Fallout 4 Is Way Worse Than Fallout 3. Here’s Why
Fallout 4 has released worldwide (well, except for Japan). So, does it live up to the hype? To find out we compared the review scores of Fallout 4 vs Fallout 3 to gauge which is the better game.
We used the PC version of Fallout 4 for the comparison since this is the version that has performed consistently across all generation of hardware. Also, Fallout 4 currently has 19 reviews on PC while Fallout 3 had 48. For a fair comparison, we only considered review from sites that had reviewed both Fallout 3 and Fallout 4.
Finally, we used Metacritic to form a gauge on the general consensus of the game.
So, without further Ado here are the scores:
| Review Site | Fallout 4 | Fallout 3 |
| Hardcore Gamer | 100 | 90 |
| IGN | 95 | 96 |
| Meristation | 93 | 95 |
| GameSpot | 90 | 90 |
| PC Gamer | 88 | 91 |
| GameStar | 87 | 93 |
| Game Over Online | 85 | 90 |
| Gameplanet | 85 | 95 |
| Giant Bomb | 80 | 80 |
| Metacritic Score | 87 | 91 |
| Metacritic User Rating | 4.7 | 8 |
What is immediately apparent is that pretty much across the board, Fallout 3 is the better game.
In the chart above we can see that Fallout 4 scored only 3 times higher than Fallout 3, while Fallout 3 scored a whopping 8 times higher which is more than double.
If we tally the score, we find that the delta is more than 54 review points. Note that for this graph, we converted the Metacritic User Score from base 10 to base 100 for an apples to apples comparison. One reason for the massive difference is the abysmal user review scores for Fallout 4 vs 3.
Well, there you have it folks. At least in this stage, Fallout 4 is worse than Fallout 3. The major complaint seems to be in the graphics department since Fallout 4 doesn’t look that much better than 3. This is exacerbated by the fact that Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt is an equally big (if not bigger) open world game than Fallout 4 and looks way better.
To further drive the point, Fallout 4 currently holds only 77% positive reviews whereas Fallout 3 is at 83%. PC gamers are a demanding bunch and the general opinion online is that Fallout 4 is more of the same-old same-old as Fallout 3 while not pushing the open world RPG envelope as other games have recently done so.
The critics seem to think so and so does the average gamers. However, as more sites review the game and the average gamer mindset stabilises (if at all) the outcome may change.
I don’t know about you guys, but I am thoroughly enjoying my time in the new Fallout, especially with the fully voice acted main character, an engrossing story, settlements to build and defend, improved gunplay, weapons to craft and what not. Plus, Fallout 4 seems less buggy than most of Bethesda’s open world games at launch date.
I’m not entirely sure that the low scores that Fallout 4 is getting is exactly warranted. But I’m interested in what you guys think. So, sound off in the comments section below! And until then keep on exploring the wasteland!
Nov 13th, 2015 at 12:49 am
Your X axis on total score is misleading. Start at 0 and the gap will look minuscule. I don’t like when people fudge with the axes to make a point – very Fox news of you!
Nov 13th, 2015 at 1:34 am
A review score is just an opinion. I think the only reason Fallout 4 suffers a bit in the reviews is because it is not that much unlike Fallout 3. That being said as someone who struggled with Fallout 3 (very poor controls outside of VATS), I am enjoying Fallout 4 MUCH, MUCH more.
Metacrtic User Scores are completely useless for any title with any degree of controversy. The fact is none of those user review scores carry much weight because most of those people haven’t even come close to completing the game.
So kudos on gathering data on supporting your point of view, that is far more than most game writers do, but like anuses, everyone has an opinion.
Nov 13th, 2015 at 4:20 am
Low scores? You’re kidding, right? Of the reviews you pulled (and showed here), the ‘worst’ review is an 8 out of 10. In what world is that bad?
“What is immediately apparent is that pretty much across the board, Fallout 3 is the better game.”
When compared with other games in 2008. This? 2015. SEVEN YEARS LATER. Silly goose.
I was expecting some ironic rant when I clicked in here from N4G. Glad I use adblock.
Nov 13th, 2015 at 7:09 am
Using the meta critic user score of a game that is 7 years old against a game that has been out 2 days is not an accurate comparison. The low scores for FO4 are obviously biased because people who are enjoying the newly released game are still playing it, where as people who dislike the game are avidly voicing their opinion on the Internet. I would like to see a revision of the charts showing that change to give a more accurate representation.
Nov 13th, 2015 at 8:05 am
@Joe Dohn, Haakon, Brian
You are absolutely right. My intention was not to mislead people (if you believe that). For some odd reason the Excel graph used that axis and I didn’t think twice before posting. Also I’ve mentioned in the article that as more reviews are added, the overall score can go either way.
@Haakon
There’s a difference in Fallout 4 being “worst” and being “comparatively worse” than Fallout 3. The reason for this is when 3 came out there was nothing like it and nothing to compare it to.
@DarthDiggler
If you ask me, I actually am enjoying Fallout 4 more thsn 3 as I’ve said so in the article. But reading around in forums and actually checking the data gave me quite a surprise for the PC version, hence the article.
Nov 13th, 2015 at 8:10 am
@Everyone
To anyone coming in and thinking this is just for money/ad revenue. Please don’t. Even with a couple thousand of visitors in a single day is barely enough to pay for server costs (and most use ad blockers anyway). This really isn’t for the money
Nov 14th, 2015 at 2:14 am
If you read some of the critical reviews by users on Meta you’ll see the main complaint is the lack of RPG elements in the game and the completely dumbed down dialogue choices.
Nov 14th, 2015 at 4:12 pm
@ Dave
That is one of the problems that is with the game
Dec 3rd, 2015 at 10:22 pm
Huh, why do you include Metacritic User score? I see no good reason unless you want to attack a game on grounds of personal bias. Metacritic User score has been a socialmedia hatefest for years. Young users incite as many contacts as they possibly have to either upvote or downvote a game there, theirs is not a reliable score.