Fun action and interesting dialogue choices fail to hide the fact that the game world is actually rather stale.
User Rating: 7.5 | Fallout 3 X360
To start with the action is very fun and engaging, even if it is rather hard to keep yourself from dying. A lot. Its very easy to get in over your head until you start to reach the higher levels and even then your never safe. The V.A.T.S mechanic is the best thing about the game, easily the best thing. Without it the game would be even more hallow then it already is and combat would be nowhere near as interesting or fun. The options that are available when talking to inhabitants of the Capitol Wasteland are interesting and have lots of variations especially when you have certain perks for your character like, Black Widow (if your a female) which lets you use powers of seduction to sway the conversation a certain way when talking to men. Or the Child at Heart perk which opens up new venues when talking with children. These things aside the world itself while being very large is rather flat in terms of character and overall atmosphere. The brooding and contrast filled color palette of the previous Fallout games is replaced with a very sterile and lack luster color scheme that makes the whole world feel like the inside of an old tin can. The characters that you meet along the way feel the same way, which is typical of every Bethesda game I've ever played. There is not a single character that stands out and while the voice acting is passable it never really sets any tone or gives any character much life. The sounds for the weapons are great and the array of weapons is nice but you quickly find what works and what doesn't based on your character's specific needs. There are a lot of options as far as customization and making your own weapons but usually you'll find something better from competing a quest then making something yourself. Bottom line its worth playing but its not as amazing as its been hyped up to be by other players which is pretty much how I feel about every game that I've ever played that was made by Bethesda. Great game mechanics just can't save a game with no character both in its inhabitants and the world they live in. 
