From what I know the design of Van Buren was pretty much done, but it was in very early Alpha stages.
As for Fallout 3 it self... not sure what to think of it.
It looks good, and I wont lie, I'll have the game probably before it's out in retail (Preorders usually get to my house 2 days earlier than retail date).
I just hope that Fallout 3 comes with the same editor as Oblivion so the community can fix all the stuff Bathesda did wrong ¬¬

I loved Morrowind, but cared little for Oblivion. Yeah, I'm less than optimistic about Fallout 3, but I'm willing to give Bethesda a chance.
The one thing EVERYONE should be roasting Bethesda on however, is not having a construction set available on release. Hell not even that. Bethesda has only said so far "IF we decide to release a CS, it'll be months after release". The construction set is still not confirmed yet. Total slap to the PC fandom of TES. And no, no one likes DLC Bethesda :(

No one is saying Fallout 3 won't be a good game (well, maybe some are), but we don't have much hope it will be a faithful SEQUEL to Fallout. That's where the "Oblivion with guns" comes from. If the gameplay is similar to Oblivion, it will fail as a Fallout game - but not as an RPG in itself.

At Jenga: See, I like DLC, but not when it's at some of the price points they've set. I mean, look at Valve and their updates to TF2: all free. Kinda frustrating that the only free things we ever got for Oblivion were the patches.
At ertertwert: I guess I'm having a hard time understanding why people are so determined to condemn the game like this. This isn't the first time a game has used another game's engine. I mean yes. this game isn't by the original creators...therefore, let's destroy it before it's even been released? I cannot subscribe to that mentality.

BethSoft's FO3 will not ship with a SDK / Mod Kit / Construction Kit.
As a matter of fact, Todd Howard said that at PAX 2008.
They want to put out a mod-kit, but it ain't ready. And, well, who knows when they will put it out. It doesn't sound like it'll be anytime soon, when it does come out...if it does come out...

I think "condemning" it is a bit harsh. People here seem to realize that on it's own, the game will probably be fine. The problem is, does it adhere to being a true sequel of the old Fallout games? Or is it going to go it's own path and simply use the Fallout name instead?
If it doesn't, I am sure the game will still be a decent game, but for the fans of the original series, it will also be mixed with disappointment. Already articles have stated some elements from the original games are changed or no longer there. Stuff like that is very concerning. If it does follow the formula the original series implied, I am sure most will love it.
Do understand though, people realize that as a standalone game it is probably an alright game. As a sequel, it looks like it may fall short.

I loved Fallout. The characters, story, and black humor were great. Fallout 2 took forever to get through. I got bored and restarted several times. It just never had the same appeal. Fallout Tactics had some initial appeal, but I wasn't very interested in a pure tactical combat game.
I also loved Morrowind and Oblivion. I loved the wide open exploration and detailed world and history. The first-person perspective and visual details also gave a level of visceral attachment that no isometric game has ever matched.
In theory, a combination of the high points of Fallout (1) and Morrowind and Oblivion would be pure RPG nirvana for me.
While optimistic (if anyone can make a worthwhile modern sequel it's Bethesda), I was a bit concerned about Bethesda's ability to do a good story and dialogue. The previews, and the fact that the lead designer is also the person who did the Dark Brotherhood quests in Oblivion, have largely eliminated that concern.
Based on the previews, it looks like I'd expect a modern, first-person 3D Fallout looks. The dialogue and quest options seem to be pretty good. There's a nice note of subtle, black humor that I was very pleased to see (a "Senic Overlook" sign overlooking a barren, blasted wasteland).
I can't freaking wait.

I'm sorry , but in the last few years , graphic became the most important thing in games. That's that truth , and you can't say other way. Everyone tries to make uber realistic graphics..
I believe , when we'll reach some point , when the graphics will be amazing , and any system can run it , we can get a game , with a really good story (and etc.).
Thoug , it's hard to tell when , or IF it will happen. 'Cos technologies move so fast, just in the last 5 years , look how games changed...

If I remember correctly, you couldn't kill children in the original. You had to patch it. Though that might have been only the european version.
Never-the-less, if Bethesda can make an atmosphere to compare to, or better, the original then the ability to, or not to in this case, kill children and take drugs shouldn't make a massive deal.
I appreciate that those are probably not the only gripes you have with Fallout 3 and Bethesda.
Personally, I enjoyed Oblivion and think Bethesda could do a good job. Unfortunately, the more hyped up about something one gets the more likely they are to be dissapointed.

