I waited ten years for this, and it's love.
Graphics - Compared to the Elder Scrolls games, it's a HUGE improvement. I'm not dogging Morrowind (though dated even for its time) or Oblivion (a great leap forward from Morrowind), but the artistic elements in this are outstanding. The first time you step out of the Vault and into the Wasteland to take in the scenery is nothing short of breathtaking. From the splatter of every Super Mutant skull, all the way to the grass swaying in the breeze, it's beautiful.
Gameplay - I know a lot of fanboys are pissed off about the real-time combat, but it's awesome. It breathes life into a tired format (sorry, but it's true. Turn-based reached its apex long ago). The V.A.T.S. is wonderful, the first time I "asploded" a head, I literally yelled, "Holy *expletive censored*, yeah!"
Sound - Solid as it comes. The whistle of the breeze, the groaning of the ghouls coming up on you, the hiss of the pipes, and the radio is great. Unlike Oblivion, there's a cavalcade of voice actors, so there's very little chance for repetition. Liam Neeson was an outstanding choice as Dad, and I'm hooked on every word he speaks. The '50s-era music sets the tone, and walking through D.C. at midnight and hearing the crackly song echoing about the place is very unsettling to say the least.
Overall, I've been a hardcore Fallout fan for a long time, and this game was very, very, very much worth the wait. Amid the dark satire and humor, the amazing quality, and ravishing gameplay, we've got a surefire game of the year.
One final thing; if you were born post 1996-on, do NOT talk about this game as "Oblivion with guns", go play the original Fallout (free now on GameTap) and Fallout 2. You'll see why it's not Oblivion with guns. And to you fanboys who are hating already, play it and if you can find a problem with having Fallout in three dimensions I'd like to know why.
I'm Kyle Ruppel, and I give Fallout 3: 5 asploded Super Mutant heads out of 5.