Survival elements have always played a large part in the Fallout games, with limited resources, unreliable weaponry and the radiation mechanic. In Fallout 3 though, there was originally going to be a gritty addition that would have made stepping on random land mines an even worse prospect. During production, a surgery mini-game was created, in which you had to cauterise and patch up particularly bad wounds. Unfortunately, the Bethesda team decided that the impromptu surgeries slowed down the pace a bit too much, and it was cut from the final game. While this could have made for a great addition with regards to survival gameplay, it's easy to see how it might have been too frustrating for a mainstream audience.
