IGN Ranks the Fallout Games

IGN’s executive editor of reviews Dan Stapleton has rated all the Fallout games, including the spin-offs, from worst to best. I’ve seen more than a few raging debates on the merits of Fallout versus its sequel and Fallout 3 versus Obsidian’s spin-off New Vegas, so Stapleton’s preference for the more colorful but less apocalyptic settings of 2 and New Vegas will no doubt find supporters and detractors in equal measure. Here’s the title Stapleton chose as the absolute best in the series so far:

Obsidian’s Fallout: New Vegas combines the detailed open world and first-person perspective of Fallout 3 with the writing, humor, and worldbuilding of Fallout 2, giving us the best of both worlds in one fantastic game. Its excellent story has multiple interesting outcomes built around its many distinctive factions, which lets you have a major impact on the future of the region. It features some of the series’ most memorable companion characters, who all have deep background stories. And it all takes place in a wonderful and varied Nevada wasteland with an Old West flavor that sets it apart from the typical nuclear ruins. It’s our favorite Fallout game yet.

At the very least, I suspect most will agree with Stapleton’s choice to rank Brotherhood of Steel, the series’ console-oriented Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance clone, as the worst in the series.