Hi all,

Afther 1084 hours playing Oblivion (and God knows how many instaling mods), I have decided that it is time to take a look into Fallout series. I have, however some questions.

1. What to buy, Fallout GOTY, Fallout 3 or Fallout New Vegas?
2. Steam version: Working right with mods? (There are still a few problems with some mods and Steam in Oblivion).
3. Mods, mods, mods... I know Arwens list. Other popular lists?

Thank you in advance for help.

Are you looking for more of an RPG, and you don't really mind if the exploring isn't enjoyable? Then you should get New Vegas. The exploring is really bad and not worth it at all, and can turn you off quickly if you're expecting a world as rewarding to explore as one of Bethesda's. But, it's quests are better, the writing is better, it's far more of an RPG, and it's the game you should play if you're interested in also playing Fallout 1 and 2 at some point. You just need to treat the game as if it's not open world, sticking to the quests because going off and wandering on your own is a total waste of time.

Do you value exploring over just about everything else? If so, buy Fallout 3, it's sandbox is typical Bethesda fare and if you can spend hundreds of hours exploring Oblivion than you can spend just as much time in Fallout 3. The trade-off is that it's not as much of an RPG and has less choices than New Vegas does. Fallout 3 also has a very different atmosphere than New Vegas, and it feels much more post-apocalyptic.

Assuming you played those 1084 hours exploring, then Fallout 3 is the game for you. Fallout 3's replayability comes from exploring, New Vegas' replayability comes from it's quests and the different choices you can make. If you decide to get Fallout 3, you should of course definitely get Fallout GOTY.

I don't know much about mods and if they work well with the Steam version of Fallout 3 (though they work well with New Vegas due to the fact that New Vegas requires Steam anyway), but if you want the game that has the larger about of mods to choose from, get Fallout 3 as it's modding community had a 2 year head start on New Vegas.

I hope I'm wrong, but I have a feeling this is the most non-biased answer you're going to get. I may be biased towards exploration but I can also see why people like New Vegas. Most people here aren't quite as willing to recommend the game they don't like.

As far as I know Fallout 3 doesn't require steam.

Hmm, if you're an Oblivion fan and only care about exploring/modding Fallout 3 will suit your interests. If you want to go deeper into the Fallout series, why not play them in order?

(it depends on your tastes and wishes really, if you want to try the whole thing, start from the beginning as suggested at Fallout then Fallout 2, and Fallout Tactics. If you want to stay more modern, i would go with Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas both. Word of advice, go with your own opinion, and form your own critique of those games. It is better in the long run.....)

Go new vegas

I'd recommend starting at the beginning with the first game, but if you're averse to retrogaming or turn-based gameplay then I'd start with vanilla FO3, which is cheap as chips these days and is, has been said, the most Oblivion-like. Skip the Game of the Year edition, the DLC content is mixed at best and in the case of Broken Steel it actually slightly spoils the game (yes, raising the level cap sounds brilliant in theory but in practice it merely unbalances the game).

Depends of whether you're interested in a Bethesda game (since FO3 and NV is similar in game style to Oblivion) or if you're interested in Fallout itself.

• If Bethesda then FO3 then NV.
  
• If Fallout itself then I'd suggest starting with FO1.
  
• If you don't want to do it cause of the isometric TB gameplay and graphics then I'd suggest going with NV first then FO3
  And if you're still craving some more Fallout after that then try out FO1/FO2/FOT for the sake of lore and learning of the franchise's origin.

Note: If you can't handle the TB gameplay and only want to play the old games for the sake of lore and atmosphere then you can go to NMA (No Mutants Allowed) and get a character creator.
With it edit your character to become a god and breeze through the combat whenever it arises. (Although that will not get you a true sense of the enemies, weapons and armors in the game of how each are powerful or weak.)

With that said, I would recommend playing The Pitt and Point Lookout at the very least; they are actually very good. MZ, O:A and Broken Steel are more so for if you find yourself completely addicted to the game and must have more (like I did) .

Wow, that was a lot of information. Fallout 3 sounds very well. Im not sure I can play a game with old graphics afther playing so long Oblivion, visualy enhanced for around 100 mods, and I like lore, but Im not fanatic. I will start with 3.

Thank you very much.

nevermind

1. I'd get Fallout 3 GOTY. Why? It has like 100,000 mods, all its DLCs have been released, its exploration is insane, unlike NV where it lacks this.
2:I don't have Fallout 3 with Steam, nor do I want it, FOMM does not work right with it and it crashes your more often in my experiences with NV.
3. http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1056342-mezs-gameplay-and-immersion-mod-list This is a cool list, one I have used.

Just so people don't set me on fire and turn this thread into something else...


As for New Vegas, give it time. Let it work out its bugs and glitches, let its DLCs fully come out, let the modders make good mods, which it seems is taking some time, imo.

If you like to run and gun go for fallout 3, but if you want to get in to the series start with fallout 1 2 or new vegas sense fallout 3 just throws stuff in without lore in mind. I would really go for new vegas then fallout 3 mostly because you will easier get in to the story Im sure every dinosaur agrees with me