No I see where you're coming from Gizmo.
I personally think if you look at the games the styles shift over time a fair bit.
Again this is just my view and not meant to disprove or prove anyones opinion.
FO1 had the 80's in outfits and grimmy anti establishment vibe, it took heavily from Mad Max, a boy and his dog, and terminator in feel.
Added in the whole one man one gun come to set the world a'right vibe.
FO2 made it less 80's added in a more jokey vibe, turned up the
Science.
Put focus on things like the movie industry, trade, gambling, big goverment, big cities, mad scientists even adding the whole pre war communist vs the capitalists history.
FO3 did kind'a copy the first two, but it copied imo the grimy wasteland of FO1, but the whole retro shtick of FO2 and then went into overdrive with it.
NV I must say is more like FO1 in its handling of era, allowing any pre war vibe to be formed.
From punk 80', Hippy 60's, swinging 50's and post war late 40's, but not focusing heavily on any.
I'm thinking (granted I've not played deep into it yet), that the weaponry is perhaps a bit more realistically distributed? That the guy with the pool stick, is glad to have found it, and replace his broken pistol with it until he finds another? I like combat in RPGs, I like combat in FPS shooters... but I like RPGs that use combat as an option, not as 80% of the game.
You may still be dissapointed tbh, I am slightly.
NV offers after awhile both early on and late game, nothing but combat
avoidence.
If diplomacy and intelligent resolutions are your thing NV can fail compared to other FO's and holds no candle to PS: T.