Fallout 3 DLC: Broken Steel: review

• Format: PS3 (version reviewed), 360, PC
• Unleashed: Out Now
• Publisher: Bethesda
• Developer: Bethesda
• Players: 1
• Site: http://fallout.bethsoft.com

The first DLC for Fallout 3 arrives on the PSN in the shape of Broken Steel. This is a continuation of the main game and starts you off in a make-shift hospital in the keep of the Brotherhood of Steel’s wasteland base, The Citadel. After having a chat with the big man himself, it turns out you’re not dead after all! So, a bit of a red face if you happened to chicken out and shove one of your mates into the ‘purifier of death’ at the end then. Not to worry, as Mr. Lyons is a stand-up guy and gives you the low-down on what’s been happening while you’ve been having a bit of a rest. The Enclave are on the move, and the Brotherhood’s personal Iron Giant has been tasked with chucking mini-nukes around at the opposition like an American football star.

If it’s been a while since you’ve visited the the Capital Wastes then fear not, to help you get back into the swing of things there’s a bit of a helping hand to begin with. You’ll be tagging along with the Brotherhood guys for the first few missions, which is a nice way to coax you back into the game. Regardless of what level you have your character, this DLC will have a fantastic effect on your development and can earn you 1000′s of XP each time you pass a mission from it. Given the removal of the level cap, this is more than welcome. Which moves us on to the next thing, perks. We know that some of you may have hit that level cap without being able to pick all the perks you wanted, and this DLC allows you to get the ones you left behind. There are a few new ones included in the DLC that are very helpful, but the best are saved till last (as usual) and give you something to strive for; others are more along the lines of space fillers such as ‘Puppies’ which allow you to pick up a fresh Dog Meat indefinitely, should he die in action. There are also the karmic re-balancers that allow you to completely shift from do-gooder to nasty-git in the blink of an eye or the other way around, should you feel like a change of heart.

The introduction of new types of weapons and armour is a welcome refreshment too, if anyone has played the original Fallout games the ‘Hellfire’ armour will be instantly recognisable to them. All of this lends a new lease of life to the Capital Wastes and gives a lot of replay value to an already massive playing area, while adding new locations to your ever-growing map. The missions included in this DLC can be both demanding and satisfying, walking the path of destruction with Liberty Prime is good fun (even as a by-stander) and kinda makes you feel like you have your own ‘fresh from the patriotic loony bin’ Transformer to follow around.

Make no mistake though, some of the missions in here will test you. If you’re an all guns blazing kind of person don’t expect to stay alive too long, unless you’re very handy with some of the bigger weapons. Those who are cautious may live a little longer, but the enemies that you’ll face will be of the harder variety and in close quarters. This DLC gives you a fair run for your money, and a lot of little bonuses such as the Deathclaw scrambler key-card, but will make you work for it. Those who just love to scrounge will be in heaven, and those looking for a challenge won’t be disappointed.

5/5