Fallout 3 The Pitt DLC Reviews

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Written by BuckGB on March 27th, 2009

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"...And let this be an example of how not to replace humans with machines."

That was one of my favorite lines from my time playing The Pitt, the latest downloadable content expansion for Fallout 3, our 2008 Game of the Year. The simple act of unlocking a door and hacking a terminal to pick up some supplies led me to one of the expansion's more poignant and interesting stories. It wasn't even part of a conversation with a major NPC -- just the closing to one of Fallout 3's signature back stories, providing a flash of insight into this broken world. These final words provided another brief glimpse into one of the many lives that I'll remember for more than the skeletal remains they left behind, or the supplies I scavenged from their corpse.

If The Pitt is looked back on as a success, it will be because it manages to feel more like a story-driven role-playing game, unlike Operation Anchorage, Bethesda's previous foray into the world of downloadable Fallout 3 content. It sticks to the formula that made people happy, even if it does once again give you another lame reason to take away all your hard-earned gear. Ah well, look upon it as an opportunity to brush up on those melee and unarmed skills. You'll want to complete the quest that first sends you into The Pitt, after all, because you're a goodie two-shoes sort of character that thrives on racking up the good karma, right? (If not, there might be a big reward in it for ya.)

Unfortunately, The Pitt's story suffers from pacing problems. Arriving in the Pitt in the guise of a slave, players will spend the majority of their time in the storyline climbing up the ranks of The Pitt's rugged society. However, once a certain level of prestige has been reached, the plotline suddenly accelerates to its conclusion, with an ending that feels too quick and tidy, and even though completing the story offers a few bonuses, there's nothing to see here once the quest is complete.

Now, the DLC didn't start off nicely on the 360 side with the corrupted file that forced Bethesda to take it down for a day. Even with the updated file, there are still issues that linger. First off, lock ups can still occur as there are some reports that those with level 20 are experiencing it if you have completed all the quests. There are also parts of the game where you can have it freeze on you. Reports of corrupted save files after a speech by Asher has also shown up. I've experienced weird slowdowns and stutters on some areas of the game that others have talked about. Also, I've seen items just floating in the air but that's not as big of a deal as I've seen that happen a few times in the core game. It's a little disheartening to have these happen as the Pitt was delayed a bit to try to iron these things out. Unfortunately, we still have some pretty sever bugs that can ruin your experience.

The Pitt certainly offers some really enjoyable, story-driven content and different types of situations to explore, but it is slightly lacking in terms of new goodies and adversaries. The Trogs are nasty, slathering beasts that you'll run into in large numbers often when you're poorly armed. Unfortunately, they're the only real new creature you'll face and are easily dispatched with the Man Opener's spinning saw blades. You can also pick up some new armor variations and a cool, high-powered scoped machine gun, among other things. Since Operation Anchorage left you with access to a treasure trove of powerful weapons and armor, it makes sense to find The Pitt reward players with its overall experience instead of a mere loot dump.

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