VGRC

Fallout 3's post-release history has been an interesting one. Released to rave reviews praising its open-ended gameplay, strong atmosphere and decent storyline, it seemed to mark a true mainstream acceptance of the role-playing genre - though arguably fraught with the predictable pitfalls that come with simplifying a genre for the masses. Bethesda decided that, much like with their previous game, Oblivion, they would follow up Fallout 3 with several paid downloadable content expansions to extend the replay value and keep players coming back for more. The first, Operation: Anchorage, was arguably a bit middling, with its very linear gameplay, while The Pitt and Broken Steel offered stronger role-playing elements and more freedom of choice, not to mention better writing and production values. With each successive iteration getting better and better, how does Point Lookout fare?

The good news is that Point Lookout continues that trend. It's clear that more time and effort has gone into it than any of the previous expansions, and it offers close to three times the play-time as the previous ones, if not more. See, rather than being a linear quest taking place within a select few environments, Point Lookout (the place) is actually a mini-Wasteland area, roughly one fifth to one quarter of the main game's. As with the core Fallout 3 gameplay, there is a main storyline, along with a good four or five side-quests (which are actually fairly lengthy), and even a few unmarked ones for players to discover - and some are quite well-hidden, I might add; you really will need to explore every nook and cranny to find everything. Although the land isn't completely littered with miscellaneous dungeons and caves to explore, it all comes together feeling like a very complete package. Shivering Isles, the full-sized expansion for Oblivion, might be the best comparison, and while Point Lookout may only be about half the size, it's also a more compelling, denser add-on.

Point Lookout begins with the player receiving a message, as per usual, informing him or her that a steamboat has docked along the Potomac river. Seems that Tobar, a sketchy sea captain and merchant, does trade along the river, bringing Punga Fruit and other treasures back from Point Lookout, a nearby swampland that was spared much of the nuclear devastation of the Washington, D.C. area. Although Tobar describes it as a charming coastal town, it's clear upon arrival that it's anything but. A thick fog drenches the entire place, and past the coast and boardwalk area, a dense jungle of twisted, decaying vegetation ensnares nearly everything that ventures into it. While you are pointed the direction to get the main quest going, as soon as you step off the boat and onto the pier, Point Lookout is yours to explore as you see fit - whether that means heading off into the swampland, exploring the rocky coast (which reminds me a lot of Half-Life 2's own Highway 17 coastal region, incidentally), or visiting the remains of the seaside tourist town, complete with now-silent carnival attractions. There is a surprising amount of diversity in Point Lookout, much more so than in the previous expansions. It really feels like its own little world, and in many ways its own separate game, without being too detached from Fallout 3 itself. At the end, I even had trouble deciding if I actually wanted to return to the Capital Wasteland.

Meanwhile, a host of new enemies, items and visuals come along with Point Lookout. While the number of new enemies and toys may not be quite as high as previous content packs (and many are reskinned from the main game, such as the Swamplurks), what's here is still nice. The mutated Hillfolk, inbred and irradiated locals still living there from since before the Great War began, present a surprisingly tough challenge as they swarm you with their primitive melee weapons, as do cultish Tribals, while old standbys like Ghouls make a strong and appropriate appearance as long-drowned swamp explorers. There's not much in the way of high technology, but new shotguns and rifles, plus brutal melee weapons like axes and shotguns, are aplenty. It's hard to call what's on display particularly unique or fresh, but it certainly offers an unexpected level of difficulty, especially as the lack of supplies forces you to use what may be inferior weaponry, at least compared to your regular gear. Even at high levels and with the best weapons in the game, you can expect to run out of ammo pretty fast. For characters used to mowing down everything in their paths without taking so much as a scratch, Point Lookout may force a quick shift in tactics just to stay alive.

If there's one real weakness to Point Lookout, it's the main quest. Although it starts off simply enough, with you helping an old Ghoul named Desmond protect his mansion from invading Tribals, it soon takes an unexpected turn or two as you infiltrate their cult and eventually choose sides between two interesting and morally ambiguous parties. What's on display is very nice, if you play it the way it wants you to. However, that's my issue with it. Fallout, the series, is known for giving the player a lot of options, but Point Lookout, outside of a few key decisions, is mostly linear story-wise. Why do I have to infiltrate the cult, for example, when I could easily smash my way through the front door, then shoot first and ask questions later? Why am I forced to pick sides, rather than try to negotiate a settlement between the two? That's not to say that what's here is bad by any means, and in fact there are some rather spectacular scenes, but I felt unnecessarily railroaded throughout much of the story. Obviously, there's only so much time, money and manpower that can be spent on a relatively small expansion, so it is forgivable that it would be a little compressed, but Point Lookout's open-ended gameplay also demands an open-ended story, and it's not really here.

With all that said, though, there's little reason for any Fallout 3 fan to avoid Point Lookout. It is more of the same excellent sandbox gameplay that makes Fallout 3 such a fun experience even after dozens of hours. Bethesda are not master storytellers, and I doubt that that will change in the near future, but they are masters of creating compelling game worlds to explore. If you found the other downloadable content packs to be a bit linear or light on gameplay, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with how much is on display here. Point Lookout offers a significant addition to the Fallout universe, and, for a change, more than your money's worth. Although the score may seem a little high for a downloadable pack, considering that Point Lookout presents a stronger experience than some full games, and costs only $10 (800 MS Points), in my opinion it deserves to be praised, as it sets an example for other developers to take after. Let's just hope Bethesda's next update, Mothership Zeta, is as worthwhile.