Yeah I found 3's atmosphere to be pretty interesting too. I liked the feeling of danger and tension throughout the world, and how scary it was to make those first few journeys out from megaton as an early-level player. Not to say NV didn't have that feeling at times, but the atmosphere certainly made it feel a little safer.

As much of a retcon as it is to have such a disastrously destroyed world at the time period it was set, I still think it was a good choice to go "all out" with it.