What are your DLC rankings and why?

Post » Fri May 04, 2012 9:51 am

Finally finished Lonesome Road today so that wraps up the game and all the DLCs. My personal rankings of the DLCs and why is thus:

#1 Honest Hearts

It was the shortest and easiest of the DLCs but there were three things I liked a lot about it:

First, the story and characters got me immersed. In particular, the four main NPCs (Follows-Chalk, Joshua, Waking Cloud and Daniel) all had great stories that fit really well into the main story, it was all well written and voiced. It felt like you were dealing with real people. Even the short lived caravan crew at the start were funny, sort of a comic relief, I was just glad the slapstick was left at the door and the rest of the story felt down to earth and fit with what was going on.

Second, the environment. What can I say, I am an outdoors person and my character build was a hunter and survivalist so it worked perfect. The Animal Friend perk was great, I didn't have to fight a lot of the wildlife. Zion is just a really awesome game environment to me especially when you get a sunrise or sunset with good weather when you are walking in the canyon. Love it.

Third, the questline was open. What I mean is the main quest of Honest Hearts was very short indeed, and very easy, but it is a DLC where you should just enjoy the scenery and explore things off to the side of the road. I always felt like I had important objectives to fulfill but I never felt like I was being dragged around by the nose. I played the DLC 4 times, twice saving Zion and twice evacuating it, and each time I got to visit a few places I hadn't seen before.

But most of all it was the NPCs, really excellent work all around on those, and they fit perfectly the story and atmosphere.

#2 Dead Money

Dead Money had very interesting and well written/voiced NPCs (there were 5 main NPCs: Elijah, Dog/God, Dean Domino, Christine and the holographic Vera), and also a compelling story that all those NPCs fit very well into. Immersive story.

Also I loved the atmosphere of The Villa and the Hotel/Casino. It was old world, consistently done, and indoors or out I never once felt like I was anywhere else except at the Sierra Madre.

With the environment it was a different challenge than any of the rest of the game or DLCs. (Although towards the end I did use a mod to stop radios from activating the collar because that got too tedious.)

#3 Old World Blues

To me OWB had some brilliant moments with a lot of unrealized potential.

Definitely what I like best about it was the overall story, learning about Big MT and also some of the other NPCs who had crossed this area. (Elijah, Christine, Ulysses.)

Also good was the general setting of an isolated research community, plus the concept of the formerly human turned robotic NPCs. Some of the dialogues and joke lines were to me painfully long (dialogue upon dialogue), and many of the innuendo jokes seemed tired and boring. But overall there was a lot of variety in the NPCs. (Klein, his crew, Mobius, The Sink Central Intelligence, all The Sink personalities.)

I liked the exploratory nature of the DLC -- you had a ton of areas and things to discover; however, it did not feel unique. The interiors looked like most Mojave Wasteland interiors and you had this syndome of dozens of places to explore that all felt similar and nothing much set the interior of one apart from the other.

There was also a huge mix of sci fi and commie paranoia movie references, the variety of which was nice but it also seemed thrown together without much order or purpose.

The new music tracks were good. Only a couple or a few. But good.

#4 Lonesome Road.

Mainly what I liked about Lonesome Road was that Ulysses in his longwinded, overdramatic, overly self-important way finally does tell you who you are so The Courier has some history. And it was a cool backdrop.

But the first thing I noticed after arriving in The Divide FROM the EAST was that the road ahead took me EAST. It was also a linear journey where you could very occasionally venture into one of the side buildings 50 feet either side of the road, but that was about it. So it was linear, which was OK in my book, but the geopgraphy was all wrong and broke the immersion. (The quest was linear, not the actual path -- the path was more horseshoe shaped, looping back on itself. But Lonesome Road is definitely a better DLC name than Dyslexic Horseshoe, so that's something.)

The good: indoors areas and outdoor areas were really excellent, ED-E's story was superb, the Tunnelers are very cool enemies and the story of the Marked Men made immensely more sense than the geography of the map. There were also quite a few new very cool weapons and I had real fun using Red Glare to take down anything that was standing next to a wall with 2 shots, not to mention its incredible full-auto ability.

