Fallout has a very captivating setting in general, and Fallout 3 is not behind with its great world building. The game's open world was a joy to explore, with intriguing points of interest always drawing me in. The RPG elements provided plenty of variety, offering different approaches to gameplay. Despite the generally weak and one-dimensional main storyline, the side quests and the environmental lore added depth to the overall narrative, which was very much enjoyable.

On the downside, the combat mechanics and balancing left much to be desired. They felt inconsistent, swinging between feeling overpowered and underpowered, which made it difficult to develop any meaningful strategy. The cities and interiors were confusing to navigate, often feeling like labyrinths with their lack of clarity, and Bethesda damn well knew this since there are signs everywhere. Additionally, I found there was a lack of substantial content within the cities and the world in general, with few side quests and even dialogues available compared to other games in the genre, making some cities feels like they just exists (Tenpenny Tower is a great example, there is simply nothing to do there after getting rid of the ghouls). Even the DLC content failed to meet my expectations, falling short of providing a satisfying expansion to the game.