Is New Vegas drastically better than Fallout 3?

[discordance]

It's a lot like Fallout 3 but it does things much, much better. The main plot actually has branches and options. You can actually join the evil faction if you want to. There are a bunch of memorable characters. The setting is better thought out and (to me) much more interesting. You can get rich playing blackjack for a few minutes.

 

[Ethylene Glycol]

I've been deeply considering getting my hands on a copy of New Vegas recently. Probably that damn peer pressure or some shit that's made me want to. The reason is irrelevant, I just do actually want to experience this game.

But here's the problem. I wasn't really a fan of Fallout 3. It was an okay game, I guess. But I just could never really get into it enough to become properly immersed and really interested in what was happening.

If that's your main problem with FO3, you -might- be able to dig New Vegas. I'm not very far in, but so far the plot is a lot more interesting and personal than "run all over DC for half the game looking for Daddy".

So here's my question: if I wasn't particularly fond of Fallout 3, is Fallout: New Vegas worth my time and money?

Keeping what I said above in mind, what kind of question is that? That's like asking "Will I like strawberry shortcake if I don't like strawberries, cake, or whipped cream?"

Here's what you do, chief: Download it illegally, and if you like it, do the right thing and buy yourself a legit copy. And if you don't, hey--uninstall, delete, and play something else.

No not really its pretty much fallout 3 but in Nevada really. Theres a lot of things changed (item crafting, aiming down sights, hardcore mode) but nothing really game changing between the two.

Huh! You know what it sounds like you just described? A sequel!

 

[ReservoirAngel]

My main complaint with Fallout 3 was two-fold. Number One is that the entire game area seemed really boring and samey in general. I get that it's been levelled into the dust, but there was no real variation there. On top of that, the characters you came across never really seemed like proper people. They were all a bit too wooden and 2-dimensional.

So, with this new more specific info in mind, is New Vegas improved enough to warrant a purchase?

OR, if it isn't, any possibility of getting some 360 games recommended that would satisfy me, bearing in mind the flaws in Fallout 3 I listed?

 

[Pete Oddly]

It has a better story, a better skills mechanic, and connects with older Fallouts much better.

That being said, don't buy it unless you like ripping your hair out of your head in pure bug-ridden frustration.

 

[AlternatePFG]

Well, New Vegas does have better written NPCs and writing in general. That's just my opinion.

I haven't ran into many bugs personally, nothing game breaking anyway.

 

[Andantil]

Yes, in my opinion. I've only had a couple crashes so far in about 170 hours of gameplay across 4 characters. The biggest problems I had with fallout 3 have been fixed, those being the hilariously inaccurate weapons and lack of damage threshold. The atmosphere's better, the story's better, more guns, more humor, and the faction system makes it feel like your actions actually matter.

Edit: Worth noting that this has been a lot more stable for me than fallout 3, which crashes every half hour or so.
Edit: let me make this very clear, as it can't be said enough: BUY IT FOR FUCKING PC! Mods make everything much, much better. Also, I hear the PC version's much less buggy.

 

[Kuchinawa212]

I was going to wait until I'm pretty much done with Reach and then I was going to get it. Price might have gone down a little. The big "you gotta sees" are already found. The bugs will be mostly fixed.

I say wait just a little bit, then go for it!

 

[Trull]

I'll help you by telling you what my friend told me (thus deciding what to do)
"You're like JESUS but in the midst of ZOMBIES, INCREDIBLE HULKS, AND GIANT SCORPIONS."
"...and?"
"Oh, and you can run around with a F**KING ROBOT DOG"
"GET ME MY WALLET"

 

[Condiments]

I'm one of those of who thought Fallout 3 was merely ok, but rates Fallout New Vegas as their game of the year.

The game still uses that ol engine, along with the flawed(but vastly balanced and improved this around)FPSRPG combat, so at least on the surface it remains a similar experience.

However to a discerning gamer, these games are designed very differently. Fallout 3, like Bethesda's other recent games, gives emphasis on exploration with the expense of both narrative and in depth RPG elements. If you like wandering the wastelands aimlessly in search of coves of treasure and dungeons full of baddies to splatter, then Fallout 3 is your game. Its a very flawed game from both a quest, writing(honestly a lot of the dialogue is laughably bad), and world-building perspective but its good at what it excels in.

Fallout: New Vegas represents in many ways a return to form in spirit of the original games. The game is far more focused on cities/towns and is much more quest/narrative oriented. While the game still encourages explorations, most locations have a specific purpose within the overall conflict. You learn about the plights and ideologies of the various factions at work in the wasteland, and the complex power dynamics involved. Skill placement and S.P.E.C.I.A.L are far more important this time around, because they usually influence how you approach questlines. You also have skill check dialogues that don't make you cringe, and make you feel ashamed for purchasing the game. Obsidian's strength is writing, and it shows in this game.

I vastly prefer New Vegas because its what I want in RPGs. While loot is cool and all, having a sophisticated well written RPG is what I need.

