But, do I play a CRPG for its combat?
I love Fallout for its setting, and atmosphere. It has great wit and great humour.
I think my statement is still fair...if I'm looking for a Fallout combat experience, I'll play Silent Storm (or probably Jagged Alliance, as I have found that game again!!!)
I play Fallout for many reasons, but (particularly now) combat isn't really one of them.
The things I love about Fallout are also easily transferable things, which is why I'm optimistic about Fallout 3.