A re-invention of the classic series combined with shooter action is a game that can appeal to almost everybody.
Something you rarely see is a game that starts at your character's birth. That's how Fallout 3 starts. This is where you create your character. The initial incident of the plot happens at age 17, you wake up to discover that your father has left Vault 101, which is where you've spent you're entire life. The goal of the game is to find your father, somewhere in post-apocalyptic D.C. The landscape in which your character is set free is huge, and its not like Far Cry 2 where half of the land is inaccessible. 200 years after the Nuclear War, citizens are trying to rebuild civilization and are developing technology. There are many radiated descendants of wildlife, such as the super-deadly Yao Gaui, which used to be black bears; or Mirelurks, which used to be crabs, or sharks, or lobsters, but you can't really tell. You also meet human enemies such as soldiers, raiders, or mercenaries, who are also just as deadly. You'll meet with tons of different characters who may ask you for different favors, and when speaking with characters you get dialogue choices from three different karma ranges: evil, neutral, and good. But having your karma changed depending on your actions and dialogue doesn't have any real effect on the story or game.
Whenever you level up, you get a chance to raise your skill points in various fields, such as science or small guns, or large guns, or speech or energy weapons etc... And you also get to choose one perk. Perks can do anything from increase effectiveness against women in combat, give you extra dialogue choices when talking to certain people, or increasing your action points. Action points are used to activate VATS, which stands for Vault-Tec Advanced Targeting System. You use VATS to target specific body parts on enemies in a cinematic perspective. The whole VATS things is excellent, and is very, very cool.
The whole appeal of the game is bound to be enjoyed by everybody , especially any fan of the previous Fallout games. You'll hear licensed music from the mid-twentieth century, and often see the series mascot, Vault Boy.
I recommend buying Fallout 3. Its an outstanding cinematic and artistic achievement in video games. Bethesda has proved that no matter what they do with a game, they do it good.