 

[JaysonM]

I've been deeply considering getting my hands on a copy of New Vegas recently. Probably that damn peer pressure or some shit that's made me want to. The reason is irrelevant, I just do actually want to experience this game.

But here's the problem. I wasn't really a fan of Fallout 3. It was an okay game, I guess. But I just could never really get into it enough to become properly immersed and really interested in what was happening.

So here's my question: if I wasn't particularly fond of Fallout 3, is Fallout: New Vegas worth my time and money?

P.S: I can't rent it first cause I don't even KNOW where the nearest game rental place is from where I live
P.S.S: I can't borrow it, cause all my friends have PS3s and/or hate Fallout, and my brother (who does have the game) has been an evil spiteful **** ever since I hit him with that baseball bat.

You won't like fallout 3 new vegas if you didn't enjoy the first one.

No. Compared to Fallout 3 this is crap.

edit: mainstory wise

Not really, "find your dad" on the first one, new vegas is find some guy who shot you. Infact, I find new vegas's mini story quests to be alot more involved. The coolest thing about the first one was the whole vault idea at the start of the game, that was awesome.

 

[Yureina]

Fallout New Vegas is "improved" over Fallout 3, but there is not too much of a difference between the two in terms of gameplay. Setting-wise, New Vegas is probably superior, but that is all subjective. I guess... well if you didn't like Fallout 3, you might want to avoid this game. New Vegas is fun, but if you didn't like the playstyle of Fallout 3, you probably won't enjoy this game much either. :/

 

[Uber Evil]

I'd rather have a reissue of Fallout 1 and 2 for a console than touch this filth.

I wish they made 1 and/or 2 for the ITouch. That would be excellent. And why do you say it is filth? I personally thought it was pretty good. It also inspired me to reinstall FO2, which is a plus.

 

[Theron Julius]

I'm not sure about "drastically better", but it's pretty damn good. It definitely feels... Different, I suppose. Maybe that's just the effect of the game area being much more civilized. At any rate it's a fine game; worth buying if, in your case, you got some spare cash.

 

[mParadox]

being a fan of FO3 is helpful. 'cause damn the game is long.

 

[rembrandtqeinstein]

Forgetting bugs the game mechanics are more refined

But the story is crappy, and with few exceptions (the deputy from primm comes to mind) voice acting is so bad it hurt my feelings

And like other bethesda games since morrowind if you want to play it on the PC you need mods to make it bearable

Also the problem with a desert wasteland....how do you even know there was a war? Everything in the desert is sparse and gloomy anyway! The desert setting was fine in f1 and 2 because you could skip the traveling but in a first person game I want to look at cool stuff while I slog from town to town, not repeating boulders and cacti.

On a technical note, my comp ran f3 perfectly 1920x1080 with nearly max settings. In new vegas I have to turn everything except actor distance down to minimum and even then framerate drops when there are more than 3 mobs on the screen.

It has a few good points, deathclaws are properly scary, larger variety of weapons compared to f3, specialized ammo and reloading adds gameplay breadth but also inventory management headaches.

Hardcore mode is awesome but again you need mods to make it work, like the ability to save and refill water bottles at any clean or even dirty source.

some scripts are horribly broken to the point where you need to go to the console and reset mobs to continue some quests

did I mention the story sucked? so yeah, wait a year on this one, the bugs might be fixed and there will certainly be some crappy dlc side quests thrown in to justify not lowering the price

 

[Choppaduel]

So here's my question: if I wasn't particularly fond of Fallout 3, is Fallout: New Vegas worth my time and money?

no. they are too similar.

also, I suspect your fondness for the console versions correlates strongly to your feelings for the game.

I assert that people who find that they prefer games on the PC, are more likely to enjoy fallout 3/NV

+you can fix bugs with console
+modding community (and mods themselves)

 

[Icarion (aka Stockholm)]

FallOut 3 is definitely one of my favorite this-gen games. So much so that I even traded in my CE version for the GotY version just so I could play through it a fourth time with the expansions.

That said, I'm not getting as drawn into New Vegas. I like it, just not as much as I did FO3. Not sure if it's cause I don't have the time to game like I did two years ago or if it's cause the game feels repetitive of the prequel just with some "who cares" elements thrown in like ammo stations and hardcore mode. Still glad I bought the game.

Exactly the same here. I thought I was the only one.

Yeah I think I played through FO3 three times and bought all the DLC. And New Vegas doesn't feel nearly as atmospheric as Fallout 3. (I'm not sure if thats it though.) If you didn't like Fallout 3 then dont get New Vegas.
Off topic:I wish I could hit my brothers with a baseball bat. Was it wood or aluminum?

 

[Choppaduel]

There's already plans for DLC, and those fuckers decided to just leave the PC out in the dust.

...and yet its still better to buy the PC version, for its open to the modding community, who will no doubt release unofficial patches that will shame Obsidians debugging skills. As well as having access to the console(~)