[DLC] Fallout 3 - Operation Anchorage
The first of the 360 DLC packs finally arrives on the PS3, filled with all the simulated ass kicking you can handle.
Published: October 10, 2009
Though it was technically the first piece of downloadable content that Bethesda prepped Fallout 3, Operation Anchorage, the PS3 version of things is actually arriving a little later than Broken Steel, which may well be a good thing given just how combat-heavy this expansion is. The boost in level cap will help bulk up your character if you ended up opting for the first PS3 DLC before this one, but it's hardly necessary up until the massive final assault at the end.
Regardless of how much leveling you do before hopping into the simulation, you'll be treated to a rather visually striking change in scenery in an effort to run through the whole of a simulation that will unlock a door rife with supposed goodies uncovered by the tech-hunting Brotherhood Outcasts. The sim, meant to train soldiers for the then-upcoming assault on Alaska meant to repel Chinese forces, is decidedly action-heavy.
It creates an entirely different stretch of pacing, and while it's markedly shorter than some of the other DLC packs, the length of this little side mission keeps it from becoming a slog like the Mothership Zeta add-on. Things are kept intentionally shooter-heavy (bolstered by the wiping out of your old inventory, allowing you to raid all the goodies this little snapshot in time has to offer), and foraging for stims or ammo is replaced by just walking up to a dispenser. All this really means is that blasting baddies is kept at the fore, and as such there's little in the way of dialogue trees or story exposition to worry about.
Bethesda clearly embraced the idea of making this a simulation. Unlike the bucolic pre-bomb sim you run into during the normal game's storyline, Operation Anchorage doesn't really try to hide the fact that it's meant to be a training tool, dissolving enemies in Matrix style digital fades, though the inhabitants of this world clearly don't know they're just a bunch of ones and zeroes eternally stuck in a combat scenario.
The weapons and equipment, too, are meant to be designed for offing enemies over anything else. Sure, you can get some stealth armor that pops you into Predator-style active camo (not to mention an awesome energy sword that'll let you live out your Grey Fox fantasies quite nicely), but with ammo and health being offered at pre-set spots everywhere, there's more pew-pew than looting -- something I actually loved as it just eliminated some of the busy work of having to search every corpse and crate for valuables.
I'm not sure if it was just the shorter length of things here or that I powered through things, but aside from the framerate issues that seem to plague all the add-on content Bethesda kicked out for the PS3, I didn't have nearly as many lock-ups or problems with the game, though it should be noted that many have reported everything from broken AI to scripting errors that kept them from finishing the DLC -- definitely things that could kill an otherwise enjoyable (if slightly pricey) experience. Regardless of your luck with the game's known and downright common bugs, the advice is the same: save early, save often.
Regardless of how much leveling you do before hopping into the simulation, you'll be treated to a rather visually striking change in scenery in an effort to run through the whole of a simulation that will unlock a door rife with supposed goodies uncovered by the tech-hunting Brotherhood Outcasts. The sim, meant to train soldiers for the then-upcoming assault on Alaska meant to repel Chinese forces, is decidedly action-heavy.
It creates an entirely different stretch of pacing, and while it's markedly shorter than some of the other DLC packs, the length of this little side mission keeps it from becoming a slog like the Mothership Zeta add-on. Things are kept intentionally shooter-heavy (bolstered by the wiping out of your old inventory, allowing you to raid all the goodies this little snapshot in time has to offer), and foraging for stims or ammo is replaced by just walking up to a dispenser. All this really means is that blasting baddies is kept at the fore, and as such there's little in the way of dialogue trees or story exposition to worry about.
Bethesda clearly embraced the idea of making this a simulation. Unlike the bucolic pre-bomb sim you run into during the normal game's storyline, Operation Anchorage doesn't really try to hide the fact that it's meant to be a training tool, dissolving enemies in Matrix style digital fades, though the inhabitants of this world clearly don't know they're just a bunch of ones and zeroes eternally stuck in a combat scenario.
The weapons and equipment, too, are meant to be designed for offing enemies over anything else. Sure, you can get some stealth armor that pops you into Predator-style active camo (not to mention an awesome energy sword that'll let you live out your Grey Fox fantasies quite nicely), but with ammo and health being offered at pre-set spots everywhere, there's more pew-pew than looting -- something I actually loved as it just eliminated some of the busy work of having to search every corpse and crate for valuables.
I'm not sure if it was just the shorter length of things here or that I powered through things, but aside from the framerate issues that seem to plague all the add-on content Bethesda kicked out for the PS3, I didn't have nearly as many lock-ups or problems with the game, though it should be noted that many have reported everything from broken AI to scripting errors that kept them from finishing the DLC -- definitely things that could kill an otherwise enjoyable (if slightly pricey) experience. Regardless of your luck with the game's known and downright common bugs, the advice is the same: save early, save often.
