The Witcher 3 Vs Fallout 4 - What Makes A Good RPG?

ASidCast: "With 2015 almost drawing to a close, we decided to look at the best releases this year. We noticed a curious thing in the RPG genre. Although both of the biggest RPG titles of 2015 – The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Fallout 4 got great critic scores, The Witcher 3 received an overwhelming amount of better reception by the users and was considered a good RPG while Fallout 4 wasn’t. Why is that?"

[ARESWARLORD]

Both are excellent games both are good RPGs

[Avin1973]

Witcher 3 is a good rpg.

Fallout 4 is trash, is nothing compared to originals. A version for dumb Kids.

[DanteVFenris666]

And witcher 3 has a shallow level up system with a terrible crafting system and terrible loot system.

They both have strengths and weaknesses. Both games are good.

[Griever]

I think story, characters and a compelling world/lore are the most important part of an RPG. That makes Witcher 3 a better RPG IMO. Many argue that Fallout is not even an RPG; it is more of a sandbox openworld shooter with light RPG mechanics.

The story and characters always take a backseat in Bethesda games. There isnt much of a story and you cant impact it much with your choices. Never heard of a single good story or a popular character from a Bethesda game like Geralt, Master Chief, Morrigan, Kratos, Cloud, Sephiroth, Nathan Drake etc. Maybe the original Fallouts had more memorable characters and stories (never played them) but not the modern ones.

[eklektic]

@griever. Did you really put master chief, kratos and nathan drake in your list of memorable rpg characters? Lmao!!

[Blachek]

I've picked up Witcher 3 and am excited to dive in... I just haven't finished playing Fallout 4 yet.

I've never played a Witcher game, whereas i've played Fallout 3, and New Vegas. There is a tremendous amount of depth in the Fallout world. The character we play has a backstory, but it's secondary to the level of discovery that the world offers. I think you may be a little biased in your assessment.

[livininsin]

trying to decide which game is better, Witcher 3 or Fallout 4 is what I call a high quality problem.

[Griever]

Damn, people really lack common sense. I meant they were popular/iconic characters; not "memorable characters in RPGs." It is not like I am calling those differetn genres of games RPGs. Idiots.
You people remind me of Confucius's quote,

"When the wise man points at the moon, the imbecile stares at his finger."

You guys are doing exactly that. Not seeing the point of my statement and laughing thinking I just called Uncharted, GoW and Halo an RPG. Anybody with an ounce of common sense would know what I meant and not take it literally.

[Bansai]

Witcher 3 blows Fallout 4 out of the water and waves sarcastically while it's flying away.

[frostypants]

Witcher 3 is not an RPG, because you play no part in defining your role. It's a story driven adventure game for people who don't like to think.

See? Declarative statements are fun.

[alvin_the_elf]

"you play no part in defining your role"

We must not be playing the same game.

Also, declarative statements are not fun unless you back them up with logic or statistics.

[thekhurg]

Witcher 3 is a fantastic RPG.

Fallout 4 is an open world The Sims simulator with some weak first person shooter mechanics slapped on top of a terrible story, poor animations, thousands of loading screens, and awful dialog/voice acting.

[alvin_the_elf]

Sorry, wrong reply.

[eklektic]

A good role playing game needs to allow you to play whatever role you want in a set environment. Just like the old paper and pen games rpgs stemmed from. I believe regardless of story telling and graphics fallout 4 takes that trophy.

[GarrusVakarian]

Well they are different types of RPG. The Witcher being character-driven and Fallout...less so. And while you are right, Fallout 4 removed a lot of focus on 'be who you want to be' type of gameplay through the introduction of a voiced protag/reduced dialogue options/larger focus on the (garbage) narrative.

[GarrusVakarian]

@Emz99

You're agreeing with me here and you don't realise it:

"You don't pick a role at all in the Witcher"

So in one of the games you pick a role, and in the other one you don't, hence two different kinds of RPG - character driven and non-character driven. The effect of this difference has a huge impact on how the game plays out and is built. The RPG genre is no different than others in its diversity, especially now.

Agreed on your words about F4. I hope they go back to the old formula in those aspects with the next ES/FO.

[_-EDMIX-_]

@emz- no.

If you want a role in Fallout 4 in terms of type, merely only level up thoses things that support what you want.

I see no reasons to FORCE it, its stupid and makes no sense. So your telling me you can't just only pick a certain number of perks you wish to use?