Ulysses was an enigma. I really liked what I'd heard of him in the previous DLCs, dropping hints. But his dialogues were as I said longwinded, overdramatic, and boring. By the end I was glad he was done talking.

Also, regading the actual terrain it was both good and bad. It was great in that it was unique indoors and out and it was challenging. But by the time I was turning the corner and actually heading West again I would see a bright white arrow or an old world flag and I'd think, "Oh, that's the door I take. Yawn."

So I'd give Lonesome Road fifty-fifty. Lot of nice things in it but the dialogues and being led through torturous terrain by graffiti, and seeing a map that made no geographic sense, those things just dispelled alot of the immersion.
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kristy dunn
 
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Post » Fri May 04, 2012 1:04 am

1. Lonesome Road
This DLC had the best dialogue to me and was the only one that truly tested the preparedness of the Courier. The twisted shapes of the environment also remind me of what Washington, DC should have looked like.

2. Old World Blues / Dead Money
These two DLC are hear for different reasons. The Old World Blues SCIENCE!!! theme and the dialogue with the Think Tank was overall just a great respite from the political machinations of the Mojave.
Dead Money has the best overall story of all of the DLC's in my opinion and while the Lonesome Road may test your mettle, the Sierra Madre will test your resolve. Plus my conversations with God were some of the greatest I have had in this game, great dialogue overall.

3. Honest Hearts
I put this last not only because it was the shortest, but I also feel that the story wasn't as strong as the others. I definitely don't mean that the story is bad, Joshua Graham is one of the great characters of Fallout and the story of the Sorrows, Dead Horse and White Legs tribes, whatever the outcome, sends a very good message. Plus the story of the Survivalist is one of the best in-game stories I have ever read.


Despite this list all of these DLC are great, which is rare thing nowadays.
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jennie xhx
 
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Post » Thu May 03, 2012 8:16 pm

The Lobotomite puts OWB 2nd? Well, I guess you are still mad at the Think Tank, I don't blame ya! hahahaha =p

So, well during my first play through, I actually did Lonesome Road first, not knowing there is an order to the DLCs and/or that they are connected. What a pleasant surprise to find out that every DLC drops hints about the others.

1. Lonesome Road
Even so I really, really hate Deathclaws, for me, Lonesome Road was not only challenging physically, but also emotionally. It was one of the best DLCs I've ever played (in any game).
The story, the desolation, the destruction, really brought the war and its after effects to the forefront. It reminded me, WHY this game is called FALLOUT. It also shows just how destructive human nature can be. It is a force to be reckoned with. I also felt undercurrents of shattered dreams, but also of hope.

The courier went on a journey of self-discovery. It was also psychologically cleansing and at the end, the courier finds renewed purpose. (At least that was my journey - I love Ulysses :smile:)

2. Honest Hearts
I agree with the OP... Zion is a place where I would love to stay! It's beautiful, enjoyable, filled with great characters and mysteries. I really love "the father in the cave". What a brilliant addition to an already great story path.

3. OWB
I just think it's soooooooo funny!!!!!!! The Think Tank just cracks me up. I also love the new digs and all the cool tech that comes with my new home. Lobotomites, the harness people, Chinese prisoner ghouls, seriously... how did they think all these up? Brilliant and very inventive! The High School is a hoot! LOL Damn Commies! hahahahaha

4. Dead Money
Ugh, where do I start. I love the old world flair, love the characters, HATE having my head blown off. I try to get done with that DLC as fast as possible. lol
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Talitha Kukk
 
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Post » Fri May 04, 2012 7:55 am

1. Lonesome Road - Finally meeting Ulysses and learning the history of the Courier, make this one of the greatest DLC's I have ever had the pleasure of playing. Ulysses truly made me stop, take a step back, and truly think about the choices I was making for the Mojave Wasteland.

2. Honest Hearts - Joshua Gramm ftw. But truthfully it is the all the charcters, environment as well as the story of a Survivalist that makes this DLC number two on my list. Meeting and fighting with "The Burned Man" at your side epic!

3. Dead Money - Has an amazing story, as well as unforgetable characters; but the reason for the low rating in my mind is those @#$%* explosive collar and all of the things that can set them off.

