From New Vegas to ‘76: My Reasons to Never “Fallout” of Love With the Series

The Fallout series has been near and dear to me since I started with Fallout New Vegas back in 2010!  This game, published by Bethesda has made an impact on my gaming style by influencing the games that I now like to play (RPGs).  The following reasons are reasons to never fallout of love with the Fallout series.

The Freedom of Choice and Interaction

The main attribute of the Fallout games that got me hooked was the freedom that Bethesda gives you in making choices of how you want YOUR game to go.  The choices that you make throughout the game shape a storyline that is particular to you.  You can influence the game through your various interactions and choices from start to finish.  To me, this makes the game personal and a lot more fun than games like Call of Duty where the storyline is set and you have to complete the same steps A, B, and C in the order that the creator chooses. 

Interesting and Growing Story Lines

The Fallout games also include interesting and growing storylines.  While the game obviously has its “main” story that you will follow throughout your gameplay, there are also SO MANY side quests that are just as thrilling and continue throughout the game.  I love working with the characters to learn their history and helping them solve the problems that they are having.  It gives you a break from the grind, while also enjoying some side quests to gain relationships with the factions and some bonus XP. 

The Music is Good, Like Really Good

I play other games and I find myself wishing I could play my own tracks in the background.  Sometimes it is just that the games do not have any music and other times they have an extremely repetitive track playing throughout your entire game.  Either way, Fallout games do not have this problem.  There are multiple stations you can choose from.  Each station offers different music, including classical or some old-timey tunes.  The music is always catchy and theme-appropriate (Atom Bomb Baby by The Five Stars and Uranium Fever by Elton Britt), adding to your immersive experience in the post-nuclear world that we love. 

Great Range of Difficulty

Bethesda does a great job in the Fallout games of making sure there is a great range in difficulty in the quests and the enemies that you may come across.  This keeps things interesting, as you never know if you are going to stumble across some one-shot radroaches or a high-level deathclaw.  You must be prepared for the worst throughout your journey through the wasteland.  The quests also vary greatly and allow lower leveled players to be able to advance through some easier or smaller quests while holding on to the more advanced ones for later. 

Something to Work for and A Sense of Accomplishment

I am a huge fan of games with quests or challenges, which give you something specific to do and reward you for finishing.  The amount of main and side quests in each game gives you something to work for.  You always have something that you can do, even if you are just playing for a short time or not trying to grind on the main quest for hours.  The Fallout 76 daily and weekly challenges add even more to this aspect, giving you points to earn for doing short tasks.  I love the sense of accomplishment that these quests and challenges give you, just for having a good time and playing some dope games!

There is ALWAYS Something New to Discover

The Fallout games cover huge areas, and the games are only getting bigger!  Bethesda does a great job making sure that there is plenty of exploring to do as you travel the wasteland.  With no other method of travel, you must trek to your destinations on foot (at least any new destination).  This puts you in a position to discover new locations, people, enemies, and more.  This is one of the most monotonous but rewarding parts of the games.  It is intimidating to see a quest that requires quite a bit of travel to a location that is not available on your map for fast travel.  It is also exciting when you come across multiple new locations, a few side quests, and an empty building or two to loot on your way.  

I Still Have not Fallen Out of Love

Many Bethesda and Fallout Fans are harsh critics of the newest Fallout installment, Fallout 76.  I did not think I would love the game since it was introducing online gameplay and featuring many changes to be able to do that.  While it may not be my favorite in the Fallout series, I still have not fallen out of love.  The stories are all still true to the theme of the series, the graphics are stunning, and the quests are still interesting!