Oh...so they need to force you one just a set one to make you feel better, you can't do that yourself?

Sorry bud, but in real life....you very much can learn many, many different things, I see no reason to force such a unrealistic thing on players.

I was fine with that change in Skyrim, I'm fine with it in Fallout 4. It hasn't stopped me from crafting my character to fit certain play styles like I did in Fallout 3.

[DanteVFenris666]

@emz I'm 53 and am not even close to specializing in everything. Just barely got my crafting perks and good mellee perks as well as miscelenious ones here and there. I'd say at about 100-150 you'll start being at that point. I think it's 300 to get all perks

[UnHoly_One]

I think he meant he is level 53. lol

[Avin1973]

You can't kill every single person in FO4. You could in previous Fallout games.

Fallout 4 is far from a good rpg.

[Yukonsbud]

Bs

[BallsEye]

No not every Role Play Game must be about creating your character. As the name says, in witcher you PLAY A ROLE of a Witcher. I always preferred character creation but I've changed my mind after witcher. I really felt like I need be Geralt, think as he would, do what he would do, which made it much more interesting. If I'd be allowed to be "myself" in such game I'd probably end up playing it as I've played any other RPG. Witcher forced some stuff on me, and it made a difference for the good.

[FrostXVenom]

A good RPG needs good story,character customization,choices that actually make an impact in story,inspiring environments with memorable PC and NPC(not who only expects you do repetitive things),meaningful main quests and side quests.

Only thing W3 lacks is Char customization in terms of looks as its predefined character driven RPG.

[alvin_the_elf]

You can't really play whatever role you want in Fallout 4, can you?

You can't play an evil character, you can't play an unmarried character. You'll never find an RPG outside pen and paper that lets you play whatever role you want. People like Fallout 4 because they like the role they are assigned- that one of a loving, heterosexual parent. That doesn't make it a better RPG.

[eklektic]

See you can play an unmarried character for one she/he is dead and you can take the ring off immediately. Plus you can play at least 40 to 50 hours easy without ever doing anything with the main story except the very beginning. And yes you can play a evil character trust me lmao i have plenty of pictures to prove it. You must not have a very good imagination lol.

[alvin_the_elf]

No, you can't play an evil character. There are no evil outcomes to quests. You can either help them or not.

Imagination is not the issue. Writing is. See some other RPGs that actually have evil outcome of quests, because they have well written quests and not just "go there, kill this" quests of Fallout 4.

And your excuse for a game where the character is assumed to have strong family values is that he can be a bachelor after his wife is dead? How messed up is that?

Yes, I can do 40-50 hours without touching the main story. I have played a lot more in Fallout 4 without touching the main story, but isn't my character supposed to be searching for his son, who may be an infant to his knowledge? Sure, that can wait. Let's help some strangers and build a few villages first...

[eklektic]

Yep you can play just like you said lol. Im playing that way and there's plenty of other people playing that way lol.

And your argument is pointless lol. You yourself just said you put in 40 to 50 hours without doing the main quest. And didn't care about your son so in a way you were role playing huh? And if you wanted to you could play another 50 hours without touching the main story. And you could end your story any way you wanted to. That's why Bethesda games are the best role playing games made these days.

At any time you could have just did the main story and find your son. But you didn't. So in a way you decided it wasn't important. That's not my fault or the writers fault.

[Perjoss]

I think Witcher 3 is the better RPG, but I enjoy exploring the world of Fallout 4 more.

[Pintheshadows]

I concur.

[mocaak]

I think that Witcher 3 is a far superior game, but Fallout 4 is a better RPG, it has more choices to make your character and experience unique. At everything else though Witcher is better, story, characters, world, combat, visuals, sound, all top notch.

[alvin_the_elf]

What choices?

Every other quest in Witcher 3 had a meaningful and lasting choice, that actually impacted the world and the characters. In my long, long Fallout 4 playthrough, I have found maybe a couple of quests that has choices with irrelevant consequences. The only choice you have is which perk to pick first, and which to pick later. It's not much of a choice.

[chrisx]

Both games are awesome but witcher 3 to me is the best out of both

[Manubiggs]

Agree, think the witcher has better storytelling

[--bienio--]

The climate of the game is the most important, for me these qualities I have the Witcher 3

[sullynathan]

I can see a good reason why someone would say either game wasn't a good rpg.

