Wade Manns
The Corsair
Release: Five, from January to August 2009
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
By: Bethesda Softworks
As a companion piece to my first review here in the Corsair, I’ll speak on the five Downloadable Content (DLC) packages that have since been released for the wonderful first-person role playing game, “Fallout 3.”
Again, Bethesda brings to us their best work, with varied scenarios and wondrous landscapes to fire our imaginations. The stories are interesting, the new graphics impressive, and the new weapons fun to play around with. Some may balk at the DLCs’ price point (800 Microsoft points, or $10 each), but in my opinion they are very much worth it, and for some I’d pay even more.
Operation: Anchorage – Details of the battle to retake Anchorage, Alaska from the invading Chinese beginning in the year 2076, just before the nuclear bombs dropped in 2077 (Fallout 3 takes place two hundred years later), were scarce, before a band of Brotherhood of Steel Outcasts discovered a cache of antique, functional weaponry and armor behind a locked door. They need you to enter a simulation of that storied battle and complete it, to open that door and gain access to what they feel is rightfully theirs.
The Pitt – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, though not directly struck by any bombs, soon became host to an infection that mutated many of the inhabitants into ravenous, bloodthirsty Trogs. A semblance of society, though highly dystopian in nature, has sprung up, with opposing camps having opposing ideals of how to stop the infection. You help a leader of the slaves get back to his people in the Pitt, and give them hope for a better tomorrow… or not.
Broken Steel – Initially, the ending to Fallout 3 was very limited. Without spoiling things, I will say that the game didn’t continue after you finished it. Broken Steel fixes that, with your new mission being to wipe remnants of the oppressive Enclave from the Capital Wasteland. Through several exciting events, you’ll put an end to the greater portion of the Enclave’s activities in the Wasteland.
Point Lookout – Another place that wasn’t hit directly by bombs, Point Lookout, far to the South of the Wasteland, still has been affected by the fallout. Deranged, redneck-like Swampfolk are the least of your concerns on this rather large patch of God-forsaken swampland, as you unlock the mysteries of an old, semi-abandoned mansion, infiltrate a pack of naturalistic Tribals, and match wits with a powerful, megalomaniacal mind.
Mothership Zeta – An undetermined amount of time ago, aliens crash landed somewhere in the Capital Wasteland bearing a strange and powerful weapon. Before you can recover this awesome implement, the aliens return. With the aid of a little girl and alien captives from throughout Earth’s history, you’ll fight to unlock the secrets of the massive mothership, with an aim to claim it as your own… but that may be easier said than done.
Rating: Ten stars across the board!
