Combat is a central part of “Fallout 3,” and while combat becomes easier and easier as you go on, once you reach level 20, it’s less than irrelevant: it’s just plain boring.

If Bethesda allowed me to earn more specialized perks, it might make combat more compelling — something, anything to make me want to fight, rather than running away. Tracey John suggested switching to a new set of weapons.​

The big draw to Fallout 3 is, paradoxically, not the fact that it's a Fallout game. To those who really loved the first two titles in the series, Bethesda's game could come across as being untrue to the cannon and the standard of excellence already established. Fallout 3 is great because it shows the modern gamer why the role playing title can be enjoyed without worrying about stats, gear or very long dialog tree.​