Fallout 3: Operation Anchorage
- February 02, 2009 00:00 AM PST
Welcome to Alaska, aka Palin country (cold state, hot governor)! It's the land of oil, soft drink swilling polar bears and politicians shooting at moose from helicopters. It's also the setting for Fallout 3's new DLC, Operation: Anchorage. But is it worth your money?
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Jumping into the new DLC is easy. Once the content is downloaded and your game disc is in, you'll be notified of a radio broadcast distress call. Fast travel to the Red Racer Factory to hear a message asking for help from any "outcasts", this will lead gamers to the outpost for the outcasts from the Brotherhood of Steel. In order to get into a high tech weapons armory, they need someone to complete an old VR training program. Since you're the only one with a device that can interface with the computer system (you're Pip-Boy), you get the job.
The VR training is broken down into two missions, both dealing with the liberation of Alaska. The first and most straightforward is The Guns of Anchorage. Here you'll run around snowy mountains, blasting away at the invading Chinese, knocking out their massive artillery guns. The second mission is a slightly more complicated three-parter that ends with you commandeering a Chinese base.
Gameplay is classic Fallout 3, but with enough tweaks to feel like you're almost playing a different game. In virtual Alaska health and ammo aren't picked up from the enemy (which disappear Matrix-style when killed) but from dispensers located at random locations. New weapons, including the powerful Gauss rifle, are now available and gamers will also get a chance to work with and command NPC's. Other gameplay elements like the barren, snow filled setting and unique enemies like the stealth camo wearing Crimson Dragoons are not only welcome, but feel like a tip of the hat to other classic games (Metal Gear Sold/Gray Fox anyone?)
Operation: Anchorage is a blast to play and the weapons earned after completing it are certainly useful in the Capital Wastelands, but it's not without some serious flaws. The VR missions are very short, taking only 2-3 hours to complete and can't be replayed once beaten. This DLC also doesn't let gamers extended level progression past 20 or continue the game past its original ending. You'll have to wait for the Broken Steel DLC for that.
Despite its shortcomings, Operation: Anchorage is a must own for Fallout 3 owners. It may be short and sweet, but anything that can add life to a title this good deserves needs to be played.
PROS: Extends the life of a great title, adds some history to the Fallout 3 back story, same solid gameplay but in a new environment
CONS: Very short, doesn't add level progression past 20, no replay value
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Comments [16]
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- Feb 02 2009 at 05:33:49:PM PST
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after this review ill remember not to get it..couple hours just aint worth my money ...if i can get something say the size of shivering isles then ill fork over more cash
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I love fallout, but was really disappointed with this! 2 hours of straight combat. and i only fought 1 chimera tank and it didn't give you very much back story... not worth 10 bucks imo.
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If it was the size of shivering Isles with 80 new items, 30 hrs of new gameplay, and entirely new world... it would be worth it because fallout 3 is awesome. Two non-replayable quests is too much for the cost; maybe a $2 to $3 price tag depending on how many new guns (I mean more than skin updates). I own a PS3/Wii, so I guess it doesn't matter for me anyways.
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Call a spade a spade Terry! It sounds like your review should have simply said "meh..." Don't give it props just cause it's Fallout! Pay $10 for 2 missions?! This should have been in the original game or better yet Broken Steel sounds like it will be more worth while and Bethesda should have just bundled both DLC releases together. Then you would have a lot to do trying to get from level 20 to 30.
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ChokaDaChicken wrote:
why wasn't it released on the Psn again ? You know the DLc
cause M$ paid for exculsivity
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I agree with the rest of you guys this DLC was tooooo.... short and way to straight forward. And you really don't get much for beating it. In fact I beat it in one sitting in roughly 2hours and 40 minutes. But what do you expect for 800MS points, guess I will just have to wait for the next DLC before getting really good content.
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Thanks' Terry for the skinny on this dlc, now i'll just wait for the other dlc and then decide on what to do but right now i'm going to save my money and use it on a different games' dlc or a new game being release. I'm sure dissappointed at Bethesda, i thought they were better than this! Hopefully they'll do better or correct thier mistake and make up with followers, regardless of Microsoft or XBOX-Live policys'. Be a man and stand up for what is right.
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