Almost a year after the release of Fallout: New Vegas, we get the fourth and final piece of downloadable content. Lonesome Road closes the book on the Courier’s adventures in the Mojave Wasteland and beyond with a story about the man who refused to deliver the platinum chip and his connection to the dead zone called the Divide. It’s time pull your gun shooting, raider killing, deathclaw punching Courier out of retirement one more time because this last adventure is one worth taking.
Unlike the other pieces of DLC, Lonesome Road is a straightforward path with almost no interaction with anything friendly. While some might write this off immediately as another Operation Anchorage or Mothership Zeta, Lonesome Road still offers some interesting exploration along the way and there are plenty of secrets hiding in the nooks and crannies of the road to keep you busy for a while. Also, it feels more open, giving you more breathing, and fighting room than the previously mentioned Fallout 3 missions.
One of the new weapons
The story of Lonesome Road is filled with spoilers, so there isn’t too much I can say other than Ulysses, the courier who refused to deliver the chip, is calling you to the Divide. The best part is that there is no back story, so you are left wondering what all this is about until the very end. In addition to the main plot, you also get the back story of your companion and the Divide itself. There is a lot of information packed into Lonesome Road and the bits and pieces that are fed to you throughout your journey will keep you hooked until the end.
Lonesome Road offers up a completely different look and feel from the previous pieces of DLC, and from New Vegas itself. The Divide is supposed to be a place ravaged by storms and earthquakes and void of life. That is very apparent when you’re walking through it. Buildings are destroyed or partially underground, the only things that interact with you only do so by shooting you and slashing your head off, and the only form of friendly interaction is with your companion.
The voice acting, or lack thereof, really stands out. The voices that are present are done really well, but the main thing you will notice is the lack of dialogue in Lonesome Road. What you will notice is the creepy ambiance music making you feel even more isolated. The game wants you to feel alone, and it succeeds.
Get it away! Get it away!
The difference between Lonesome Road and the rest of New Vegas is the fact that Lonesome Road is mostly a straightforward adventure with one path. Normally this would be less than ideal, but there are plenty of things to do along the road. There are rundown buildings to explore, special enemies to fight and a lot of secrets to find in the form of computer logs and notes giving you some insight on the Divide. Also, this wouldn’t be a Fallout expansion without some new weapons and enemies.
The main threats you will face are the Marked Men. They are the people who were in the Divide when it was destroyed and now they hate everything, especially you. They look like feral ghouls, but they can handle weapons. You will have to deal with them along with Deathclaws and new enemies called Tunnelers. They are creepy little humanoid creatures that are on all fours and are mostly underground. Alone they’re not bad, but when they gang up on you and knock you down you are in a world of trouble.
Thankfully the Divide offers up some new weapons to help you combat these tough new foes. Lonesome Road is a looters paradise, and there are weapons for every character build. You have things like a shoulder mounted machine gun, a giant two-handed blade and my personal favorite, the Red Glare. The Red Glare is a rapid firing rocket launcher with a sniper scope. If that doesn’t say “America” I don’t know what does. There are also some new items like flash bang grenades and riot gear that gives you a sort of night vision which comes in handy. However, if you already have a set arsenal you can bring whatever you are carrying into the Divide, which I think is a nice touch.
The bombs bursting in air!
I was pleasantly surprised when the bugs I found in Lonesome Road turned out to me very minor ones. There were a couple instances of enemies appearing out of nowhere and every so often my Pip-Boy would get really dark, but other than that there weren’t any issues at all. The only minor annoyance I experienced was due to me not looking where I was going. I ate up a bunch of stimpaks because there were new mines called “satchel charges” placed generously throughout the Divide and I think they blend in better because I never saw them coming.
Overall Lonesome Road is a great note to end on. The story turned out to be interesting and the isolation factor is a great touch. There is also plenty to do, so don’t be put off by the fact that it is a straight path. Depending on how much you explore it will probably take you around 5-7 hours to finish this piece of DLC, and possibly longer if you want to find everything. This is a quality piece of DLC, and at $10 it is worth the download.
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Name: Lonesome Road
Available on: PC, Xbox 360, PS3
Developed by: Obsidian Entertainment
Published by: Bethesda Softworks
Release date: September 20th, 2011
EG Score: 4 out of 5 / “Worth Buying”
Day 1’ed. Just beat OWB, hype supernova for this!
That’s awesome. Personally, I just uninstalled my FNV to keep myself focused on the games on the review list. I’ll probably fire it back up again in January of February when the gaming world calms down.
Yeah, i had to forbid myself from playing it on week days so i could concentrate on pixelarting. This game’s pure malice 😀