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Categories: Review
Tags: dlc, expansion, fallout, fallout 3, the pitt, xbox 360
There’s a template for Fallout 3 DLC that goes something like this: while walking through the Wasteland you pick up a strange radio signal which leads you to a pocket dimension — there you spend a few hours exploring a locale hinted at in the core game and ultimately you walk away with new swag, an increased gamerscore, and more Perks.
In “The Pitt” the radio signal is broadcast by Wernher, a runaway slave from post-apocalyptic Pittsburgh. Wernher has a plan to free the slaves in The Pitt, but it involves someone from the outside sneaking into the The Pitt disguised as a slave, making contact with the resistance, and infiltrating Ashur’s (The Pitt’s warlord) base.
After the disappointing Operation: Anchorage and The Pitt’s delayed and subsequently buggy release, it would make sense for gamers to approach this DLC cautiously. However, the third version of The Pitt released on Xbox Live seems to be stable and it’s a great addition to the Fallout franchise.
The Pitt is still a pocket dimension, but it’s a huge pocket — not the linear, confined experience found in Operation: Anchorage. It’s visually compelling and it’s clear that you aren’t paying 800MS points ($10) for recycled content. The Pitt’s steelworks are towering constructs belching smoke and fire. The Steel Mill is a hellish environ with guards barking at slaves — or shooting them outright. It’s vast, brutal, and violent — in other words, it’s Fallout.
Although you enter unarmed, The Pitt is crowded with new weapons and armor. The slaves have a side business converting metalworking tools into the gristly AutoAxe – a melee weapon crafted from circular saws. And after some exploration, you’ll drop your slave outfit for better armor and pick up a Perforator, a scoped assault rifle – protection you’ll need against new Fallout villains the Trogs.
Trogs are another take on mutation. These degenerated humans are fast-moving cannibals who scamper and leap – usually attacking in numbers. I thought I could distract the Trogs by activating several Protectrons, but I ended up watching the robots get ripped to shreds.
There’s a lot to do in the DLC, but what I admired most was that Fallout’s moral ambiguity was preserved. When it comes down to slaves and slavers, it’s easy to know which side is “right,” but key characters on both sides were nuanced enough to make me question their motivations – and my actions.
Paul:
Great review, Gives me just enough to want to see more. I think we’ll wait for the new one and download everything together.