Wasteland 3 came out on August 28th, 2020, reminding fans of the RPG franchise of everything that makes inXile Entertainment one of the finest studios for the genre. Given their intertwined history, one cannot help but compare Wasteland to Fallout. The former is considered a spiritual predecessor to the latter, with both games originating at Interplay Productions.
While they both started out as RPGs of a similar vein, commonalities between the two these days are hard to spot besides the post-apocalyptic setting. Wasteland does some things spectacularly better than Fallout, while Fallout has a few advantages of its own.
10 Wasteland: More Consistent
Only three Wasteland games exist so far, but they are all classics and have had the same lead designer, Brian Fargo, behind them. Fallout, on the other hand, has had several spin-offs water down the brand, most notable Fallout 76. Additionally, Fallout is going through somewhat of an identity crisis, recently towing the line between open-world RPG with a dynamic world and a simpler dungeon crawler, while Wasteland knows exactly what it is and makes no apologies for it.
9 Fallout: Shorter Introductions
Fallout games waste no time getting the player into the world and letting them set out on their own. Even the older Interplay titles, as brutal as they were, had players exploring the barren wastes without a leash shortly after exiting the character creator. Wasteland generally takes more time, introducing players to the mechanics through a more extended opening. Considering these games' complexity, it is a necessary step.
8 Wasteland: More Choices, More Consequences
Fallout used to be similar in this regard, but started shying away from this even in Fallout 3, and such tough choices are almost completely absent in Fallout 4. Wasteland 3 still retains these brutal decisions where no answer ever feels truly right. Even seemingly righteous moves often have unforeseen consequences. The closest modern Fallout gets to this is Fallout: New Vegas, a spin-off developed by Obsidian in 2010.
7 Fallout: More Variety
Going through all the Wasteland games in a row would be a serious chore. The first game has not aged particularly well, though its historical significance is undeniable, and the third game improves on every aspect of Wasteland 2, making it difficult to go back to.
Fallout, on the other hand, has three distinct styles: the isometric RPGs of the first two entries, the Elder Scrolls-like RPG mechanics of Fallout 3 and New Vegas, and the more action-oriented, dungeon-exploring combat of Fallout 4 and 76.
6 Wasteland: Humor
Wasteland's world is particularly brutal. Despite this, it still manages to make players chuckle at its jokes, which range from pop culture references to satire. Fallout, for the most part, takes itself too seriously, especially in the games developed by Bethesda. A post-apocalypse is arguably nothing to joke about, but one needs a little levity to even out all the darkness and grit.
5 Fallout: More Fleshed-Out Lore
By virtue of having more games and a more consistent release schedule, Fallout's lore is more realized and interconnected than Wasteland's.
The games so far cover more land around the country over a larger period of time. Wasteland has only had three games, and while events from one impact the other and they all follow the Rangers, they have only covered the southwest, Los Angeles, and Colorado.
4 Wasteland: Use Of Licensed Music
Fallout has squandered a missed opportunity with its radio and use of licensed music. Fallout 3's radio was a step in the right direction, but then Fallout 4 recycled many of the same songs and did not push the concept forward. Wasteland 3 made licensed music an essential part of the experience. For the project, InXile recruited Mary Ramos, music supervisor on most Quentin Tarantino films, to elevate the game's atmosphere with covers of numerous licensed songs, including theme songs from popular sitcoms.
3 Fallout: More Detailed Character Creator
Fallout only lets players create a single avatar, but the options presented are plentiful and outdo Wasteland by miles. One would think Wasteland would have more aesthetic choices because players are tasked with creating a whole party, but many of the characters end up looking the same. Fortunately, the variation comes with stats and abilities in Wasteland's character creator.
2 Wasteland: Cooperative Play
Wasteland 3 is playable with a friend from beginning to end. Friends can travel together and even split up and take on different quests simultaneously. Fallout's multiplayer offering is Fallout 76, which released amidst huge controversy and an infamously terrible launch. The developer has improved upon it since then, but it is still not up to the quality or depth of Wasteland 3's cooperative mode. Nothing is sacrificed in the franchise's signature experience by going through it with a partner.
1 Fallout: More Detailed World
The Fallout games are giant productions with a huge budget. This, along with now being in first-person, makes the world more visually detailed than anything Wasteland offers. Of course, worldbuilding is more than just pretty environments, but in terms of graphical fidelity, Fallout has Wasteland beat. It also has a more recognizable aesthetic with the Vault-Tec art and designs populating much of the series' look and feel.