Standing outside in the rain and cold at Best Buy on Monday night, the crowd of close to 300 was cheery, despite the conditions. The event was the midnight release of Bethesda Softworks' Fallout 3, and this particular Rockville, MD location -- the hometown of the game's developer -- was "home base" to similar launches going on around the United States.

The Bethesda development team was out in full force for the event, including lead designer Emil Pagliarulo and executive producer Todd Howard who were signing copies of the game for fans. Fallout 3 posters and other swag was handed out at the event, and those in attendance had a chance to board the now-famous Fallout 3-converted Airstream camper that made its debut at this year's Penny Arcade Expo. 

But fans weren't just here for the freebies, with some traveling from as far as New York to pick up their copy of the game and be a part of Fallout history. 

"I've been a huge fan of the Fallout series for over ten years," David Fowler, a 34-year-old Washington D.C. attorney who stood in line for three hours told us. "This has been a long time coming, and I have no doubt it's going to be worth the wait."

Check back later this week for our full review of Fallout 3.