Fallout 3 is a game that I wish I had experienced when it came out. Instead, I made the mistake of playing it after New Vegas, so for the duration of my playthrough I was constantly comparing the two (consciously or not). Unfortunately, Fallout 3 lacks much of what makes its brother special. It’s the small things, like how the “evil” options are often less about trying to greedily improve your own situation even at the expense of others and more just swearing and being generally rude. That being said, the game does deserve major props for transforming a 2D isometric turn-based RPG into a 3D open-world shooter and sticking the landing. Yes, it has classic Bethesda bugs, but overall it’s a solid product with significant cultural relevance.