800 gamer points is no small cost for an expansion pack, and in terms of points-per-gaming-minute, there isn't the value of the original Fallout 3 in Broken Steel. The size and scale of the original make this an impossible benchmark however, so Broken Steel remains a decent value proposition, especially if you consider the additional gameplay generated by reaching that Level 30 cap. The wasteland is a big, wide world, and there are ten to twelve hours of content in all the side quests included. Overall, it's a fun, engaging addition to one of the best games of recent years and close to a must have if you're still working your way through the main quest.

Regardless of these persistent downfalls, Broken Steel is actually an essential Fallout 3 add-on. Whilst the main campaign is throw-away and the high-level content thrown in with a bit of disregard, the way Bethesda have actually thought about the add-ons that are there and have integrated them into the main game world rather than just have the player waltz off to a far away land for 2-3 hours is much more fitting with the games universe and beggars belief why it wasn’t released first.