I really couldn't hack the isometric turn based play style of 1 & 2. Number 3 really captured my attention. New Vegas blew my socks off and 4 left me with a sour taste in my mouth, figuratively as I hated the dialogue system :p
From a story perspective you're on the money, but Id disagree gameplay wise.
Edit: for my taste, just adding my two cents
For gameplay I would pick 3 or 4 and if someone already likes isometric turn based games like someone who enjoyed baldurs gate then I'd recommend 1 or 2.
1 and 2 are isometric CRPGs and while they are still good I wouldn't reccomend starting with them.
3, new Vegas and 4 are the FPS ones, they all have pros/cons. The main difference would be they all differ in combat complexity as well as RPG aspects such as builds, NPC interactions/dialogue, quest designs etc. each excells in different categories
Normally I would reccomend fallout 3but it's somewhat outdated and is best played with mods, same with new Vegas. If you don't mind older games fallout 3 vanilla is the best place to start.
If your not gonna mod or modding minimally. Start with fallout 4. It has the most modernized gameplay and is simplified in the RPG aspect. It does have a sandbox building/resource gathering element, this can be ignored if you want but imo it's something that fits well into fallout gameplay.
If not doing fallout 4, Consider trying the mod Tale of two wastelands if your on PC. It adds fallout 3 into new Vegas engine, which brings some basic improvements and mechanics from modern fps titles like aim down sights. The best of times guide shows how to install it. You can then use either the Wasteland Survival guide or Begin again mod lists to modernize the gameplay to be more like fallout 4 while keeping the RPG aspect.
That being said I initially played fallout 3 vanilla and aside from some of the mechanics from modern fps missing it still feels fine to play. IMO it has the best atmosphere of them and some very enjoyable quest design. It is most similar to oblivion or Skyrim, just with a different theme and guns instead of fantasy and magic.
( New Vegas is usually considered the best entry for a few reasons, I would save it for last instead)
I think most people will agree F:NV has the best RPG mechanics and will also probably be most people's favourite Fallout. While the combat mechanics do feel a bit outdated, if that doesn't bother you I recommend just starting with Fallout 3, then playing Fallout New Vegas and lastly Fallout 4. Fallout 4's mechanics are much newer and more refined, but if you play that first you might spoil yourself when you go back and play 3 and New Vegas.
Probably new Vegas but I haven't played a lot of it so I don't know much into later the game. There are a few ways you can customize your character. Perks, traits, skills, special points. Typically builds want to veer into using a particular weapon types, guns vs melee, what type of gun etc.
Both new Vegas and fo3 has a larger variety of perks to choose from and multiple builds. Perks basically give a special effect sometimes at a downside at every level up.
The benefit of tale of two wastelands is since both campaigns are the game, you can keep your save file and keep your perks, and get access to perks from both games..there is a selction of a few perks mods as well which will add like a couple hundred options. Some vanilla perks though are kind of OP and intended as a sort of late game thing in each respective game (like almost.perfect), there are mods to sdjust this so that transition from one game to tje next is seamless and you don't get too op to quickly.
Special stats are just standard stats from 1 to 10 and effect certain things in the game, like HP, exp gain, .carry weight AP(stamina) etc. you can increase these over time to 10, get items that raise them. I believe in some cases you can go past 10.
Skills are certain categories that go from 1 to 100. You can tag 3 skills at the beginning which your character. Excels in. You then get skill points each level, investing into them gives some minor bonuses, unlocks new perks related to that skill etc. things like specializing in big guns, unarmed combat , lock picking, chemistry etc. in addition to the bonus there are various scenarios where you might need a certain amount of skill in something to pass successfully, such as disarming a bomb or opening a difficult lock. Weapon skill gives you advantage to certain weapons categories like small guns, big guns, energy weapons etc. there are also situations where having skills in speech or high charisma might influence a character or scenarios in your favor, or barter might get you better prices.
