Bethesda certainly has been supporting two of the biggest games this generation with a ton of downloadable content for both. The Elder Scrolls Oblivion certainly saw some great content and we have no just seen the release of the fourth content expansion for Fallout 3, called Point Lookout. This expansion is a cross between the heavy shooting aspect of Operation Anchorage and the quest driven Broken Steel with a heavy supply of exploration added in for kicks.

Fallout 3 Point Lookout takes place in Point Lookout Park in Maryland. It was not hit directly by any nukes but it still saw the after effects of radiation mutating the people, animals and environment we have come to know from the original Fallout 3 game. This is the longest content expansion based on how long it took to actually finish and get the achievements and overall I was happily impressed with the technical aspect of the game as the overall improvements of using scripted events to tell the story has improved drastically since the original game.


The story of Point Lookout is a bit different as you find that a river boat has arrived in the Capital Wasteland and it is willing, for a price, to take adventurers to Point Lookout where they can find fame and fortune. Just before you get on the boat you actually receive a small quest from a frantic mother who wants you to find her wanderlust influenced daughter who most likely is hip deep in trouble in Point Lookout. Of course like all good Bethesda role playing games you can take the quest or not it has very little to do with the actual game story but helps direct you around the actual swamp as you explore. Bethesda did say this expansion was scarier than the full game or other content expansions but to be honest it is not, Left 4 Dead could be considered a fright fest compared to what you will experience in this game.

There seems to be more quests this time around in this content expansion with the main quests taking you from the dock to a rundown mansion where you must deal with the first of many important quest givers and help them with their problems. Solving the various issues which are bothering the people of Point Lookout is actually part of the charm of the expansion and while the actual expansion is not the best we have seen the story driven elements are fun and impressive most of the time.


Graphic and Audio improvements with the game are noticeable of course as we see a new area which is a swamp area full of man and beast of various types we have and have not seen before. There is also a helpful fruit which can heal you that grow in several areas of the swamp but be warned there are some seriously inbred mutated farmers guarding some of them. New weapons are mostly rifles but if you played the previous expansions you character’s kit should be well stocked with enough firepower to thwart any redneck rampage.

Audio wise the games normal sound effects and music are the same high quality but I was extremely impressed by the amazing voice over work which is better than the original games voice acting. Most of the characters have a slight southern drawl to a deep accent which would not seem out of place in any horror movie taking place in the southern US of A.


Overall this expansion is not as good as the last one, Fallout 3 Broken Steel, but I have to say it is the most fun one so far and I have high hopes for Mothership Zeta, the fifth expansion, coming in July. There is a ton of small quests and great areas to explore in Point Lookout and it shows why Bethesda is one of the best developers of single player role playing games.

Bottom Line – Buy it


Pros

+ Cheap price for the amount of time you will put in to the game
+ New area has some excellent quest, level and environmental design
+ New monsters and characters look great
+ Voice work is excellent
+ I guess it could be considered scary…

Cons

- …if you are a four year old girl
- Draws out a bit and can become a bit boring while searching for locations
- a few lock ups during this expansion

Final Score is 8.7/10