I have a new xbox, so I used a 360 memory disk tot ransfer all my save games, and I load up my game and it tells me some of the items in my game are no longer available.

I of course remembered that I didn't install the DLCs, so I pop in my disk and it tells me I need an Xbox 360 hard drive to install these DLCs like I don't already have one.

Same Problem, I have no idea.

it may mean we have to buy one of those huge backup hard drives but that wouldnt make sense

yeah that is not related to the problem

FFS. I've said this mulltiple times on many different threads. When you install DLC from a disc, it doesn't count that 4GB as an HDD, therefore it will not let you install DLC's from the disc. You need to get an HDD for the Xbox 360S, that is the only way to solve the "issue". Don't think that this is limited to Fallout 3 GOTY, many other games require HDD's such as Halo Reach(For Co-Op modes), and Borderlands GOTY.

No you cannot use a USB Hard Drive it will not work. I've tried and tested this with sa 500GB USB HDD, and it didn't work, for installing DLC anyway. IT works for back ups only.

It even states on the case that you need an HDD.

The only alternative is to download the DLC from the XBL Market place as that is the only method you can get the DLC without an HDD.

You should have used your actual hard-drive for the save transferring, I don't know why you would use one. Get the Hard-Drive, then the DLC will start being added.

"It even states on the case you need an HDD"

Yes, in tiny, tiny letters hidden on the back of the box, where such a thing as this should be on the front in large letters.
"Warning: requires Hard Disc to play half the game."

This is the first time I have ever heard of such a requirement, after years of being able to play DLC's from USB sticks.
I am really not amused.
I just got this game, the GOTY edition and I was quite pleased with the purchase until I found out that for some baffling reason the second disc wont do anything and I have basically purchased something that Ill never be able to use.
Right, Im going to go buy an 80 dollar hard-drive when I have the kind of pockets that didnt allow me to buy an xbox with a harddrive in the first place, all for the sake of one single game

Pretty expensive game that would be then.

The worst part of this whole nonsense is that I was enjoying Fallout 3 up until this point, I really enjoyed my 'childhood'.
Now, I dont think Ill be able to bear playing 3 without the content that is wasted, that I have payed good money for and will never be able to access.
I think Im going to sell this game on as soon as I can and suffer the loss.

And another black mark for Bethesda.
I am not amused.

It's pretty clear, really. The back of the box is where requirements are invariably listed (regardless of platform, in little highlighted boxes) and while requiring a HDD is fairly unusual, one should not buy a game without taking at least a cursory look at them.

Not to sound like a jerk, but you can't expect all requirements to be plastered all over the front of the case. It is incumbent on the consumer to inspect the back of the case. The PC help forum is flooded with people who didn't and wonder why their weak laptops won't run F3, and it's why you are in the position you are in, and it's not Bethesda's fault (at least not entirely).

BGS is far from perfect, but this is mostly your own fault.

On a semi-related note, MS selling 360s without a proper hard drive (to make it seem like a value) was not a consumer friendly thing to do. If you play many games that feature DLC, you'd either need to buy one of their hard drives (hideously overpriced at that), or several flash drives. MS did a brilliant job of excluding features/components from 360 models to make them seem more affordable, knowing these people would end up buying their expensive proprietary hardware add-ons later when they discovered they actually need/want them.

You may be technically correct but if I was the kind of person that was good at technology and wanted to be worried about requirements I would have gotten a gaming pc.
Part of the reason I chose to purchase a console is that I dont have to deal with requirements then.

Thats the whole console deal, one machine, fits all discs (used to be cartridges) fit for that machine.
I have never come across a game before that was made for the xbox only then I couldnt play it on the xbox.

Its not an unreasonable assumption to make from a consumers point of view that if you sell a piece of hardware designed to work with software that is specifically designed for this machine and sold piecemeal, that this software (games) then actually runs on this machine.

If there are any further requirements to be met in order to use the software then this should be put on a place where the consumer can clearly see this, especially since this is a highly unusual circumstance.
Never in 20 years of console gaming have I not been able to use the cartridge, disc, whatever on the hardware due to additional requirements that are not immediately obvious.
Such as "Game Title: Online" (requires xbox live) displayed on the cover.

The only thing this GoTY cover says is "storage accessory required" in the bottom corner on the front.
I have a storage accessory, an USB-stick, that works perfectly fine to use any other dlc content with.
Content found on discs such as with Mass Effect or content that requires online activation, such as for instance Dragon Age.
Both Skyrim DLC's purchased from xbox live and downloaded to USB without any difficulty.
So, due to past experience with related products the 'storage accessory required' did not indicate there would be a problem with my particular set-up.
Only when it was too late and I found it would not work did I scan the package and indeed it says on the back in tiny print next to a tiny icon 'hard disc required'. Mustard after the meal.

In conclusion, since this is a highly unusual arrangement, especially for a console who's whole schtick is that any disc for that console works on that console, no fuss, no hassle, I feel well and truly shafted.
Enticed to buy expensive software that I have no hope of ever using half its contents of with no warning in an obvious place that there are extraneous requirements.

I feel like Ive gotten a cat in the bag or have suffered a bait-and-switch.

I know how you must feel, but maybe you should just consider this a lesson learned. Always check the backs of VG cases, you never know. And the "storage required" box on the front should have been a red flag. I mean, have you ever seen one of those before (a quick check of my 360 library and my F3 GOTY is the only one with such a symbol).

Additionally, you might consider actually getting a hard drive. You can pick up a 250GB drive on Amazon for $60, which isn't that bad for MS gougeware. I never considered getting the non-HDD 360, even for a second, and I can't personally imagine juggling USB sticks to manage my DLC. I mean, my 60GB HDD is nearly full (and I don't use my 360 all that much), and that would take several large USB drives to hold, which would cost almost as much as a hard drive itself. And then there's the convenience factor; managing all your DLC that way must be a pain in the butt.

Plus, all of BGS' tomfoolery aside, it'd be totally worth it to play F3.

Yes, youre right its a lesson learned.
Not a nice lesson and not good marks for either Bethesda or Microsoft.

60 dollars is still a lot of money for me.
I only buy maybe 4-6 games a year so I can do a lot with a medium-sized USB stick. Skyrim is the first game in a decade I payed full price for.
Im still on my first USB, I think it was 18? Could be 12 gig. (Just checked. Its 16) As I said, Im on console because Im not technical.
It so far holds all my DLC's, all my savegames and two entire installed games. (Amalur and Skyrim)
For a consumer in my pricerange and with the amount of games I purchase I thought it was the perfect option for me, and this is the first time Ive been wrong.
There will be red flags in the future, but its hard to be aware of something when youre not accustomed to having to at first.
Now I know.

And Im still very grumped out at likely never being able to play the DLC's.
Its just not an option to spend another 60 when you prefer to eat as well as game.
I bought the game at a discount for 25 euros. It was a choice between that or Deus Ex for 20. I chose Fallout because it was a Bethesda game and because it had all the DLC's. that was the deciding factor.
I should have gone for Deus Ex.