good review! i had the same observations, coming from someone who also played the 2 previous titles.
One more thing i've noticed is that NPC's never EVER run from a fight, even if their asses are all blown up already like shit. Unlike in Fallout 1 and 2, when memorable characters like Sulik would run, and scream something like "the spirits be leavin' me", or "im outta here". Not to mention they even sometimes suddenly LEAVE you to go kill someone you yourself don't see. Then, i don't know if its just a bug in my game, but after a bloody fight, they would all be healed in perfect condition. And sometimes, the NPC (like charon) would carry a gun i never gave him, say, a shotgun, with INFINITE ammo…
I can just go on and on how this game is fucked up in many areas.
I love this game because of the graphics and the slow-motion killing, but, just like what u said dude, it just ain't Fallout.
I mean, if it is not, then they shouldn't have called it "Fallout" in the first place. Its SACRILEGE. =/

I bought a tripod (2 actually), a couple weeks back. It makes soo much differece with the final output. I also like the rod. (a mono-pod, so to speak). Its light, doesnt take space, and if you have a steady hand, would give you almost as good results as the tripod.

[...] like my previous review of Terminator 4 I feel I have to rate this game twice, once as a standalone game and once as a part of the fallout [...]

Yeah I was wondering along the same lines, technically speaking they wouldn't have needed any human interaction devices like keyboards or even computer screens as everything was technically a computer. As NZM said it was based upon the USAF so maybe it was just built in a certain way (i.e. maybe the robots are smart but not that smart)

Connor's father had to go back in time to make John Connor with John Connor's mother (Sarah).
This goes back to Terminator 1 when Kyle Reese is sent back in time from around the period of Terminator 4 to protect Sarah Connor from the first terminator (the bad Arnold Schwarzenegger)

So technically speaking, Kyle Reese who is younger than John Connor in Terminator 4 is John Connor's father.