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

I liked the opening to FO3 better than Vegas.

Liam Neeson, your dad, living in the vault etc, finally you get out of the vault and have no idea where to go or what to do. The ruins of a town nearby.

And nothing from New Vegas sticks in my memory like than having to go to the grocery store in FO3.

Heck I can't even recall what the main story was in Vegas. What was my motivation short of "revenge".

I may be in the minority but despite the stupid ending (which was fixed in the DLC), FO3 had the better story. But yea mechanically Vegas was better.
 
Nillansan said:
Play 1, 2 and New Vegas. Skip 3.

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

I haven't played Tactics yet.
Click to expand...

this is pretty much how I feel

Fallout 3 was a huge disappointment. New Vegas is fantastic. However, if you can't get down with oldschool then jump to NV
 
Fallout 4 is the successor of Fallout 3 so if you want a taste of what Fallout 4 will be I suggest playing that game. On the other hand if you want to play a good Fallout game without kindergarten writing and gigantic plot holes, play 1, 2 or New Vegas.
 
FO3 is a pretty good game, but it's a pretty bad "Fallout" game.

The first two games have so much humor and ridiculousness, and New Vegas harkens back to that a lot more than FO3 does.

The characters and side quests are a lot more memorable in New Vegas than in FO3 (with the exception of the Wasteland Survival Guide which is much more in line with FO1/2 than basically anything else in FO3).
 
I tried playing Fallout 1 but I couldn't stand how slow it was to navigate around. Any tips for someone who really wants to play the first two?
 
Linkhero1 said:
I tried playing Fallout 1 but I couldn't stand how slow it was to navigate around. Any tips for someone who really wants to play the first two?
Click to expand...

Cheat.

Also, there is a way to get power armor really quickly in the first game (or was it the second?). Check out a FAQ or something.
 
The mainline games + New Vegas are all fantastic. NV and FO3 are my favorites.

If you can play them on PC then definitely do so. Mods are incredible.
 
If you like, or think you might like, isometric turn-based RPGs, then you should definitely play Fallout 1 and 2. They're some of the best examples of the form, and while FO1 doesn't quite hold up the way FO2 does, it is pretty short and a good introduction to the world.

As for the modern Fallout series, I'll echo the rest of the thread in saying that New Vegas is essential, and you can skip 3. The Bethesda take on the Fallout universe in FO3 is much weaker than what was established in FO1 and 2, and continued in NV. It's a more generic, cliched, and superficial take on nuclear post-apocalypse and ignores many of the specific setting and story elements that make the world building so strong in the other games. Another major flaw of FO3 is that its main quest line manages to be both super railroady and utterly incoherent at the same time, which is a bit of a feat. Sadly, I suspect Fallout 4 will have more in common with 3 than with the other games in the series.
 
MikeyB said:
Don't play Fallout 2. I restarted it recently and the opening temple takes forever by modern standards.
Click to expand...

While the factual statement here is correct (long opening), it seems like a bad argument for not playing the game at all. Baldur's Gate 2 had an extraordinarily long opening section as well. Is that another game that you would recommend people not to play?
 
Start with New Vegas or 3. New Vegas is superior though. Fallout 1 and 2 are good, but won't prepare you for Fallout 4 at all.
 
Sinatar said:
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.
Click to expand...

The truest post here (along with the others echoing it).

3 is a serviceable set of RPG mechanics layered on a shit engine with absolutely none of the charm of fallout. New Vegas is the same mechanics/engine with an actual game on top of it. 1 and 2 are tonally like NV and in terms of quest design that's the 'standard' the series is measured by, while 3 is just kind of there bein shitty lettin you shoot people with VATS.
 
Play:

Fallout 3 if you prefer the setting of a nuclear wasteland set in old cities and Washington DC.

New Vegas if you like the western desert setting. New Vegas feels a bit like a country western.

I absolutely HATE western settings, so as much as I tried and tried to enjoy NV, I couldn't. I put 20+ hours into it across a few different playthrough attempts. Fallout 3 had a much more enjoyable setting for me.
 
I would recommend starting with Fallout 3! Its a very good game (one of my favorites past gen) and easier then New Vegas. Also it holds the same style of Fallout 4, wich is the one you certainly is hyped about!
 
