This is how all games should be made, lasting, and entertaining for years. Since its release Fallout has proven this.
Cool aspects of this game are the Karma calculation aspects of your actions, the salvage aspects of the game that gives a great feel of a scavenger doing whatever is needed to survive to where even the commerce and system of barter function to great respect to the theme, and the last cool aspect to give attention to are the details of the radiated land and the danger of radiation poisoning that is added to the many other dangers presented to the wasteland wanderer. There are many more things that make this a great game. It is easy to control and navigate your character which is in all respects much like first person shooters such as the Call of Duty series of games. This game is comparable to Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, which is my favorite game.
I have very few negative impressions of this game and those impressions are only made because of my comparing it to Elder Scrolls IV. Fallout falls short to Oblivion in character development, scenic environment, and in depth interactivity with the objects and story of the game. First, I want to bring up the scenery because it is drab and there is a lot of the same monotonous landscape to explore, but I really appreciated the effect that this has. The wasted, dark, dead land is despairing, depressing, and adds to the theme of the game. It is detailed and beautifully done, but it unfortunately doesn't compare to the beauty and variety of Oblivion. The character development feature of Fallout is not unlike other RPGs and isn't bad, but I thought the character development system used in Oblivion was far better than any I have ever seen and having to use a skill to become better in it seems more natural and overall a better experience. Then there is the depth of interactivity, with all the books and underlining story of Oblivion plus the alchemy feature of the game there is no comparison to any game, but I mention it because Bethesda tries to duplicate these same elements to try and compare Fallout to their masterpiece. There are letters and side stories that equally make this a great in depth game plus the salvage junk that can be made into specialized weapons. Fallout is better than Oblivion with the Karma element to the game and limb injury feature. If you love Oblivion you should love Fallout.
This game is a must have. It isn't your action packed first person shooter and although there is action to be found this game is harder on you than Elder Scrolls. The Capital Wastes are unforgiving and a great place to explore. I rate this just below Oblivion at a 9.4 but since I don't have that refinement in this rating system it will have to be a nine.