It’s time for the fifth release of downloadable content for Fallout 3. Mothership Zeta is reportedly the final DLC pack for the popular title and takes players through a journey that is literally out of this world. This journey involves aliens, space and the whole sci-fiction shebang. So the question remains, has Bethesda delivered an epic quest worthy of returning to the world of Fallout 3? Or does it fizzle out faster than soda pop? In comparison to the previous Fallout 3 add-ons, Mothership Zeta is among the shorter of the bunch. Beginning with the abduction from aliens, gamers are tasked to find their way back to Earth to escape whatever bodily harm the aliens have intended for the players. Along the way, players will encounter new robots – some that are even good and aren’t to be killed – and many other new baddies to face off against that are a pushover due to how powerful the players become.
Focusing on combat, the adventure isn’t going to wow anyone with impressive depth and story structure – it’s a simple add-on that does what it was required to do: provide more action to craving fans. Wandering about, hallway-to-hallway, players will encounter the same assortment of enemies over and over again. So even with the new location to fight on – a spaceship of all things – the combat does become overly repetitive to the point you never wish you were abducted in the first place. Fighting countless drones and turrets, the combat never shifts out of second gear. The most attracting feature for Mothership Zeta is the chance to see new scenery. There’s one catch though, players will be traveling through the same corridors more often than not.
If the new locale doesn’t grab the attention of the player, then maybe the new weapons will help ease their thoughts of purchasing the latest Fallout 3 add-on. The new weapons aren’t as powerful as they could be, but if gamers are looking to use and experiment with all the weapons in the game, the only way is to purchase Mothership Zeta and see what all the fuss is about. The Alien Disintegrator, Shock Baton and Drone Cannon are fun to use, but they aren’t essential weapons for every repertoire. As linear as any RPG expansion could be, Mothership Zeta is done and over within a flash. Gamers will find the new perk, Xenotech, and the ability to return to the alien spacecraft a letdown since both are a waste.
The Xenotech perk revolves around adding strength to using alien weapons – something not so common – and the only real reason to return to the spacecraft is to repair your items for cheap. The ship doesn’t provide a whole lot of room for exploration and the three quests in question are a wash since there are no alternative options on how to complete them. It’s a shame that Mothership Zeta boils down to such a straightforward add-on. It’s unfortunate that the last DLC pack for Fallout 3 didn’t end with a bang. If gamers have bought the previous four add-ons, I see no reason why they shouldn’t buy Mothership Zeta. It’s a one-and-done type of add-on – a type of complaint that will be easily overlooked by fans who are still playing Fallout 3 on a weekly basis. “Mothership Zeta” is basically meant for the diehard fans and them alone; especially at the price of 800 MS Points. Even so it's great to see a developer/publisher support a game this far after it's release and while the latest DLC may not be the best there is still plenty of content worth checking out via the Xbox LIVE Marketplace.
