I am not what kids today call a "Gamer".

I do not post in forums.

I was about 15 when the first Fallout rolled out and I remember I couldn't stop playing it, even though I couldn't make heads nor tails of it's control scheme.

It was about being lost someplace else, full of dark humor, cruel people and bleak options.

You have perfectly recreated this, to the power of N, with Vegas.

Steam tells me I put 60 hours into my first playthrough and I feel that I have barely scratched the surface of this marvellous, ultra-addicting game world.

This is easily the greatest Fallout game ever made. Thank you very much, here's my collectors' edition money, a toast to your collective talent and don't ever let Bethesda *write* another Fallout script, ever again.

I couldn't agree more.

Although Bethesda actually did contribute to the writing, btw. Check out the credits. And really, I don't think there's anything wrong with Bethesda's writing... except that the glaring plot holes present in Fallout 3 suggest that they need to proofread more.

Old-school gamer myself (played FO1 and FO2 when they were released) I second this. But didn't the ending episodes and outtro sequence disappoint you even a little? Like,

what effect does balance of power between strip families have?
What effect does selection of Brotherhood Of Steel leader?
What happened to BoS in the end?
What role did Great Khans play?
Who did I charge ARCHIMEDES 2 for?
How did research info I brought to NCR change the post-ending life?
What effect does thriving/death of the Van Graffs have?

It's like some points where I tried to make a thoughtful decision and didn't see in the outtro.

In these days of diminishing gaming returns, I was glad to get as many slides as I did actually, especially after the dreadful FO3 ending.

If the ones you mention had ALSO been included, we'd be talking pure gaming euphoria. Dragon Age: Awakening did a super-fine job with a slide-like finale, in terms of telling you what happened to everyone and everything but more and more it seems to become a lost art of late.

PS Fallout 3 was not terrible per se, but the writing lacked depth and soul. It'd have a couple of truly great sequences followed by hours of trite, faceless Gears of War grinding and that's NOT what we signed up for in our wee tender age.

I kinda thought New Vegas lacked the whole desperate and bleak feel. Still a great game though, just not my favorite Fallout.

Best Fallout game?
Better than Fallout 3 but I wouldn't go the length of calling it the best.
Still like the older games more myself, they're more dark than New Vegas is.
But yeah glad you liked it.

I dig the more "liner" design of the map in NV I'm more comfortable with it has more of a home feel to it

Add the fact that I'm 55 hours in and have yet to touch the "main quest"

Easily 3 times more content to keep you busy and that's without DLC yet!