Overall Findings
Like the other games in the series, Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas combine the best elements of the RPG and FPS genres. Both feature top-notch graphics complimented by engaging stories and missions. From a mechanical standpoint, there is no question that Fallout: New Vegas has better gameplay than Fallout 3, but the world of Fallout 3 is more interesting to explore.
World Design: Fallout 3 Has a Better Open World
Fallout 3 has the advantage when it comes to world design. The Mojave in Fallout: New Vegas is boring to explore for the most part, and the city of New Vegas is also disappointing. In contrast, the setting of Fallout 3 features varied terrain with lots of landmarks to explore. Another issue with the Fallout: New Vegas world is that if you don’t take the correct path, you’ll quickly get slaughtered by enemies that are more powerful than you. For example, if you take the wrong road out of Goodsprings, you’ll be destroyed by either giant radscorpions or deathclaws. Even if you do take the right road, you’re often unprepared for what the rest of the wasteland has in store for you. In Fallout 3, you can take any path you want and explore anywhere right from the start.
Mission Design: New Vegas Offers More Variety
While the world is more interesting in Fallout 3, New Vegas has better mission designs. There are tons of unmarked missions you can take on by talking to everyone you meet. Gaining the trust of the boomers, dealing with the White Glove Society, investigating an assassination attempt with NCR, and joining Caesar’s Legion are more enjoyable than what Fallout 3 has to offer in terms of side-quests. It’s strange to spend most of your time fighting other humans in Fallout: NV rather than the hordes of monsters that are trying to kill everyone. Still, it makes sense considering that humans are greedy and pose the biggest problem in a survival situation. Fighting ghouls and super mutants, though, is more fun.
Downloadable Content: Extra Missions and Super Weapons
Back when you had to buy the DLC separately, Fallout 3 had better DLC for the price. Now that you can buy versions of the games that come with all DLC, they are pretty even. In addition to extra missions, New Vegas has two pieces of non-mission-based DLC that have a significant impact on the game, particularly the opening few hours.
Final Verdict
While the world of Fallout 3 is more fun to explore, Fallout: New Vegas features superior gameplay mechanics and more engaging missions. The presentation of each game is fairly equal, but New Vegas has a few glitches. Since the series is more about the thrill of exploration than anything else, Fallout 3 can be considered the better Fallout game.