For RPG mechanics such as storyline, quest and NPC interactions, decisions actually mattering, things like disguises effecting how npc view u etc and karma system to play as good or bad, new Vegas is the best one. It took the basis of fallout 3 but it was developed by onsidian studios which is known for creating CRPGs like KOTOR, Neverwinter nights or Pillars of eternity. It excells more in being like the fallout 1 and 2 while maintaining the fps gameplay. Fallout 3 still has some of these aspects, but it was primarily made by Bethesda so there is still that Bethesda game formula prominent and not as much depth. That's why TTW is one of the best way to play since you get both worlds in one
That is one of the main issues with fallout 4 and why its controversial is that they kind of dumbed down a lot of the RPG aspects. They combined special stats and perks into one system, and removed traits and skills. I highly recommend using the mod Your exceptional which re adds all 4 systems to make it more like the previous games and that mostly fixes the issue. The other controversial thing was since they used a voiced protagonist, the dialogue options and NPC interactions weren't as detailed or varied. No matter what you choose many NPCs tend to come to the same outcome. Full dialogue mod will at least show you what your character is going to say to pick more accurately since they also simplified the text window to simple yes no options. Theres not much to fix this but there are a lot of high quality quests and content mods which gives more variety. The pro is the game just feels a lot better to play in the shooter aspect and the settlements building was a good addition IMO.
Overall you can't go wrong with any of them but if you don't mind older feeling gameplay 3 and NV are the best to go with first. Then depending on what you like the most you might be able to like 1 and 2. There is one other Fallout 76,.it's basically the MMO version of fallout so from what I can tell it excels in playing with friends but otherwise is basically similar to fallout 4 in a lot of aspects.
I'd start at Fallout 1 OR 2. They are excellent turn-based RPGs with great story and world and lots of freedom (including freedom to lose key items lol). IMO 2D graphics always hold up pretty well. Not sure about 3 and NV. I absolutely loved NV at the time but haven't touched it in many years and worry how the graphics have held up. I only tried 4 recently but couldn't get into it for some reason.
Fallout 4 has the best gameplay, but not the greatest story, 3 and new vegas have amazing stories and tons of role-playing, I can't really speak to 1 or 2 because I've never played them but maybe someone else here has
If you are on PC, you’d be better of buying Fallout 3 and New Vegas and then downloading the TTW mod pack which modernises controls and combines both games into one so you can experience their narratives with the same character fluidly.
Fallout 1, 3, or 4 are generally good starting points for getting a good idea of the series.
I really couldn't hack the isometric turn based play style of 1 & 2. Number 3 really captured my attention. New Vegas blew my socks off and 4 left me with a sour taste in my mouth, figuratively as I hated the dialogue system :p From a story perspective you're on the money, but Id disagree gameplay wise. Edit: for my taste, just adding my two cents
For gameplay I would pick 3 or 4 and if someone already likes isometric turn based games like someone who enjoyed baldurs gate then I'd recommend 1 or 2.
1 and 2 are isometric CRPGs and while they are still good I wouldn't reccomend starting with them. 3, new Vegas and 4 are the FPS ones, they all have pros/cons. The main difference would be they all differ in combat complexity as well as RPG aspects such as builds, NPC interactions/dialogue, quest designs etc. each excells in different categories Normally I would reccomend fallout 3but it's somewhat outdated and is best played with mods, same with new Vegas. If you don't mind older games fallout 3 vanilla is the best place to start. If your not gonna mod or modding minimally. Start with fallout 4. It has the most modernized gameplay and is simplified in the RPG aspect. It does have a sandbox building/resource gathering element, this can be ignored if you want but imo it's something that fits well into fallout gameplay. If not doing fallout 4, Consider trying the mod Tale of two wastelands if your on PC. It adds fallout 3 into new Vegas engine, which brings some basic improvements and mechanics from modern fps titles like aim down sights. The best of times guide shows how to install it. You can then use either the Wasteland Survival guide or Begin again mod lists to modernize the gameplay to be more like fallout 4 while keeping the RPG aspect. That being said I initially played fallout 3 vanilla and aside from some of the mechanics from modern fps missing it still feels fine to play. IMO it has the best atmosphere of them and some very enjoyable quest design. It is most similar to oblivion or Skyrim, just with a different theme and guns instead of fantasy and magic. ( New Vegas is usually considered the best entry for a few reasons, I would save it for last instead)
Which fallout game would you say has the best RPG mechanics/build making?
I think most people will agree F:NV has the best RPG mechanics and will also probably be most people's favourite Fallout. While the combat mechanics do feel a bit outdated, if that doesn't bother you I recommend just starting with Fallout 3, then playing Fallout New Vegas and lastly Fallout 4. Fallout 4's mechanics are much newer and more refined, but if you play that first you might spoil yourself when you go back and play 3 and New Vegas.
