One of the defining characteristics of Fallout is its satire of American jingoism. I had assumed that a DLC set within a VR battle simulation created by the US military during their war with China would be a prime opportunity for a glimpse into pre-apocalypse America's worldview. I was sure that the simulation would be loud, unsubtle propaganda for the American soldiers who would use it to train. That it would be full of exaggerated moments depicting the Chinese soldiers as pathetic or comically evil, and the American military as honorable and righteous.

Instead Bethesda decided to play it straight, like something out of any generic WW2 first person shooter. The US soldiers are generically good people and the Chinese soldiers are non-entities to gun down. So what am I supposed to feel playing this, running down the trenches, shooting bland soldiers and listening to non-characters bark orders at me? Nothing in particular? Or did Bethesda want me to be on America's side in this war?

Fallout 3 re-uses the Enclave, the US government's direct successor, as the main antagonist for its plot. It is a big missed opportunity that Bethesda is uninterested in exploring the US government's state of mind during the war that directly led to the nuclear holocaust.