"Not quite perfect, but..."
This really is a good game and well worth playing. It's not perfect, it has its good points and not so good points, but what game doesn't?
For the first few hours I was simply gob-smacked. I wandered around just drinking in the scenery of the wonderfully derelict wasteland, killing the odd raider and molerat and doing a bit of scavenging, before exploring some of the settlements and doing some quests. After a while though (a long while) the novelty wore off and it started to lose its lustre a bit. Everyone seems to have their own idea of what's wrong with it, or how it could be better. It just seems to be missing a certain something to keep you interested when you finally get bored with wandering, exploring/scavenging and fighting. Although I like it a lot, I personally didn't find it as engrossing as the other Fallout games or the Elder Scrolls games (the two series to which comparison is unavoidable). That being said I've been playing it next to non stop since it came out.
If you're a Fallout aficionado you may find it slightly watered down to give it a wider appeal to casual gamers. And the adult content that helped make Fallout 2 such a classic is noticeably missing. If you're an Oblivion aficionado you may find there are relatively few side quests and the settlements don't seem as well fleshed out and interesting. And there are sadly no joinable factions with mini campaigns to play through, although it's just as lavishly detailed.
Also, the main quest is quite short. Although I enjoyed the ending and I didn't mind that you can't continue playing when the story ends, it would be nice if they came up with an original story instead of ripping it right from Fallout 2.
But there's still a lot to love about this game. I recommend going into it without expectations and judging it on its own merits. I think it's a great role playing experience (though you level a touch too fast for my liking), and shooter fans will probably like it too.