Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition

One major thing sets this game apart and makes it a masterpiece: player agency. Lots of story-driven RPGs, even great ones like The Witcher, have the player's big choice be taking a side in a larger conflict. New Vegas is freaking brilliant because it knows you're smarter than that. Or more ambitious. You *can* choose from between the major factions vying for power, or you can *BE* one of those factions. And that freedom trickles down to every single side quest. In a genre that can so frequently make you think "Well, I can't do X, but I guess option Y is close enough. Better than Z." New Vegas tries as hard as humanly possible to always have your option X be available, provided your character is up to the task. Top that design philosophy off with a great Western atmosphere, superb writing and... okay, at least a functioning combat system, and you've got a must-play. And the game is infamously buggy, but far from unplayable. I actually turned the biggest glitch I encountered into an interesting story about a temporary NPC ally refusing to leave my side, gaining self-awareness after a horrifying glitch and quick-load, surviving my attempts to shoot them, realizing I was their uncaring god, having an existential crisis, and then being put out of their misery with an assisted suicide via Deathclaw.

This is still the best 3D-Fallout game. If you like Roleplaying-Games and Story you can have an impact to, this is the Fallout you will like. Also check out the mods at nexusmod to give the game a facelifting and have it running better on modern Systems ( Have to try out the gog release yet).

Obsidian's New Vegas was a return to form for the franchise. The game takes the first person 3D perspective from Bethesda's Fallout 3, alongside plenty of its mechanics, and on top of tweaking them (for the better) adds new features of its own, like traits (from the original Fallouts), gun customization and iron sights (inspired by mods for Fallout 3), a Hardcore mode with basic needs (food, water, and sleep), survival recipes, a reputation system that almost entirely replaces the flawed Karma system of Fallout 3, and factions you can side with in order to alter the plot. The writing, in addition, is top notch. New Vegas isn't a perfect game. Engine is almost the same as Fallout 3's, so you can consider this game as an "expansion" to Fallout 3, though New Vegas stands perfectly on its own as a full release. It was very buggy on release, and most importantly, it isn't as challenging as the original titles were, which takes away from the experience. jsawyer is a mod developed by the game's Lead Designer, Joshua Sawyer. It makes the game considerably more challenging and in-tune with the classics. If you must play New Vegas and you have experience with Fallout 3 or slightly hardcore RPGs, I suggest you get that mod and play the game as Sawyer would have intended you to. The difference it makes to the experience is huge, and you won't regret it. If after that you decide you want a tougher wasteland experience, Vicious Wastes (from the Nexus) is an excellent, punishing alternative.

As a fan of the series and someone who has played each title(even 4, and I don't even like 4) multiple times, my favorite is by far New Vegas, with 2 close behind and 1 close behind 2. Player choice matters in this game, and it matters a lot. Your choices will affect who you can be companions with, the quests you can do, and more. The writing is astounding, especially in the DLC. Speaking of the DLC, the best in the series can be found here. Personally, Dead Money is my favorite part of the entire series, even above the conversation with the Master in 1. Fallout: New Vegas successfully transfered the values from the originals to the 3D environment, something I cannot say Bethesda has been able to do yet, and likely won't ever. If you have never played this game, and are looking for a true RPG to spend hundreds of hours in, look no further. Finally, the mod scene deserves a bit of a mention, as it can be important in deciding if you want to invest in this already cheap game. It absolutely rocks, with some of the best mods for any game ever. I recommend the someguy2000 series, but only after you have played one or two playthroughs first. Have fun with this game, I know I will only continue to.

As a big fan of Fallout 2 I have to say: this is a good successor! I loved very minute of it and Obsidians writing is fantastic.