So I have never played any of the Black Isle Fallout games, and I am currently playing the original. Here is my concern:
Without any preparation or past experience (no guides, and so on), is it possible to clear the game on normal difficulty without undergoing too much frustration?
I'm doing alright so far (at Junk Town), but open-ended games tend to scare me such that I worry about missing quests or important items. Hopefully, this game isn't too punishing with regards to not playing it in a way that the developers may have intended.

Ah, if you're running around with only Tycho in tow I can understand how things would be a bit difficult. Throwing in Ian with a 14 mm pistol and Dogmeat will greatly add to your damage-dealing capabilities (and in the Necropolis as long as you can take out two particular Supermutants quickly the rest aren't very difficult). And you're correct about NPC weapon and armor usage; also be aware that you'll often need to tell them to draw their best weapon next time they enter combat in order to get them to put away whatever they're currently using and switch to a better weapon that you've given them.

Thanks for all of your help!
I have 3 NPCs in tow now, I'm level 8, and I've successfully delivered the water chip. Hooray! Time to check out the rest of this game.