I'm about ten hours in to Fallout 3, and I'm loving it. I tend to play slowly, looking at every little thing, hacking every terminal, picking every lock, so I'm not all that far into the story, but what I have seen makes me want to explore every last nook and cranny of this large, fully realized world.

The combat is fun. Stacking up attacks in VATS mode gives a nice strategic feel, and then being able to do some real time shooting to finish them off is a nice touch. It feels quite a bit like a survival horror game in that things sneak up on you, your health is very seldom at max, and if it is, your radiation level is probably higher than you'd like. It's still an RPG through and through, however, especially with VATS allowing you to pause the action and think about the best way to handle the situation.

Taking out random raiders is always entertaining, but I also like that you can often talk your way out of certain situations. I was particularly impressed with the range of options you had in dealing with The Family in the quest Blood Ties.

I lived in D.C. for about two years, and that part amuses me as well. I've been in those Metro stations. I've walked over that bridge. When I lived there I was always amazed that all the buildings I've had on my money for years were gathered together right there, and now I get to shoot at (and run away from) Super-mutants in the same locations. I'll never look at the Metro Red Line the same again.

Add me to the long list of people that are loving this game. Very well done.

Now how on Earth am I going to finish it before Gears 2 comes out. Yikes.