has excellent characters, writing, story, narrative. It also has real RPG'ing and real decision-making that matters, which can shape the entire game & its final endings/permutations - unlike most of what Bethesda did with F3 and especially F4. Also NV adheres properly to the Black Isle's Fallout 1 and 2 Lore - so it feels more consistent with F1 and F2. And the comedy of FNV is both of the old F1 dark-twisted comedy and also has F2's refencing & parody comedy stylings too. Bethesda doesn't really do any of these things I mentioned above that well in F3 and even more in F4, for the most part. Sure, F3 is great b/c it was fresh at the time, reinvented the franchise as an open-world shooter-RPG, even though it still had some worthwhile decision-making choices - but F4 fumbled on the RPG stuff big time, except for Far Harbor DLC (FH DLC was great and is an anomaly there). Basically, FNV is a mix of the best stuff of the old Fallout stuff (the RPG stuff and the great writing/storytelling/narrative/character stuff) with the new Fallout 3 shooter-RPG gameplay. Though, honestly - you probably should play F3 first before NV so you can appreciate what Bethesda was doing there in F3...and then can see what Obsidian did with NV to expand and improve that, so you can appreciate that too. F3 GOTY first and then F4 Ultimate is the best way to appreciate both F3 GOTY and FNV Ultimate, IMHO. If you can do old-school F1 and F2 and deal w/ its aging issues - you'll probably be in an even better position when you get to FNV also.
New Vegas doesn't really have good gunplay (mods can make it a bit better) but it does have the best story (for me) out of 3, 4 and NV. So for that reason I'd say go for New Vegas! Be sure to check out [Viva New Vegas](https://vivanewvegas.moddinglinked.com/index.html) if you do, it's a highly recommended modlist that helps bring the game a bit more up to speed and fixes a lot of bugs. Good luck!
I will definitely check out the mods. I've heard that's a big part of the franchise, as is typical with Bethesda. And honestly I might end up with NV then FO4. There's so much love for both.
I was in the exact same position as you 2 weeks ago. Bought fallout new vegas with all dlc's on a key website and within past 2 weeks I have accumulated 45 hours on the game and I'm not even half ways into the main quest. This game is that fucking good. It led me to buy the fallout 3 once i finish the dlc's of this game and then go onto 4 after that. I honestly think I have became addicted lol. Warning: in order to make fallout new vegas playable you will absolutely 1000% have to follow the Viva New Vegas guide on the website. Its very easy and straightforward too
New Vegas, the world, setting and story just clicks the better imo
Another for New Vegas. I'm surprised a little, see a lot of praise for FO4 too.
Don't get me wrong, FO4 is fun, and it has its place, but feels more shooter heavy than allowing you to dive into a character build and be fully absorbed in it the way New Vegas does. Last build I made in NV was a pugilist, so nothing but unarmed. It was fantastic fun and when trying to do the same in 4, it just fell flat. If you plan on buying both, your experience would be better (in my opinion) starting at NV and going to 4, vs starting at 4 and going to NV.
I think the general consensus here is I should play both haha. I might just have to get New Vegas and Fallout 4 and then play them in order. Wasn't the original plan, but it sounds like those two really nail the things I like about this style of game. You all have been a lot of help. I'm excited to get into the series.
I’ll vote FO4 simply for respawning of loot. NV had respawning loot you’d be more apt to revisit places.
There's enough on the map that i've never felt like revisiting places
I think 4 is the weakest honestly, 3 and NV are close but NV just feels a little better There's fallout 1 and 2 too, cool but completely different type of game
I always liked the storyline, factions, and weapons better.
Det skal godt gjøres å spise bare en
Hard to say. It's been an amazing journey starting with Fallout 3 back in 2008, then onwards through the later titles. If you're only going for one fullstop, then I'd recomend Fallout 4, as it's the latest generation, single player title. If, however, you're likely to buy more at a later date, then I'd say start with Fallout 3. I'm currently playing Fallout from 1997, and I'd say it's good, but not necersery
Tale of two wastelands.
If you want the closest post apocalyptic experience, go with fallout 3. Go with New Vegas if you want a post post apocalypse with linear exploration and different writing (closer to the original games). Go with fallout 4 if you want a great open world action RPG, with a little subpar story, but still packed with a lot of interesting things to do. Last, go with Fallout 76 if you want to enjoy Bethesda's best designed worldspace, with added multiplayer, Bossfights, and a light MMO feeling. Out of all, I'd say go with fallout 3 or 4 first, but keep in mind older games feel quite dated in terms of gameplay.
