Fallout

I'd definitely give Fallout 1 a run first, it has its own charm, and I think sets you up to appreciate Fallout 2 a lot more. Fallout 2 is much, much larger.

Something important I didn't mention is to take high agility. I usually go 9-10. It's a difference of shooting once per turn and shooting 2-3 times per turn. Also, keep an eye out for dialogue above peoples' heads, even your own character can make important remarks that are easy to miss.

When it comes to Fallout 2, potential pitfalls with character generation are that there are a lot of interesting followers, and a low charisma will lower the maximum amount you can have at a time. A low intelligence will change your dialogue for the entire game, although this is often very funny. Some perks have minimum SPECIAL requirements, so be careful dropping stats that don't seem immediately helpful.

Another release I wouldn't sleep on is Fallout Tactics. It's a really fun and unique spin on the traditional Fallout gameplay and has a lot of its own flavor of soul packed into it.