Fallout 3. That was the first by Bethesda, and so that's the best prep for Fallout 4. The earlier games are more old school, top-down stuff. You can play them if you like, but you certainly don't have to, in order to appreciate the world of Fallout. It's not like there's some big, complex back story. It's pretty simple setup, really, and you'll learn everything you need from Fallout 3. And it's a great game to boot.
 
Anderson DL said:
Fallout 3. That was the first by Bethesda, and so that's the best prep for Fallout 4. The earlier games are more old school, top-down stuff. You can play them if you like, but you certainly don't have to, in order to appreciate the world of Fallout. It's not like there's some big, complex back story. It's pretty simple setup, really, and you'll learn everything you need from Fallout 3. And it's a great game to boot.
Click to expand...

That's basically what I'm getting from this thread.

Fallout 1 and 2 are the classic top-down's.

Fallout 3 and New Vegas are the new breed Fallout games, with New Vegas having the better story.
 
IAmRandom31 said:
Fallout Tactics
Click to expand...
That's just mean spirited.

OP: Of you're interested by the world and the story, play 1, 2, and NV. If you're interested in the kind of gameplay you saw, play 3 and NV.

Personally, I think 1 and 2 are brilliant, and it would be a shame to skip the two games that are at the heart of what makes Fallout special.
 
Pathfinder said:
That's basically what I'm getting from this thread.

Fallout 1 and 2 are the classic top-down's.

Fallout 3 and New Vegas are the new breed Fallout games, with New Vegas having the better story.
Click to expand...

Pretty much. have a look at some fallout 1/2 gameplay to see if it might be your thing, they are fairly cheap on steam too..if not, jump into fallout 3.
 
If you want to play a Fallout game because you liked what you saw in the Fallout 4 trailer, don't go for Fallout 1 and 2 or Tactics. You can always delve into those eventually, but that's not what you are probably looking for.

My opinion is Fallout New Vegas. Can get it for 5.99 right now and redeem it on Steam. Tons of mods and some good DLC.

New Vegas made some improvements over Fallout 3 and so will probably be the more polished experience. Some people may prefer Fallout 3 overall though. New Vegas has a lot of unique flavor though because of where geographically it is set.

Or... hey, you could always just play Skyrim. The most recent fantasy counterpart to Bethesda's Fallout games with similar gameplay and approach to creating an open world throughout.
 
If you're excited for FO4 just play 3. NV has a very different tone to it, from the trailer 4 and 3 should be closer. You don't need any knowledge from previous games. If you want more, New Vegas is a fantastic game, probably my favorite open world RPG still even after TW3. 1 and 2 are isometric turn based games, I feel it would be hard to get into if you don't have the experience, the game is kind of complicated.
 
Sinatar said:
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.
Click to expand...
.

Ill say this though. I thought the intro to fo3 was better than nv. Thats about all the praise ill give fo3. Fo3 is soo buggy its hard to recommend it. The amount of crashes i had were ridiculous.
 
Fallout 3 is a great, accessible introduction to the world. New Vegas is better. If you like the quest structure and the tighter focus on roleplaying elements in New Vegas, give Fallout 1&2 a try. They're excellent games but I wouldn't recommend you start with them unless you're already a big fan of CRPGs.
 
How are you PC, win 7, folks avoiding the crashes with Fallout 3 (steam)? I seriously have to save everything I think about it to avoid losing progress from the inevitable crash.
 
I'd say 2, then New Vegas. Whatever you do make sure it's on PC because it's either exclusive or needs to be fixed with mods.
 
Quikies83 said:
How are you PC, win 7, folks avoiding the crashes with Fallout 3 (steam)? I seriously have to save everything I think about it to avoid losing progress from the inevitable crash.
Click to expand...
You dont. It crashed so frequently for me. There might be a mod to help, but im not that educated on fo3 mods.
 
I was thinking about making a thread about this as well. I have no experience with the Fallout series and wasn't sure if I should play Fallout 3 or New Vegas. I wanted to play a game that will be similar to the new one, so.. yeah. Those are probably the best options. A couple of my friends both prefer FO3, but say New Vegas is fantastic as well, but here, NV seems to get most of the recommendations.
 
