Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
Genre: Action RPG
Release date: Available now

Bethesda’s DLC support for Fallout 3 has been nothing but fantastic. There have been some minor bugs and loading issues when some of the add-ons launched, but all were fixed rather quickly. Each piece of DLC has been progressively better than the last, and Point Lookout continues this trend. It not only expands the universe, but it also truly captures the essence of what it is that fans of Bethesda’s action RPG’s love: exploration.

Point Lookout begins with your character catching a ferry ride to Point Lookout, MD, in search of the missing daughter of a fellow Wastelander. Like the rest of the Wasteland, Point Lookout has not been spared by the nuclear holocaust. It was once a vacationer’s paradise on the ocean, with a boardwalk full of shops and restaurants, a beautiful lighthouse and a Ferris wheel. When you arrive you find it torn and destroyed like every other location in the Wasteland, yet it’s somehow different. Although it’s in shambles, it’s also inherently gorgeous. With the ocean as a backdrop, you are mesmerized by the landscape of lush swamplands and trees.

Of all the Fallout 3 DLC released to date, Point Lookout provides us with the largest new area to explore. The map is full of shacks and buildings populated by smugglers and inbred hillbillies looking to get their share of moonshine or the content’s new item, Punga fruit. Punga fruit, as you quickly learn, is the main reason that people travel to Point Lookout, as it increases your health when eaten, and can be sold for cash back in the Wasteland. The area also contains a cathedral, a detention camp and an old abandoned mansion. The mansion is critical to the main quest and is the first building that most players will encounter because of the smoke billowing from it when you arrive.

Like the other DLC, Point Lookout has a main quest that takes about two hours, at most, to complete, and also includes a handful of side quests. The main quest drops you in the middle of a battle raging between two sides, with one side not knowing why they are fighting until you uncover the mystery. It also puts you through one of the strangest scenes in Fallout 3 to date. Let’s just say that the wild Punga seeds are a very potent hallucinogen; eat them at your own risk! By the end of the main quest you will have had to make a moral choice as to which side to support. This should not surprise anyone based on the majority of the quests in Fallout 3 so far. The difficulty level of this quest seems to be a little higher when compared to previous ones. You will often find yourself battling multiple enemies at once, and you’ll walk away with a lot of experience points if you’re successful.

One negative for Point Lookout is that it really doesn’t give us too many new things worth collecting. Each of the three previous DLCs gave us great armor and weapons after we completed the main quest. Point Lookout delivers a double-barrel shotgun, but compared to the weapons unlocked so far it just doesn’t compare. There are a lot of miscellaneous items to be found throughout the area that could be sold or used to make weapons from schematics, but nothing of real value. It does feature two new perks that are unlocked throughout the main quest called “Superior Defender” and “Punga Power.” The first boosts your defense and offense when standing still, while the other just increases the healing effects of the Punga fruit. “Superior Defender” is the only one worth having.

Overall, Point Lookout is a great piece of DLC. It really delivers on the exploration; I almost felt like I was playing an Elder Scrolls game. There are multiple side quests, ranging from traveling the map in search of a secret spy bunker to making moonshine. If you have spent hours exploring the Wasteland, then this is a no-brainer. If you haven’t, what are you waiting for?

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Our Recommendation: