Apart from Broken Steel, you don’t even need to have finished the game to get access to the content. While none are physically set in the original Capital Wasteland, all can be access upon downloading and installing. However, being ‘levelled-up’ and well stocked is certainly recommended. So, just what are you in for when you drop the points for these downloadable packets of post-apocalyptic goodness? For those who have yet to take the plunge, hopefully, you’ll get some idea from what is written below. It ought to be noted in general though, that if you didn’t like Fallout 3 in the first place, there probably isn’t much use for you to keep reading.
The price of all the downloadable content add-ons comes to 800MS points each on XBLA or $15.95 each on the PSN. Each is now also available on disc for those who don’t have access to an online service, while all five have been included in Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition.
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Downloadable content ratings system
We've given a 'buy' rating of 'Yes', 'Maybe', or 'No'.
Yes means that the content is either great value or brings some substantial additions to the game, or possibly both.
Maybe means that the content may be fun while it lasts, but may either be too short or not enough to fully justify the price tag.
No means that we don't recommend downloading this insubstantial content.
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Operation Anchorage
Operation Anchorage coped some flak for not having enough ‘RPG’ and not enough play time. Upon acquiring this DLC, you’ll venture to more densely populated regions of the Capital Wasteland and find a renegade Brotherhood group. Your pipboy makes you useful to them as it gives you access to a simulation machine, which in turn gives them access to a vault of goodies. So after dealing these excessively rude sods (even by the usual game standards) you haul yourself through the simulation, which is a basic recount of how the US repelled advancing communist Chinese forces from Anchorage, Alaska, long before the main game was set.
While it’s true that this DLC forgoes a lot of the RPG elements for something more akin to a shooter, it’s a refreshing change of pace for those bogged down by the micromanagement. You’ll also get to manage a squad for a little while, explore vast snowy regions and have access to weapons that don’t break and health that is endlessly dispensed from a machine. Still, you’ll have chances to make use of your various enhanced skill sets and upon completion you’re free to raid the goodies vault. The Gauss rifle is probably the most notable item to come from this expedition and almost alone makes the trip worth it.
Unfortunately, for all its sights and simplicities, Operation Anchorage is quite short. It won’t take most people more than 2-3 hours to complete. Furthermore, it doesn’t do much for the overall story… unless you play Mothership Zeta as well. It’s almost as if it’s only there for show. So while the gameplay and setting is a refreshing and at times, interesting change of pace, it is inevitable that some potential buyers will be put off by this.
Worth buying? Maybe
The Pitt
Upon the release of The Pitt, players were met with a series of game breaking glitches and issues. Things seem to be patched up now (on the Xbox 360 and PC at least), but you’d do well to be cautious for now. This time, your player travels to the remains of Pittsburgh, where you are forced into slavery by a group of Raiders looking to create their own army in that area. After working out of the slave pit, which includes partaking in a gladiatorial contest in ‘The Pitt’, you are eventually faced with a choice of helping the slaves, who are ravaged by a mutation illness or help yourself and leave the slaves to their fate.
While The Pitt doesn’t really do much in the way of adding to the Fallout 3 story, it’s self contained nature is interesting in it’s own right. As is the usual case, it’s really up to you to pick for yourself who is the lesser of the two evils. The Pitt gives you access to even more new weapons, such as the Auto Axe and a number of funky pick-ups. You spend most of your time exploring dilapidated industrial sites infested with a strange new mutated beast. If you’re well levelled up, then you won’t have too much trouble dealing with what the game will throw at you.
The Pitt has much more game time than Operation Anchorage, though that will still likely max out at around six hours, especially if you’re intent on getting all the achievements. Either way, the content and challenge provided easily outweighs that provided by the former piece of content.
Note: the rating below is based on the gameplay and content and on the provision that you don’t come across the glitches. Xbox 360 and PC owners seem to have their versions fixed by now, but there are reports that PS3 users are still encountering issues.
Worth buying? Yes
Broken Steel
Broken Steel makes some of the biggest additions to the Fallout 3 world, even if it rewrites the ending in doing so. Upon loading Broken Steel, the level cap immediately goes from 20 to 30 and there are a whole set of new perks to be gained along the way. For players who had already hit the previous level 20 cap, this could be enough incentive to keep them going.
