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Fallout 3: Mothership Zeta

EMAIL PRINT xbox360

6.0 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 34 critic reviews
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Based on 18 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Bethesda Softworks

Developer: Bethesda Softworks

Genre(s): Role-Playing Game

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Release Date: August 3, 2009

Summary

Defy hostile alien abductors and fight your way off of the massive Mothership Zeta, orbiting Earth miles above the Capital Wasteland. Mothership Zeta takes Fallout 3 in an entirely new direction - outer space. Meet new characters and join with them in a desperate bid to escape the Aliens' clutches. To do so, you'll wield powerful new weapons, like the Alien Atomizer, Alien Disintegrator, and Drone Cannon, and deck yourself out in brand new outfits, like the Gemini-Era Spacesuit and even Samurai Armor. A strange Alien signal is being broadcast throughout the Capital Wasteland, originating from a crashed UFO. Is it a distress call, or something far more sinister? That question is answered when you find yourself beamed aboard an enormous Alien spacecraft, with only one alternative - to fight your way to the bridge of the ship and secure your escape. [Bethesda Softworks]

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: Fallout 3

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Console Monster

This year has been a grand one for DLC, a trend which I feel will only continue to grow thanks in part to Fallout 3. A definite purchase for fans of the original game and the previous content packs.

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Gamervision

While it lacks the strong story of “Point Lookout” and “Broken Steel,” it’s much more enjoyable than “Operation: Anchorage” or “The Pitt.

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Game Revolution

So do you prefer probing or zapping? Our outer space friends gladly offer both!

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Cheat Code Central

Hefty chunks of Mothership Zeta feel formulaic and repetitive, yet the sting of the expansion's low points is countered somewhat by the impeccable presentation, smartly-implemented sci-fi vibe, and a few entertaining twists.

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Gamer Limit

The new characters you’ll meet, and weapons you’ll obtain really set the experience up to be one of the best DLC pieces Bethesda has released so far.

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GameTrailers

Mothership Zeta is a wild and humorous mission for Fallout 3 fans, but it lacks the breadth of Point Lookout or Broken Steel. It's a little disappointing as a final chapter, but players looking to explore the farthest fringes of the Fallout universe will have a blast.

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GameDaily

The result is a game that looks great, ends well, but at times, leans too heavily on formulaic game mechanics.

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Worth Playing

Perhaps I simply set the bar too high in my mind because while this is an entertaining and unique new mission, it really feels like it's lost the heart that made the rest of the game so great.

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Gaming Age

We have found ourselves in a situation of victory after abduction by a strange alien species.

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Thunderbolt

It’s still worth playing, just don’t expect a product with the same quality as either Broken Steel or Point Lookout.

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Extreme Gamer

Even though I feel a little let down, Mothership Zeta still strong points and is worth the purchase if you have enjoyed the other add-on content for the game.

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GameZone

Considerably short and lacking in all the things that made Point Lookout and The Pitt worthwhile downloads, Mothership Zeta is not a bad add-on but it’s not the best one either.

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WonderwallWeb

Mothership Zeta is a worthy addition, despite being fairly easy. A good ending to a great game.

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GamePro

While not without value, instead of wrapping up my time in the Capital Wastelands in a nice big irradiated bow, Mothership Zeta just left me wondering how much fun being in space could’ve been.

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Boomtown

It’s not the best DLC pack released for Fallout 3, but it’s certainly not bad.

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IGN

It's short, focused too heavily on combat through bland corridors, and feels like a missed opportunity. I still had fun while wandering the alien ship, but that is more of a testament to the strengths of Fallout 3 than the strengths of this expansion.

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Gameplayer Sweden

Alien abduction in a post-nuclear environment never was as fun as this. Wait, as a matter of fact it never happened before this little add-on. Anyway, not the strongest of Bethesda's DLC-packages for Fallout 3 but still well worth spending some of your precious time with.

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Gamer 2.0

Despite the addition of some interesting characters, it really is a shame that Fallout 3’s steady addition of downloadable content had to end on this sour note because there was plenty of room for interesting ideas.

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3DJuegos

Mothership Zeta is the worst download content released for Fallout 3. Boring, repetitive and uninspired.

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Game Over Online

The bottom line here is that Mothership Zeta is about as much of a miss as Bethesda has ever been responsible for. A few hours of linear romp through boring corridors fighting boring enemies is frankly a shocking disappointment from such a successful development group.

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Pelit (Finland)

Fallout 3: Point Lookout and Mothership Zeta are Fallout 3's last two expansions and surprisingly from the opposite ends of the quality spectrum. Point Lookout is an enjoyable, well-made and immersive swamp adventure, whereas Mothership Zeta is boring as hell and plays like a crappy FPS. [Aug 2009]

Gamer.nl

Mothership Zeta has some big pros and cons. The content it delivers is meager and gives the idea that they could have done a lot more with the variation in locations. The atmosphere and humor partly make up for this. Overall this mothership has become a place where you can enjoy yourself for a couple of hours, but because of its linear nature Mothership Zeta never comes close to the qualities of the main game.

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VideoGamer

Mothership Zeta is a let down. It's nowhere near as good as Point Lookout or The Pitt. It's slightly better than Operation Anchorage, but only slightly. It's a linear, repetitive slog through an alien space ship and nothing else. Is it a fitting finale? No. Is it worth 800MS Points? Just. If only for the Samurai Armour. Sniff.

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GameSpy

There are some memorable moments here, but it's a shame that Mothership Zeta couldn't do more with such an interesting premise.

