Yet again I find myself returning to Fallout 3 to explore the immense DC wasteland. This time I have returned to complete more of the DLC packs which I have downloaded. First up is Operation Anchorage. This pack is very different from the others as to start the DLC you have to enter a simulation programme which takes you back to the war in Anchorage, Alaska, before the Great War. You enter the simulation on a snowy cliff as part of the US army. It is your job to infiltrate the enemy base and destroy satellite towers and weapon systems. As part of the simulation you only have preset weapons and amour which is a standard AK-47 and an army outfit. Also as part of the simulation when you kill enemies their bodies simply vanish as part of a computer programme. Another catch is that if you die during the simulation you die in real life so don’t treat the simulation as an in-game game – if that makes sense. The simulation takes longer than you think and consists of 4 different missions, all of which take place in the snowy mountains of Anchorage.
The cliffs and environments look great even for Fallout standards. They are perilous as there as many sharp edges to slip off. Also in the cliffs are the communist’s bases which blend perfectly well into the snow. Once inside the bases they resemble the usual indoor corridors of vaults which is a little disappointing. However, the new enemies make up for this. There are invisible enemies to defeat throughout the simulation. These are either invisible snipers or up close melee attackers, both of which are pretty hard to see until you get hurt by them. I haven’t come across any invisible enemies in the main Fallout 3 game so I thought that they were a great new addition to the game, even if they are some of the hardest enemies to encounter. As well as new enemies I also tried out new guns which again I haven’t used in the main game. The main new one was the Guus Rifle which fires a damaging explosive round. It was my preferred weapon of choice throughout the DLC even though the reload times were slow and the ammo capacity was low.
I must admit that this DLC pack has probably been the most enjoyable out of the 4 that I have played. Running around snowy mountain bases avoiding invisible sniper fire as well as perilous falls is as fun as it sounds. The preset guns and armour means you can enter at a low level and still be able to complete it. Also the new enemy types and weapons are unique to the simulation.
The second pack is Broken Steel. This pack offers missions from the Brotherhood of Steel after the main storyline has been completed. It also raises the level cap up to 30. Trying not to reveal any spoilers but after the last story mission the Brotherhood offer you a mission to eradicate the Enclave once and for all. With the help of the massive Brotherhood robot, Liberty Prime, you gradually push back the Enclave forces until disaster strikes when the robot is destroyed by an airstrike. The Brotherhood is left defenceless against the Enclave now. It is up to you to locate the relay point of the airstrike and bring down the Enclave base. This takes you to Adam’s Air Base. The base is riddled with Enclave soldiers, of which there are new types. However, before you get to the air base you need to get there through a metro system. This system is full of hostile robots and ghouls, of which make it a difficult job in fixing the metro train that will take you to the base.
The new enemy additions in this pack include the strongest Enslave soldiers you will ever encounter – the Hellfire troopers. They all have very defensive armour as well as a large incinerator which is powerful at both short and long range. However, they don’t appear to be that hard to kill once you find out what the new weapon addition is. As a supply package you receive the Tesla Cannon. It is simply the best gun I have used in any Fallout game. The damage it deals is incredible and also it is light to carry. I was pleasantly surprised when I fired the cannon to see an Enclave officer be blown easily by it. It is powerful, but maybe a little overpowered. Also it is possible to use the gun after the DLC pack and it comes in handy in normal side quests.
Unfortunately I had a lot of problems with this DLC. I don’t experience many bugs in Fallout 3, and rarely have I suffered from a crash. Upon entering the Air Base in Broken Steel the frame rate of the game dropped. The game was stuttering every second and it was horrifying to even look at. It also paused for about 2 minutes before allowing play to resume, this happened twice. Inevitably it crashed, not once but three times. I was really disappointed by this and it made the last section of the DLC a chore to complete.
Expect at least 4 hours of play time to complete Broken Steel which is great value for money, this is the same with every Fallout DLC pack. But be warned of the serious technical issues at the end of Broken Steel.
Overall both packs are worth considering. Operation Anchorage is personally my favourite so far as it is the most enjoyable. Broken Steel on the other hand has a lot of technical issues but does give you one immense weapon which is not to be missed.
I loved all the DLC’s simply because it adds so much to the game, its not just some new weapons and armour but an entire side-story to it. And personally i never had any problems with Broken Steel, so i was lucky i guess 😛
i wished all DLC brought that much content in a game then Fallout did,, Love it 🙂
Yeah the new missions are really interesting, loved the anchorage one, nice bit of background info on the main Fallout story. Seriously it was awful for crashes and frame rate drops, haven’t had any problems with this previously so must have been a one off. Still got The Pitt to go!