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.

GAME REVIEW: Dawn of War 2

Overall Rating: 5/5 Stars

Graphics: 5/5 - The graphics are quite amazing to say the least, especially to me since the only other RTS's I've been playing for the past several years are Warcraft 3 and Starcraft. Along with the impressive graphics and visual effects, the character animations are fluid and well done.

Sound: 5/5 - The music fits the theme and action of Dawn of War 2 perfectly and the soundtrack is one of my favorite out of any games I've played, period. The sound effects are also top-notch and the voice cues made by units and commanders during skirmishes really add to the flavor of the game.

Gameplay: 5/5 - Dawn of War 2 introduces a new formula for RTS. One that strays away from the traditional element of basebuilding and large-scale unit massing and instead favors smaller, tactical battles and a constant fight for territorial control. Most RTS purists would suggest that this formula is a setup for failure, but in Dawn of War 2 it works and works well. The cover system implemented in the game is impressive to say the least.

Single-Player & Storyline: 3/5 - My only game review component for Dawn of War 2 that gets 3 out of 5 stars would be the single-player portion of the game. The single-player plays more like an action-RPG rather than an RTS, which is something I don't mind and I actually really liked that aspect of the game. My complaints with the single-player is that it only included a campaign for the Space Marines, one of the games four factions. Also, the storyline was not necessarily exciting or compelling. Despite those two complaints though, I did enjoy the loot system of the campaign as well as the character levelling and customization.

Multiplayer: 4/5 - This is where the game truly shines. Multiplayer skirmishes are frantic, fun, and the victories in Dawn of War 2 are extra satisfying. The multiplayer supports 1v1, 2v2, and 3v3 over maps specifically designed for each of the team sizes. TrueSkill matchmaking is somewhat questionable, seeing that there have been many occasions where I would get set against players who obviously had ALOT more experience and talent than me. The result? I would get whooped.

I should also mention that as of now, there are only 3 maps for the 1v1 bracket and 2 maps for the 2v2 bracket. More will no doubt be added in future patches but in my opinion the game should have included several more from the day the game launched since multiplayer is typically the key to a games replayability and longevity.

My only serious complaint with the multiplayer would be the frequent bursts of lag in many matches and some bugs associated to both gameplay and matchmaking. For example, there are some rare occasions where a match would be set up and the timer would tick down to zero but then the game would freeze at the pre-game lobby or the match would take a terribly long time to load up. Hopefully some of these issues will be fixed up in future patches.

Replayability: 5/5 - Dawn of War 2 is bound to have a lifespan of at least several years thanks to its entertaining multiplayer, RPG elements in single-player, and solid community. An expansion pack in the future is likely, and something I look very forward to.

Closing Summary

I never thought that any other RTS could kick Starcraft off the throne in terms of being my favorite strategy game but Dawn of War 2 has done so. While the storyline in this game is nowhere near the quality of Starcraft's, the multiplayer component and sheer entertainment of the tactical gameplay is what won my interest and addiction.

I mainly play Space Marines because their strengths revolve around very powerful but expensive units which need to be properly micro-managed and taken care of, and from what little time I spent playing the other races I can say that each of them has their fair share of unique strategies and tactics.

I'm also impressed by the stats-tracking system in the game as well as the ranking. Based on your performance with whichever race you play in a multiplayer match, you'll gain experience points which contribute towards levelling up your rank and unlocking armor additions for your units and commanders. These are purely cosmetic of course and don't provide any sorts of bonuses. Another very great part of the experience/rank system is that you'll still get experience from a match even if you lose, but it will be reduced by a certain percentage.

So all in all, Dawn of War 2 is a top-quality strategy game and I suggest it to anyone who is a fan of real-time strategy.

Welcome to the Archive

It's been awhile since I've kept up with a blog, and seeing that I have a gracious amount of spare time (no college courses for me this summer, thanks!) I figured that getting back into blogging wouldn't be too bad of an idea.

So, what to expect from this blog? Game reviews, RTS & FPS strategics, RPG character builds, film & album reviews, my opinions on news and recent events (doesn't matter what for), and maybe even the occasional rant here and there.

More to come, and soon.