New Vegas Or Fallout 4: Which Fallout Is Best For You & Why (2024)

Summary

  • New Vegas's blank backstory allows for more immersive roleplay compared to Fallout 4.
  • New Vegas offers a more challenging experience, whereas Fallout 4 is more accessible to new players.
  • Fallout 4 has superior visuals, gameplay features, and character customization, but lacks in story choices and DLC.

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Despite being back-to-back entries in the Fallout series, New Vegas and Fallout 4 offer wildly different experiences. Especially with the advent of the Fallout streaming series, many first-time players may weigh the pros and cons of these two entries. Each one has its positives and negatives, and both provide a quality gameplay experience that will leave new players wanting more. Either is a great way to start the series, so choosing which one to play first may boil down to personal preference and what players are looking for in an RPG.

New Vegas is widely regarded as one of the best Fallout games in the series, but has its fair share of bugs. Fallout 4's more recent release was met with acclaim and praise, albeit with some criticism directed towards the dialogue system. Beating each Fallout game is a long and involved process, but they both keep players engaged right up until the end. New Vegas came out over 10 years ago, so this may be even more impressive on its part. New players to the Fallout series may be faced with a tough choice, but whichever one they choose, they're not likely to be disappointed.

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Fallout 4 & New Vegas Are Good In Different Ways

The Choice Comes Down To Personal Preference

Both New Vegas and Fallout 4 have their strengths and weaknesses: New Vegas gives players more freedom and has a more open-ended story, which makes for better roleplay. Fallout 4, on the other hand, offers players better graphics and more customization, both with their playstyles and aesthetics.

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There are too many factors to definitively say whether either one is better than the other, so the matter of which is best to start with comes down to what players value more in a game. Fallout 4's character system has more gameplay options, but New Vegas' blank backstory means that players can make their character any kind of person they want, which better serves roleplaying. Neither one is a bad choice, but for fans looking for a good first impression, it's important to find out which kind of game they want to experience.

While there are naturally some story/lore connections between all mainline games in the Fallout series, there's no need to play them in release or chronological order. Each game in the series is a standalone title with its own unique story. Fallout 4 and New Vegas take place on opposite sides of the continent from one another, so don't expect any recurring locations or familiar faces. In fact, the most recent game in the series, Fallout 76, is actually a prequel, making it the earliest-set Fallout title.

Fallout 4 is set in 2287, while New Vegas is set in 2281.

Fallout: New Vegas' Story Is Better For Roleplay

A Completely Customizable Courier & Various Morally Gray Factions

New Vegas Or Fallout 4: Which Fallout Is Best For You & Why (2)

In Fallout: New Vegas, players take on the role of the Courier. The name is self-evident: they are literally a courier, delivering letters and parcels to various places across Nevada. In the game's intro, they're shot in the head and left in a shallow grave, but after a miraculous recovery, they go on to get revenge on their attacker, complete their delivery, and eventually become a major player in the Mojave Wasteland's complicated politics. The Courier's backstory is unknown aside from one event in the game's DLC, so players are free to imagine their character as whoever they want.

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And no matter what kind of person the Courier starts out as, Fallout: New Vegas' factions give them ample space to develop their character further. Some consider Fallout: New Vegas' factions the series' best. They include the authoritarian New California Republic, who offer stability by meting out harsh Wasteland justice; the imperialist Caesar's Legion, who consolidate military might through slavery and violent conquest; and the capitalist Mr. House, who rules the strip with an iron fist and a Midas touch.

In New Vegas, there's no one perfectly pure political ideology that leads to a good outcome for absolutely everyone. Sure, players can create the most die-hard NCR soldier or zealous Legionnaire, but they'll inevitably end up hurting someone along the way. They can even carve their own route by siding with the all-powerful Securitron Yes Man. The blank slates of the Courier's life and morality are part of why fans love it so much, and what make it perfect for those who like to roleplay.

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New Vegas has six main endings, while Fallout 4 has just two. However, both games have numerous subtle variations on each of their endings.

By contrast, Fallout 4 locks the player into a fixed backstory as the Sole Survivor. They're required to play as a pre-war veteran, who survives the bombs and the first 200 years of nuclear waste in cryogenic sleep. Even when they wake up, they have a singular goal: to find their infant son who was kidnapped from the vault some 60 years prior. Although there's some moral ambiguity, Fallout 4's factions are much less nuanced. There are pretty clear good guys and bad guys, and the story is much more linear as it leads up to the final, binary choice.

In terms of DLC, New Vegas is also the winner. Fallout 4 only has two DLC packs with new environments and maps for players to explore, only half of New Vegas' four. In addition, New Vegas' DLC is much more compelling, and all connect to each other to create an overarching narrative that's almost enough to be a game by itself, whereas all of Fallout 4's DLC is fairly fragmented. Some questions in Fallout 4's DLC, like if Far Harbor's Kasumi is a synth or not, are never answered. But each of New Vegas' DLC releases offers a story that's just as complete as the base game. Although Fallout 4's DLC is nothing to scoff at, New Vegas' is simply more engaging.

