First of all, this review is directed to the people 'on the fence' about buying the official DLC for Fallout 3, Operation: Anchorage and The Pitt. I will try to spoil as little as I can, only giving out information alredy available before the initial release of both expansions. With that out of the way, let's get started.
Operation: Anchorage
This DLC was originally going to be an RTS, if Bethesda Senior Producer Jeff Gardiner is to belive. [http://fallout.bethsoft.com/eng/vault/diaries_diary8-03.09.09.html] Needless to say, it did not turn out as so. Instead, we get a shot at creating an experience not unlike your average FPS; we have the classic healthstations that repair your limbs aswell as restore your health. We have the ammodispensers, that give you a set amount of ammo.
Operation: Anchorage was the name of the military operation that aimed to remove the Chinese from Alaska, and this is a simulation of just that. You play as a strike team member, performing various tasks for your General. Again, not unlike your average FPS. What sets this DLC apart from the 'core' game is that it's not placed after the bombs dropped, so once you finnish the simulation you are dropped right into the disease-ridden Wasteland, hoping you were still in the simulation.
So, is Operation: Anchorage an enjoyable experience? It was for me. So if you are like me, somewhat of a hybrid gamer, you'll appreciate the effort they put into making an FPS out of Fallout. The rewards are also quite pleasing, with several mods alredy out there to further increase your moneysworth. We've got stuff like <a href=http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=4689> the Colossus Power Armor, one of my favorite ever mods.
So if you are still intrested, I'll present to you the last downside of this DLC. It's short and limited. You'll finnish it in roughly 3-4 hours, depending on difficulty. Once you're done, you're not getting in again. (There's a mod [http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=4938] for this, though.)
If you enjoy strike team-based action games and Fallout 3, you'll enjoy Operation: Anchorage.
The Pitt
Now this was a release I was looking forward to. Unlike Operation: Anchorage, The Pitt is set in the post-apocalyptic USA, more speficially the city of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh, or The Pitt as it is now known, has become nothing short of a nightmare. Your contact, an escapee, fills you in with details of diseases and mutation that slowly turn every 'citizen' into something very Doom 3-esque.
After a few turns on the road, you are thrown into The Pitt. The first hour or so consists of you doing your best to integrate yourself into The Pitt. After that, however, is when the experience really comes alive. You are faced with moral dilemmas, and the outcomes of both these shape the city into something different depending on your choosing.
The Pitt is not as action based as you'd think, allthough there are sequences near the beginning that I had to turn down the difficulty from Hard to Normal to be able to proceed trough. Most of the DLC is you encountering different situations and dealing with them as the situations warrants. Also, without giving away spoilers, you get the feeling Bethesda had run out of ideas, as a certain aspect from Oblivion shows it head.
Again the DLC's lenght falls short of what you'd expect. I finnished it in roughly 2.5 hours. Unlike Operation: Anchorage however, you are free to return to The Pitt and reap the rewards of the path you chose. However, the reward(s) are somewhat lackluster.
The Pitt is Fallout 3 at the top of it's greatness. It's post-apocalyptic atmosphere is nothing short of breathtaking, and you dread every moment in the city, just as you would should you be in the same situation. If you can afford the price of 800 MS points, The Pitt is definately worth it.
Summary
If you're currently sitting on about 20 dollars and don't know what to do with them, I would recommend both the DLC packs. If however you are set on only buying one, I would get The Pitt. Both are good additions to the original game. Operation: Anchorage gives you extra gear to find your father with, whilst The Pitt gives you an overall enjoyable Fallout-experience.
I was not able to make my images work in a way I wanted, so I'll just paste the links;
http://img21.imageshack.us/my.php?image=anchorage.jpg
http://img9.imageshack.us/my.php?image=thepittd.jpg
Feel free to comment and give some constructive criticism.
Operation: Anchorage
This DLC was originally going to be an RTS, if Bethesda Senior Producer Jeff Gardiner is to belive. [http://fallout.bethsoft.com/eng/vault/diaries_diary8-03.09.09.html] Needless to say, it did not turn out as so. Instead, we get a shot at creating an experience not unlike your average FPS; we have the classic healthstations that repair your limbs aswell as restore your health. We have the ammodispensers, that give you a set amount of ammo.
Operation: Anchorage was the name of the military operation that aimed to remove the Chinese from Alaska, and this is a simulation of just that. You play as a strike team member, performing various tasks for your General. Again, not unlike your average FPS. What sets this DLC apart from the 'core' game is that it's not placed after the bombs dropped, so once you finnish the simulation you are dropped right into the disease-ridden Wasteland, hoping you were still in the simulation.
So, is Operation: Anchorage an enjoyable experience? It was for me. So if you are like me, somewhat of a hybrid gamer, you'll appreciate the effort they put into making an FPS out of Fallout. The rewards are also quite pleasing, with several mods alredy out there to further increase your moneysworth. We've got stuff like <a href=http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=4689> the Colossus Power Armor, one of my favorite ever mods.
So if you are still intrested, I'll present to you the last downside of this DLC. It's short and limited. You'll finnish it in roughly 3-4 hours, depending on difficulty. Once you're done, you're not getting in again. (There's a mod [http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=4938] for this, though.)
If you enjoy strike team-based action games and Fallout 3, you'll enjoy Operation: Anchorage.
The Pitt
Now this was a release I was looking forward to. Unlike Operation: Anchorage, The Pitt is set in the post-apocalyptic USA, more speficially the city of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh, or The Pitt as it is now known, has become nothing short of a nightmare. Your contact, an escapee, fills you in with details of diseases and mutation that slowly turn every 'citizen' into something very Doom 3-esque.
After a few turns on the road, you are thrown into The Pitt. The first hour or so consists of you doing your best to integrate yourself into The Pitt. After that, however, is when the experience really comes alive. You are faced with moral dilemmas, and the outcomes of both these shape the city into something different depending on your choosing.
The Pitt is not as action based as you'd think, allthough there are sequences near the beginning that I had to turn down the difficulty from Hard to Normal to be able to proceed trough. Most of the DLC is you encountering different situations and dealing with them as the situations warrants. Also, without giving away spoilers, you get the feeling Bethesda had run out of ideas, as a certain aspect from Oblivion shows it head.
Again the DLC's lenght falls short of what you'd expect. I finnished it in roughly 2.5 hours. Unlike Operation: Anchorage however, you are free to return to The Pitt and reap the rewards of the path you chose. However, the reward(s) are somewhat lackluster.
The Pitt is Fallout 3 at the top of it's greatness. It's post-apocalyptic atmosphere is nothing short of breathtaking, and you dread every moment in the city, just as you would should you be in the same situation. If you can afford the price of 800 MS points, The Pitt is definately worth it.
Summary
If you're currently sitting on about 20 dollars and don't know what to do with them, I would recommend both the DLC packs. If however you are set on only buying one, I would get The Pitt. Both are good additions to the original game. Operation: Anchorage gives you extra gear to find your father with, whilst The Pitt gives you an overall enjoyable Fallout-experience.
I was not able to make my images work in a way I wanted, so I'll just paste the links;
http://img21.imageshack.us/my.php?image=anchorage.jpg
http://img9.imageshack.us/my.php?image=thepittd.jpg
Feel free to comment and give some constructive criticism.
