[DLC] Fallout 3 - Point Lookout
Take a trip through a land time (and civilization) forgot, and yeah, we mean that even in the Fallout sense.
Published: October 10, 2009
If there was a complaint that I had about Fallout 3, it was that everything, after a while, started to become visually draining. The bronze, overcast sky and landscape would really only recede to more muted greys and perhaps the occasional splash of green when you dipped underground. It made sense, of course; you were in the middle of an irradiated wasteland post-nuclear war, but it was still something that had a strange psychological effect.
To their credit, Bethesda has tried to rectify this a bit with their expansions. With the exception of Broken Steel, which still takes place in and around the Capital for the most part and actually extends the end of the game, the recently-released four-pack of add-ons tries to move things out of the earthy tones and at least attempts a new palette and setting that gives you the sense you're outside the world introduced on the disc.
Point Lookout is arguably the strongest of them, completely leaving the rubble-littered Wasteland and moving into the poison swamps adjacent to them in an area only accessible by ferry. This quickly spirals out into an area filled with backwater, stranger-hatin' hick folk and decidedly more swampy baddies. The swamp setting is a welcome deviation from the old, dried-out feel of the Wastes and for five or six hours, should provide a refreshing change of pace and mood.
In truth, Point Lookout offers a lot more than just a bunch of mangroves and "we don't laaahk yer kaaaahnd" toughs. There's a definite pick-up in humor and one of the most concentrated sources of information about what happened leading up to the blast to be found -- both major contributors to fleshing out life after the blast and outside the confines of Vault 101 -- but the expansion mixes in enough creep-out and mind-freak moments that it really does feel like an entirely new area, not just some generic terrain bolted onto the existing landscape.
That's important, because you're going to have to overcome some rather major bits of technical goofiness. This is not an especially solid piece of code you'll be tucking into. Bethesda isn't exactly known for having games that run flawlessly, but Point Lookout is prone to hitching, draw-in, and lock-ups, meaning more than a few moments where, if left to the game's auto-save, some players may end up losing tons of progress on the smattering of new missions -- to say nothing of any progress lost while just out exploring the countryside.
It's also not an area to be undertaken while rather low-level, despite the temptation of the easy ferry crossing. You'll definitely want to have taken advantage of Broken Steel's raised level cap of 30 to move yourself at least into the 20s before squaring off against some of the enemies, and if you've grown fond of a particular weapon, use the ammo sparingly (though there are some neat hillbilly-style weapons like shotguns to be looted off enemies).
In all, Point Lookout is one of the most visually interesting, expository and challenging of the DLC add-ons Bethesda has rolled out. It absolutely adds to the variety of the Capital Wasteland, but make sure you're saving a whole hell of a lot to guard against any freezes or just hope that Bethesda puts out a patch to help smooth things out (which I'm not exactly holding my breath for).
To their credit, Bethesda has tried to rectify this a bit with their expansions. With the exception of Broken Steel, which still takes place in and around the Capital for the most part and actually extends the end of the game, the recently-released four-pack of add-ons tries to move things out of the earthy tones and at least attempts a new palette and setting that gives you the sense you're outside the world introduced on the disc.
Point Lookout is arguably the strongest of them, completely leaving the rubble-littered Wasteland and moving into the poison swamps adjacent to them in an area only accessible by ferry. This quickly spirals out into an area filled with backwater, stranger-hatin' hick folk and decidedly more swampy baddies. The swamp setting is a welcome deviation from the old, dried-out feel of the Wastes and for five or six hours, should provide a refreshing change of pace and mood.
In truth, Point Lookout offers a lot more than just a bunch of mangroves and "we don't laaahk yer kaaaahnd" toughs. There's a definite pick-up in humor and one of the most concentrated sources of information about what happened leading up to the blast to be found -- both major contributors to fleshing out life after the blast and outside the confines of Vault 101 -- but the expansion mixes in enough creep-out and mind-freak moments that it really does feel like an entirely new area, not just some generic terrain bolted onto the existing landscape.
That's important, because you're going to have to overcome some rather major bits of technical goofiness. This is not an especially solid piece of code you'll be tucking into. Bethesda isn't exactly known for having games that run flawlessly, but Point Lookout is prone to hitching, draw-in, and lock-ups, meaning more than a few moments where, if left to the game's auto-save, some players may end up losing tons of progress on the smattering of new missions -- to say nothing of any progress lost while just out exploring the countryside.
It's also not an area to be undertaken while rather low-level, despite the temptation of the easy ferry crossing. You'll definitely want to have taken advantage of Broken Steel's raised level cap of 30 to move yourself at least into the 20s before squaring off against some of the enemies, and if you've grown fond of a particular weapon, use the ammo sparingly (though there are some neat hillbilly-style weapons like shotguns to be looted off enemies).
In all, Point Lookout is one of the most visually interesting, expository and challenging of the DLC add-ons Bethesda has rolled out. It absolutely adds to the variety of the Capital Wasteland, but make sure you're saving a whole hell of a lot to guard against any freezes or just hope that Bethesda puts out a patch to help smooth things out (which I'm not exactly holding my breath for).