[_-EDMIX-_]

I see....so no good RPGs exist ever then? lol

I'm sorry but both are equally great RPGs. Both teams are 2 of the best teams in the industry in crafting RPGs.

For anyone to try to exaggerate that on either side is legit laughable.

What CDPR and Bethesda have done, isn't an easy task.

Yes...both have bugs, yes....both are not perfect, but no game is.

But its clear we are not talking about Risen, Divinity Sin etc are either of those up for GOTY? How many millions did they sell? Oh...I see.

Sooooooo please, lets try not to exaggerate one game over the other. They are BOTH HIGH LEVEL RPGs to the highest regard of quality, its why they are getting praise and mega million sales.

Yes, you might like one over the other, sure...makes sense, we all won't like the same things, but lts again try not to make it seem as if liking one over the other, means the other is complete crap and garbage etc.

As again...I don't see other RPGs getting such huge sales, GOTY awards etc.

[sullynathan]

I don't see why you typed a multiple paragraph essay as a response to my one sentence comment that wasn't meant to offend.

[Yukonsbud]

Framerates over pixels

[Pintheshadows]

Story/lore/universe, good characters, depth to the systems, variety in quests, strong combat foundation, exploration.

There is more.

I could have just said Planescape Torment.

[Wallstreet37]

Alot of different aspects in making a good game, especially an RPG but the combat in Witcher 3 felt weak so I couldn't get into (being you mentioned "strong combat foundation" as one of the points of a gd RPG).

[Yui_Suzumiya]

Both are epic but Fallout 4 is definitely at the #1 spot for me this year. Got my platinum and all last week.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

Not trying to pass it off as episodic content.

[Antifan]

I felt TW3 had a overall better and coherent experience. The dialogue system in Fallout 4 is very simplistic. Special stats don't unlock new dialogue options anymore. What you see is what you get, no matter what kind of role you're playing. Also, the lack of content is disturbing for a Bethesda game. BOS/Railroad/Minutemen side quests are a complete joke. I don't even bother with them. 400 hours? Sure, of repeating side quest. I want to know what happened during the development process because this product feels rushed.

[DanteVFenris666]

I don't know if people remember but fallout 3 has literally 10 side quests. 10!!!! I beat the game and all of its quests in about 20-30 hours. From counting there was 29 side quests or so from the wiki but only about 10 or less had any substance to them.

New Vegas was a different story. But new Vegas was also reusing everything with 3 and enhancing it. That gave me about 60 hours.

Fallout 4 has much more content. id say equal or a bit more than new Vegas. But those random quests are nice to grind too. Than there is the building system which adds hours. As my dream is to connect every town together and build them all.

The building are also far better designed and some have a lot more mysterious. From reading around and searching. The vertical design was awsome to have.

We gets voiced actor and we lose that dialogue system. We win some we lose some.honestly I didn't even notice until people complained. I didn't care for it that Much. Though I do agree it enhances it. Maybe with the complaints the dlcs will incorporate them

[sullynathan]

Fallout 4 only has more content if you count unlimited respawning quests and building settlements and crafting as more content. Especially if you ignore the fact that new vegas has more quests too.

Fallout 3 has around 17 side Quests, I don't know where this 10 quest rumor started.

[UnHoly_One]

There is one major factor of Fallout that people either don't know about or seem to forget.

The world itself can have such a story to tell if you are willing to look around for it.

Hacking terminals and reading the logs on them while exploring a building, you can piece together a fantastic little story of what was happening in this place 200 years ago. Some of them are just plain brilliant. Cambridge Polymer Labs is one of my favorites, but there are dozens of them if you look around.

And that is also part of the reason to do those repeating quests. They send you to a location that might be out of your way and maybe you wouldn't ever visit it otherwise. Some of them may have a little story to tell, others maybe a Bobblehead or a Magazine, or maybe you just get the loot and XP.

I'm not saying that you should spend 200 hours doing repeating faction missions, but it is a shame to skip them entirely.

There is so much to the world that you will never see if you just walk from mission to mission.

And that is the reason why I love the Fallout games so much.

[DrumBeat]

I'd have to go with Fallout 4. I just couldn't get into/stay with The Witcher 3. It didn't move me at all.

Yeah, it's got some great visuals and a top notch musical score, but in terms of sheer game play enjoyment, sheer fun, and overall uniqueness, the game fell flat for me. To me, TW3 was another medieval RPG in a long list of them, and I wasn't grabbed. In fact, I was quite bored.

