On October 28, 2008, Bethesda Softworks released Fallout 3. Nearly three years later (November 11, 2011), they released the latest game in the ever-growing Elder Scrolls series, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Both of these wikis have been extremely popular since the release of these two games. In fact, The Fallout Wiki previously held the record for most page views in a day and the number one spot on the Gaming Hub until it was recently dethroned by Skyrim. We thought it would be fun to compare these two games on a variety of topics – game setting, weaponry, and enemies.
Setting[]
Skyrim (left), Fallout (right)
Let’s just right into the Vault and Fallout 3. Fallout 3 tells the story of a post-apocalyptic world. It takes place in the year 2277 on the East Coast of the former United States. The land is completely ravaged and destroyed with buildings, cars, and a variety of all other kinds of disease. Most of the landscape is dark, dingy, and in many ways… utterly hopeless. Compare this to the setting of Skyrim. Skyrim (the game) takes place in the world Skyrim. It takes place in the lush mountain-filled lands of Tamriel. The environments are full of trees, lakes, and snowy tundras. Skyrim is a lot brighter compared to the setting of Fallout 3.
However, something that both of these places have in common is the huge variety of locations and areas to explore. In Skyrim, there are over 150 different dungeons to explore and 5 massive cities. The area of the land covers roughly 41 square kilometers. There is a ton to explore. Fallout 3 is no slacker in these regards either – the game contains 163 marked locations, which increases up to 225 including the various DLCs.
Weaponry[]
Wazer Wifle (Fallout 3), Animal Allegiance (Skyrim)
Sometimes when playing a game, the most important question to answer is “What is the best way to blow up shit?” There are a ton of options for weaponry in both of these games.
- Skyrim – This game’s weaponry system involves the use of skills depending on which class you use. There are 18 skills in all. Something that is unique to this game is the addition of a whopping 251 different perks. These perks allow you to purchase upgrades to improve the rest of your weapons. It helps to turn regular items like Bows into forces that can take down dragons. Another unique feature to Skyrim is the use of Dragon Shouts. Dragon Shouts are special commands that the Dragonborn can use to help them absorb the soul of a dragon.
- Fallout 3 – Since this game takes place in the future, it is no surprise that there is a variety of awesome weaponry in this game. Take for consideration the The Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System, or V.A.T.S system. With the V.A.T.S system, the otherwise real-time combat is paused. Various actions cost action points, and both the player and enemies can target specific body areas for attacks, inflicting specific injuries. One of the more unique guns in the game is the energy weapon, the Wazer Wifle. This weapon holds a larger magazine than the standard laser rifle and deals more damage.
Enemies[]
A Deathclaw (Fallout 3) vs. Dragon (Skyrim)
It would be impossible to compare the two games without comparing the enemies. Of course, it would be difficult to compare them directly anyway. Skyrim reaches a whole range of creatures from simple animals such as deer to larger animals like bears. Also, completely terrifying are the Trolls. Trolls can be seen roaming the forests and dungeons of this game. Of course – one of the central enemies of the game are dragons. There are a variety of dragons that will randomly appear throughout the game once the player begins to play the main quest.
It’s hard to choose a favorite enemy in Fallout 3. If I had to choose, I’d go with the Super Mutants. Nothing brings more satisfaction than finally taking down one of those. If I had to choose my least favorite enemy of Fallout 3, I would go with the Deathclaws. I don’t know how many times I had to start from my last save after randomly being attacked and not being able to defeat these enemies. Both games though, have a ton of different creatures. Bethesda does a well job of creating a huge bestiary in these games. It’s also interesting to see how the enemy artificial intelligence varies with each different creature they have in these games. It appears that no two of them are the same.
Conclusion[]
While it is probably difficult to decide which game is better in the long run (and probably unfair given the three year separation between the games), we would like you guys to share your thoughts and feelings about what Bethesda does correctly in these games and what they do incorrectly. If you want to tell us why you prefer one over the other please do so. But, please try to keep it civil.