Just talking about both TV shows, I’m going to say that I think Fallout is better than TLOU, and I say that as someone who loves TLOU. The reason I say that is because as good as TLOU is (and it is very good) I’m a bit weary of gloomy, depressing, post-apocalyptic stories. That’s not to say that they SHOULDN’T have a dark tone (indeed, we just lived through a pandemic and that was depressing as hell; living through an actual apocalypse would be devastating). However, for me personally, having seen a lot of movies and TV shows like that (The Road, Walking Dead, TLOU, etc.), after a while, it can be hard to muster up the energy to sit through another one. I had a partner for a while who wanted to watch EVERY post-apocalyptic movie we could find on streaming. I remember this really depressing one with Peter Dinklage in a library that I couldn’t get through simply because every second of it just made me feel like crap.
Anyway, what I’m getting at is that I like Fallout (the show and the games) a lot because it’s a bit more of a goofy twist on the apocalypse. It can be serious and even heartbreaking at times but it also has this whimsical, atomic age appeal to it that keeps it from ever going too dark (and even when it does, it’s often played for a sick laugh). But I also think that makes it more original and unique. As good as TLOU is, I feel like that game and show are more of a case of taking a kind of played out concept (post apocalyptic zombie horror) and executing it really, really well. Fallout, in contrast (whether you’re talking pre- or post-Bethesda) obviously has its influences too but it just feels more original to me. I guess it’s really just a matter of preference. But I’m definitely more of a Fallout fan.
Also… play Fallout 4! It’s great, despite what some New Vegas stans might tell you.