"The Pitt"falls of DLC: A look at my favourite games' DLC

So, I make it no secret that I am kind of picky about my games. I have so many hobbies and habits that I have to play it smart with my money. This is why many times you'll see me get very passionate about the games I play. I try to choose games that will have a lot of replay value and deep storylines. There are two such games that I have talked about at lengths that fall into this group. Mass Effect and Fallout 3 are prime examples of what I think is right in the video game world. They both feature a robust mixture of action and RPG. They both have deep storylines with moral choices that will rock you to your core. Both are just fun, rewarding and engaging games.

There is one other thing that both these games have in common, they both completely fail in the way they incorporate their post-release downloadable content. I have played to completion both games multiple times before this content was released. I was completely consumed by these games and couldn't stop playing them even if I wanted to. So why would both these games release content after the fact that depends on you not finishing the game? Do they expect me to not finish these wonderful games until they have released all their DLC? Apparently so, because in both cases, once you finish the game, that's it. There's no more exploring or free roaming as a post game reward. Unless you have the foresight or the blind dumb luck to have a save file, you're going to have to start a completely new character just so you can access this new content. In most cases, this new content is maybe a night's worth of extended play. Now, this might not sound like a big deal, but for me personally it is a deal killer. I have downloaded the Mass Effect DLC and have never played it. I never had the desire to start a fourth character just so I could do one extra mission.

More recently, I downloaded The Pitt expansion for Fallout 3 and was completely uninspired. I was lucky enough to have a save file from my first play through from right before the last mission. So I get my level 20 character up to the new map marker in my fully decked out Power Armor, only to be told "Yeah, you can't take any of your gear. All you can take is this gun or this knife, but not both. Your anal cavity only has room for one." Ok, I added the anal cavity part, but it's still the truth. So I do what any red blooded vault dweller would do in this situation, I ignore Snake Plissken and decide I am going to do what everyone says I can't do. I walk in with full armor and combat shotgun raining pain. I have no problems killing all their gate guards, only to be stopped at a second gate and beat down in a cut scene. That's right, the game can't stop me so it cheats and just knocks me out in a cut scene. So moments later, I wake up in a slave pit with nothing but the slave rags they put me in and the small handgun I smuggled in my ass. I attempt to start trudging my way through this campaign to get to the story which I am told is full of some great moral choices and such, but I can't do it...

I have been playing video games the better part of 27 years. I know all the cheap tricks. I know about invisible walls, random respawning enemies and the worst of the worst. The old "We can't balance the game play or we're having a problem making this challenging for the player, so we're going to take away all your power ups and make you start all over again." No sir. I do not approve. Taking away items/skills/power-ups, or Samus Disorder as I like to call it, should not be a part of any game, especially after the first fourth of the experience. Retconning a person's character never achieves anything but frustrating the player, unless said character is completely removed from the reality of the gameworld. Prime example of the proper use of this is the Fallout 3 DLC "Operation Anchorage" where almost the entire story takes place in a simulation.

In a situation where you're basically formatting a character, why bother even letting us use our old character? Why not just give us a new character to play. I would have been much more compelled if The Pitt was a stand alone game where I roll up a brand new level 15 character to play through the campaign. Grand Theft Auto did pretty much that with it's new GTA4 DLC to great success. Mass Effect, Fallout 3 and GTA4 all benefit from having a rich world where you could just plug in a new character, tell a new story and it would still be compelling.

So, I know there are a lot of people that say "Well, you're complaining a lot, but I bet you have no suggestions on making it better." Well, that's where you're wrong slapnuts. Here's my suggestion for Bioware and Mass Effect 2. Release the game and get as much content as you can on the release. After that, forget about adding anymore content to the main campaign. You're done. Just call it a night. Now, start working on a couple stand alone expansion packs that focus on either side characters or completely new characters that bridge the story from Mass Effect 2 to Mass Effect 3. You can have that one for free Bioware, but if you want more, put me on the payroll.

So, in sort... here are my rules for good DLC content.

1. Don't use the original main character if the game locks after completion.
   
2. Don't Metroid us and take away everything away from our characters unless it serves a really good purpose.
   
3. Don't be afraid to use new characters if the game locks or if the main character dies.
   
4. Do use DLC as a bridge between sequels.
   
5. Do use the complex universe that you've created to it's fullest
   

Just follow these simple rules developers and we'll be cool.

Fallout 3: The Review

So, I have been playing Fallout 3 now since release and am on my second play through. I find myself coming back to it all the time and often thinking about it when not playing it. It is not a perfect game, but it isn't too awfully far off.

