If I'm new to the Fallout series, which game should I start with?

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Pathfinder

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I'm new to the Fallout series and haven't really played any of the games so far.

I know I'm probably missing out on something great, considering how many people were present on the Twitch stream, and how big the Fallout 4 trailer thread got in a very short amount of time.

If I wanted to start getting into the Fallout world, which game should I start with? I want to be as prepared as possible for the new game because it looks awesome.

Do you suggest I start with the very first game, or are some of those early games optional by this point?
 
Personally, I'd say Fallout 2 (but that's where the series peaked for me). It might be a bit clunky by modern standards, but is well worth it. If that doesn't work out for you, Fallout 3 isn't a bad second choice.
 
If you want the old-school experience, I'd say Fallout 2. If you want a more recent game, then I'd say New Vegas. None of the games really require you to be familiar with the others in the series.
 
The first game is a bit too restrictive by today's standards, but I recently played Fallout 2 and felt like it held up very well. I would recommend starting with that one and then following with Fallout 3 and New Vegas however, I'd like to point out that it is absolutely not necessary at all for you to play the previous Fallout games to enjoy the most recent ones.

At best you will miss a couple of callbacks or easter eggs from previous games but they hardly, if at all, have any impact on the story.
 
Well if you're excited for Fallout 4, then play Fallout 3 since that'll be the closest thing to it.

If you want to play an actual good game then play Fallout, Fallout 2 and Fallout New Vegas.
 
Fallout 2 is a good one. After that, New Vegas. Fallout 3 should be played so you know what to expect from a Bethesda Fallout game.
 
2. Despite the grognards defending it as the seconf coming, 1 isn't very good and has also aged horribly.

Fallout 2 has also aged but is also one of the best games ever made. Plus there are small references to 2 in New Vegas that will make you smile.

You can play 3 I suppose but New Vegas is better in most areas.
 
Fallout 1 with modpack FIXT, then Fallout 2 with Restoration Pack, then Fallout: New Vegas with all DLCs and some good mods like jsawyer.

This is one of the best trilogies in all of gaming. Utterly brilliant.


....Fallout 3 is alright, but worse, and unrelated in story to the three above, so I would leave it for last.

Pathfinder said:
Are Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas radically different than one another?
Click to expand...

They look similar on surface, but New Vegas is so much stronger narratively/design-wise, it's not even funny.
 
Start with the first one.
It's pretty easy (for a crpg) and it's obviously the perfect introduction to the series and its lore.

F1->F2->(Fallout 3 is optional)->Fallout: New Vegas

This would be my recommendation.
 
Fallout 1, then if you like it go for Fallout 2. Fallout 3/New Vegas if you want to prepare for what Fallout 4 is going to be like (in terms of base gameplay). There's no need to play all of them unless you want to.
 
I'd say Fallout 3, then New Vegas. These will be most similar to Fallout 4, though any in the series are worth checking out if you're interested enough. Try for PC if you can, for as I understand, the mods can help polish up some things in the game and make it feel a little less dated.
 
Fallout 2 it's a great game, but plays nothing like the new ones
If you want to prepare to F4, go play New Vegas
 
I would just play III then New Vegas (with all the DLC for both). If you become a big fan then maybe go back and try the earlier games.
 
Pathfinder said:
Are Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas radically different than one another?
Click to expand...

They are superficially similar since they share an engine and overall gameplay framework, but they couldn't be more different from each other in regards to design philosophies.
 
RP912 said:
What's so bad about Fallout 1? I have it but never played it...
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Nothing is "so bad", but it has few interface niggles and the start is not the strongest (you start in a cave filled with rats, though you can all skip them and run away).
Fallout 1 is brilliant. Unforgettable atmosphere, villain, characters, many gameplay options.
 
Honestly start with Fallout 1, captures everything that the sequel games strive for. Fallout 2 is good, but feels off to me.

Same with Fallout 3 but it seems like Bethesda were big fans and tried to capture the feel of the two games but didn't.

Fallout New Vegas stays true to the first two games and still is one my absolute favourites, so go FO1, FO2 then FO:NV then play FO3 as a stand alone.
 
Denton said:
Fallout 1 with modpack FIXT, then Fallout 2 with Restoration Pack, then Fallout: New Vegas with all DLCs and some good mods like jsawyer.
Click to expand...

