It's the abomination of Fallout games.
My list is as follows:
- Fallout 2
- Fallout New Vegas
- Fallout
- Fallout Tactics
- Fallout 3
- Fallout 4
- Game that shall not be named (I debated about if this game should top 4... but that would be too cruel.)
Writing in 3 was shit but you can't deny that sense of danger when you wander the Capital Wasteland. I know 4 is supposed to symbolise the return of America through settlements and communities and such, but I never felt in danger in the world
(Wasn't scared by the deathclaws, they even gave you fucking power armour at the beginning of the damn game without training. Of course, you could asspull this and say that since your male character was in the military, sure. But it would not make sense for a female character who was a law student.) and the writing was generally bad. I think Tactics earned it's place for obvious reasons.
Fallout is Fallout, the one that started it all. Interplay did a good job with slinking you into the story and landing your feet on the radiated dirt. New Vegas, in my opinion, is the blend between the old generation and the new generation. I always felt happy in New Vegas, and I was interested in the many subplots it had to offer you. World design could be worked on more however, as well as the sense of danger but it's as close as Fallout 2 as we can get with the new generation.
Fallout 2 takes the cake for me. In that game, I felt like I was in constant danger and in an actual wasteland. Fallout 2 doesn't hold your hand, since once you leave the village you are free to do whatever your heart desires. Every random encounter had me worried since the enemies and NPC's aren't going to just sit there and take it from you
(Also, guns actually felt useful and uncommon instead of a common thing that you use every day). The writing and the characters were fleshed out and detailed, making me feel like it's worth it to read every piece of text there is to offer. Black Isle Studio
(Or should I now say, Obsidian Entertainment?) did a great job with Fallout 2.
I'm not going to talk about the game that should not be named.