Microsoft
Fallout 3: Broken Steel
By Nick Stewart
Jun 17, 2009, 7 :09 am

While prior DLC expansions to Fallout 3 had their own specific charms, it’s fairly safe to say that The Big One for fans is the third release, known simply as Broken Steel.  With the promise of a bumped level cap, a more satisfying finale and the ability to play past the official end of the game, Broken Steel has towered over the horizon as the release that would finally put a big shiny bow on the DC Wasteland. In fact, calling this latest DLC an expansion pack might be somewhat inaccurate; if anything, it simply makes the original game more complete and fills in some ghastly gaps in what was an otherwise fantastic experience. 

Unlike Operation: Anchorage and The Pitt, kicking Broken Steel onto your system doesn’t result in wild new areas for you to explore right off the bat.  Instead, completing the “original” ending – regardless of your choices – will carry you into a sort of epilogue, one where the forces of the Enclave have struck a potentially fatal blow against the Citadel.  Needless to say, your unique talents will be required to remedy the situation and mop up the last of the Bad Guys and do away with the Quasi-Doomsday weapon with which they’ve armed themselves.  Without giving too much away, the post-campaign plot wraps up a few loose ends from the original game and is worth the handful of hours you’ll need to plow through it.  It’s generally entertaining, and arms you with a few new destructive toys, though the biggest will be of little use to those who aren’t skilled in Energy Weapons (beyond inducing a few major fatal explosions, which is always worth an evil cackle or two).  Still, it’s a satisfying romp, and what’s more, evil-inclined characters are given the opportunity to do some truly world-altering stuff – that alone should be worth the price of admission.

The challenge level has also been amped up somewhat, and so you’ll often find your formerly indestructible followers cut to ribbons as you wander through presidential subway tunnels and enemy bases, meaning they will tend to be left at the entrance while you take point.  Some of the new enemies, which include ultra-tough ghouls and high-ordinance soldiers, can take and dish out a fair chunk of damage, so you won’t necessarily be able to plow through everyone in a single combat round as is often the case towards the end of the game.  That said, the majority of your foes are still largely cannon fodder, and with some general exceptions, my crotch-kickin’, face-punchin’ villainous avatar was able to go back to mopping the floor with most foes in a handful of moments before too long.

The removal of the level cap is another big plus, though the huge jumps in experience needed to hit level 30 will likely mean most existing characters won’t see that kind of progression.  Still, it’s one of those “about damn time” additions that greatly improve the game, meaning players will finally have real incentive to scour every corner of the wastes for more quests and exploration after they’ve hit 20. 

Of course, added levels come with added perks, and one would imagine that soaring into greater realms of experience would mean greater realms of power.  Sadly, this is arguably the expansion’s weakest point, with many of the new perks being painfully lackluster.  Being able to drink without alcohol addiction, getting a “well rested” bonus for sleeping in any bed aren’t terrible abilities, but you wouldn’t expect to see them floating in the upper echelons of the level rewards.  Others seem geared towards allowing player to obtain certain achievements, such as instantly setting your karma level to very evil, very good or neutral – not a terrible option for those uninterested in playing through on different character types, to be fair.  Oddly, one of the best perks, available at level 22, allows you to turn Nuka-Cola into Quantum, though Xbox 360 players may be confused in figuring out how to get it, as the “Science 70” requirement is not listed.  If you can sigh your way through most of these relatively pointless perks, the two available at 30 are appropriately devastating and powerful, which means that the journey there isn’t without appropriate compensation.

It should also be pointed out that there are a number of small details that have also tended to, with the best arguably being the added Three-Dog radio chatter.  Now, while I was no fan of the man, he served as a nice audio reminder of my nefarious deeds as I wreaked havoc throughout the wastes, insulting me every step of the way.  However, pre-Broken Steel, there were a great many crimes I committed that went unnoticed and unremarked upon, to my great disappointment; now, however, Three-Dog calls me on the many karma-annihilating quest decisions I’ve made, and the game is that much richer for it.