Fallout 3: Downloadable Content Review
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Fallout 3. The mere mention of this game meant nothing to me at first as, admittedly; I was new to the series and only picked it up on recommendation from a friend who crudely described it as “Oblivion with guns”. This on its own was enough to spark my interest as I was a self confessed Oblivion nut (See the first Retrogamer review to find out why!). So on launch day I picked up both Fallout and Gears of War 2 and due to this release, Gears of War stayed in the cellophane for a long time.
Where's your head at?
68 Hours, 20 levels, 1000 achievements and a main storyline later I sank. Waiting for the release of the subsequent DLC which would revive the game and keep me engrossed, if only for a few more desperate hours. The ultimate announcement of 5 new DLC’s was a phenomenal boost. Questions and comparisons were raised, mainly between Fallouts content and Oblivions content due to the awesome scale of Shivering Isles and Knights of the Nine which graced Oblivion fans some time ago. Would these DLC’s raise this bar set by Bethesda many moons ago, or would this content overload be too little, too late?
Operation: Anchorage. The first content released was shaky at best. The storyline told of a hidden vault of weaponry unlockable upon completion of a virtual simulation of the historic battle of Anchorage. The gameplay is tweaked in the sense that due to the nature of the simulation, there are only a limited number of weapons and no enemies can be pillaged upon expiration. Instead all ammunition and health are reimbursed through canisters spread throughout the area. In total the experience was a slow one. I felt like I was being guided through the storyline and didn’t really have that sense of achievement that an open plan game such as this should have provided. The Chinese stealth armour gained upon completion was a nice compensation though!
The Pitt was the sophomore release and offered some well needed brutality along the same gameplay lines as the main story. In contrast to Operation: Anchorage we can now steal, pillage, and maim much as we could before in the main story. The main plot of The Pitt is an uprising between slaves and masters, set in post nuclear Pittsburgh and the slaves enlist the help of yours truly to get the job done. The content played wonderfully as you are captured and have to regain former glory and coerce the trust of the officials in the Pitts arena before sealing the deal against the very oppressors that put you there in the first place. The 4 hours spent decimating The Pitt was well worth the trip to the marketplace.
My only rewards for besting "Operation: Anchorage"
Broken Steel was possibly the most anticipated release and brought to a close the main story, adding the much needed ability to play beyond the games ending and raising the level cap to 30. The Plot picks up directly after the completion of the final quest and deals the remnants of the Enclave forces. The Enclave, now nothing more than a scattered, leaderless tribe must be wiped out. Even though the content focuses on the main map of the game, some new locations are added, the most prominent of which is Adam’s Air Force Base which has become the new de facto headquarters of the Enclave following the destruction of Raven Rock and the maniacal President John Henry Eden. The raising of the level cap is a noticeable one, with the introduction of a new breed of super mutants and Enclave soldiers. The previous strategy of “raining down hell” becomes obsolete, forcing the player to adopt a more calculated approach. This content adds a lot more to the already vast main story of the Capital Wasteland and the raising of the level cap with the addition of new enemies should be enough to warrant a purchase.
After the release of these three downloads the scene fell quiet. That is until the announcement and subsequent release of Point Lookout. Point Lookout takes the player to an abandoned theme park surrounded by swampland in Maryland. The story revolves around the squabbles of two men: Desmond Lockheart and Professor Calvert, both locked in a heated rivalry which focuses on the destruction of the other. During the quest the player is required to infiltrate a group of local fanatics and involves a long hallucinogenic sequence in which the player encounters many (less than friendly) bobbleheads, some saws and needles attempting to maim the landscape and the players own mother – or whats left of her. While this DLC offers a lot of open areas and an odd cast of characters, the story somewhat lacks. Bethesda’s description was a place where “the bombs didn’t actually fall, but the world has left it behind”. Perhaps we should too.
Those alien bastards are gonna pay for shooting up my riiide!!!
The final release was the intriguing Mothership Zeta. The player is abducted and captured onboard an alien spacecraft upon exploration of the crashed Alien Ship. Upon escaping the player has to take over the ship and escape with a Motley Crew of characters. The new energy weapons are something to behold where a player can disintegrate an enemy in a flash of blue light. From the cells to the bridge of the alien ship via a spacewalk, the content offers a different sort of storyline as previously offered back on earth. I felt that out of all the content offered, this one brings the most unique view of how life in the capital wasteland has heightened the basic human instinct of survival.
All in all the Content offered for Fallout 3 has been a staggered experience. Each one has its own unique storyline and gives us something more to work for. I was somewhat disappointed however with the fact that none of these contents even came close to the grand expansion of shivering isles on Bethesda’s previous offering. However with each content offering an extra 4-5 hours of gameplay and a few new items and challenges along the way, they are a success in their own right. With no more DLC on the way and Fallout 3’s package now neatly wrapped, my experience of the capital wastelands can now come to a close.
The Final Scores have been handed out to each game in turn rather than all being scored as one big bundle:
- Operation: Anchorage – 2/5
- The Pitt – 4/5
- Broken Steel – 5/5
- Point Lookout – 3/5
- Mothership Zeta – 4/5
Review and Overview Written by DarKKendO
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