I love wandering the capital wasteland. It appeals to my sense of game-adventure, and there's just something really evocative about the ruins of the washington monument jutting above the distant horizon.

But there is something even BETTER:

Scrambling around in a foggy swamp filled with squealing mutant rednecks wearing a Confederate army cap and toting a double-barreled shotgun. Hell yes.


Bethesda has really outdone themselves with this one. Great atmosphere and quests, a fully explorable map with approximately 30 locations, new enemies (some of them really tough) and a couple really great weapons (wooo microwave emitter) and loads of fun quests and easter eggs. Did you find the dinosaur skeleton? :kitty:

I dunno how Mothership Zeta will top Point Lookout, but I certainly hope it does. (Even if it's more like The Pitt I'll be happy.) Bethesda could keep making Fallout 3 DLCs for years and I'd keep buying them if they were all as good as they have been so far.


Please remember to use tags if appropriate!

Random thoughts:
Desmond had some bad voice acting, and a VERY creepy mustache. However I appreciated that he loved his dogs.

I was at level 28 when I started the DLC, and still got my ass kicked. I had to go back for my Ranger armor and sniper rifle.

I wanted to swagger around in my Regulator Duster and Confederate cap, using only the DLC weapons, but I ended up dying so often I had to go back for my Plasma Rifle and Hellfire Armour. I felt so out of place clomping through the swamp like that, plus they all got pretty much ruined because I couldn't repair them.

I think it'd be better if they weakened the enemies, but took your normal stuff off you like they did with the Pitt. Mostly because the weapons didn't match up to the enemies, they were just too weak. Except the shotgun, but, while powerful, it took so long to reload after every shot that I could only take a slither of health off my enemies before they caught up and murdered me in the face. Maybe starting a new game and facing weaker opponents would make it more enjoyable?

Verdict: Good, but not as much as the others so far.

Edit:

Something else, that also got to me in the Pitt, is that there's no karma loss or gain. I ended up killing both Desmond and Calvert, surely that would have had some kind of negative impact on my characters moral standing? Although, on the other hand, they both came across as kind of evil. Although Desmond was more of a cold hearted, arrogant kind of nasty while Calvert was a gibbering psychopath.

Also, have you ever noticed how you can never prove yourself to characters who make baseless assumptions about you? Desmond kept treating me like a brainless thug, even though my intelligence is at ten.

I think PL is the best of them so far... then Broken Steel, then The Pitt. Haven't played Anchorage, doesn't sound like my thing. I did fully love The Pitt though, so putting it last doesn't mean it was in any way bad.

Custard Trout
I think it'd be better if they weakened the enemies, but took your normal stuff off you like they did with the Pitt.

I think that's functionally the same situation- in either case, you're underequipped and possibly outmuscled, and need to resort to a little more strategy than VATS headshots (which was my staple for most of the game). They take away your companions too (though that's probably a programming thing) so you're already 'weakened' if you're used to them backing you up.

I spent a lot more time camping out and using my sniper rifle in PL than just about any other time in the game. That way I could pick off 2 or 3 of them before the rest cottoned on to me and I had a fight on my hands. If there were a lot of them, the Dart Gun would help buy me more run-up time. The shotgun seems to only be good for midrange and works better outside VATS, I used that on the ferals (after trying to pick off the reavers). Until I got the microwave emitter anyway, then I just started vaporizing everything. Pyowowow, pyowowow! That thing made the Safari a cakewalk.

Something else, that also got to me in the Pitt, is that there's no karma loss or gain. I ended up killing both Desmond and Calvert, surely that would have had some kind of negative impact on my characters moral standing? Although, on the other hand, they both came across as kind of evil. Although Desmond was more of a cold hearted, arrogant kind of nasty while Calvert was a gibbering psychopath.

The Pitt has no effect on Karma? Huh, that's surprising. You're right, there's not even the moral dilemma of The Pitt in PL, but I didn't even notice that much. I was having too much fun with 200 year old spy instructions and wandering the swamp. I love exploring fun environments more than anything else.

skoolmunkee
I think that's functionally the same situation- in either case, you're underequipped and possibly outmuscled, and need to resort to a little more strategy than VATS headshots (which was my staple for most of the game). They take away your companions too (though that's probably a programming thing) so you're already 'weakened' if you're used to them backing you up.

Good point. A lot of the difficulty I encountered was probably more due to not having Dogmeat to use as a decoy and Fawkes to tear through anything sneaking up on me than it was actual difficulty. I wouldn't be surprised if I'm just very bad at the game because they're usually fighting my battles for me.

Either that, or the Reavers. Seriously, fuck them and their ridiculous amounts of health. Also, Mirelurks. I hate Mirelurks so much.

skoolmunkee
The Pitt has no effect on Karma? Huh, that's surprising. You're right, there's not even the moral dilemma of The Pitt in PL, but I didn't even notice that much. I was having too much fun with 200 year old spy instructions and wandering the swamp. I love exploring fun environments more than anything else.