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Giant Bomb

There's something so audacious to me about stacking aliens on top of the apocalypse, and Mothership Zeta does it well enough that I'm willing to excuse some of its structural bluntness and over-reliance on combat. It's not the best Fallout 3 DLC, but it's still pretty interesting, and not a bad way to spend four or five hours.

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Destructoid

Do yourself a favor and purchase any of the other four Fallout downloadable content packs before even contemplating getting this one.

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GameSpot

It may be a change of scenery, but the final Fallout 3 downloadable content pack ends the saga on a low note.

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Gaming Nexus

Too combat heavy, Mothership Zeta really isn't that much better than the first DLC.

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Games Master UK

After Broken Steel and Point Lookout, this is a regression. Makes Anchorage look fun! [Oct 2009, p.77]

Official Xbox Magazine UK

Lots of items, not much excitement. [Nov 2009, p.108]

Eurogamer

With repetitive, largely uninspired corridor combat, and boring, linear and samey mission design, the least you'd hope is that there would be some supplementary side quests to extend the lifespan - but not so.

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Teletext GameCentral

The last of the Fallout 3 expansions is also one of the worst in this bafflingly dull abduction yarn.

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AceGamez

If I may return to the slightly clumsy sandwich-based analogy that I began with, Fallout 3 DLC is like a BLT made with the driest bread possible; the best way to enjoy your sandwich is to throw the bread away and enjoy the flavoursome bacon, fresh lettuce and juicy tomato on their own. So forget about the stale crust that is Fallout 3: Mothership Zeta - take an Atkins diet approach and just head straight for the filling.

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GameCritics

If Mothership Zeta had been half as long and available at half the price, it might have been worthwhile simply for giving players a quick peek behind the origins of the main game's enigmatic alien wreckage. As it stands, this dog-leg jaunt into outer space ends up a giant could-have-been without any real reason to recommend it, save completion for completion's sake.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 6.0 (out of 10) based on 18 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Andrew T gave it a2:
This DLC sends one of my favorite games out on a bad note. Linear pacing, almost no Karma alteration (killing the unarmed xenocidal maniacs in the ship nets negative karma, and that's about it), and an almost complete lack of story put it on par with Operation: Anchorage. Unlike O:A, though, there's no game-altering loot like the Stealth Armor or Winterized T-51b Power Armor. Sure, there's a bunch of nice energy weapons, but none of them markedly better than what exists in the core game. In the end, I find myself hoarding the Alien Epoxy found on the ship (which can repair any weapon on its own) and ignoring the rest of the DLC. After completion, one has the option of returning to the mothership; I find myself wondering why to go there in the first place.

Niall K gave it a3:
My God this was a disaster. I enjoyed it for 5 minutes, and then I wanted to leave. The weapons are unimaginative, the textures are bland, and the enemies only seem to vary in hit-points. Overall, an abomination of an expansion that should be sent straight to hell. You've lost some of my respect, Bethesda...

Nick B gave it an8:
This was actually a pretty fun expansion (and the last, I gather) but with the following caveats: First, Mothership Zeta feels a bit more like a traditional FPS environment than the eerie post-apoc setting of Fallout 3, although there is plenty to be found inside the ship that ties in to the overall back story (finding that the aliens have been kidnapping people for far longer than the era of the wasteland, for example). Second, if you haven't gotten too far yet in the rest of the game, this expansion gives you ample opportunity to load up on some of the deadliest weapons you'll find in the game, not to mention access to a cool base of ops when you finish it. Overall, I liked it; the aliens had a bit of the "Invasion: Mars" vibe going on, and the concluding events leading up to your escape from the mothership were a blast.

Kyle T gave it a4:
First I'd like to say I have a PS3 so I don't have this yet, but I am going to judge on what I have seen. This is not better than Operation Anchorage, the weapons and armor you get from this are so boring, the Gauss Rifle the Stealth Suit, and then an Alien Rifle oooohhh awwww boring! In terms of depth it isn't that long all you do is escape lots of combat all talking is boring everyone sas mostly the same thing. Well if you are an FO3 fan and love the Alien Blaster you will enjoy this as for me I hated the Alien Blaster, I will only buy it for a little more time.

mobius gave it an8:
Even though there are no side quests i enjoyed this as much as broken steel. Mothership zeta captures that 1950s retro future perfectly. i loved how the aliens sounded just like those from tim burtons mars attacks. and it was a nice touch meeting a cowboy a samuri warrior and a medic from operation anchorage. this for me is a great expansion and a fitting final DLC for fallout 3. role on Fallout new vegas.

Keith B gave it a2:
This was by far the worst dlc for fallout 3. Many compare it to bethesdas first dlc Operation anchorage which was a major disappointment. But although that one was short it was a lot of fun and you came out with great equipment. Like Operation anchorage Mothership zeta is based on Fallout 3s combat. Unlike Operation anchorage mothership zeta is just plain old boring. Once completed theres no reason to replay. It gets boring real quickly. The most interesting highlight was the space walk and an interesting death ray battle. The new characters are interesting. Being able to meet a pre war soldier and a cowboy from way before the great war was amazing. Until you realize that all they have to say is I can't believe they did that to the world. The new equipment is bland. There is nothing original in the alien designs. Its different from fallout and is cool to look at for a shortwhile. Buts its like any old alien movie, little green guys speaking in jibberish with bug eyes. This is the worst dlc of all five. The fact that this is the last is the worst way bethesda can leave us.

Lauren P gave it a5:
Mothership Zeta is an experience that almost asks to be forgotten. It tries to sell itself on exploration and combat. The former is polished and beautiful, but it feels so wasted on the latter, which is generic and extremely boring.

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Fallout 3: Mothership Zeta

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