30 Best Video Games Of All Time

26. Fallout 3

"But Fallout 4 had better shooting!" you cry. And you're right, but that's the only major element of Fallout 3 it improved upon.

Back to Bethesda's 2008 masterwork, and outside some animation quibbles, this is the defining second generation Fallout experience (the former being Black Isle's 2D incarnations). Opening with one of the best introductory sequences of all time, you're then let loose in the Commonwealth with only your wits to keep you company. Such a juxtaposition is fundamental to why Fallout 3 soars above its contemporaries; you really feel a sense of discovery and progression with every step taken, every NPC encountered and every Super Mutant defeated.

Gameplay-wise you've got a V.A.T.S system that plays into a more turn-taking mentality, allowing you plan a path through enemies, the perk system feels a lot more class-based and refined rather than Fallout 4's "jack of all trades" direction, and aesthetically there's a feeling of destitute grime that really makes the wasteland feel iconic.

Where Fallout 4 had endless mission structures, base-building and an immersion-breaking conversation system, Fallout 3 tore your home away and asked you to journey forwards regardless, knowing you'd discover a timeless sense of purpose along the way.