Wouldn't Fallout have just faded away and died without Bethesda? Correct me if I'm wrong, but no one wanted to even touch this series.
I pretty much know nothing about Fallout, but a lot of this talk reminds me of the critics of Chrono Cross. Chrono Cross was very different from Chrono Trigger, and many of the stalwarts hated the change. The thing is, when you take Chrono Cross on its own, it's a great RPG. Hopefully Fallout 3 will be the same way.
My Top 5:
Shadow of the Colossus, Metal Gear Solid 3, Shenmue, Skies of Arcadia, Chrono Trigger
My 2 nex-gen systems: PS3 
and Wii 
Prediction Aug '08: We see the PSP2 released fall '09. Graphically, it's basically the same as the current system. UMD drive ditched and replaced by 4-8gb on board flash memory. Other upgrades: 2nd analog nub, touchscreen, blutooth, motion sensor. Design: Flip-style or slider. Size: Think Iphone. Cost: $199. Will be profitable on day 1.