Fallout: New Vegas' Bugs, Awkward Gameplay, & Outdated Visuals Hold It Back

New Vegas Is Harder Than Fallout 4, But That Might Be A Good Thing

New Vegas Or Fallout 4: Which Fallout Is Best For You & Why (3)

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Unfortunately, Fallout: New Vegas can be incredibly buggy, and its gameplay is far from perfect. Issues abound: some quests may be broken, crashes are fairly common, and slowdown is frequent even on modern platforms. These bugs are rarely game-breaking, but can be frustrating nonetheless. Gameplay is also somewhat awkward, as aiming is unreliable, so players may find themselves running straight into gunfire to get a better shot.

Especially today, Fallout: New Vegas' visual style shows its age. Harsh lighting, low resolutions, and splotchy textures make it, overall, a lot harder to look at than Fallout 4. Still, walking through the red-tinted desert south of New Vegas while Dean Martin croons over the Pip Boy radio, it'd be hard to call Fallout: New Vegas a bad-looking game. It's immersive and atmospheric, even if it might not scratch that hyperrealistic, ultra-high-def texture itch.

Some unofficial Fallout: New Vegas bug fixes can be found on the game's Nexus Mods page, but as player-made patches, these can sometimes cause more problems than they solve.

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But for gamers who like a challenge, New Vegas may be just the thing to introduce them to the Fallout series. Leveling up isn't quite so easy or rewarding as it is in Fallout 4, and players often feel the struggle of Wasteland survival as a result. Perks are only given every other level, and only a limited amount can be chosen before the level cap is reached. It's much harder to increase characters' S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats than it is in Fallout 4, and the plethora of ammunition types means that it can be tough to find enough bullets or energy cells to last players until the next settlement.

These features have changed slightly from past games, and are a part of what makes the game so rugged, but some players may not like them. Like Fallout 3, weapons and armor degrade with use and cannot be used if not maintained, which means that spares need to be used to repair them if players don't want to shell out a massive amount of caps keeping their gear in working condition.

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Fallout 4 Has Better Visuals And More Gameplay Features

But Its Story Is Weaker Than New Vegas'

New Vegas Or Fallout 4: Which Fallout Is Best For You & Why (4)

Although New Vegas is a great game with many amazing aspects, Fallout 4 is as well. Its graphics are much better, due in part to the five-year difference between the two. Visually, Fallout 4 is the winner, both because of its better detail and because it revamps many weapons, armor, and items into new designs. Its combat is also simpler and more satisfying, making it more accessible to the modern player. It's not completely immune to bugs or framerate dips, but crashes are much less frequent than in Fallout: New Vegas.

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And although roleplay is more limited, character customization is enhanced in Fallout 4, with sliders that allow players to fine-tune the details of their appearance. In New Vegas' character creator, players are mostly limited to a set list of features. Fallout 4's character creator also gives them the option to add scars, freckles, makeup, and more. Players can change their appearance at any time with the help of certain NPCs, or even at allied settlements with the Vault-Tec Workshop DLC. Some armor consists of separate pieces instead of a full suit, which means that players can mix and match equipment however they desire.

There's also the fact that Fallout 4 has more playstyle options. Fallout 4 might not have a silent protagonist, which means fewer roleplay options, but it partially makes up for it by letting players use any weapon or armor type they want to their full potential. This is because players can modify their weapons and armor in order to give them additional effects. The materials that they require come from scrapping inferior equipment or picking up junk items. Many players already took everything that wasn't nailed down in past games, so there's finally a purpose for all those toilet plungers.

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There are a variety of effects Fallout 4's weapon and armor modding systems can apply. Weapons and armor can be modified to be better at stealth, increase characters' carry weight, or even better protect against different types of damage.

Fallout 4 also has something that New Vegas does not, and that's base-building elements. Fallout 4 may have some annoying building issues, but its construction features are still impressive. Players can claim settlements across the Commonwealth and build them from the ground up. Although it can be a bit of a chore to clear out the existing structures, that means that settlements can be anything, like a high-end shop, an art gallery, a gym that would make a bodybuilder drool, or even more esoteric things that reflect the lives of players. Fallout 4 gives players the most customization and personalization options of any Fallout game made so far.

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So, if a player wants more richly detailed storytelling and character roleplay, and is willing to live with some clunky gunplay and occasional bugs, then Fallout: New Vegas is their best option. If they don't mind a more straightforward story, as long as the combat feels good and varied and (almost) everything runs smoothly, then Fallout 4 is ideal. Ultimately, the choice is down to what kind of experience the player wants, whether it's their first or their fifth foray into Fallout. The different experiences offered by both games speak to the inherent variety and customizability of the Fallout series.

Source: Nexus Mods

New Vegas Or Fallout 4: Which Fallout Is Best For You & Why (5)
Fallout

Fallout is a post-apocalyptic RPG franchise set in an alternate future where a nuclear war devastates the world. Players explore vast, open worlds filled with mutants, raiders, and advanced technology. The series emphasizes player choice, allowing various approaches to combat, dialogue, and decision-making. Each game follows different protagonists navigating the wasteland to uncover secrets, form alliances, and rebuild civilization amidst the ruins of the old world. The franchise is known for its rich lore, dark humor, and retro-futuristic aesthetic, which has transferred over into its new series on Amazon Prime.

New Vegas Or Fallout 4: Which Fallout Is Best For You & Why (2024)

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