We’ll level with you; Broken Steel partially excepted, we’ve been mightily disappointed with the Fallout 3 downloadable content (DLC) on offer thus far. The fresh content – for one reason or another – simply hasn’t resonated, possessing neither the grandiose questing of Oblivion’s Knights of the Nine nor the diverse fantasy universe of the Shivering Isles.
That said, we’re chuffed to report that Point Lookout is, if not quite a DLC messiah, certainly a size 14 step in the right direction. For starters, it feels wholly fresh compared to the well-trodden paths of the Capital Wasteland, while simultaneously somehow fitting seamlessly into Fallout 3’s irradiated universe.
From the minute you step off the steamboat and onto the misty boardwalk, you’re thrown into a Lovecraftian world of horror – set upon by slavering packs of inbred freakazoids who look like they’ve shambled off the set of The Hills Have Eyes. They’re clever sods, mind you, hunting in packs and proving very adept at chomping you up and spitting you out. Besides the eyeball-popping landmass to explore, there are also new landmarks to be stumbled upon that are almost as iconic as the Lincoln Memorial or Oasis – our fav being the brooding lighthouse, which reminded us of that Dark Brotherhood quest in Oblivion.
Okay, so the relatively simplistic (though sometimes entertaining) quests don’t really hold a candle to the main game’s more stellar examples, but we’d be lying if we didn’t wholeheartedly recommend Point Lookout to series fanatics. It might not offer the powerful kind of weapons and armor that completists hanker after, but it instead offers a sinister atmosphere and top-notch exploration.
Jul 14, 2009
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