Fallout 3 Quest Mods Review #1 by TrickyTrack00
Mod Name: Chaotic Sun FO3
Mod Type: Worldspace/Dungeon/Quest/Weapon/Outfit/Companion
Original Creator: kj666
Original Link: Chaotic Sun FO3
To explain any aspect of "Chaotic Sun" is like talking about literally new game within established vanilla game. That's how this project feels even after 16 hours that I spent to see all available content. In 2013, when for the first time I found this mod, I thought that it was just another infinite "WiP quest mod" with no actual valuable new content to begin with. But how wrong I was back then...
TL DR - expect A World Of Pain on steroids with badаss gear and actual challenge in boss-battles, don't hesitate if you like this kind of dungeon/quest mods. Play it NOW!And now for more deep review:
This quest mod is one giant dungeon project with enormous amount of loot, enemies, gear and several different companions (more so - absolutely unique compared to the base game). Yes, some of it can be not very "lore-friendly", but who really gives a f nowadays, if you can "retcon" any lore or event from media piece however you want (yes, Bethesda, I'm also talking about your naughty moves).
The structure of the "quest" is very similar to classic hack'n'slash titles like original "Diablo", where you have shortcuts, locked sections with keys to obtain in other locations and optional boss fights ("psychopaths" in this case). And, of course, huge reward for tough bosses which can become your companions after taking "medallion-sacrifice".
Every "dungeon-cell" has unique theme or reference, not only in design choices, but also in the variety of enemies, building structure and items. Sometimes it's just retexture of well-known enemy and sometimes it's very unusual variant of creatures with different attack options (my favourite type is new "electro-molerats" which can deal energy damage too). The mood of every location ranges from supernatural/sci-fi to horror. There is always something new around the corner, no time to waste, no time to get bored (at least in my case).
Also, while going through mini-dungeon cells, you'll have few big "hub" areas where you can rest, trade and spend caps on various items. Most of the shortcuts will lead you to these hubs and from them you can return to the "Big Land". Because trying to complete this mod in "one go" will be a very bad decision. Burn out guaranteed.
Not to mention, that I really suggest some kind of additional perks to increase weight limit, because, as already been stated by KresoX, there are incredible amount of valuable loot that you'll definitely would want to bring back to your home in Capital Wasteland. Although I won't agree with his advice about "writing in notes" on what keys and doors you have found. It's really not a maze type of mod, don't be afraid. I have a pretty average memory bank, but even playing only after work for 2-3 hours 4-5 days a week, I remembered all locations shortcuts and the progression system is pretty straight forward. There are 2-3 times when you really need to find a certain key in far away location from the initial door. In most cases, just explore every available cell, don't forget to loot all major enemies and bosses and that way you won't have any problem in navigating yourself through new environment.
From the narrative side of things - you can guess by yourself what does all of this mean by the end of another big section, but as I see it, author just put very unique and absolutely different cells not in narrative, but gameplay structure way.
So, "Chaotic Sun" is the most accurate name for this kind of mod. But this is brilliant chaotic mess (not like "A Devil's Wish", which was major comparison for me, while playing this mod, but we'll talk about it in the end of this review).
And, oh boy, kj666 is clearly very passionate gamer, like many of us. Here is the list of all references that I actually recognized: Bioshock, S.T.A.L.K.E.R., Shin Megami Tensei, REC movie, Silent Hill P.T., Hitman, Metro series, Ghost In The Shell. And, of course, many others that I just missed or didn't understand in my playthrough. And it's not like little easter eggs from the author, it's full-fledge content, inspired by these pieces of media. For example, author remade all Silent Hill P.T. (if anyone actually remember that game anymore) demo level in this mod. It was done in the most accurate way, so expect the same tension and jumpscares, like in the original material.
But the most memorable reference for me was the main location from the first REC movie (my favourite in found footage subgenre, by the way) - again, kj666 re-created this quarantined apartment from this horror movie with enormous amount of details. If you watched this movie, should prepare - yes, there's also a f-ng attic with *you know what*! So, you can expect a lot of this kind of content from "Chaotic Sun".
Bet even if you're a casual gamer with little to no experience outside Bethesda titles, this mod provides unique action-packed experience in classic meaning of "dungeon" gameplay.
From the technical side of things: flawless work in every aspect. Zero CtDs, zero freezes, zero bugs in any location. Also, because it's separate new worldspace, should be compatible with pretty much anything.
One minor issue from me can be weapon degradation which happened too dаmn quickly (with new classical shotgun, after firing no more than 6 shots, you'll loose around 15-20% of this weapon "health bar"), even compared to vanilla weapons health. But for your most favourite guns from this mod, you can adjust their parameteres with Geck or FO3Edit. So, just a little warning to any potential player.
And now, as for "A Devil's Wish" similarities. In my previous review for this quest mod, I wrote that I was annoyed by this kind of new content with non-stop action and "supernatural" stuff. But, as I see now, after completing "Chaotic Sun", A Devil's Wish's problem isn't in long battles or supernatural stuff - it's in lack of variety in them. That's why, even to my surprise, shooting/slicing/smashing/annihilating thousands of enemies in "Chaotic Sun" didn't become too repetitive or boring after almost 15 hours of playthrough. You have a dopamine rush every time you cleared new room, expecting another unique powerful weapon or armor. You have hundreds of unique enemies with different skins, speed of attack and abilities. You have so much new weapons that every player with any preferable gameplay style will be satisfied. But "A Devil's Wish", besides "power abilites" and some "horror sequences", has nothing on the same level of variety, like kj666's project. Again, that's why I liked this mod more, while still acknowledging good parts of A Devil's Wish in my review.
Anyway, I can write about this mod for another 30 minutes, but, for your own sake, let's get to the conclusion.
Should you try this mod in 2023? YES, Y-E-S, even though it doesn't have a proper "ending", the amount of new content, dungeons, weapons, creatures is unimaginable for Fallout 3 modding scene. I don't know any quest mod (not "weapon/armor" pack) that can give you so much stuff to play with.
And, may the gods of Fallout 3 modding forgive me, after this playthrough, I really think it's THE BEST new dungeon mod for Fallout 3 (even compared to "old, but gold" A World Of Pain mod).
Endorsement from me, kj666, if you'll ever see this review. You nailed it, man.
