For being the guys famous for Horse Armor, the guys at Bethesda sure have come a long way. As one of the few companies able to pull off consistently released and high quality downloadable gaming, they also stand as part of a very small group along with Telltale Games (Sam and Max, Monkey Island).
Point Lookout is just the latest in the list of great downloads for Fallout 3, and the first following the cap-raising Broken Steel. All that said, this is easily my favorite expansion yet.
Point Lookout takes the wanderer from Vault 101, via riverboat, to the coastal swamps of what was once Maryland. The riverboat dumps you off at the Point Lookout boardwalk, the desolate remains of a tourist park. While definitely different from the look of the Capital Wasteland, it’s not until you get further inland that you really start to see how different things are. Point Lookout is all foggy swampland, and the wooden shacks give you an idea of what kind of local flavor you’ll be facing before you even meet them for the first time.
Remember the Super Mutants? Did you ever wonder, “Hey, where are the regular mutants?”
Well, they all hang out in Point Lookout. They’re not quite as mean as their big green brothers, but are formidable none the less. And, of course, just as creepy. One of the most common comparisons has been the movie Deliverance. Lines from the country folk like “Scream for me!” are largely responsible for this. Aside from malformed, shirtless swampdwellers, you’ll end up fighting a LOT of ghouls. I’m serious; if you picked up the Ghoul Mask during your stay at Tenpenny Tower, this is a good time to make sure you have it with you.
The most memorable aspect of Point Lookout is definitely the atmosphere. It seeps into everything from the visuals and audio into the main quests. Everything here is a bit weird. The trees are skinny, twisted swamp trees, the shacks barely stand, and the creepy doll totems that dot the landscape constantly remind you that something’s a bit off.
The main set of quests, which take about five hours (give or take), all have a bit of the weirdness. My favorite has you seeking out a book for an old man. The book, you find out, has a darker history. You’re tasked with the decision of taking the tome back to its owner or finding a way to dispose of it. The latter solution takes you back to one of the coolest places in the Capital Wasteland: The Dunwich Building. If you’re a fan of H.P. Lovecraft, that’s a name you’ll recognize. Much of the quest-related material has a bit of a supernatural bent to it, without ever really showing you anything outright magical. That stuff is hinted at, blurring the line between hallucination and the occult in a very satisfying way.
While the quests aren’t too long, the real brunt of Point Lookout comes in the form of exploration. Bethesda has touted the pack as having about 1/5 the area of the capital wasteland. This gives you plenty to explore as you accomplish the main quest and just fill in those little green triangles under the compass. I will admit, I was a little disappointed when I received the “all locations discovered” achievement, but I definitely feel I got my money’s worth.
When I first entered the Point Lookout zone, I thought my favorite part of the pack was going to be the music. As you roll in on the fog, this ethereal, twangy banjo plays. You can almost feel the humidity coming out of your TV. Sadly, there’s not nearly enough of this. While I didn’t exactly expect a radio station out in the middle of the swamp, I’ll admit the ambient background lifted-straight-from-Oblivion music that plays in the absence of a radio station has lost its luster. A few background tracks like the opening one could’ve made the atmosphere that much thicker.
For those looking for the all-important “phat lewt,” you too will be a little disappointed. There are only a few new guns and items, none of which are terribly interesting. The double-barreled shotgun is a great weapon, but it’s not too different from the combat shotgun (and requires reloading after every shot).
On the technical side, I noticed some slowdown that I don’t remember running into in the main game. What was weird about it was that it wasn’t triggered by activity or obvious effects on the screen; it was just random tearing. It was only there for a couple minutes, though, and certainly wasn’t common.
The cool atmosphere and dark humor of Point Lookout make it some of the best DLC for Fallout yet, reminding us that Fallout is one of our favorites for a reason.
