My meeting with the aliens

Aug 8, 2009 11:21 GMT  ·  By

Fallout 3 was one of the biggest titles that appeared last year, in terms of scope and sales but also in terms of story length and the complexity of gameplay. It revealed to players a massive Wasteland filled with unique characters, enemies and quests for the Lone Wanderer to complete.

But the retail package wasn't enough for many fans, so the team at Bethesda started delivering new and exciting adventures through the means of downloadable content. The last of the planned batch has just arrived, as Mothership Zeta was launched at the beginning of this week. Set to take place far from the Capital Wasteland and even from the Earth for that matter, this fresh DLC promised heart-pounding action and new adventures, but has it delivered on these facts or just end up in an encounter that not many Fallout 3 players want to remember? Read on to find out my impressions of this DLC add-on.

Aliens have been a part of the Fallout universe for quite some time, as various Easter eggs were placed in other iterations in the series. But only Bethesda took it one step further as you were able to find a crashed alien ship, complete with a mysterious body and an extremely powerful weapon. This is also the starting point for this new DLC, as the alien transmission will guide you to the craft and you will quickly find yourself floating above the ground.

After a brief glance at your new alien abductors, you are thrown into a holding tank with another fellow Wastelander. The concrete adventures start here and they will continue for the next few hours as you will need to find other human “experiments” and try to escape the space craft before being destroyed by another one.

This DLC is pretty straightforward but its action feels pretty hurried along, similar to the first piece of DLC, Operation: Anchorage. Mothership Zeta is also similar to that add-on as it is combat heavy, with aliens coming out of the proverbial woodworks. When their small gray bodies are left on the floor, you'd better watch out for the robots that aren't too happy about the death of their former owners.

Don't think that you will fight these new enemies will conventional weapons, as a lot of fresh weapons are present, and, in some cases, you can even take a few of your new buddies along for some shooting practice. Just don't take into account that one of them is a Wild West-style cowboy, another is a field medic from the Chinese war or Japanese samurai who can't speak English. Have I mentioned the little girl who can crawl through the ducts of the space ship and knows them like the back of her hand?

The adventures are interesting, even though, at some points, it becomes a bit tedious, you can pulverize your enemies into a pile of ash just so many times before it gets boring. But the end battle makes up for all the slower moments and will definitely get your heart rate up as you need to think fast in order to guarantee that your ship survives the battle.

Overall, Mothership Zeta is a pretty good add-on, which will feel like a breath of fresh air to those who have gotten bored of the Capital Wasteland. It also goes to prove just how powerful Bethesda's graphics engine is, as the futuristic but at the same time retro interior of the ship is pretty lifelike and the aliens are very detailed. For those of you who have been craving for new Fallout adventures, Zeta is definitely right up your alley; for those of you who want a proper ending to the saga, perhaps Bethesda will release some fresh stuff in the future. Until then, live long and prosper!

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Screenshot from Mothership Zeta
Screenshot from Mothership Zeta
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