all games are not created equal

Both of these games came out at the same time, so some people had to figure out which one to play first.  I played Fable 2 first.  However, after starting to play Fallout 3, I wish I had played that first.

The weird and great thing that Fallout 3 makes me do is talk to the people that inhabit the world.  I find out about their backstory, why there are here, how they feel about things and whatever else I can ask them.  This level of depth was totally missing from Fable 2.  I actually care about characters in Fallout 3, including the small ones.  In Fable 2, I could care less about every single character in that game.  If they died, oh well, I'm sure there will be some other character with the same exaggerated accent talking to me later.

I have a thing in my heart for turn-based combat.  Fallout 3 does cater to this need with the VATS system, which is totally awesome.  You can fire your gun at someone in real time like a FPS if you want, but if you really want to aim for a specific part of the body or see your chances of hitting an enemy, just activate VATS and the action stops so you can figure out what you want to do with those action points of yours.  I always end up aiming for the head, but aiming for their gun, arm, or leg could be just as beneficial in certain situations.

Fable 2's combat system mostly consisted of pressing a button over and over until everything on the screen was dead.  Maybe cast a spell or two.  No depth or skill to the fighting.

Fable 2 was enjoyable while I played it, but afterward, there is nothing memorable about the game.  There wasn't much I would talk about to a friend who had also played the game, aside from "that game was a little too easy". 

Fallout 3 has so many elements and choices to make that impact the world around you.  A village is build around an atomic bomb you say?  How interesting.  So you can disarm it for one person or receive money to detonate it for someone else? That's a pretty big choice to make. Fable 2 had the same concept, but it was a lot of the same little thing over and over again to get people to like or hate you. 

Depending on the type of gamer you are, Fable 2 might be more you're cup of tea.  It's still a pretty decent game for what it is, but for more mature gamers, I would highly recommend Fallout 3 over Fable 2.