2. Mojave Wasteland Fallout: New Vegas
Once again, I imagine this is a choice not everyone would agree with, largely because fans of the Fallout franchise tend to prefer Fallout 3 to Fallout: New Vegas. However Ive always felt that New Vegas was not only the better game but the better map too. Fallout 3 was unbelievable. Sometimes I question why I like the series as much as I do, the graphics are pretty terrible, the gameplay is straightforward and, at times, frustrating and the story is weak. That being said the games are simply great, theyre atmospheric, fun, diverse and theres more than 60+ hours worth of play-time. Usually when I point out the flaws in a game, I feel the need to clarify that I actually do like it, however I write this wearing a Vault 101 t-shirt, so I feel like I can voice my opinions on a series I love and have spent a very long time playing. As great as Fallout 3 was, I think New Vegas had a stronger story and a better, more diverse, map. Travelling around from Goodsprings to New Vegas itself, Cottonwood Cove to Redrock Canyon and the many great locations, the diversity is much more apparent than the wasteland from Fallout 3. The wasteland and the DC ruins in Fallout 3 were fun to explore but Bethesda really made a point of making the Mojave a more varied map with locations that felt different, which kept the travel from getting monotonous. The diversity in the Mojave made the groups in the wasteland; Nellis Air Force Base, The Khans, NCR, Caesars Legion and Mr. House, feel much more real, like their section of the wasteland was really theirs, they owned it and the layout and look of the land reflected that. This was a much greater factor in the New Vegas map that made it much more interesting and worth exploring. The Fallout games are loved by many, Fallout 3 was 2008 game of the year, and the reason is not the story, gameplay or graphics. The reason we love Fallout so much is its RPG elements and completely open-world that was a joy to explore, no matter how glitchy it was. The Mojave was a huge place with a litany of crazy people, side quests, memorable moments and diverse locations, its one setting that will be hard to top whenever we finally get Fallout 4 which should be any day now.