Goatmoose

Now THIS is Fallout DLC.

After pitiful Fallout: New Vegas DLC performances thus far with Dead Money and Honest Hearts, gamers were given a treat at the end of July with Old World Blues. Not only is it easily the strongest DLC package for New Vegas, but it is arguably the best DLC to date among all of Fallout 3 and New Vegas’ DLC combined. A lackluster performance of late has been easily redeemed with this content, completely worth the 800 MS points.

Unlike Dead Money and Honest Hearts, Old World Blues adds a tremendous amount of gameplay to the New Vegas experience. While the former two took (at most) 3-5 hours to get through, Old World Blues kept me occupied for a week’s worth of playing a few hours a day. The story is long, the environment is vast, and – best part – you can return to it at any time while playing New Vegas, affording you endless opportunity to keep the DLC alive as more than a one-off package.

The game starts at the old mole rat infested drive-in theater outside of Nipton. You turn on a projector and suddenly find yourself waking up inside a medical wing of a Think Tank within the Big Mountain Research Facility, or Big MT, or Big Empty. The area is controlled by a handful of absolutely hilarious AI robots that are in an endless quarrel with Dr. Mobius, a former colleague of theirs turned mortal enemy. They fight amongst each other, suffer from extreme agoraphobia, and refer to your fingers as hand penises. You also find out they are responsible for many of the happenings and creatures in the rest of the Fallout universe. The world outside the Think Tank is inhabited primarily by lobotomites on which the Think Tank have operated, and whose ranks you have just joined. The difference between the other lobotomites and you? Dr. Mobius has your brain, which is somehow able to communicate with you, and have replaced your heart and spine with mechanical versions. It sounds insane, and it is, but it is a very humorous and well-crafted story that keeps you engaged and truly involved with the characters. And characters they are. Even the light switches are sassy.

The Big Empty has over 30 locations to explore, half of which are outside the bounds of where you need to travel to complete the main quest put forth by the Think Tank. Similar to Honest Hearts, the map is enormous, but unlike Honest Hearts, it is actually interesting. There are lots of places to go, interiors to search, secrets to uncover and stuff to find. The quests aren’t terribly structured, which allows you to go anywhere you want at any time and complete the DLC at your own pace. Some of the quests are repetitive fetch missions, but housed within such a great story, it isn’t all that irritating. Fast travel is possible and easy.

One certainty about Old World Blues is that it is very challenging, even with a maxed-out character. I used more stimpaks during this DLC than in any other package or area in all of Fallout. I started with over 300 and left the Big Empty with just over 100. Granted, I entered the world somewhat poorly equipped and low on ammo, which couldn’t have helped. I also wore Joshua Graham’s armor from Honest Hearts, which got completely ruined in a matter of minutes, leaving me only to scrounge for armor in the Big Empty – which is mostly crap – particularly because there are no other humans aside from the lobotomites who just wear hospital gowns. So seriously, get your stuff prepared before you enter. Don’t expect to get too much repaired while you are there. The only AI that can repair things for you charges an utter fortune.

Like any DLC, you come away with very powerful new weapons, new items, new perks (one of which is very handy for Hardcore mode), and another raised level cap. There are lots of valuable goodies to claim as well, providing you with a bundle of caps if you shop them all.

My heart was honestly broken with the first two DLC for New Vegas, and I was starting to worry. This package totally renewed my faith in incredible DLC production, and is by far the one to get if you were only to download one add-on for the title. Take your little hand penises, grab your controller, and download it.

Tags: DLC, fallout new vegas