Pretty much that. Add to that the fact I never was a huge fan of their TES games, so things aren't looking too good at the moment.
The question is: who's making games in Fallout's style, then? It seems to be such a waste, since the originals were quite excellent. And I wouldn't say it's that they were excellent merely for their time, which has now gone, and abandoning their concepts is the way forward. Good games don't get outdated - this very site is built around that premise. Good games can be superceded by better ones that improve on it. That also requires building on the same foundations, though.
This is where I feel Bethesda has failed: they're coming at it from the wrong direction, so I don't see them ending up where they should be.
[/2 cents]

You should check out Age of Decadence:
http://www.irontowerstudio.com

Good thing we have GOG to remind us of how great the originals are. Its nice to see that not everybody is lapping up Bethesda's vision of the Fallout series. I think that if they knew all along that they were going to distort the gameplay, the story and the setting, they might as well have created a new post-apocalyptic setting themselves, that way everybody would be happy.
I'll be honest, Fallout 3, from everything I've seen so far, will probably have sprinkles of good ideas marred by its awful gameplay. Their mish-mash of the SPECIAL system with real time first person gameplay and the awkward VATS system is too much to behold. Plus, everytime I see a familiar face or hear a familiar voice from Oblivion, I cringe. I've hated games before, but I don't think I've hated one as much as this. It makes me really mad to see such a great series at the hands of the butchers at Bethesda. And the game hasn't even been released!
I know I'm making rash judgements, but part of me hopes that the game will have a really interesting story that fits with the series, perhaps some crazy twist in the middle that would make the changes to the setting work. Maybe the game will be filled with moments of loss, and despair. Maybe. Too bad all of that will be interspersed with slowdown gorey deaths and poor animations.
I condemn this game because as a Fallout fan since the first game, I've been treated to two farces before: Fallout Tactics, which is still somewhat edible but not the Fallout 3 people were already expecting, and Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel, the abomination for the consoles.
For the third strike, Bethesda swooped in and bought out the rights to Fallout, after Van Buren's cancelation. During Van Buren's development, I was hopeful. When it was canceled, it was really bad. But when Bethesda bought it, I didn't know what to think. Troika was making excelent if buggy RPGs, but Bethesda had Morrowind, which didn't impress me, and Daggerfall and Arena, which were alright. When Oblivion was released, I played it for a while and really enjoyed it. But then it all fell apart. Important NPCs wouldn't stay dead. I became the leader of most of the guilds without any problems or interconnecting quests. I didn't care for the main story. The levelling of the enemies made no sense. Dungeons were all alike. And then I realized: I don't want these guys messing with Fallout.
That's why I condemn the game. Because once again, I'm gonna be treated to someone's vision of what the series is. And not the series as it should be. Had the game maintained the same gameplay, the same perspective, you bet a lot more Fallout fans from the old days would be supportive, and maybe they'd overlook the flaws in the revised setting. Look at Diablo 3, StarCraft 2, even Civilization Revolution for consoles or that awesome Bionic Commando remake. These games all look like they should. The core gameplay is there. When you look at the big picture and see that all three Fallout games after Fallout 2 have gameplay styles that go from similar to completely different, you may understand why people are condemning the game.
Sorry for the gigantic wall of text, but this is a subject that really gets me going!

I can't wait. I didn't enjoy Oblivion that much, but I can't wait for F3.

There's a whole world of people who would disagree with you on that. Not that I do.
Also, Interplay believes in Bethesda, and if they have the faith, so do I. If Interplay didn't like what Bethesda has been doing, they wouldn't be doing it.
They wouldn't just say 'oh here's this triple A title, anyone who wants it can have it!' I'm certain Bethesda put together something to convince them to sell it to them, and not say, Square Enix or some other crappy comapny.
I liked Morrowind, I don't like Oblivion that much.. I don't like how the creatures level with you, I don't want to be able to go anywhere at any time, I want to have to be a certain level.
Anyway, I really do think that Bethesda will do an acceptable job, if not spectacular.
Anyway, I think I'll list some successful 'sequels' that completely changed the way the franchise is looked at.
World of Warcraft to Warcraft 3.
I would say that Warcraft 3 was actually very different from Warcraft II as well, but they are the same Genre.
Final Fantasy 6 to Final Fantasy Tactics.
Final Fantasy 9 to Final Fantasy 10.
Sims
And there are many more changes to popular games coming,
Like Halo 3 to Halo Wars (fps to rts)
Burnout Paradise to Burnout Paradise (cars, to motorcycles)