So I loved Fallout 3. Really loved it. I played through the game roughly 4 times, did all the quests, made all the special items... It was awesome. But I didn't like it the first time I played through it. I did a few side quests but it didn't hold my interest. It was only on the second playthrough that I slowed myself down and focused on the story of the wasteland. This is when it got its hooks into me and didn't let go.

Now I'm coming at New Vegas with this mindset from the beginning. I'm not worrying about the main quest. I'm focusing on the world through my characters eyes. I'm walking toward a landmark in the distance just because I can (even if I get destroyed by deathclaws and giant radscorpions...).

So far, I'm loving the game just as much as I loved my later playthroughs of Fallout 3. Not much has changed, but the little things that have - the music, iron sights, the western theme - separate this game from its predecessor.

It's hard to take a breath and move slowly through a game in this age of shooters and flash-in-the-pan action games, but it's the way RPGs are meant to be played. And Fallout shines when you take your time. Maybe I'll revisit Dragon Age Origins with this attitude...