I downloaded Operation: Anchorage for Fallout 3 first thing when I got home from school yesterday. I just got around to finishing it, and overall I was very impressed.

That’s not to say that the expansion is without its flaws though. I’m lucky that I’ve probably never had Fallout 3 freeze on me or lock up before yesterday. But as soon as I tried to load up my save after downloading the content, my 360 froze. So I reset it, no biggie.

The beginning of the simulation has you sneaking around, but in all honesty, it only serves to highlight how shoddy Fallout’s stealth system is. Granted, I hadn’t put a lot XP into my Sneak skill, but I still ended up running and gunning with a silenced pistol. Makes total sense, right? Oh, and here’s a tip for this mission: only run in the center of the bridges. I got stuck between rope bridges and rocks numerous times, and had to reload. Thankfully, I had good autosaves.

The next two missions were much better. You fight through the territory to take control of two major areas, before assaulting a third area and retaking the city. I liked the fact that I could customize my squadmates and loadouts, but I don’t think it had much of an effect on the gameplay. The feeling of traveling with a squad through a large-scale battle was a nice change-up from the Lone Wanderer feeling of the normal game. One battle takes place in a Chimera depot (those snow tank things) which are not nearly as intimidating as you might think. There is only one of them to contend with. Given that Bethesda was already trying something new, why not let us drive the Chimera as well?

The best part of Operation: Anchorage is the loot that you score after ending the simulation. There is a sweet, high-powered laser rifle, as well as some rare armor, ninja armor, and an electrified sword. Unfortunately, my fear of commitment means that I will keep all of these rare items to look at and admire, but I will probably never use them in combat. It’s a personal thing.

Oddly enough, Operation: Anchorage is most effective once you exit the simulation. After coming out of the stark, snowy tundra and taking the freight elevator back to the surface, a renewed depression sets in. I guess being part of a simulated group fighting for a noble cause serves to accent how shitty the reality of the Fallout universe truly is.