Fallout 3: Point Lookout

true <img src="/contributed/1246387793iLNIBVSF04.jpg" alt="" /> I’ve been devouring Bethesda’s expansions for Fallout 3. With each and every addition to the original content, my connection to the world of the Capital Wasteland grew stronger. While “Operation Anchorage” and “The Pitt” may not have had the impact on the story or the character building of “Broken Steel,” I enjoyed them all the same. When “Point Lookout” was announced, I was wary of the new location being nothing more than another Pitt-sized locale with little to explore, and was curious just how relevant the story of this new land would be in regards to the rest of the universe. I should have known to trust Bethesda because “Point Lookout” just might be the best expansion they’ve done yet. Making your way to Point Lookout is as simple as hopping on a riverboat and paying for a ticket to ride to the new location. As you pull up to the dock, it’s apparent just how different the landscape will be once you get off the boat. Instead of barren highways and collapsed cityscapes, you’ll be investigating the shores and backwoods of the Maryland coast. The map itself is about the size of Washington, DC, and is completely wide open for exploration. Unlike “Operation Anchorage,” which was more akin to an on-rails shooter, and “The Pitt,” which while having a fairly large map had few areas for you to actually traverse, you’ll be able to scour each and every square inch of “Point Lookout,” which is great because there’s plenty to see. <a href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/gamervision_production/1246384822XPcRlNLcd8.jpg"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/gamervision_production/1246384822XPcRlNLcd8.jpg" height="348" alt="" width="620" /></a> Anchorage had bright white military installations, and the Pitt had an over-industrialized factory town, which were both vastly different from what players were used to seeing while wandering the Capital Wastes. The beaches and forests of Point Lookout provide another much needed break from the monotony of nothingness that permeates the Wastes. Don’t get me wrong, I love the openness of the Wastes, but it’s really nice to have a change of pace every once and a while, and this expansion shows a side to the world that was unseen outside of Eden: vegetative life. Despite the fact that the area has been irradiated, there’s much more of a sense of life out there. Buildings still have that same run down look, and there are a ton of pockets of land with massive amounts of radiation, but Point Lookout’s landscape feels more like a horror movie location than it does an apocalyptic epic. From the children’s dolls tied to stakes in the ground, to the Ghouls roaming the cemeteries, to the deranged and deformed axe wielding locals, nearly everything about Point Lookout goes toward creating an atmosphere very different from that of the Wastes. <a href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/gamervision_production/1246385008nx8khgFffE.jpg"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/gamervision_production/1246385008nx8khgFffE.jpg" height="348" alt="" width="620" /></a> The main missions all revolve around the Calvert Mansion and its primary inhabitant, a ghoul named Desmond. After helping him fend off an invasion by a strange tribe, you’ll find yourself traveling all over Point Lookout in order to find out just what’s going on. One particular chapter of this expansion’s story will have you enjoying a very reflective acid trip. It could have been handled poorly and been a disaster of a mission, but Bethesda really nails the experience, and instead of being a joke, the whole turn of events is rather creepy and real. I won’t say how it all concludes, but the main story you’ll be trying to complete is full of twists, action, and is well worth the price of admission. The side missions in the expansion are all pretty unique, and one group in particular will add more depth to the history of the Fallout universe. All told you’ll probably spend upwards of four hours trying to get all 100 achievement points, which is par for the course so far on Bethesda’s add-ons. <a href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/gamervision_production/1246384760bd1gls68LG.jpg"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/gamervision_production/1246384760bd1gls68LG.jpg" height="348" alt="" width="620" /></a> The new enemies you encounter along the way are both disturbing and at times hilarious. The locals, or swampfolk, are all mutated hicks right out of The Hills Have Eyes or Wrong Turn, and often roam in packs. If you manage to sneak up on a group standing around a campfire, you might just catch them in the middle of a good ol’ fashioned hoedown. Mirelurks return, as does a new variant of the Mirelurk King, the Swamplurk. These creatures have bright green glowing eyes, and spit acid. They’re tough, as are the rest of the enemies you’ll encounter here, but with the help of the gear you earned in the three previous expansions, you won’t be outmatched for long. Armor and weapons acquired in “Point Lookout” pale in comparison to the other items you’ll already have in sheer fire-power or damage resistance, but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth the effort of keeping. The double-barreled shotgun and the unique Dismemberer axe are especially handy, particularly if you can manage to remain hidden until attacking. I know that “Operation Anchorage” spoiled those of us who completed it first with a wealth of incredible items, but I’m glad that the last three expansions have scaled back on the powerful unique items. <a href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/gamervision_production/1246384844ERLEWBzGUv.jpg"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/gamervision_production/1246384844ERLEWBzGUv.jpg" height="348" alt="" width="620" /></a> While the “Broken Steel” expansion may have reopened the game world, and had its fair share of huge action set pieces, “Point Lookout” really stands out as the best in the series so far. The new area is a new world unto itself, and I would love to see Bethesda move further south in future installments if only to add more variation to the locales we’re allowed to visit. For the amount of time you’ll spend playing this DLC, and for how cheap it is, you’d have a pretty tough time finding a better investment of your gaming time. It’s going to be pretty tough for the next installment, “Mothership Zeta,” to live up to this one, but I can’t wait to see what Bethesda does next. <img src="http://gamervision.com/contributed/1239819838O76TBldH33.jpg" height="125" alt="" width="245" /> review

2009-06-30T14:51:18-04:00

<img src="/contributed/1246387793iLNIBVSF04.jpg" alt="" /> I’ve been devouring Bethesda’s expansions for Fallout 3. With each and every addition to the original content, my connection to the world of the Capital Wasteland grew stronger. While “Operation Anchorage” and “The Pitt” may not have had the impact on the story or the character building of “Broken Steel,” I enjoyed them all the same. When “Point Lookout” was announced, I was wary of the new location being nothing more than another Pitt-sized locale with little to explore, and was curious just how relevant the story of this new land would be in regards to the rest of the universe. I should have known to trust Bethesda because “Point Lookout” just might be the best expansion they’ve done yet.

9264

9359

2009-10-05T20:42:19-04:00

2009-06-30T14:51:18-04:00

12511

8.5

fallout_3_point_lookout published Over The River, And Through The Backwoods. Fallout 3: Point Lookout - Xbox 360

2009-10-05T20:42:19-04:00

825