Operation Anchorage is the first of three downloadable expansions on the way for the wildly successful Fallout 3.  In it, you are tasked with liberating Alaska from the Chinese in a simulation of one of the Fallout universe’s historic battles.  During the simulation, you’ll face a variety of challenges in your efforts to free Alaska from the Chinese invaders. Success will yield a treasure trove of new gear, and failure will yield only death.

Walking around in the snow covered mountains of Alaska is a welcome diversion from the brown and gray Capital Wasteland. The sky is blue, and the land is covered in snow. It’s an interesting glimpse into what the world was like before the bombs fell and everything went straight to hell. Along with a different aesthetic comes a different style of gameplay. As I mentioned, Operation Anchorage takes place inside of a simulation. Thus, the rules of the game are a bit different. When enemies die, they disappear into thin air, leaving you to dream about the loot that might have been. You take simulated squad mates into battle with you, and if one of them dies, just speak to your partner and a replacement will wink into existence ASAP. Also, forget about stimpacks—health is regenerated at health stations found throughout the map.

Operation Anchorage took me almost four hours to complete from start to finish.I could have blown through it quicker, however, it was worth taking the time to explore the map, and check out all the sights Operation Anchorage had to offer. Once you complete Operation Anchorage, you’ll be presented with a wide variety of new items to take into the Capital Wasteland with you, including two brand new sets of armor, a new energy weapon called the Gauss Rifle, and a bunch of grenades, mines, and other miscellaneous items.

The only real downside to Operation Anchorage is that it feels sort of removed from the main game. It’s a simulation with different rules, and a very structured set of quests and items. It almost makes you feel like you’re playing a whole new game, for better or for worse.

If you’re OK with the fact that most of Operation Anchorage takes place inside of a simulation (and really, why wouldn’t you be?), then it’ll be ten bucks (800 Microsoft points) well spent. Four hours fighting to free Alaska, and the solid stockpile of items you’ll get for completing Operation Anchorage is well worth the price of admission for any Fallout 3 fan.

-Mike Kurz

Tags: DLC, Fallout 3, Operation Anchorage, PC, review, Xbox 360

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