Players who believe that Fallout 3 was Bethesda’s best Fallout entry are not alone, as Todd Howard similarly considers the title to be his favorite game that he's worked on a the studio. The post-apocalyptic trademark has gone a long way under Bethesda’s supervision, with Fallout 76 being the latest - and most controversial - installment in the series.
Fallout 76 will likely remain the most notorious Fallout game developed by Bethesda for a good while Not only did it took a different route by focusing on online experience rather than a single-player one, but it also hugely underdelivered in both content and quality upon release. Premiering as a bug-infested unplayable joke, Fallout 76 managed to grow into a more or less enjoyable title over the years despite all the controversies it faced along the way. The game was treated to a steady flow of technical improvements, introduced NPCs and proper quests, and is set to receive another big portion of new content this December.
It kind of makes sense, then, that Todd Howard considers the first Bethesda Fallout game to be his favorite one, as revealed by the man himself during an extensive interview at the Brighton Digital Conference. He says it was a matter of making something completely new that makes the experience special to him, as Bethesda didn't development experience with a post-apocalyptic setting at the time, and Fallout fans had very high expectations he was eager to meet. On top of that, the series' storytelling was very different from what Bethesda was used to with The Elder Scrolls. In Fallout 3, the major premise of finding the protagonist’s father had to be balanced carefully with free exploration and side activities, a challenge Howard enjoyed overcoming.
With all the nostalgia surrounding the decade-old Fallout 3, a different game is widely considered by fans to be the absolute best modern installment in the franchise. The title in question is Fallout: New Vegas by Obsidian Entertainment, which took the 3D environment introduced to the series by Bethesda and elevated them to new heights with its elaborate RPG and series experience (being the creators of the Fallout universe and all). The result was a mesmerizing game, which to date remains the most highly acclaimed modern Fallout despite its many bugs, winning players over with its branching story, engaging quests, and memorable characters.
Of course, Howards remarks on Fallout 3 are likely a fairly calculated PR move, as it is considered by many to be far better than the comparatively feature-rich and luxurious Fallout 4. By mentioning this fan-favorite game in such a well-disposed context, Howard is likely hinting at going back to the roots for Bethesda with its upcoming open-world single-player projects, such as Starfield, The Elder Scrolls VI, and - presumably - the next Fallout, which is almost undoubtedly coming in the future.
Source: Develop:Brighton Digital 2020