With the GDC still consuming the lives of San Francisco-area janitors, Bethesda revealed a fourth expansion to its super-hit, Fallout 3; The Isles of Rhode. Hot off the heals of The Pitt, an expansion that extends Fallout 3 from Washington, DC into Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Isles of Rhode pulls the Lone Wanderer off to the biggest state (personality-wise, at least) in America, Rhode Island. Bethesda’s studio head, Todd Howard, elaborated. “In the Fallout universe, all of America’s major cities were hit by nukes, but all the bombs headed towards Boston fell short, leaving Rhode Island the hardest-hit area in America,” he elaborates “a good portion of Eastern Rhode Island broke off and split apart during the attacks, hence ‘Isles of Rhode’.”
He went on to liken the expansion to popular “comedy” show, Family Guy. “People who live in Rhode Island get an extra kick out of Family Guy, because the show actually works off its setting. We are looking to do something similar, and will highlight Rhode Island landmarks, some of which are known nationwide.” While he was coy with details, he stated that two well-known colleges will be shown (Brown University, Bryant University, Johnson and Wales University and Providence College are the most likely candidates), in addition to a faux-McCoy Stadium, home of the Boston Red Sox’s Triple-A team, the Pawtucket Red Sox. Surprisingly, a quest was actually detailed. “Newport, which is known for its enormous mansions, will be similar to Tenpenny Tower, in that it is one of the last bastions of society as we know it. The player will help to preserve the city by rallying wastelanders to help fortify and defend its citizens.”
Unlike The Pitt and Operation Anchorage, the Isle of Rhodes expansion will actually expand the gameplay, adding actual drivable boats, which will be used to traverse the shattered state. Details on this, however, were not available.
Fallout 3’s past expansions were tagged at $10, so look for Isles of Rhode to do the same, this Fall. Stick with MyGamer for more details as they become available.