The action is fast and over the top. Even with the VATS (Vault Assisted Targeting System) that freezes time and allows you to pick your target and then isolate a body part if wanted, it always seems nearly frantic. There are bullets flying, grenades bouncing and lasers just whipping around. The action is also very gory, and I don't care how much I sound like a thirteen year old boy when I say it, which is very satisfying in a primal way. It is nothing to see blood and body parts just shoot across the screen, all in an over the top stylized way. I actually blew the limbs off a raider with a BB Gun, so don't expect realism.

The game is HUGE. There are so many places to go, secrets to find and quests to complete. In my current play through, I am almost level 10 (halfway to the level 20 cap) and I haven't even completed the second mission for the main plot. I have spent the time searching for weapons, followers and other goodies I missed the first time. Luckily, there is a fast travel option that will be familiar to anyone that might have play Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. Every place you explore feels different and usually have a story to go along with it. You will find old police and military buildings with computer logs to read, notes left by those before you and many other things that will make you feel like this isn't just your world.

The story is brilliant. Set in an alternate earth where after World War II we actually made "The World of the Future" that people thought we would have in the 50s. That's why everything has a strange post-nuclear 1950's feel to it. The style just helps with the overall juxtaposition that is this game. You will feel compelled to seek your story and find out what is hiding in the backlog of this world.

The leveling system is a lot of fun. Each level you get to pick a perk. These perks will grant you special abilities that range from general stat increases, new abilities or even the ability to eat corpses to regain health. Yes, that is correct. If you don't mind being an evil person that people dislike, you can eat the dead. Some of the perks truly make the game stand out above all other games. Unlike other games, Fallout 3 is not afraid to give you the ability to be an uber character in this world. By level 20, you will find few creatures that can give you trouble. I don't mean this in a bad way either. By the time this game is over, you feel like you have come so far that it's only right that you can take someone's head off with a BB gun.

There are only a few complaints that I have and they are short. First, I would have like to have seen an actual weapons customization option. Adding scopes, silencers and what not to improve your weapons. In general, I just wish some events were a little bigger. Without giving any spoilers, some of the battles at the end of the game are really cool and feel epic, but I wish there were more of them. I really wish I felt like I was fighting with a band of people for a great good more often.

Overall, this was a great game and is a must play for just about any sort of gamer out there. It has something for everyone and the execution is pretty damn smooth.

Carl's Rating: 9/10
Ryan's Rating: pending

Go Crew!

Today is match two if the Eastern Conference Semi-finals in Major League Soccer. The Columbus Crew will be taking on the Kansas City Wizards and the series is all tied. So the winner tonight will continue. I have tickets to the match and will be cheering, singing, clapping and chanting in the supporter's section.

It will be a little hard for the Crew. They are the supporter's shield winners, which means that they had the highest points rating at the end of the regular season and are highest ranked in the entire MLS. Traditionally, the Shield winners don't preform well in the post season and usually don't even make the finals. I have faith that we will be an exception to this trend.

So, if you have HDNet or ONN(Ohio News Network), be sure to catch the match tonight!

In non-soccer news, I am still playing Fallout. Expect a full review once I finish the game for the first time, because there will be multiple play throughs...

First Impressions: Fallout 3

So, today I went and picked up my reserved copy of Fallout 3. Being a fan of both the original Fallout titles and the recent Elder Scroll games, I have to say I was looking forward to this title. Every preview, teaser or viral video made me want the game even more. It is gritty, gory and dark which is exactly what I want out a Fallout game.

First off, the action is pretty fast paced even when the VATS (Vault Assisted Targeting System) is used. First glance would make you think that a system that stops time and allows you to target would slow down the game, but after about 4 hours of playing it really doesn't seem to be the case. The forced "cut scene" that happens after the VATS selection would also seem to lend it to slowing down and being repetitive, but again isn't the case. Every time I use VATS to blow a limb off an enemy, I get a little bit of that gib crazed giddiness that I haven't had since my old days of playing UT and TFC on my computer.

So far, skills such as repair and science really don't seem to lend themselves to anything more than hacking a computer here or there. I am still early in the game and the pay offs might come soon, but as of right now it just seems to be best to make yourself as skilled as possible with guns.

The story is very fun, the dialogue is clever and the environment is very engrossing. It really feels like a place where people used to live, but was completely destroyed and left in shambles.

So far, it's up near the top of my list for Game of the Year. Tune in later for more thoughts and a full review of the game.