I loved the spy quest. I liked the unique use of the holotapes in the bank vault.

To be fair, I haven't actually explored it that much, because I've found it to difficult. Maybe I'll try again later, taking a more stealthy approach rather than the 'run in and gun everything down' method I usually use (probably why I suck so much at the first two games as well, I'm just too impatient plan things out). Might have to level up a bit more first though, since I've completely neglected the stealth skills.

I liked the 'trip' as well and Tobar and . . . actually, screw what I said earlier. Point Lookout = awesome.

As for Operation Anchorage, it's not really like the rest of the game at all. It's more of a straight shooter (with you occasionally choosing whether to run and gun or sneak around). It's more of a (welcome, in my case) diversion than anything else. Plus, there's some nice loot at the end.

You can always dial down the difficulty in the options if you want an easier time of it. :] It's not really cheating, you'll still have to fight Reavers and stuff, you just won't need as many shots.

Or I could the mask I just remembered I had.

This stupid Game has taken away 58 hours of my life. and now that i've downloaded the extra content, it's going to be even more....

but i still have yet to play through all of it since i have just beat the original story line.

I never got the ghoul mask. :[

seventy: Only 58? lol!

I got it. And because the Gauss Rifle is my mainly used weapon, and that it's the loudest ass gun in the world, and I forgot to take my stealth suit and that I'm playing on Normal, I have everything and it's mother attacking me constantly.

I haven't played it much yet, I fought off the horde of Tribals with that ghoul and then went to the lighthouse. I am only a level 16 (I started a new game) and I thought that was hard, please don't tell me it gets harder. I haven't explored it much yet, but I will definately start. Maybe I should get some stronger armour? (I have BoS armour)

But I am really looking forward to Mothership Zeta, I heard it will be more like Anchorage, more linear and such, but it's on an alien spaceship, how could it not be awesome?

ParkerFarker
I haven't played it much yet, I fought off the horde of Tribals with that ghoul and then went to the lighthouse. I am only a level 16 (I started a new game) and I thought that was hard, please don't tell me it gets harder. I haven't explored it much yet, but I will definately start. Maybe I should get some stronger armour? (I have BoS armour)

If you're a lower level, then you probably won't be running into Feral Reavers, which are mainly what's been giving me trouble. It's not actually that bad, it just took me a while to get used to the different approach it requires.

ParkerFarker
But I am really looking forward to Mothership Zeta, I heard it will be more like Anchorage, more linear and such, but it's on an alien spaceship, how could it not be awesome?

Anchorage with aliens couldn't be anything but amazing.

I think the more difficult enemies start showing up around level 18. I don't think there's too much EXP to be had in Point Lookout though, probably not enough to move someone from 16 to 18.

The tougher enemies that show up in PL are Reavers, Swamplurks (I think... recolors of mirelurk kings), and two of the hillbillies (the two 'large' ones) are pretty tough. So, if you see those guys in a group, take them out first.

swamplurks stick by the coast, and can't jump, so if you are in trouble you can climb up onto the cliffs and take cover behind some rocks when they spit at you. the swampfolk usually hang out around a structure (and at night sometimes have a fire you can spot) so are somewhat predictable. The reavers are the tough ones, they crouch down when they're waiting and they make less noise than other ghouls. The ghouls in PL seem to hang out in the wild areas so you sometimes just stumble onto them. The higher perception you have the better, because you'll get those red markers sooner.

And the dart gun is a huge help, so if you've got one of those you should bring it.

thanks, I have never really used the dart gun but maybe I should start. I encountered a Swamplurk when I was at the lighthouse. How many times have you been playing Fallout 3 and then just turned around and gone "HOLY SHIT!" Cause there was something scary/surprising behind you? Well yeah, the Swamplurk was one of those times.

Well, I can't wait to get back to my xbox! But that will be in a few days )=

Skool, Custard, way to jinx me like that. I leveled up to 18 and had a pretty tough time. And I left for a bit and decided to go to GNR (which, by going to rivet city at the start and talking to Dr. Li, I could bypass in the main storyline). When I went in that Metro to Chevy Chase, I got attacked by a Reaver! I lost dogmeat twice in that bit and had to keep reloading my save. That was like the second main quest, it was supposed to be easy! GAH!

And I thought in PL that crazy punga acid trip was so cool.

ParkerFarker
thanks, I have never really used the dart gun but maybe I should start. I encountered a Swamplurk when I was at the lighthouse. How many times have you been playing Fallout 3 and then just turned around and gone "HOLY SHIT!" Cause there was something scary/surprising behind you? Well yeah, the Swamplurk was one of those times.

Level 6. Walkin' through the wastelands. I turn around to head back to Megaton. Deathclaw. 2 decimetres in front of me.

It bitch-slapped me across the face and instakilled me ;_;