Contemporary CRPGs are certainly more polished and robust today, but boy did this game set the bar for everything that came after it. The first Fallout was a good introduction to this new post-apocalyptic setting, and it established some fundamental aspects of the series... then Fallout 2 came along and improved on the experience immensely. It keeps what works, changes what doesn't, and provides a robust RPG experience that can vary from run to run. One of the strengths of the series is balancing fun gameplay with an interesting story and ideas, along with clever, dark humor. Fallout winks and nods to popular culture while also being a staple of popular culture today, and that could not have happened without Fallout 2 declaring itself as the best of its kind. Sure, the series thrived under Bethesda, but that only happens within the framework of Interplay's original concept, and it's no coincidence that the best modern Fallout game (New Vegas, don't @ me) draws heavily on the influence of this game.