Amazon's Fallout TV adaptation is one of the best screen adaptations of a game ever; it's so good that even people who've never played a Fallout game, or any game, are eager to learn more about the series unique atmosphere. If you want to dive into the world of Fallout but don't know where to start, read on for a list of which games to play first and what you need to know about Fallout before you get started.
What you need to know before starting a Fallout game
There are a lot of games in the Fallout universe, anywhere from six to nine, depending on how you count them, but Amazon's Fallout isn't a direct adaptation of any of them. The series is an original standalone story set within the larger Fallout universe, just like every Fallout game, so you can play any game without missing important information. That said, not all Fallout games are created equal, especially if you're a fan of the series, so choose wisely.
For fans of the Fallout TV series, Fallout 3 is the first and best Fallout game
While the first two games spawned much of the series' unique style, Fallout 3 serves as the first "modern" Fallout game, crafting the raw material of alternative history, atomic core design, and over-the-top dark humor into a masterpiece. Unlike the first two "Fallout" games, "Fallout 3" adopts an action-rich first-person shooter gameplay and has the same violent, violent cartoon style as the series. In other words: it's fun.
The story of "Fallout 3 " is roughly the same as that of the main show. Like Lucy in the series, Fallout 3 's protagonist, the Lone Wanderer, was born in a Vaulttech vault several generations after bombs devastated the Earth. The game's introductory portion lets you experience the peaceful underground life, much like the first episode of the series, and then plunges you into the unforgiving wasteland of Washington, D.C., in the year 2277, much like the Los Angeles of circa 2296 in the second episode. quest to find their father and encounter ghouls, the Brotherhood of Steel, mutated creatures, and other familiar delights and horrors of the aboveground world. You'll also learn more than you ever wanted to know about the Enclave, a faction that briefly appears in the series during Dr. Sigi Wilziger's escape, and introduce you to the Deathclaws and Super Mutants Man, and I'm sure both, will play a big role in the second season of the series.
Fallout 4 : The second-best entry-level Fallout game
Fallout 4 is also a great starting point for new players. Fallout 4 was released in 2015, in the era of Xbox One and PS 4, and it took advantage of the additional features of the then-emerging consoles to expand and refine the Fallout universe. New England in Fallout 4 is a larger, more diverse world than in previous Fallout games. It's also a more colorful and detailed game that looks strikingly similar to the series. Fallout 4 's opening story takes place in a gleaming pre-apocalyptic suburb of 2077, reminiscent of Cooper Howard's flashback adventures in pre-explosion Hollywood. When you end up in the year 2287, the contrast is a lot like the series flashing forward to the year 2296. I won't spoil anything, but Fallout 4 's starting vault makes a lot more sense when you know what happens in Vault 31 in the show. On the negative side , Fallout 4 is more focused on exploration, discovery, side quests, and colony building than Fallout 4's yokai pacing, so the story feels a bit draggy. Sometimes you slack off and can easily go astray. The next-gen free update for Fallout 4 for Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 is scheduled to be released on April 25, so now is a good time to update.
Fallout: New Vegas would be my third choice, but still a great first Fallout game
If you like the dusty cowboy atmosphere of Ghouls and want to learn more about the New California Republic, a faction led by the mysterious revolutionary Moldavi, then Fallout: New Vegas opens in the year 2281 The American West as the background is a good choice. Fallout series, or you want to delve into a possible background for the second season of the Amazon series.
New Vegas is widely considered by die-hard fans of the series to be the best Fallout game overall. It's more role-playing focused than other modern Fallout games, so it's a more open-ended experience and allows players to create a more diverse cast of characters, and in a different way than Fallout 3 or 4. way to overcome challenges.
While New Vegas is definitely a great game, I didn't resonate with the characters and over-the-top setting as strongly as I did with other games. Story-wise, it feels the least like a modern game series to me. But that might just be a matter of taste. It's still a solid introduction to the franchise.
Fallout Shelter : Leisure Fallout
If you want a super casual Fallout experience, check out Fallout Shelter . This free game can be played on consoles, but it's really designed for wasting a few minutes on your iPhone or Android. Shelter puts you in the role of an overseer of a Vault-tech shelter. You're responsible for expanding your house/prison, attracting new residents, and keeping everyone inside safe, sane, and radiation-free until it's safe to return to the surface (like that will ever happen).
It may be a silly mobile game, but Fallout: Shelter is the only Fallout game to feature characters from the show. A recent update added Lucy McClane, Maximus, Ghoul, and (for some reason) June the Horse as "Legendary Residents" who may appear if you're lucky enough to open the right lunch box In your vault. You can't play them, but you can see them, that's my guess.
Don't start with the first two Fallout games
"The Beginning" might seem like the most logical starting point for a series, but 1997's Fallout and its sequel Fallout 2 aren't great starting points for most people (especially non-gamers). Both are extremely difficult hardcore RPGs with turn-based combat and confusing old-school controls - fun for some, but painful for most. There's no doubt they're groundbreaking, engaging games, but even if you manage to get past each game's fatal opening, they don't offer the same feeling as the series; Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas And Fallout 4 's run-and-gun gameplay is closer to that series than the slow-but-deadly atmosphere of earlier games. Plus, Fallout 3 , 4 , and New Vegas all have a "very easy" difficulty setting, so your thrilling Fallout adventure won't end in frustration.
Don't start with the latest Fallout game , Fallout 76, either
While Fallout 76 won't be as deadly as the first two games, it's also not a great place to enter the world of Fallout. Fallout 76, released in 2018 and set in Appalachia in the year 2102, is an online multiplayer game with a steep learning curve, MMO-style grinding and crafting, and integration with TV shows and other games Different overall vibe. It attempts to provide a Fallout-like experience, but the addition of other players means you're not really the protagonist, and the MMO-specific mechanics don't translate well to Fallout. All of this plus second-rate writing and voice acting make Fallout 76 the least Fallout-esque modern Fallout game.
Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel and Fallout Tactics: The Bastard of the Fallout Universe
I'm a perfectionist, so I'm placing these two obscure, non-canonical Fallout games at the bottom of the list. I haven’t played it, but that’s OK; “ Fallout Tactics and Fallout: Brothers of Steel,” said Todd Howard, director and executive producer of Bethesda Game Studios and executive producer of the Fallout series. "Howard is the god of all things in Fallout , so if he says they don't count, they don't count.
