Honestly all of the Fallout titles deserve a place on this list. Even before the jump to 3D under the helm of Bethesda Softworks, Interplay’s 2D interpretations let the player loose in the post-apocalyptic world gamers have come to love. The retro-futuristic nuclear wasteland the player must explore has reached iconic status within the gaming community. There have being many post-apocalyptic styled video game worlds but none come close to matching the Fallout series in style and gameplay. Although the transition of the Fallout property over to Bethesda from Interplay wasn’t without its share of controversy and litigation, the move to 3D really help move the series forward. The developers could now put in the effort to depict the Fallout universe in way that it was never seen from before and as good as Fallout 3 was it is its follow up New Vegas that has the edge on its predecessors.
In truth both games look very similar, in no small part due to both games running of the same game engine. New Vegas taking what worked in Fallout 3 and developing on the gameplay features along with a whole new map. Why they felt the need to make the loading screens even longer is beyond me, but that’s beside the point. The reason why New Vegas is better than the rest is for it Hardcore mode that entirely changes the way the player approaches the game. Now to keep your character alive you must eat, sleep and drink at regular intervals. Radiation sickness is a far more serious issue with medicine only working slowly over a period of time and will no longer get you back on your feet instantaneously. In Hardcore mode attacking a radroach or a mole rat is an entirely different proposition, if you lack the necessary medical supplies you might have to think twice before entering into such combat situations. The Wanders Edition mod will allow the player to experience similar gameplay in Fallout 3, which might have me reconsider my choice of Fallout New Vegas.
