fallout 3 anyone?

Can anyone comment on how Fallout 3 compares to Half Life?  I know it's been a while, but that was the last PC game I was really into, and I really liked how it combined shoot 'em up with some stuff you had to think about to solve, too. 

Recently, I've been looking hard at Fallout 3, and I'm wondering what the gameplay is like.  Do you just run around blasting hell out of everything or what?

thanks,
Carl

I just got FO3 yesterday, but my initial impressions are that it's -much- more of an FPS/RPG mix than HL (which is more of a pure FPS). FO3 has levels, attributes, skills, quests, character interactions, and quite a number of RPG elements... combined with your typical FPS crosshair and some mean weapons. =) It seems to be a very deep game.

I just got FO3 yesterday....

Thanks for the info.

Carl

I have it on good authority Santa brought me FO3 (I actually had to wrap it for myself  ).  I'm excited, but our TV is totally crapping out, so I don't know if I can play it until we pick up a new one or figure a way to degause it (the colour keeps going off like there's a magnet sitting on it).  There is, of course, no magnet or anything else on top of it.

Kind of excited though.  Might hook up the PS3 to the kitchen set (I am sure the inlaws would love that one  ).

OK, you guys weren't joking about it being a PA version of Oblivion.  I am not that far into it, but it seems they even have earnable/buyable houses like Oblivion.  It's a little creepy.  I keep expecting someone to start going on about Oblivion Gates or the Grey Fox or something.

Our inlaws gave us LittleBigPlanet and we had a lot of fun playing around with that last night.  My husband had tears he was laughing so hard at one point.

OK, you guys weren't joking about it being a PA version of Oblivion.  I am not that far into it, but it seems they even have earnable/buyable houses like Oblivion.  It's a little creepy.  I keep expecting someone to start going on about Oblivion Gates or the Grey Fox or something.

Our inlaws gave us LittleBigPlanet and we had a lot of fun playing around with that last night.  My husband had tears he was laughing so hard at one point.

After finishing FO3, I can amend my previous post and admit that there are a -lot- of similarities to Oblivion. In fact, many of the voice actors are even the same (the male guards in Rivet City have the same voice as the male guards in Oblivion, for example). FO3 has a lot more FPS elements to it than Oblivion, which makes combat more fun, but other than it definitely seems to be the same sort of game. At the very least, though, the monster levels don't scale with your own - hopefully they've laid that universally hated feature to rest once and for all. Anyways, I loved Oblivion and also still really enjoyed FO3.

Yeah, I am glad they didn't do the whole level up your skills to raise your stats thing. I literally ended up taking notes and ticking off when I advanced a skill in Oblivion.

It's fun so far, and you are right on the voice actors.  I could have sworn I heard Wonder Woman and the guy who did the Redguards.   

The best use of a preexisting engine is The Bard's Tale (the one out a few years ago, not the one from the 80s).  There are very few times that you realise it's the same engine as BG:DA if you've played both.  Most people haven't played The Bard's Tale though, even people into RPGs.  Great game whether you hate dungeon crawlers (and would enjoy a spoof) or love them.

I liked The Bard's Tale because of the parody of Baldur's Gate. Really good humor and fun game play.