I played Oblivion alot, once I got over its faults and started playing it in ways that maximizied its good parts, I really enjoyed it. As an example I almost quit when I figured out all the below ground areas where just the same basic layouts over and over again...then I learned to use the internet to find out the handful of unique underground areas and explored just them plus whatever I needed to to complete quests. I did much the same with other parts of the game coming up with ways to keep the game fresh untill I had played through everything. It was an open enough game to let you invent ways to play and of course there were mods as well.

I think Fallout 3 is much much better than Oblivion, more immersive, more unique situations. What it doesn't have when compared to Fallout 1 and 2 is the grittyness, the I gotta keep moving and where I may stop for a minute is not going to be comfortable feeling. I think its haveing a house...I love my house...but it gives one that level of comfort and fimilularity that you never got in the other 2 games. I always always felt like an outsider in the other games and the only person(s) I remotely trusted was Ian and in FO2 Sulik, Cassidy and Vic. I always felt I was scaming everyone else even if I was helping them because I knew I would move on to find whatever I needed to inable me to help my own people. When I figured out those kids where pickpocketing me in (I forget the town) when I was fairly new out of the vault and had no extra supplies I just wanted to never be nice to anyone again and when I kept getting thrown out of Vault City when I just knew I had to be there, I would get so mad...I just never get that feeling in Fallout 3. The environment of Fallout 3 makes you tense but the people...not so much.

Just started playing Fallout3 last night and I am intrigued! I have passed the 1 year old (very cute - try "talk to dad" DAA DAAH! although the ability to jump on a chair in a single bound is as disturbing as a mutant to a normal person in the X-Men mythology) and the 10 year old segment and I am doing the 15 year old segment tonight. My character is going to take the G.O.A.T. Any tips to share for the G.O.A.T.?

Oblivion and Fallout 3 are very similar. However, what I preferred in Oblivion is that the vast number of side quests which lead you to the majority of locations in the game. Only a few places are not quest related. In Fallout 3 there are relatively very few side quests and the vast majority of map locations are not quest related.

The GOAT test is a character development test. The game will automatically apply points according to your answers. Not to worry, nothing is written in stone and can still be changed before exiting the vault.

the goat is the best part of the game

Care to elaborate on that Ameno?

...so it's been a good few weeks since I completed Fallout 3 and I find myself craving for more That's really odd for me because I usually don't have any interest in completing games multiple times, especially so quickly after and when the game's so long. It must be one of my favourite games of all time or something

I may hold off until the first expansion pack, although by the sounds of it, it's very shooter-heavy because it's a war simulation. It will be cool to see the snow, though.