The Fallout series feels like a bad breakup I can’t quit.

There are some games I desperately want to love. Sometimes it’s the setting, the aesthetic or even the art style that really draws me in. The hype from fans makes me feel like I’m really missing out on something special.

Despite my best efforts, there are games I just can’t love, no matter how hard I try. This will likely be a recurring topic that I’ll come back to, so buckle up for my first gaming hot take—one that may anger some fans, or at the very least make them pity me.

Unfortunately, the Fallout series is the first victim of my gaming love life that I just can’t seem to click with.

I love post-apocalyptic stories and games. The Last of Us is a masterpiece from top to bottom. One of my favorite games of all time is an open-world RPG. Cyberpunk 2077 takes up more space in my brain than anything I learned in school.

But Fallout and I have never been able to make it work. I started back in college, trying both Fallout 3 and New Vegas on my laptop. They came highly recommended, and I gave them both hours of attempts. Neither one really clicked with me.

Then I lived with a Fallout mega-fan for eight years. 

I tried repeatedly to play Fallout 4, since he would talk about it constantly. I downloaded it on my Xbox. I bought it on PC and tried it there. I even installed it on my Steam Deck a few times and tried to play it in short bursts.

I love the setting and the look of the game. I love the merch designs and tie-ins. I still want to watch the Amazon series. 

Each time I try, I start the prologue and love the idea. I make my character and start playing. I get a few hours in before setting it down. I go back to it here and there, but something doesn’t connect.

I’m not sure if the world is a little too empty? Cyberpunk, by contrast, has a vibrant and busy world. 

It could be the unusual aiming mechanics? The Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting Systems let you pause and choose specific body parts, and it just feels out of place for me. It’s a very tabletop-inspired mechanic that I don’t associate with the Fallout RPG style. 

But a few times every year, I feel just like I do after a breakup: desperate and wanting more again.

By then, I think I’ve moved on. 

My install gets deleted to make room for another game. My spot in the story is completely forgotten.

And yet I go crawling back each time, reinstalling the game and starting the cycle all over again.

So tell me: what can I do to finally get into the game? Or drop a recommendation for something similar I might really enjoy. 

Leave a comment or follow me over on X. I’m always down to talk about video games.
Even the ones I don’t know how to love.