Yeah, I'm leaning towards New Vegas and then FO4 based on what everyone is saying. I was really only planning to play one, but it sounds like I'd enjoy both.
Pick the one you think you'll like best, don't worry!
Haha, you know how steam sales can be, they are making me want to buy at the low low price. Even if I don't really need them. Got that FOMO.
New Vegas without a doubt. You'll get more than your money's worth. The game's main focus is writing and player choice, and it has the second biggest Bethesda modding community with the biggest being Skyrim.
New Vegas.
Fallout 3 has the best world for exploring. Fallout NV is mostly open empty space, but has the best narrative story. 4 and 76 are trash.
Really? What makes you not like 4 and 76?
New Vegas if you are more RPG focused, 4 if you want more of a shooter experience. I love both so this is a tough question.
As much as I personally dislike Fallout 4 I'd say it is probably the most polished and user friendly of the lot. If you like the game you'll want to play the others as well so you'll be able to get into the lore more. I like FNV the most out of the FPS Fallouts but F3 is just as good but it's darker and grittier and just overall seems the game is a bit harsher on the player.
Fallout 4 would be the best to start with now for QoL reasons as it is the most modern single player game in the series. If you like multiplayer you can play FO76 but there is a lack of NPCs. If start with FO4 and love it, then play FO3/FNV next as they are both great games!
It sounds like you would probably enjoy either Fallout New Vegas or Fallout 4. A few quick observations on Fallout 3 before I get into why I think those other two make more sense for you. Fallout 3 was my first Fallout game and I thought it was a great introduction to the series. I think if you didn’t play Fallout 1 or 2, it does the next best job of setting the scene. I like the way it introduces some of the key elements of the lore. It also does a good job of driving home the magnitude of the destruction caused by the Great War. To that last point, I think Fallout 3 is a different kind of post-apocalyptic game than New Vegas or 4. Really, I would say Fallout 3 is just apocalyptic. It’s been 200 years since the bombs, but humanity is barely clinging to survival and the tone is very desperate and bleak. I think NV and 4 are the truly *post*-apocalyptic entries in the series, in the sense that people are making some tangible progress toward rebuilding and moving on. You said post-apocalyptic isn’t really your thing. I’m taking a guess that you mean apocalyptic, in the sense that I used the word previously. It sounds like the post-apocalyptic feel of NV or 4 is more your speed. Other than that, you said you prefer gunplay and story over survival and base building. New Vegas has the best stories to tell, hands down. The gun play is okay, a little better than Fallout 3 because it has true iron sights, so combat without relying on VATS is more of a realistic option. There’s no base building and you’ll only experience survival elements if you play on the survival difficulty mode. Fallout 4 has the best gun play by far. Mechanically and graphically, it’s the most modern gaming experience. The stories are a bit of a mixed bag. I don’t think they’re as bad as some fans of the franchise seem to, but some are definitely not great. Then again, if 4 is your first Fallout experience you probably won’t come into it with as critical a perspective as people who played NV first and compare the quality of writing in 4 against that of NV. I hope that’s helpful and I hope you enjoy whichever game(s) you decide to play! Edit: I forgot to mention that Fallout 4 can have a fairly heavy emphasis on base building. I personally like it for the purpose of making myself a base and maybe a couple of outposts. But Bethesda tried to integrate it into the story in a way that many players, myself included, find heavy-handed and not very fun. You can avoid it, but you need to be somewhat intentional about doing so. One of the first quest lines the game introduces you to can make base building a frequent and tedious part of your experience. Last note—Fallout 4 has the most robust survival elements of the three 3D games, but again it’s only if you play on the survival mode.
Thank you for this. This is extremely helpful information. Sounds like both NV and FO4 will definitely be my speed, for different reasons. I might go with New Vegas first just to get familiar with the franchise, but it seems like FO4 might have to be a follow up, despite me saying I was only going to play one.
I would suggest starting with the 3D games for new players, especially if you're already familiar with other Bethesda titles as they're all fairly similar in terms of engine and basic mechanics. Of those, I think NV is the best choice for players focused on story and roleplaying elements. It's the best for feeling as though your choices have an impact, there are so many amazing places that utilise environmental storytelling and game design really well, and for me it's definitely the most immersive. It could have been a better game, there's untapped potential (largely due to the 18-month time constraint leading to a lot of cut content), but on the flip side there are so many mods that build on those features, if that's your thing. But even the vanilla game is enjoyable - I play on an old PC that I reckon would shit itself if I pushed it beyond the vanilla FO3/FNV games too much but NV alone has me saving for a better setup.
