The story in Bethesda's Fallout wasn't cannon in my view.
Considering gamesas does NOT make artillery, none of their products can be described as "cannon." As for
canon, that's another issue.
The BoS was too "good" in Fallout 3 (the obvious "knights in the shining armor") in my opinion...
Which was kinda the point. The eastern Brotherhood was intended to be a perversion.
Fallout New Vegas reintroduced some things I liked from the Elder scrolls (plant gathering, alchemy [err...crafting...], morally grey plot lines, and a large number of side quests) and I think these helped fill out the fallout 3.5 experience. I'm glad that they introduced concepts from popular mods, such as weapon modifications, but I wish I could modify that q-35...
As for the Main quest, I like the fact that the MQ gave me a chance to become involved in a wide variety of side quests, but I wish there were more serious consequences for some of the actions I took. (Killing Vulpes Inculta didn't seem to have much of a consequence) Also, I was surprised that
Spoiler blowing caesar up with three units of C4, killing his guards, and murdering everyone in his camp during the render unto caesar quest
didn't get me into any more trouble than ensuring one of the factions wouldn't deal with me. I was expecting assassins. Also, I was disappointed by the fact that my rep got ruined with the BoS when they shot at me first. In the end, I killed them for being inconvenient.
In short, the Mq is solid, with rewards going to the thorough courier, but murder and mayhem needed to be punished more severely. Also, the lack of an option to tinker with
was a disappointment for my tyrannical side. The endgame is a difficult and fun experience, and well worth the preparation, though it could stand to be longer.
Spoiler It's awesome, just short. Getting every limb crippled was worth it.
Other notes:
At this point, the lack of shadows is hurting immersion.
Kudos for making the boomers dangerous.
Science checks no longer make you Captain Obvious.
Unique meshes for unique weapons a nice touch.