Review: Operation:Anchorage Expansion (Fallout 3)

“New Content, Achievements, and Weapons come to one of the biggest games of 2008 but is it worth the price tag?”

Though games have begun to lack in quantity during the Spring and Summer season this year, downloadable content for your favorite Fall releases are definitely beginning to pour out in order to keep old releases fresh and active in everyone’s systems. From multiplayer maps in Gears of War 2 and Call of Duty: World at War to completely new content in Fable II, Fallout 3, and Grand Theft Auto IV there is still plenty of life in the games of 2008.

Fallout 3 had the first of four content packs released for it this month. Operation: Anchorage pits you in the middle of the war for Alaska between Chinese communists and the American army in a simulator mission in order to aid ex-members of the Brotherhood of Steel (one of the major factions in Fallout 3) in a treasure-finding mission. For 800 Microsoft points the buyer will receive an entire new area to play through that comes packed with four missions (each of which gives you an achievement and can bring your grand total up by 100 points), new weapons and equipment  (which consists of a new rifle, new power armor, a new melee weapon, and new “stealth” armor) which can be received once you complete the entire pack in the actual world of the game, and a look at what the world looked like before Washington, D.C had the big bomb dropped on it and sent the world into chaos and super-mutants.

The area that you’re sent into is a welcome addition and a pleasant change from the world of Post-Apocalyptic D.C; Bright colors have replaced the gloom and doom as you look around and find yourself in a snowy area that actually shows plant life and sunlight around you. The biggest problem I found is that this will be the only time that you get to see this area within the content pack. Once you complete the simulator mission there’s no going back to it which means enjoy the extra content while you can because once it’s over the only way you can get back to Anchorage is that you have to replay the exact same missions on a different save.

The missions are fairly straightforward and completely combat-based. From solo missions that allow you to sneak around or go Rambo on your Chinese enemies to actually being able to commission a squad of soldiers to follow you around in order to help you complete your objectives there is definitely a lot of slaughtering involved and very little exploration to be had. There is one path to follow and attempts at deviating from that path will bring you to the confines of the simulator’s virtual walls within the missions. The entirety of the content pack will last you anywhere from two hours on up if you really decide to take your time with the tasks at hand.

There is one optional mission involved within the content pack and that is the gathering of “intel” shown as little glowing red briefcases along your travels. Gathering all ten of them is completely optional but will unlock a special perk for your character once the simulator is all over. Though not entirely difficult to find since there aren’t a ton of paths toward your goal they do require some careful searching and keeping your eyes open as you travel.

The content pack was quite buggy at the point that I played through it so it is strongly recommended that you save often in order to not have to replay the entirety of the content over again. It froze a total of three times for me throughout playing it (which might not sound like much but is quite a lot over the three hours that it took me to complete it). Also ten dollars, while not being a terribly large amount of money seems to be a bit too much for the little bit of extra content that you do get through it. If they would add the content as a permanent part of the game instead of a one-time thing it would seem to be a better purchase for players who desperately want more to see and do within the game.

While it is a worthwhile purchase, it is better for players who plan on replaying the game or for players who are just beginning the game as, just like with Mass Effect’s DLC, you have to play on a save that is not a completed game. This is fine but means that unless you plan on using them, the new weapons and equipment as well as the new perk are completely useless if you’re already a level 19 who is decked out with missile launchers and laser weapons galore.

The Bottom Line:

• Presentation: Colorful new scenery that showcases the beauty of Fallout 3’s engine but no real major improvements or cleanups within the game. There are still a few pop-ins on characters and scenery but nothing too major to turn it away.

• Sound: Nothing really new here. The soundtrack isn’t anything to write home to and, just like in the actual game, provides nothing more than atmosphere to what is going on in the game.

• Replay Value: Absolutely none unless you replay the missions on a new game or a different save but even then you’ll be playing the exact same missions over and over again.  The differences between going good and evil are absolutely none as well since it’s just a simulator and will play out the same way regardless of your alignment.

• Difficulty: Straightforward missions that are completely focused on combat. If your character is based around stealth, lock picking, and hacking you may have a few problems but not enough to turn you away from the new content.

Now available for Xbox 360 and the PC. At this moment it seems that none of the four DLC packs are going to be made available for Sony’s Playstation 3.