Dhruin
SasqWatch
GameBanshee writes in to say they have their Fallout 3 review online (as well as the start of their database). The score is 8.4/10 and here's a snip on the character system:
More information.Bethesda also dumbed down the character system a bit, which I found to be kind of sad but not entirely surprisingly, since games seem to keep going in that direction. For example, the traps and throwing skills of the original Fallout games were combined into a single explosives skill, and even with a low rating in the skill I never failed to disarm a trap. I’m not even sure if it’s possible to fail. Then there’s the minimum strength requirement for weapons, which doesn’t exist any more, and so characters can use any weapon they want, even if it’s bigger than they are. And finally, the prerequisites for perks were reduced. Fallout 2 had some perks that required an attribute rating of 10, but in Fallout 3 the highest attribute requirement is 7. That might not sound like a bad thing, but it means that most characters can learn all (or nearly all) of the perks, and you’re not forced to make any choices. A good character development system should always require you to make choices.