DICE 2009: Fallout 3: The Pitt Impressions

By RicardoT, GameSpot
Posted Feb 19, 2009 4:56 pm PT

So we're here at the 2009 DICE Summit in Las Vegas and Bethesda had a suite set up to show off the upcoming DLC for Fallout 3, The Pitt. So, unlike the last DLC for Fallout, Operation Anchorage, which is set before the events of Fallout 3, The Pitt is set during the events of the game. You're contacted by a slave named Wernher who's managed to escape his captors. The guy's pretty needy and asks you to help him retrieve a cure for mutations from the Pitt leader. The request translates into a nice, meaty quest that's chock-full of the stuff people want out of Fallout: moral ambiguity, mystery, exploration, and plenty of opportunities to shoot things.

The demo we played started out just after you kick off the quest line and have travelled, via rail, to the Pitt entrance with Wernher. He helps you deal with raiders as you head to the entrance and offers many fun and exciting tips about what to expect in the Pitt.

Here's the biggest problem: Your best bet to get in is to look like a slave, so this means giving up all your worldly possessions. We tried this a few ways and got the option to try and sneak a gun or a knife in (always handy when going undercover) before deciding to try our luck with just our wits. After a bit of walking, we got to the bridge leading into Pittsburgh and navigated through some low-key hazards: mines, dogs, and some raiders that didn't pose too much of a problem. Things changed when we got closer to the chain link fence and saw a small group of slaves trying to escape.

We'll be honest, we got a little trigger happy and plugged a few of 'em full of lead. (What? They surprised us, and it was dark.). The upshot to the accidental killing was that we got a slave uniform (an optional quest) that we could wear while trying to get in. The guard was appropriately disparaging and shoved us on to the Pitt, after taking all of our stuff.

Once we went through the doors, we got a look at the uninviting hell that is Pittsburgh.* We explored an outdoor courtyard area that had slaves and raiders interacting. Most slaves were working while being harassed by raiders; as we were wandering, we actually saw a pair of workers get harassed, then killed by a raider. We went on to explore different areas: downtown, uptown, and the mill. We also had a chance to mingle with our fellow slaves. Chatting up folks painted a unique picture of life there, with some slaves being resigned, even happy, about their current lot in life, while others appeared to be plotting some kind of revolutionary action. We're big fans of the promise of moral ambiguity in the content; you'll eventually have to decide if you're going to help the slaves or partner up with raiders and do some oppressing.

*(By that, we mean, Pittsburgh in Fallout 3. In Fallout 3.)

Unsurprisingly the Pitt has a pretty bleak and oppressive feel to it, which comes through clearly from a visual perspective. The slaves look pretty messed up, the raiders are spooky, and the environment has got that very special "exploded yet lived-in" you've probably come to expect from Fallout. Overall the Pitt's looking cool, and we're really anxious to download it when it gets released this March; so we probably won't feel too bad about forking over the 800 points for the Xbox 360 version. There's a fair chunk of content such as new weapons, plus achievements and perks, so there's a lot to like.

10 Comments

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ronnet
Posted Feb 27, 2009 3:14 am GMT

BFMVxX, I doubt they'll release it in April, May seems more realistic. They wanted to release an expansion every 4-6 weeks, if this one gets released in the first week of March then maybe April is possible but this one will probably be released oin the second or third week of March so expext the third near the end of May.
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BFMVxX
Posted Feb 25, 2009 3:16 am GMT

to AceBusby: you don't have to sneak into the Pitt you can fight your way in

and to 8smokes: There will be a new DLC pack next month too (April)
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AceBusby
Posted Feb 24, 2009 3:06 pm GMT

"Here's the biggest problem: Your best bet to get in is to look like a slave, so this means giving up all your worldly possessions."

Am I out of line for wanting some DLC that allows me to actually use all those weapons and armor suits I spent so much of the original game finding/crafting?

This is the first thing I've read that makes me want to skip this just like I skipped Anchorage.
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8smokes
Posted Feb 24, 2009 12:14 pm GMT

Wow, the next Fallout 3 DLC already? Bethesda's really on top of things!
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Beawolf
Posted Feb 22, 2009 5:06 pm GMT

@MikaelGrizzly

The way you present it is very black and white, but ambiguity comes from doing one thing then doing another. Such as Blowing up the First town you where in (in Fallout 3), but then you are like hmmm i feel bad so you kill the two guys that hired you to do it. Then you befriend the Mutant, but then you decide to kill him. But, then you go around killing other badies, but then when a priest condemns, or just looked at you weird you kill him. So on and so forth. So the ambiguity comes from not being a slave owner or helping the slaves it comes from how you play and what you decide what to do. You could side with the slaves, but then kill some of them just cause. o_O
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MikaelGrizzly
Posted Feb 21, 2009 11:15 am GMT

"We're big fans of the promise of moral ambiguity in the content; you'll eventually have to decide if you're going to help the slaves or partner up with raiders and do some oppressing. "

Erm, can the author point out where's the moral ambiguity here? Because, you know, the term generally means that the situation is not clear cut, you don't have clearly good choices and clearly bad choices. Here, you are either a good guy (siding with the slaves and freeing them) or a bad guy (become a slaver and oppress people). Where's the ambiguity?
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thunderground2
Posted Feb 20, 2009 8:14 pm GMT

autoaxe FTW
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StarlightHunter
Posted Feb 20, 2009 4:48 pm GMT

yeah it looks good. so i take it form reading this its nearly finnished. the chainsaw thing looks crazy. i gonna feel like im playing as Marcus Fenix when using it.
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bretstter
Posted Feb 20, 2009 1:09 pm GMT

To be honest the last DLC (Operation Anchorage) was a disapiontment (except for the godies you recieve at the end). But this one looks promising and Im looking forward to the chainsaw like weapon too. I'm hoping the gameplay is more close to the main fallout 3 game (operation anchorage seemed alien due the health regeneration pots ect). Im also looking forward the the traditional discion and conseqences them which Opp. A. didnt have.
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ShroudedEagle
Posted Feb 19, 2009 5:53 pm GMT

I'm really looking forward to this one, and I'm especially looking forward to using that chainsaw like weapon in that screenshot.
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