Does FIXT work with the Steam version of the game? I actually just started last night with F1. I've played F3 and NV a ton, but wanted to check out 1 and 2.
 
Fallout 1 actually doesn't take that long to get through. So yeah not a bad place.

Also as much hate that Fallout Tactics gets, it's actually a decent game. I mean there is practically little story and I'm not quite sure how it's held up over the years. But I enjoyed it quite a bit when it came out. So not a bad one to pick up if you get on a Fallout high.
 
As a warm up for Fallout 4? Probably Fallout 3. You only hurt yourself by becoming a fan of 1 and 2 (or to a degree even NV), since those games are just too different from Bethesda's gameplay.
 
Xater said:
Fallout 1 and 2 are nothing like the Bethesda game.
Click to expand...

FTFY

I'd recommend starting with New Vegas, to get a feel for the world and mechanics with a more modern flavor. New Vegas has the best writing, the best quests, and is the most mechanically polished Fallout game yet. It doesn't have the weird gameplay quirks of the older titles like the separation between Small Guns and Big Guns, and the engine is definitely improved over 3's so without even taking story into consideration NV wins out for me.

Then move onto 1 + 2, in that order - 1 is fairly short and even though parts of it are definitely dated if you have some patience you'll find an incredibly rewarding game hidden underneath the obtuse UI and ugly visuals. Peruse No Mutants Allowed for mods - the widescreen patch is a definite must as are those which fix the myriad bugs left in the GOG/Steam release. 1 can be considered a warm-up for 2, which is a much longer and more involved adventure and one of the greatest game sequels of all time.

Only play 3 once you've finished with the rest. It's a good game, but it's definitely got a different feel to it than the others... Which will probably translate to 4 since they're both the only Bethesda-developed games. I guess playing 3 last will probably prepare you for whatever 4 ends up being.
 
I'd try Fallout 1 first. If that doesn't do it for you, move on to Fallout 3. If that one doesn't grip you, move on to New Vegas. 3 and New Vegas are very similar on a superficial level, but New Vegas is a lot deeper.
 
I started off with New Vegas after a steam sale. I really enjoyed it, especially exploring the vaults.

I started FO3 not too long ago before getting derailed by The Witcher 3, but I intend to finish it. I haven't made it out of the vault yet :/ I will save it for the months leading up to 4, so Fallout is fresh on the mind.
 
I would play 3 and Vegas now because that's what Fallout is currently. That's the kind of experience you are going to have with 4. Once you finish those and you feel you need to see what the game was like before it transitioned into that i would suggest 2 because it's a way, way better game then 1 and it holds up much better.

If you plan on playing on PC i know a lot of graphical mods are out there for 3 and Vegas that make the game look better but i wouldn't go past that. I wouldn't get into changing the game or anything with mods until you do at least 1 playthrough.
 
If you're comfortable playing older games, start at the beginning with Fallout. Otherwise, start with Fallout 3 as it gets more into the lore of the Fallout universe than New Vegas.

NV definitely worth a playthrough however, as the controls and mechanics are improved considerably from 3.
 
When it comes to trying to see how you might like the new one then play fallout 3. Imo New Vegas is better in every way except that 3 had a larger map to explore, but that didn't matter much to me.
 
Fallout 2 is great but old. So you should have some favor for Retro games or else you won't play long enough. But the story is good and all Fallout games are independent from each other (well Fallout 2 begins at the end of Fallout 1 I think but you get a small brief update in the intro). If you can't stand it then jump straight to Fallout 3 on PC with maybe some nice mods so you have a overall better experience from the get go.
 
Fallout 1. It's a good introduction to the series and has a focus and coherency that the others lack.
 
Play 1, 2 and New Vegas. Skip 3.

Fallout 3 had very poor writing in comparison to the other entries in the series and none of the trademark humour.

I haven't played Tactics yet.
 
Only played the original Fallout and its sequel. They still hold up pretty well, make sure to get the latest community patches to make the game run better on modern systems. Haven't finished Fallout 2 yet, lost my saves and I was pretty far in... Fallout 2 seems to be the higher regarded out of the two games, it certainly is a lot bigger in scope and has some really good side quests. I did like the main story of the first game better to be honest.
 
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