Fallout 3 or fallout new Vegas

fallout 3 is just classic

Fallout 3 GOTY

I'm more a New Vegas guy myself.

Fallout 1 & 2 and Tactics

I liked the setting of New Vegas better. Plus its got more gameplay mechanics than vanilla 3.

EDIT For your first Fallout definitely get 3.

Just wondering is GOTY necessary or Fallout 3 vanilla is good enough ?

If you want to play both, play Fallout 3 first.

You wouldn't like 3 so much if you started with New Vegas since NV came feature-wise as upgraded F3.

Fallout 3 - better story, feeling;
Fallout NV - minor gameplay improvements over 3.

seems like half part of GOTY

Both

I played both and I enjoyed FNV more than FO3. The main story in FO3 isnt that good imo. But in the end I think it comes down to the setting.

Both suck but New Vegas is a bit better imo

Fallout 3 > Fallout NV
The only thing that they added in NV was more choices in the storylines and a worst land to explore.

Fallout 3.

New Vegas.

Fallout 3 and Fallout 3 GOTY won't work on Win7-8 without a bunch of modifications to the files so i'd say go for New Vegas.

Fallout 3 if you want a good post-apocalyptic shooter. Fallout New Vegas if you want a real Fallout experience, this title is much more close to the original games' setting, style and world. FO3 looks great, but it's just a shooter with RPG elements, while New Vegas have much-much more like a real RPG with a more developed crafting, weapons and factions system.

Fallout 2!

New Vegas has better writing and quest design.

Fallout 3 has a more interesting world, more interesting things to explore, etc. Fallout NV has a better story. What do you want?

New Vegas all the way. Considerably better writing, more interesting quests, less linear design, an ending that is not head-smackingly stupid.

Both are set in a Fallout Universe,both are open world sandbox,both have similar game play though some differences..People will tell you one of 3 things. Fallout 3 is better than Fallout NV, Fallout NV is better than Fallout 3, or both are good to play. People will also tell you FO 3 GOTY crashes more than FO NV , or that FO NV crashes more than FO 3 GOTY.These people probably did not add in any of the tweaks and "unofficial patches" properly or at all for either game which fixes the majority of the crashes.

Fallout 3 and Fallout NV both have community guides/threads on steam for getting the game patched without going deep into mods.

My final Verdict?

Get the fallout that from pictures and videos has the environment that appeals to you more.The Environment is what will make the biggest difference to anyone who plays either one and is one of the biggest topics of dicussion. Fallout 3 is in a metro wasteland with more urban environments. Fallout NV is like being in Texas in terms of being more spaced out.

Both games have their strengths and weaknesses, but at the end they are Fallout games set in different "atmosphere themes"
I got both games because I like the settings of both.

I've only played Fallout 3 on Xbox, I would recommend to you the one which vanilla or moded version are the most colourful, Fallout 3 was quite depressing for me to play for long hours (washed browns and greys everywhere).

PS: blasting some mutant and scavengers heads cheered me up at least

PPS: Either way buy the COMPLETE Editions, separate DLC are a steal