So which is the better video game? (Fallout Recommendation)

Greetings people of Earth,

I'd like to spend some time with a Fallout game and I want to know from you guys which is the better video game, Fallout 3 or Fallout: New Vegas. I like games that blend shooting mechanics with RPG elements. I had a great time with Borderlands and I love the Mass Effect franchise (I cannot wait for ME3). Whereas both, Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas share similar aesthetics, I want to know which is the tighter, essential Fallout experience?

I think it boils down to this, which do I have to play to get the most out of Fallout?? ( Remember, I can only play one of them)

I hope you guys can help me out here. Those of you who played and finished both, should know best!

Cheers,

Laurent

I prefer New Vegas.

Hey @TentPole care to share why you do?

to be honest i would prefer fallout 3, it was such a memorable experience playing it the first time. wandering around, getting and choosing perks, the music, and the environment.

the spark was lost when i was playing fallout new vegas, cause it was too buggy such as companion missions not showing up sometimes and long loading times (i played on xbox so i can't speak for pc) the only thing that was truly improved was shooting (through aiming down sights) and companion interaction through the companion wheel. don't get me wrong new vegas is still great (lots of replay value and the same core gameplay) but fallout 3 is just more memorable.

Yes, that's exactly how I feel about the Batman Arkham games. I like the first so much more because it was such a memorable experience the first time around. Arkham City is a great game but I like Arkham Asylum better. Giantbomb staffers where talking about it on a bombcast and I think they found New Vegas annoying because so much time was spent in the desert instead of Vegas, the Strip and all that. I don't know. I feel like Fallout 3 might be best for me, too bad the shooting is not as good as in New Vegas.

Cheers @reptilia_kun

I would say fallout new vegas. The story is better, the world is better, the main quest is better, the side quests are better, the characters are FAR better, the gameplay is better. The dlc is GODLY and it is just a really great game I have played for a good 300 hours. Also, if you can get the newest patches, I am willing to say that it is less buggy than Fallout 3 now with those patches.

Good to hear that @Jay444111 . You really like New Vegas ;) Sounds awesome! Did you finish Fallout 3?

I put i over 80h in both, and I can safely say that I prefer New Vegas. I just genuinely think that the writing is better. Nothing more, nothing less. Fallout 3 is more expansive and arguably less buggy, but I think New Vegas brings out the more interesting world and sidequests. I also think Vegas is better at staying true to how the factions act in the original. They are both great games though, you can't go wrong.

I would play Skyrim, it is like Fallout but like you got a time machine.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts @TobbRobb .

I'd say Fallout 3 because I spent more time with it and it I finished the main story. I just think its the best of the Fallout games and its sounds like it has better DLC though I didn't play any of it for New Vegas or 3.

Oh yeah I finished fallout 3... 4 to 7 times. I still can find new things in it. I have gotten so good at both games that I can take a deathclaw out at level one. (way easier to do in fallout 3.) I would say that new vegas is basically like fallout 3. Just with way more things in it and alot more meat to it. Story and gameplay being the main two things really improved upon. I have boughten all the DLC for both games. ALL OF THEM. I love the games and am willing to pay for each DLC out for the fact that they are all extremely awesome..... eh... sorry that I kinda went on a rant there, I just love the both of these games quite a bit.

I like New Vegas much more than 3. The faction interplay is an excellent mechanic (one I was very sad wasn't used in Skyrim), the side quests are highly entertaining, moreso than 3 (Oh you magnificent ghouls in your rocket ships!) and iron sights are very nice. Also, the landscape feels more open and a lot less cluttered than 3.

This isn't the opinion of everyone but from my experience seeing this question asked many times before, the overall consensus is that both are excellent games for varying reasons.

Most (but not all) people consider the main positive of Fallout New Vegas to be its storyline and characters which are of a better quality than Fallout 3. The small additions (such as iron sights) are certainly welcomed by many but they don't make or break the game. On the subject of 'breaking' the game; New Vegas has a lot of technical issues many of which have supposedly been ironed out with patches, fixes etc. I cannot vouch for the game being fixed but if you choose to play NV be wary of its notorious problems going in as it has more bugs than F3.