4. Old World Blues - In my mind it feels the most out of place of the DLC's for New Vegas. The characters are almost too zanny, while enemies encountered are little more than bullet sponges. The only real saving graces this DLC has are you learn a little more backstory about Christine, Ulysses, and Elijah.
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Kellymarie Heppell
 
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Post » Fri May 04, 2012 6:02 am

1. Dead Money

It was an RPG DLC, had a fantastic setting, didn't drag itself out too long, it's backstory is amazing, it's characters are really memorable and well-written and it has cosmic knifes.



2. Lonesome Road

Ulysses dialogue, backstory, setting, the art design, the challenging gameplay.



3. Honest Hearts

The art design, the tribal setting and Follows-CHalk.



4. Old World Blues.

It's crap.


Done! :D

(I'll flesh it out in an hour or so)
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stevie trent
 
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Post » Thu May 03, 2012 5:54 pm

1. Dead Money
It had a fantastic story, setting, and was actually challenging (extremely challenging on hardcoe). Unlike most DLC's, in this one, you really had to think. If you stepped in the wrong direction for too long, BOOM! If you stepped in the wrong place at the wrong time, you would be swarmed by ghost people. There is also a lot of Pre-War history within the terminals inside the villa. If you take the time to really inhale everything that is going on, and fully immerse yourself into it, you'd be surprised at how [censored] awesome this DLC is. You really can't describe it.

2. Lonesome Road
There was a lot of anticipation for the "Summing up of Fallout New Vegas", and I was really looking forward to it, and I was not disappointed. I played through it the weekend after it came out, and didn't stop until I was done. Honestly, one of the things that disappoints me about New Vegas, is how it lacks the 50's atmosphere Fallout 3 had, and this DLC nailed it. I really felt like this was a location that could have been in Fallout 3, but it was even more awesome because of the different military bases and such. Combat-wise, it was the most challenging out of the four, and the dialogue with Ulysses was truly awesome.

3. Old World Blues
Very funny, provided me with the housing that I use on every play-through, and has a lot of replay-ability. How so? Well, sometimes I do runs through X-13 and X-8 if I get bored, or want to test out my sneaking skills. It provides a TON of exploration because of all of the different test sites, and I really got the Old World SCIENCE! vibe, which is really what I wanted to get out of that DLC. The story was mediocre and fairly unrealistic, but that isn't what I was looking for out of the DLC. The characters in the sink can also brighten up my housing-life, when I'm going around to store gear and etc as well.

4. Honest Hearts
If I said that I could compare Mothership Zeta to this, would you get an idea of how disappointed I was with HH? The story was lame and not fleshed out, the only memorable characters were Joshua, Follows-Chalk, and Daniel, and the combat was mediocre at best. I think Zion was beautiful and well designed, but it didn't feel like it belonged in a Fallout game. The rewards were mediocre (except for ALSID), the ending was mediocre, and the exploration was mediocre. I don't hate it, but I rate the Fallout DLC's on a high scale because I think LR and DM are fantastic, and HH falls short of that standard by quite a bit.
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Alexx Peace
 
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Post » Fri May 04, 2012 9:47 am

Okay then, now to flesh it out.

Dead Money.
I think Dead Money is the best DLC because of just about everything, it gives you 2 new ways to end the game, side with Elijah or trap yourself due to your own greed.
It has tons of traps and makes good use of them.
It introduces new gameplay mechanics to make it really stand out and have a great survival aspect to it.
Every single character in the DLC is written really really good and I love them all.
It has choices and consequences, it has emphasis on roleplaying.

Lonesome Road
While it's linear and very shoot'em'up'y I think that the overall story for Lonesome Road is great, to prove yourself to Ulysses, to show that you can take on what is at the Divide and that you want answers, and talking to him about the Mojave was really fun, I think he's a bloody lunatic who's got his head stuck up his ass, but he's written really well for the role he has and for that I love him.
I also loved the art design for the place, especially Hopeville with it's bombardment of cement and structures and I loved High Road for it's very post-apocalyptic wibe of a big city in 3D form. (Where as Fallout 3's was boring as it didn't really feel like it had been bombed.

Honest Hearts
I love the clear water, the rain, the nightsky, Follow's Chalk, Salt-Upon-Wounds, the tribal setting, the enemies, the cartoonish art design and the background story of Randall.
I disliked it's linearity in quest choices, the change of Graham from awesome to boring cliché, that it was so short and that I could not side with White Legs or a frumentarii.