SoraanTribal said:
I was thinking about making a thread about this as well. I have no experience with the Fallout series and wasn't sure if I should play Fallout 3 or New Vegas. I wanted to play a game that will be similar to the new one, so.. yeah. Those are probably the best options. A couple of my friends both prefer FO3, but say New Vegas is fantastic as well, but here, NV seems to get most of the recommendations.
Click to expand...

Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong with either.

New Vegas has the superior writing and mechanics, while I preferred FO3's world. Both are superb games.
 
Zulithe said:
My opinion is Fallout New Vegas. Can get it for 5.99 right now and redeem it on Steam. Tons of mods and some good DLC.
Click to expand...

As someone else asked, where?

Zulithe said:
Or... hey, you could always just play Skyrim. The most recent fantasy counterpart to Bethesda's Fallout games with similar gameplay and approach to creating an open world throughout.
Click to expand...

See, this concerns me before I even start the game. I am not a fan of the Elder Scrolls games. I just find them quite boring and prefer a more story/character focused RPG (like Bioware RPGs or the Witcher or Mass Effect, etc). Comparing Skyrim to Fallout games isn't a high compliment. :/ Hmm.

Fracas said:
Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong with either.

New Vegas has the superior writing and mechanics, while I preferred FO3's world. Both are superb games.
Click to expand...

That's very similar to what my friends said. Hmm...
 
SoraanTribal said:
As someone else asked, where?



See, this concerns me before I even start the game. I am not a fan of the Elder Scrolls games. I just find them quite boring and prefer a more story/character focused RPG (like Bioware RPGs or the Witcher or Mass Effect, etc). Comparing Skyrim to Fallout games isn't a high compliment. :/ Hmm.



That's very similar to what my friends said. Hmm...
Click to expand...

Fo3s story is absolutely terrible.
 
New Vegas is the best introduction to the series for a new player. It has the lore and setting and choice and consequences of 1 and 2, so you can see why people love Fallout. It also has tons of bugs (fixed only by player-made mods), crashes, and ugly character models, so you can see what to expect from Bethesda games.
 
The core games might be take a bit to grasp mechanically. You might want to ease yourself in with Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel.
 
There's a strange wave of hate for F3 in this forum, but I thought it was a really incredible experience, one of my most memorable from last-gen. That's where I started as a Fallout newb, and that's what I recommend to you.
 
Denton said:
They look similar on surface, but New Vegas is so much stronger narratively/design-wise, it's not even funny.
Click to expand...

Mmmm would playing NV skipping F3 altogether be a good idea, story wise? Don't you lose references or something like that?
 
Start with 4.

Sounds crazy but there is logic to it.

If you play through the series now you will be *burnt* out by the time you get your hands on 4.

You can easily ouy hundreds of hours into Fallout 3 alone. I put in 300, I know someone who put in 500.

Assuming a fall release (fingers crossed) I suggest you save your Fallout energy for the the lastest and greatest (also fingers crossed).

Plus continuity doesn't seem to ever factor in.
 
3. I played 1 and 2 first, but as another poster said, they're nothing like the Bethesda games. If you're interested in those and have played Elder Scrolls, just pick up 3. If you're really interested in the lore and the progression of the series, then I'm sure you could find 1/2 cheap and possibly even free (not saying pirate it, lol). I enjoyed the old ones a fair amount, but I loved 3. The first two have more depth, too. Just depends.

also fuck everybody saying don't play FO3. It's a great game, idc.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

  • Poll
Will there be a Fallout game announcement to go with the new season of the show this December?
3
310
Stafford replied
  • Poll
Which Legendary Game Developer Should Sony Airlift in to Save Marathon?
2 3
105
1K
DonkeyPunchJr replied
Looking for the best Fallout 3, Fallout New Vegas and Fallout 4 mods that are close to baseline
12
545
Strategize replied
If your new game has the word Fall in the title, I'm not fucking buying it.
2
60
3K
StereoVsn replied
  • Poll
Should the Final Fantasy series go back to the turn based combat?
3 4 5 6 7
322
2K
Idleyes replied
Top Bottom