Fallout 3 may not pack the storyline punch of New Vegas but many consider it's game world to be more interesting, a lot of people have also stated that they felt NV's storyline was perhaps too focused and that the player didn't feel as compelled to explore the world they were in. Players loved to roam the lands discovering locations, stumbling upon quests and miniature plot lines. Similar experiences are available for the player in New Vegas but maybe not to the same extent and/or quality.

It is an incredibly difficult question to answer and it really just comes down to your own preferences; make note of everything I've mentioned above and try and make a choice from that.

P.S. Neither game is short but if you are looking for a particularly long experience you might want to consider the fact that Fallout 3 has some excellent DLC; The Pitt, Broken Steel and Point Lookout are all considered great additions. New Vegas has had DLC released too, but very little of it was received well by fans.

EDIT: Interesting to see that quite a posters have gone against the grain, stating the NV has a better world or that the DLC is of a good quality. With that said, forum users on the official Fallout 3/NV sites and Fallout fan sites typically follow the examples I mentioned.

I haven't finished New Vegas yet but I have to say I'm enjoying it a lot more than Fallout 3. I found Fallout 3 a little bit disappointing to be brutally honest. I had no expectations whatsoever for New Vegas so I'm enjoying it more. It plays it much more for laughs than Fallout 3 too. It has a very dark subtle, dark sense of humour that's more in keeping with the original Fallout games.

That said, I didn't hit anywhere near as many brick walls with Fallout 3. I've restarted New Vegas three times now because I've found myself completely unable to progress. First time I got bored. The second I absent-mindedly saved my progress by walking through a door and was basically unable to escape. The third I found myself on the Legion's shitlist and they sent assassins after me. I was nowhere near leveled up enough so they killed me every time and wherever I went, they'd find me. That might be me being shit at games though.

If I had to chooes, I'd go for New Vegas. You don't need to play Fallout 3 to play, there are no backstories that you need to know. That said, Fallout 3 is still a very entertaining game. If you enjoy one, you'll enjoy the other.

@reptilia_kun said:

to be honest i would prefer fallout 3, it was such a memorable experience playing it the first time. wandering around, getting and choosing perks, the music, and the environment.

the spark was lost when i was playing fallout new vegas, cause it was too buggy such as companion missions not showing up sometimes and long loading times (i played on xbox so i can't speak for pc) the only thing that was truly improved was shooting (through aiming down sights) and companion interaction through the companion wheel. don't get me wrong new vegas is still great (lots of replay value and the same core gameplay) but fallout 3 is just more memorable.

I agree with everything this guy says.

@lorijho: fallout 3.

I would have to say FO 3, because it is pretty great and there's a lot to do, but it just feels odd whenever I play it, an unshakable feeling. It's great, and certainly has a lot of memorable moments, and some good old lore. FO NV, however, is again a great game, not quite as good as FO3 I'd say but still worth a couple hundred hours. Again it is great and memorable but there is TOO much to do. You may (I know I did) feel swamped by a lot of active quests, it feels harder to progress and the story is quite lengthily and challenging. Again there is some good lore, but not much, that contributes toward the FO universe. I would recommend them both.

fallout 3 is kind of boring, it's horribly written, there are like 5 decent side quests

new vegas has superb writing, awesome ass quests, dave foley

New Vegas all the way duder. It features far better writing, characters, and overall mission events and structure than Fallout 3 did.

EDIT: Oh, and if you actually want to get the most out of Fallout, New Vegas would definitely be the choice, and it ties in much more with the original two games (considering it was written by several of the same people).

I prefer Fallout 3. New Vegas is still very good, but once I played through it for the first time I never felt the need to play again (but I did anyway, gotta get dem achievements).

Cheers,

Dad

Definitely New Vegas, but both are really good regardless.

@IkariNoTekken: Thanks for sharing your view on this. You helped me in my decision, I will play New Vegas on PC. I hope they have patched most of the shortcomings which plagued players at launch.

Thanks for you input guys. Rock-on!

Cheers

Laurent

@lorijho: Any time, it's just good to hear you've been able to make a decision. Enjoy the game.