Fallout's universe is so unique and captivating to me. The retro-futurism, the music, and the game play all added up to one addictive and very special open world experience for me. There's just no other game like it out there.

[alfcrippinjr]

The Witcher 3 is amazing game to play.

[Jerredh]

Fallout is great, but the witcher is more of an rpg to me. Mainly cause of the multiple builds you can choose from. Swords, potions, signs and hybrid mixes with different armors that support said builds. I have 120 hours in both games and both are amazing but that said Fallout 4 is more action adventure rpg hybrid. Witcher 3 straight up rpg with true consequences for choices.

[eklektic]

See i disagree. The Witcher only had one build and that's being a Witcher while fallout you can be whatever you want from a drunken boxer to a military sniper to a drug fueled clepto.

[DanteVFenris666]

You don't need builds. Mind control everyone = instant win

[NovaCorps]

the sure thing now is that bethesda needs to step up
they are not alone anymore they need a new engine,new mechanics and for christ sake a good fcking storyteller plz
i did enjoy the world of fallout 4 more than fallout 3 but is it me or F4 have less quest than F3 ? i did all main quests,searching for quest everywhere and cant find any except the stupid boring repetitive ones.
all factions are crap in f4 except for me the institute

[theboss6]

People wont believe me when i tell them ppl like witcher 3 cuz of tits oh well

[theboss6]

I built a unique town in fallout had 40 settlers 6 stores with towers tunnels food growing customized guns one called big balls .....i ran electric all around the town built all my armor including my companions and they telling me fallout is not an rpg ? So being the mayor doesn't count ? Lol

[gosukyomomma]

Precisely this. In this game i can do what i want and go where i want. The settlements are great in my opinion and fallout 4 a true free open rpg world no invisible barriers as in withcer 3 too. i mean what other game allows you to stealthily place a grenade in an enemies pocket while u run off and watch them explode into pieces!

[alvin_the_elf]

Nobody said Fallout 4 is not an RPG.

[tattooart83]

Both have their ups and downs but from what I've played fallout 4 is way more glitchy and a lot less of an rpg

[Ch1d0r1]

The only way i see a fallout game ever winning GOTY honors if it was bug/crash free for the most part. It gets really annoying when your game crashes every hour or few hours depending on how much you play after you accumulate many many hours of play. The base game itself is ok, the modding community is what makes this game great to play. And a big thank you to the devs and publishers who allow for those great things to happen, as they could easily disallow mods.

[Warshade]

The witcher 3 is an RPG you take a role and play through the epic adventure.

Fallout 4 is an FPS. They still have some lingering RPG elements but its just an open world Shooter at this point.

[gosukyomomma]

I use vats so no it isnt a fps plus I prefer 3rd person view in F4. Fallout 4 is more rpg than witcher you dont have a clue mate. In witcher you have one ultimate quest. find ciri kill everyone. Can i kill triss or ciri or yen? The only better thing in witcher 3 is the dialogue and graphics both are good games but fallout tops it for me. Geralt has a sword and magic. fallout has melee swords knifes guns basically a whole lot more options to play the game however you want. Thats a true rpg.

[Bansai]

Vats in F4 is pointless when I can just shoot them normally 3x times faster.

And yes, I did try to use VATS, but after 20 hours I was like: "what's the point?"

[gosukyomomma]

@Bansai

well you should of upgraded your perks better to enable vats to be more effective.

thats your problem not the game

[endzeitkind]

the possibilities to do more than running around in beatiful areas where you can do nothing. nothing.
witcher is nothing than that.

[DLConspiracy]

Well except you can have multiple different endings by the choices you decide to make. Nothing short of amazing that those choices actually change the story. I love Fallout. Both are my faves bit let's not pretend tw3 is some mindless on rails game.

[Bansai]

Yes, let's omit all those meaningful quests and interactions, great story, dialogues, everything living in this beautiful world of The Witcher 3, yes, screw that when I can visit a grocery store (which uses the same assets as every other bulding) in fallout and find 2 stimpkas!!!!!! OMG GOTY!!!!!! hrngnhnhnhnhnh.

[MonkeyOne]

Witcher 3 was boring as hell to me while Fallout 4 is a blast to explore.

I also prefer the simplified perk system in Fallout 4. It's way more pick-up-and-play than Witcher 3's confounding menu/inventory/crafting system.

[Bebedora]

Could of just have asked what makes a neo-cubist painting good?