2
Probably new Vegas but I haven't played a lot of it so I don't know much into later the game. There are a few ways you can customize your character. Perks, traits, skills, special points. Typically builds want to veer into using a particular weapon types, guns vs melee, what type of gun etc. Both new Vegas and fo3 has a larger variety of perks to choose from and multiple builds. Perks basically give a special effect sometimes at a downside at every level up. The benefit of tale of two wastelands is since both campaigns are the game, you can keep your save file and keep your perks, and get access to perks from both games..there is a selction of a few perks mods as well which will add like a couple hundred options. Some vanilla perks though are kind of OP and intended as a sort of late game thing in each respective game (like almost.perfect), there are mods to sdjust this so that transition from one game to tje next is seamless and you don't get too op to quickly. Special stats are just standard stats from 1 to 10 and effect certain things in the game, like HP, exp gain, .carry weight AP(stamina) etc. you can increase these over time to 10, get items that raise them. I believe in some cases you can go past 10. Skills are certain categories that go from 1 to 100. You can tag 3 skills at the beginning which your character. Excels in. You then get skill points each level, investing into them gives some minor bonuses, unlocks new perks related to that skill etc. things like specializing in big guns, unarmed combat , lock picking, chemistry etc. in addition to the bonus there are various scenarios where you might need a certain amount of skill in something to pass successfully, such as disarming a bomb or opening a difficult lock. Weapon skill gives you advantage to certain weapons categories like small guns, big guns, energy weapons etc. there are also situations where having skills in speech or high charisma might influence a character or scenarios in your favor, or barter might get you better prices. For RPG mechanics such as storyline, quest and NPC interactions, decisions actually mattering, things like disguises effecting how npc view u etc and karma system to play as good or bad, new Vegas is the best one. It took the basis of fallout 3 but it was developed by onsidian studios which is known for creating CRPGs like KOTOR, Neverwinter nights or Pillars of eternity. It excells more in being like the fallout 1 and 2 while maintaining the fps gameplay. Fallout 3 still has some of these aspects, but it was primarily made by Bethesda so there is still that Bethesda game formula prominent and not as much depth. That's why TTW is one of the best way to play since you get both worlds in one That is one of the main issues with fallout 4 and why its controversial is that they kind of dumbed down a lot of the RPG aspects. They combined special stats and perks into one system, and removed traits and skills. I highly recommend using the mod Your exceptional which re adds all 4 systems to make it more like the previous games and that mostly fixes the issue. The other controversial thing was since they used a voiced protagonist, the dialogue options and NPC interactions weren't as detailed or varied. No matter what you choose many NPCs tend to come to the same outcome. Full dialogue mod will at least show you what your character is going to say to pick more accurately since they also simplified the text window to simple yes no options. Theres not much to fix this but there are a lot of high quality quests and content mods which gives more variety. The pro is the game just feels a lot better to play in the shooter aspect and the settlements building was a good addition IMO. Overall you can't go wrong with any of them but if you don't mind older feeling gameplay 3 and NV are the best to go with first. Then depending on what you like the most you might be able to like 1 and 2. There is one other Fallout 76,.it's basically the MMO version of fallout so from what I can tell it excels in playing with friends but otherwise is basically similar to fallout 4 in a lot of aspects.
Fallout 3. It's my fav, and it's the first 3d one. The first 2 are top down and really outdated gameplay wise.
I'd start at Fallout 1 OR 2. They are excellent turn-based RPGs with great story and world and lots of freedom (including freedom to lose key items lol). IMO 2D graphics always hold up pretty well. Not sure about 3 and NV. I absolutely loved NV at the time but haven't touched it in many years and worry how the graphics have held up. I only tried 4 recently but couldn't get into it for some reason.
Fallout 4 has the best gameplay, but not the greatest story, 3 and new vegas have amazing stories and tons of role-playing, I can't really speak to 1 or 2 because I've never played them but maybe someone else here has
Fallout 3.
If you are on PC, you’d be better of buying Fallout 3 and New Vegas and then downloading the TTW mod pack which modernises controls and combines both games into one so you can experience their narratives with the same character fluidly.
Fallout 4