The first Fallout 3 DLC, released just a couple of days ago, is a curious departure from what the original game did so well. The sprawling wasteland just ripe for exploration? Gone. The diverse ways to solve problems, often in drastically different moral fashion? Gone. In their place? A linear, combat-focused grind with a couple of neat scenarios.
For me, Fallout 3 is a game all about exploration and discovery. It thrives on those moments when you stumble upon something unexpected and out of the way, urging you to follow it and see what happens. Which presents a problem for a discrete DLC quest such as Operation Anchorage because most players will be diving back into an old save game with the sole intent of checking it out.
Taken in such isolation, this virtual reality simulation of the Chinese invasion of Alaska doesn’t hold up; it isn’t Fallout 3 in miniature. And it shouldn’t be seen that way. This DLC episode should be considered as just another moment to discover, another vignette painted onto the Fallout 3 tableaux. My advice: if you can, download it and start a new game, treating Operation Anchorage as just another (lengthy) quest to investigate at your leisure. It’s part of the broad Fallout 3 experience, but it isn’t a whole new chapter in the story.
Have you checked out Operation Anchorage? What did you think?
Mr Waffle
Thursday, January 29, 2009 at 12:30 PM“Have you checked out Operation Anchorage? What did you think?”
Well, if the Games for Windows client wouldn’t give me an error screen whenever I tried to buy it last night, I’d be happy to tell you…!
Josh
Thursday, January 29, 2009 at 12:46 PMI would love to try the DLC (PC version), if Games For Windows Live actually let me purchase it!!! From what I’ve seen in forums around the place, not many AU or NZ PC gamers have been able to get it…
Tim
Thursday, January 29, 2009 at 1:17 PMFallout DLC is now up on the GFWL marketplace.
Chris Lowery
Thursday, January 29, 2009 at 1:37 PMI finished it the night it came out, and I knew what it was going to be going in, so I wasn’t disappointed by the linearity of it all. I do though hope the next sets of content arnt simulations like this, because as David said, this is totally out of step about what I enjoy about the game. I also don’t know how I feel about being told with a pop up message that the new content is there? I kinda wish there was less jarring way of letting me know.
SevenII
Thursday, January 29, 2009 at 2:04 PMI got the DLC on 360 the other day and was not expecting what I paid for. Saying that, it was still worth the 800MS points as it took me the most of the night, non-stop, to complete it. And I am looking to give it another run-through to really soak in the dialogue and find certain things.
It was Bethesda’s attempt at a CoD feel in my opinion, thats just the vibe I got from the linear mission structure and warp sequences. Not to mention the fact that all items in the game world were made non-interactable and what was interactable was given a red glow to draw your attention.
adrian97c
Friday, January 30, 2009 at 2:38 AMI just bought this game last week, I have only put about 12hrs into it.
I just downloaded the expansion…I will complete my current mission before I try to figure out what has been added.
I know that once I added it, I dont see anything new yet????
David Wildgoose
Friday, January 30, 2009 at 8:45 AM@ adrian97c
Once you’ve loaded a save game, Operation Anchorage is activated after a few minutes of play. You’ll see a message pop up about a radio signal and it’ll be added to your quest log. I think you need to be outdoors, too, in order to pick up the signal.
Mr Waffle
Friday, January 30, 2009 at 12:39 PM“My advice: if you can, download it and start a new game, treating Operation Anchorage as just another (lengthy) quest to investigate at your leisure.”
Now that I can actually download it, I think I’ll end up just waiting for the rest of the DLC to show up, so I can do exactly this… start a new game and take it as it comes. Loading up a saved game for 5 minutes to play this seems kind of silly.