Old World Blues
Hate it with all my heart.
Bullet sponges, repetitive enemies, boring grey/blue environment, dungeon crawling emphasis, barely any real story content, way too ridiculous that it makes Mothership Zeta seem serious, TRON armor, laser axes, fetch quest-apalooza. (Yes, I do like Mothership Zeta more than I do OWB)
It was simply awful, the parts Iliked were the Elijah, Christine and Ulysses parts, but considering they are hints to Dead Money and LSR I can't say they made OWB good, they made the other DLC's good.
I also liked talking to Mobius, he made sense to be completely off his rockers and his goal also made sense, the other's though? They just became annoying with their personalities, and once I've played the DLC and talked to them and laughed at their immature jokes there is nothing else to go back to.
I could go back and talk to them again and listen to their jokes, but it's lost it's charm, they're one-liners who are nothing but tedious chores after the first playthrough.
At the end of the DLC, both times I played it, I was literally like this: http://samanthab.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Pissed-off-Cat1.jpg


So yeah, Dead Money for it's RPG focus, Lonesome Road for it's overall story content and art design and Honest Hearts for it's art design.
Then far back behind Mothership Zeta is Old World Blues.
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Kortniie Dumont
 
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Post » Fri May 04, 2012 3:06 am

Okay then, now to flesh it out.

Dead Money.
I think Dead Money is the best DLC because of just about everything, it gives you 2 new ways to end the game, side with Elijah or trap yourself due to your own greed.
It has tons of traps and makes good use of them.
It introduces new gameplay mechanics to make it really stand out and have a great survival aspect to it.
Every single character in the DLC is written really really good and I love them all.
It has choices and consequences, it has emphasis on roleplaying.

Lonesome Road
While it's linear and very shoot'em'up'y I think that the overall story for Lonesome Road is great, to prove yourself to Ulysses, to show that you can take on what is at the Divide and that you want answers, and talking to him about the Mojave was really fun, I think he's a bloody lunatic who's got his head stuck up his ass, but he's written really well for the role he has and for that I love him.
I also loved the art design for the place, especially Hopeville with it's bombardment of cement and structures and I loved High Road for it's very post-apocalyptic wibe of a big city in 3D form. (Where as Fallout 3's was boring as it didn't really feel like it had been bombed.

Honest Hearts
I love the clear water, the rain, the nightsky, Follow's Chalk, Salt-Upon-Wounds, the tribal setting, the enemies, the cartoonish art design and the background story of Randall.
I disliked it's linearity in quest choices, the change of Graham from awesome to boring cliché, that it was so short and that I could not side with White Legs or a frumentarii.

Old World Blues
Hate it with all my heart.
Bullet sponges, repetitive enemies, boring grey/blue environment, dungeon crawling emphasis, barely any real story content, way too ridiculous that it makes Mothership Zeta seem serious, TRON armor, laser axes, fetch quest-apalooza. (Yes, I do like Mothership Zeta more than I do OWB)
It was simply awful, the parts Iliked were the Elijah, Christine and Ulysses parts, but considering they are hints to Dead Money and LSR I can't say they made OWB good, they made the other DLC's good.
I also liked talking to Mobius, he made sense to be completely off his rockers and his goal also made sense, the other's though? They just became annoying with their personalities, and once I've played the DLC and talked to them and laughed at their immature jokes there is nothing else to go back to.
I could go back and talk to them again and listen to their jokes, but it's lost it's charm, they're one-liners who are nothing but tedious chores after the first playthrough.
At the end of the DLC, both times I played it, I was literally like this: http://samanthab.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Pissed-off-Cat1.jpg


So yeah, Dead Money for it's RPG focus, Lonesome Road for it's overall story content and art design and Honest Hearts for it's art design.
Then far back behind Mothership Zeta is Old World Blues.

^^^^This^^^^^

Except I'd switch Lonesome Road with Honest Hearts. Loved Dead Money and hate OWB. Was hoping for a more military like base installation with a lot more old world tech including non energy base weapons. It seemed like new world tech with no old world tech. Just boring fetch quests with too many bullet sponges.
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hannaH
 
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