GAME REVIEW | Fallout 3: The Pitt

Overall Rating: 4/5 Stars

Pros: Interesting backstory and player choices. - A small, but nice array of new weapons and armor to obtain. - Very atmospheric, and an accurate replication of what post-apocalyptic Pittsburgh would probably look and feel like.

Cons: A moderate amount of bugs and glitches. - There isn't very much to explore. - Killing almost nothing besides Trogs gets repetitive quickly. - The main questline is very short. - Finding steel ingots can get a tad bit frustrating after awhile.

Summary

Ah yes, The Pitt. When I first heard about this expansion I was pretty excited considering I've spent most of my life living around the Pittsburgh area. The Pitt and Broken Steel were the primary reasons I recently decided to fire up Fallout 3 once again and start up a new character. Along with this review of the Pitt I'll also be doing a review on Fallout 3 in general along with the Broken Steel and Point Lookout expansions once I've had enough experience and playtime with each.

The first big plus with The Pitt is that it's very easy to get to and I believe you can go there at any level you like, considering that I was level 4 when I decided to go. Without trying to spoil much of the storyline I'll mention that you receive a radio transmission as soon as you leave Vault 101 (and if you already had a character out in the wasteland before buying the expansion I assume you get the signal right away) which will also give you a quest. It's as simple as putting on the quest tracker, going where you need to go and completing a few minor tasks, then going straight to the Pitt.

The general atmosphere in the Pitt differs from that of the Capital Wasteland but it still maintains that rugged post-apocalyptic feeling that the Fallout series is known for. The Pitt also captures the theme of a raider/slaver owned city very well with the expected hostile interaction between slavers, guards, and slaves. To sum up the atmosphere of this expansion, it's brutal.

There's a decent share of things to do, items to collect, and creatures to kill but in my opinion the amount of content in this expansion is narrowly on par with the amount it costs. There are several new enemy types but none of them fight in ways that differ from any enemies you encounter in the Capital Wasteland. Most of the creatures you'll be killing in the Pitt are Trogs, small humanoids that merely run at you and melee. Needless to say, killing these things gets pretty old pretty fast.

Much of the time in the Pitt is spent in an area known as the Steelyard and there are two things to do here. Kill Trogs and Wildmen, (Wildmen are basically humans that fight like any other humans in the Capital Wasteland) and collect steel ingots. The steel ingots that players collect serve one purpose and that is to exchange for pre-determined weapons and armor. The equipment that you can get by doing this is very good and a motivator for players to search for all 100 ingots but after searching for so long you might get a bit annoyed with trying to find the last amount that you need. If you're really desperate to get all 100, there are probably some guides and videos about their locations.

Once you've finished your business in the Steelyard you'll proceed to other areas in the Pitt and do other tasks in order to complete the expansions questline. I won't elaborate too much on what you'll encounter to avoid spoilers but I will say that there are plenty of dialogue options and multiple ways to complete the expansion just like many of the quests in Fallout 3. It's all based on the players choice really.

So to sum up this review I would definitely say that The Pitt is worth a purchase to all fans of the game and it sticks to the features, game mechanics, and atmostphere which make Fallout 3 such a great title. Depending on the player however, the feeling of a slight lack of content may get stirred up as I mentioned before.