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He says that it contains a superb atmosphere but also contains a lot of linear, first person shooter style gameplay which doesn't follow the same style as the rest of the Fallout games, or even the two most recent Fallout games.
The DLC's strongest point is atmosphere. Unlike the other DLCs, you're given no background through slideshows or expository opening dialogs, you just wander in and have to discover more yourself. The Divide is by far the most thoroughly destroyed area seen in any Fallout. After the post-post-apocalyptic feel of much of New Vegas, it does a great job of giving us a place more freshly off an apocalyptic event, deadly to travel in, wandering through buildings askew (warning: may cause nausea) and crumbling around you. A “Damnation Alley”-esque atmosphere, as creative director Chris Avellone put it, that book's story happening decades after the apocalypse, rather than centuries. There is a constant feeling of danger, and it is underscored very well by having ED-E around responding to imminent threats with whimpering sounds. There's a lot of little moments, such as the first time you meet the tunnelers, you see a deathclaw in the distance attacking one and promptly getting torn to bits. Moments like those really set up the atmosphere.
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Before this DLC's release, Chris Avellone explained in a developer blog that the narrative of Fallout games comes largely from the players. And he's right, that has always been one of the series' main strengths. How ironic is it, then, that Lonesome Road is the very antithesis of this ideal, with an antagonist who hates you because of events that happened outside of the player's control, and a linear, railroaded path that will play out pretty much the same for everyone, differences in dialog depending on your faction allegiance aside.
Content-wise Lonesome Road is satisfactory, and it's almost worth it just for the pretty amazing atmosphere and look of the Divide. But this linear combat-focused gameplay path will not appeal to everyone, and anyone expecting a satisfactory conclusion to the story arc of Ulysses and the Courier might be in for a let-down. If you reflect on it for a while, there is some appreciation to be found in the clever way Ulysses' arc ties in with lessons the Courier learned over previous DLC, and like Elijah in Dead Money he's an image of the cost of obsessing and failing to let go, but this does not make the main narrative structure any more satisfying in an immediate sense. It's not a bad DLC overall, but it suffers from coming right behind the excellent Old World Blues.
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Also, you may be getting an impression that NCR/CL are not that big, because New Vegas settlements are bigger than Girdershade: population 2.
@dimebagdarrell. Funktionstest - Great
(Though I never really used VATS in F3 or FNV. Easy enough without it)
Fallout New Vegas is post-post-apocalyptic. Fallout 3 is not even "post", it's "apocalyptic".
In both games, it's been 200 years since the Great War. While New Vegas' setting make sense, Fallout 3 setting indicates like it's been maybe 2 years since the armageddon, as the world is so much ravaged that people still don't know what to eat besides Salisbury Steak and Blamco Mac & Cheese.
Many things in Fallout 3 make no sense. Hell, even a detail like *growing crops* adds the soul to FNV, the soul that F3 lacked. Not to mention thriving communities like NCR or New Canaan (before White Legs).
It wasn't a bad game, but it was a quite bad Fallout. While not as good as Van Buren would be, Obsidian generally succeeded in doing "true" Fallout 3.
Also, I strongly recommend playing Fallout 1. And don't let turn-based combat throw you away: it isn't any less logical than popping VATS in the middle of the fight and obliterating everyone. Games shouldn't be treated so seriously, after all.
@Funktionstest: Many people didn't enjoy the "lulz" in Fallout 2, or it's inconsistency and randomness. If that's the case, I also recommend Fallout 1 (it worked in my case).
I agree with everything in that review.
painfully linear, at times literally refusing to let me off the aformentioned "lonesome Road"...truly lovely visuals at times, and spectacular atmosphere. I think it'd have benefitted from making the weather matter more. those storms were supposed to be powerful enough to skin a man alive. and they don't even buffet my 100 lb courier around even a little?
Story ending was thoroughly ambiguous. I'll probably play the DLc again and try and discern more of the story from it, frankly I'm still not clear on Ulysses' motives.
Felt like the writers ironically -also- didn't know how to "let go" and couldn't stop making things ambiguous and mysterious when it came time to actually lay it out straight.
new enemies were fairly generic..another trog-variant, some generic shooty enemies which are like ghouls but -not-...be fair, they have their own style and conceptually are kinda cool, but generic pretty well covers it.
New weapons...well...not to plug my mods but...
Arc Welder - http://newvegasnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=43227
Red Glare - http://newvegasnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=42702
I think I got there first and did it better..
Red Glare was fun though underpowered for my taste.
Arc Welder felt like they hadn't quite finished it, the projectile was enormously larger than the emitter...felt like a first-rate 3D modeller was crap at actually setting up the guns...or that they'd originally planned for a bulkier weapon...meh.
I liked the character-development for ED-E and that the upgrades continued on afterwards, nice touch. but the way he was shoehorned in felt odd. would have been better if they'd found a way to bring him in more directly. as-is, why those upgrades persist on his Mojave form is a bit wierd to me.
I rate this as a solid 7/10.
OWBs was a 9/10
Dead Money and Honest hearts also made 7/10 for various reasons.
Fallout 1 and 2 had more civilization then Fallout 3. Fallout 3 was basically
Hey look, it's an empty town.
Hey look, a big town with one guy in it.
Hey look, a small area with 3 guys in it.
"Holy ambiguity, Batman! Was that all?"