Nobody wants a good thing to end, especially after doing that good thing for scores of hours. When I finally completed Fallout 3, that was exactly what happened. Game over; no more to be said or done. Even after completing the final quest of the central storyline, the game simply ends and your only option to continue exploring the Capitol Wasteland was to restore a save point prior to the final quest. When the Broken Steel DLC was released in May of 2009, all of that changed.
Broken Steel is an extension of the main storyline, picking up after The Lone Wander restarts Project Purity and appears to die due to radiation sickness. After the ending credits roll, you wake up in the infirmary of the Citadel and from then on are given several lengthy and challenging new quests intended to wipe out the remaining Enclave concentrations. In addition to the extended central quest, three new side quests are thrown in for flavor, as well as scads of new armor, weapons, enemies, and Perks to spice things up. One of the more important modifications is a level cap increase from 20 to 30, which you'll most certainly need to survive the extended main quest. The massive amounts of Enclave thrown at you will grind away at your health at lower levels, so an increased level cap is almost essential to complete the game.
I found Broken Steel to be refreshing and exciting in all the right ways. The enhanced storyline doesn't show any continuity errors, and the new quests were plenty challenging- swarms of Enclave troops and Vertibirds made staying alive a daunting task. However, the greatest aspects of Broken Steel are in the smaller details, as they spark an entirely new life into the open-world, free-time nature of the game. The added weapons and armor were very cool; the Tesla Cannon blew Vertibirds out of the sky whilst the new Enclave Hellfire armor gave the T51-B a run for it's money as far as being the best armor in the game. Other new weapons included a slew of flamethrowers, the Tribeam Laser Rifle, and the unique Callahan's Magnum. Powerful enemies were added to the Wasteland to assist in burning through your ammo supplies, such as the obscenely-strong Super Mutant Overlords, Albino Radscorpions, and Feral Ghoul Reavers. Purified Water is also abundant upon reactivating Project Purity; the fresh water can be found in the Potomac River and in the form of new water bottles labeled "Aqua Pura". This makes for readily-available health, which you'll most certainly need after being set on fire multiple times by the new Enclave Hellfire Troopers. One very cool new item even allows you to take control of Enclave-secured Deathclaws, turning the fearsome beasts against their captors. My personal favorite add-on to the game was simply the ability to keep exploring the Wasteland after completing the last of the new quests, instead of ending the game indefinitely. This adds a lot to the ability to play around with the new items and wreak havoc on the ever-respawning Feral Ghouls and Super Mutants. Also, many Enclave outposts can be found randomly throughout the Wasteland, often times full of Hellfire Troops and captive Deathclaws to provide bursts of experience points, items, and outright challenge.
Despite adding a whole new dimension to Fallout 3, Broken Steel isn't without its downsides. The new main quests add about seven or eight hours to the game, and keep it interesting all the while. Alongside that, only three brief side quests are added- two involving toppling corrupt cult followings, and one requiring the player to protect Aqua Pura supply trains. I feel as though more could have easily been tacked on in terms of side-quests, as these are probably the most entertaining elements of the game. They're often more colorful than challenging, as the main challenges tend to be reserved for the main quest. Also, the micro-stories and new characters involved are very interesting despite having little to do with the game's main quest. In all, more playability and captured interest could be retained if more side-quests were involved in the release of Broken Steel.
Even though it was a little on the short side, I felt that Broken Steel totally rejuvenated the Fallout 3 experience. By simply stepping up the level cap and throwing in a slew of new quests, items, and enemies, and allowing for infinite play-time in the Wasteland, the game was most certainly revived and brought back to life. It's very challenging and interesting, and plenty of skill is required to slog your way through scores of mutants and Enclave alike. I'd wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone looking to pick up Fallout 3 for a second time and tie up any loose ends, or simply beat around the Wasteland and pester the Super Mutants. Good job, Bethesda.
9/10
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I hated how my character sacrificed himself at the end of the main storyline. Broken Steel is the only expansion I don't have, and I had to either reload a previous save or make a new character. I did the latter. After reading your review, I might get Broken Steel too. That level cap raise would be very helpful.
ReplyDeleteGood write.
I recently purchased Broken Steal/Lookout Point, I regret that I have yet to play it. Fallout 3 is an amazing game, and I too was sad when you can no longer wander through the wasteland of our nations capital. I hope to get a chance to play this soon, with your pointers helping.
ReplyDeleteThis is a rather thorough review, highlighting not only the important additions but also placing their worth within the context of the overall gaming experience. It is clear that you think highly of the original game, but this fact doesn't appear to unduly influence your ability to provide a critical evaluation of the Broken Steel DLC.
ReplyDeleteIn particular, I concur with your observation on how the side missions are often the most interesting aspects of the game. It makes me wonder how successful an open-world game like Fallout 3 might be if it simply had no main quest.