When Bethesda announced the three DLC packs being offered for both the Xbox 360 and the PC, Fallout 3 enthusiasts squirmed with delight in the anticipation of three consecutive months of extra content. But with the release of Operation: Anchorage (or Operation: Disappointing) barely making its January release, its hard to believe that we’ll see the next two according to their projected release dates. Already being pushed back from February to early March, The Pitt, seems to be taking a very familiar shape, one I find myself much less excited for since the release of Anchorage.

Taking place in the remains of Pittsburgh, 300 some odd miles away from the Capital Wasteland, the Pitt will have the Lone Wanderer traveling by railway to either join, usurp, or infiltrate the ranks of raiders and slavers now posted in the steel yard ruins. Radiation has run rampant around the area, creating both ghouls (normal and feral) and super mutants, for three irradiated rivers converge around the town. The presence of super mutants makes one think of the F.E.V, or Forced Evolutionary Virus, and points to a possible Government conspiracy that extends from the Vault experiments.

First mentioned by Paladin Kodiak in the Citadel, after the Great War, Pittsburgh simply became a shithole (wait…thats no different than today). Rape gangs and torture squads were prevalent, encouraging Elder Owyn Lyons to purge the area during his initial recon of the Capital Wasteland and its surrounding areas. Known as “The Scourge,” Elder Lyons led his highly outnumbered squad of power armor clad Paladins over Mount Washington and decimated all that was wrought. As they sifted through the remains, the Brotherhood came upon 20 unmutated children, who where brought back to the Citadel and enlisted into the East Coast Brotherhood of Steel, Paladin Kodiak being one of them. Although the area hasn’t been as dangerous since, raiders and slavers continue to have a strong presence within the Pitt.

One interesting notion about Pittsburgh within the Fallout universe is that it was not hit directly by an atomic bomb. I had problems with the less than satisfactory landscape that was utilized in Anchorage. This adds a whole new feel to the post-apocalyptic world, and new is what all DLC, whether its Fallout or not, should hope to achieve for. As much as I loved Fallout 3, I don’t just want extended gameplay for my 10 bucks. I want new features, something similar to the Bloody Mess perk, which changed how the game operated. Why not a Limb Dismemberment perk? Or perks that offer more unique dialog options or, and this might just sound too fucking EXTREME, the addition of some sort of transportation, a motorcycle perhaps? Theres absolutely no way that every viable form of transportation was destroyed by the nuclear fallout. I’d be happy with a goddamn tricycle at this point.

All in all, The Pitt seems to be shaping up quite…well, lets just say it’s shaping up and, like Anchorage, “promises to offer” five hours of gameplay. With its release still over a month away, details have slowly been trickling out, but nothing about added weapons, armor, or perks has been discussed, and I’m sure we won’t hear anything concrete for another couple of weeks. Its interesting that the announcement of the delay came very shortly after the lackluster reviews and impressions that Operation: Anchorage received. Now, what this means, no one can be quite sure. Was it so riddled with bugs and other problems that it needed more polish? Or is Bethesda uping their designing game and going to revel us with sheer awesomeness? I’m putting my money on the former.

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