The best two expansions for the greatest RPG of 2008 come together, expanding and freshening the experience gained.
Fallout 3 was a major hit last year. From the art direction, styIe, and gameplay, to the insormountable amount of hype to which the game practically lived up to, it represented an almost perfect example of an epic comeback. To be honest, it would stand out for a long time without noteable expansions, but Bethesda saw the potential and knew, by their own experience (The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion), that creating add-ons on the engine would be quick and productive. Resulting, as of this day, in five full-scale DLC-s introducing new chapters in the story, new locations, new quests, and new characters. In this review I will have a look at the fourth add-on, named Point Lookout.
After installing the expansion, our hero catches a radio transmission inviting him on an exploration trip to the south of D.C, via a motor boat. The area beyond mostly consists of moors, misty hills and zones where raditation has not been present at it's fullest. Apon arriving, we are greeted by a deserted coastside fair (complete with a ferry wheel), inhabited by a lone shopkeeper clearly having a bad habit of fortune telling. Apart from the creepy place, we will meet a problematic Ghoul living in an abandoned mansion, suffering attacks from fanatic tribe members. It is around him that the main storyline evolves.
Which, by the way, will send you to a rollercoaster trip (considering the length of the add-on), starting from basic "defend" missions ending with infiltrations, device installments and moral choices. Apart from a surprising lack of side-quests (not that they are completely absent; The five-six present are very original, but still, it's Fallout!), it is the only expansion which, in my opinion, captures the very same mysterious atmosphere the original possessed, when you are unsure what to expect after that hill or those trees. Uncertainty. And that's what makes it the best add-on the game got so far.
There are no notable changes in gameplay, apart from a handful of new rifles, an axe, and a bunch of new clothes including a confederate hat. There is also a new kind of fruit called Punga, which is the jewel of Point Lookout, guaranteeing a steady income for the boat owner. What's the most important though, that we get a whole lot of different, new kinds of enemies. The half-mutants ("Swampfolk"), like Trackers or Scrappers, are mutilated men dressed like farmers and bellowing jibberish (they really are funny). Some of them are tough, but if you've dealt with enough Supermutants back in Fallout 3 there won't be a problem. There also are "swampy" variations of Ghouls and Mirelurks, where some of the former even don what appears to be a rusty power armor, thus ensuring much better protection than the ragged ferals back in the Wasteland.
The presentation didn't suffer major changes, it's the same atmospheric landscapes and crappy animation, but the color gamma has been richened with more grey, making the creepy area believable. A tiny variation has been added in the score, which pleases.
All in all, it's a decent treasury for people who have completed the original and need those additional XPs to reach renewed level heights (there are three new perks available, so that's quite possible), meet new characters and freshen the exploring beauty of the original Fallout 3. As of the first two and this expansion, I definitely recommend Point Lookout.
Broken Steel
There were many pretensions to the obviously successful Fallout 3 soon after its release: the Oblivion engine degrading the presentation, the lack of the original's atmosphere, and other fanboy-based rantings for no apparent reason. However, what many agreed on, was the lower-than-expected scale and continuity of the main storyline, as opposed to the insormountable numbers and variations of side-missions. The ending was bashed with even more aggression, and a lot of missed chances were visible after the game's completion (including a ridiculous unableness to continue exploring after the finale). Smiling viciously, Bethesda knew just the thing to cure the situation: calmly following the trend. The trend of profitable add-ons.
[Major Original Ending Spoilers in the Following Paragraph]
Their fourth expansion focuses on lenghtening the tale of the Brotherhood of Steel, as they start the process of extinguishing the last remains of the Anclave forces and begin distributing cleansed water across the Capital Wasteland. After awakening, exhausted from our heroic deeds, we are quickly assigned to another, an almost routine task of assaulting an Anclave shelter base. As luck has it, the mission turns out a little tougher than expected, ending with a shocking, funny and patriotic death of one of the most memorable characters of the original. After discovering the origins of a mysterious orbital strike responsible for the failure, it's up to us to help the Brotherhood develop a similar surprise for Eden's outcasts.
The storytelling is rough, hundred-percent on-rails (except for the ending), and packed with maximum action. The Call of Duty series serve as the closest orientire, as the story delivers more and more inventive ways of dispatching another group of Tesla Troopers. A few new characters are introduced, and after finishing the quest for vengeance we can continue to traverse the endless plains of the Wasteland. Apart from bearing a purely Fallout-ish patriotism interpreted in a retro funny styIe, the storytelling fiercely crowns the major story of Fallout 3, in a way that is sure to please most of the enraged fans. And Broken Steel's ending is also great in its own way, utilizing the main firepower of Fallout's decision system: YOU impact the world.
Continuing the goodies parade are a whole bunch of pleasant gameplay surprises. From now on, we have ten additional levels to reach (making it a maximum 30), and more than a few interesting (and needed) perks. True to the expansion's tone, we have thematic new guns in our arsenal. Introducing: a Heavy Incinerator throwing twice the flames twice the distance; and a secret wish for all you mayhemers: a Tesla Cannon. Both weapons are masterfully tweaked to balance against others, and look damn effective in both normal and V.A.T.S. shooting mode. There are no notable wide new areas to explore in the literal way (again, true to the nature of the DLC), but there are some new locations which were previously absent. Mainly, however, the action raves straight on the Capital Wasteland, underlining, if anything, the importance of the final confrontations.
It's even impressive to see the efforts put into presentation: I'm not saying that the graphics or the animation have been improved, but there are above-than-average-DLC scripted events and some spectacular scenes. Other than that, it's the same rocky Wasteland with a grand retro touch. Fallout, in one word.
While being more of a lone mission than a potentially strong add-on focused on discovering new secrets, Broken Steel is apparently the result of heavy reparations made on the formula used for the previous linear add-on (namely, Operation Anchorage). Compared to other expansions, however, it loses due to its overall straightforward pacing, but if you're looking for the true ending of the story with epic confrontations, it's your best bet.