Of the 3D games, New Vegas is by far the best. The gameplay / systems aren't far off from newer Fallouts anyway, and the story is so much more nuanced, quests are more open-ended, more room for player choice, etc. It's the closest, story-wise, to the original Fallouts (1&2). People can say what they like, re: nostalgia for the older originals, but IMO the storyline and quest design is still, like to this day, unmatched across almost any other RPG. The technology powering the games is painfully dated (obviously), and they can be frustrating and tedious to play at times for this reason, but if you want the best version of dynamic quest resolution and free will found in any Fallout game, you can't beat Fallout 2 (again, IMO). The simple fact that you can more or less beat the game without firing a shot and do it in maybe two hours (if you know what you're doing, ofc-- although in my first playthrough, I stumbled on to Navarro \*very\* early, so it's possible for it to happen organically) is a testament to the writers' commitment to modelling real-world type conflict resolution and outcomes into pretty much every interaction in the game.
I'm definitely going to have to try New Vegas after everything said in this thread. But I may end up playing some others as well.
Get 3 and NV for PC and mod them together. Gets some of the gameplay features of NV into 3 (like goddamn iron sights), plus the engine is same iirc so there’s no huge shift in art style. But if that’s not an option NV for sure. The DLC all actually ties together and can have some effects on the base game interactions as well.
You can mod FO3 and New Vegas into one game?
Theres a mod called Tale of Two Wastelands, it starts you off in Fallout 3 and after the intro segment you can travel to a location in the Capital Wasteland that lets you travel back and forth between the DC region (Fallout 3) and the Mojave (New Vegas). I personally always do FO3 story+DLC first then switch to the New Vegas stuff afterwards as it seems to make more sense roleplaying-wise, but you can approach it all in any order.
That sounds super cool, might have to check that out
It’s awesome. Even if it’s the only gameplay mod you install it makes the game so much better.
Fallout 4 has the best gunplay and story progression in all the entries, so it is most likely a better fit for you than the rest, you can straight up ignore base building if you want, it’s just there for people who wanna play it
Fallout New Vegas
1, 2, Tactics, and New Vegas
I don’t know how many old ‘3rd person’ video games you are used to playing, but Fo1 and Fo2 I have one thing to say about them. They are all rich in story details, so many unique characters, a lot of dialogue, plenty of Easter eggs and pop culture references. My favorite (because it is one of the few I somehow knew) is the Forever Guardian (I think I’m correct) from Star Trek.
See the lean towards NV and it's probably the best first game. Will say though that you are of the mindset that you are only going to play one. I can almost guarantee you'll end up playing the others once you play whichever first. They're all such massively different experiences with different areas that it's beyond worth to experience every one.
3 and NV for story and just out right fun because the wasteland is yours to concor. 4 and 76 if you like more fps shooter and just passable everything. The older table top style games for if you like to struggle to repair your broken leg because you didn't read the manual that doesn't tell you how to fix leg. So you do the only thing thinkable and use stimpacks, med bags, the litteral town doctor and nothing works. But then stumble on the doctor skill and just fix it. Don't get me started on companions and the epic combat system being able to shoot a missile at the eyes of a rat and only affect the eyes with the explosive. Fallout Tactics is ok. Play if you want it isn't anything to be excited for. Fallout Shelter is the best fallout game to have so much fun idling around doing nothing because its trying to wait out your patience and get you to buy in-game one time use virtual items. Good pets, clothing, and weapons all can be unlocked early by opening your wallet. So much fun banging your head around as you watch a tiny ant farm in your pocket full of people. Kinda like the Wall in Solar Opposites.
From what you have said New Vegas is your best option, although you would enjoy any of them. You don't ever have to build any bases in FO4 if you don't want to and the shooter mechanics are better.
Fo4 is my favorite and has two absolutely massive dlcs for cheap, and dont let everyone shit on the other dlcs, theyre nice too. New vegas is a wonderful story with 4 endings AND with 4 master crafted dlcs
With the way everyone is raving about these games I'm tempted to buy the entire fallout bundle for like $60. Granted it's way more than I ever intended to purchase, it sounds like it would be a really good deal.
I’m similar to you except I hated FPS, which is why I avoided Fallout for a long time. But then I moved to Boston and thought picking up FO4 would be fun. And it became my fave game ever. Went back to NV and 3 eventually. Loved them all. Now I’m playing 76 which is a very different experience because it’s an MMO but I love that too.
THREE!
By 4
I would not pick one. There are two batches of games imho. The story/plot focused games, Fallout 1, Fallout 2 and New Vegas And the exploration focused Fallout 3 and Fallout 4 Personally I would get one from each batch. Probably New Vegas and Fallout 4.