WARNING: SPOILER ALERT
Once you’ve loaded Broken Steel, you have to get to it by finishing the game. You will follow down the same path, regardless of how you ‘end’ the game, where wake up in the Brotherhood compound two weeks later. Here, you’ll be recruited to continue the fight against the remaining Enclave forces. During a seemingly routine mission, the Enclave destroys your giant robot with some sort of an air-strike. So, it’s up to you to find out just where the air strikes are coming from, leading to the eventual choice of completely wiping out the Enclave’s main fire power, or eliminating the Brotherhood. Both are equally fascinating choices with nice potential rewards and this piece of DLC actually does something with the story. There are a few holes, which can be bemusing, particularly as none of the ending sequences actually change.
Still, not much of this matters once you have access to arguably one of the best weapons in the game. The Tesla Cannon. Sure, there are some other neat toys like the Heavy Incinerator and Tri-beam Laser Rifle, but the Tesla Cannon blows up helicopters. Dead. Nice… Another aspect of Broken Steel worth noting is that it’s quite difficult, especially with the new enemies that have been included, such as the Super Mutant Overlord. By the time we hit it, we were in the late 20s in terms of levels but even that had its tricky moments.
Even though it does to pull the wool over your eyes with the story, somewhat, Broken Steel is not only a substantial piece of content by Fallout 3 standards but all DLC in general. It goes above DLC and is pretty much a genuine expansion to the game. While on the surface, the missions will give you around 6 hours of play time, there’s a lot more than that thanks to the increased level cap. So as far as DLC goes, Broken Steel is pretty much as good as it will probably get in this generation.
Worth buying? Yes
Point Lookout
Of the non-story related packs, Point Lookout is the best piece of DLC to have been released for Fallout 3. You take a paddle steamer ride to Maryland, which is a distinctly different locale to the Capital Wastelands, with sprawling marshes and not too many buildings. You’ve essentially got two stories running parallel, one where a mother back in the Capital has asked that you look for her daughter and the other, a classical eternal rivalry, similar to what seems to be often portrayed in Asian cinema.
Once again, it’s up to you to choose who is the lesser of two evils. But in this case, you have two delightfully spiteful and sick individuals that each gives you a compelling case to help them and stoop to their level. And it’s surprisingly fun. Unlike the previous DLC, where the highlights mainly came with the things you’d discover, Point Lookout has the most engaging story of the lot. All the while, you still have heaps to find and discover. It was also refreshing to come across the depraved and brainwashed locals, including inbred hillbillies, and not just interact with a bunch of sourpusses.
You can easily loose upwards of six hours in Point Lookout, as there are plenty of things to discover and even a ghoul safari to join in. However, Point Lookout probably does the best job of providing something different, an engaging story, plenty to discover, the most choices and all while keeping most of the things that you like about Fallout 3.
Worth buying? Yes
Mothership Zeta
Conceptually, Mothership Zeta had a lot going for it but it is probably the most disappointing DLC of the lot. When you respond to a strange signal, you end up getting beamed up into an extraterrestrial ship, where you get poked, probed and prodded in the most ungainly of fashions. Left with nothing, you trick the aliens out of letting you get out of your cell, get back all your stuff and proceed through the ship by sabotaging everything on your way out.
Mothership Zeta disappoints because it devolves into a corridor shooter and a key hunt. Even though you get some sweet alien weaponry, it doesn’t really invoke too much emotion as you trudge through the stale corridors. Story-wise, there are some subtle references to what’s been happening in the Fallout 3 world, though the most obvious is the link back to Operation Anchorage, which is admittedly, neat. However, it fails to do anything substantial or meaningful with the 1950s alien stereotype, other than provide you with something inhuman to shoot at.
So while the final showdown is pretty cool, and the amalgam of all things Fallout 3 is there in a subtle way, the underutilised setting doesn’t do itself any favours by coming after Point Lookout, which provides much, much more. Sure, you’ll get four to five hours out of Mothership Zeta, but they’re unlikely to be the most satisfying you’ll have with Fallout 3.
Worth buying? Maybe
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