E3 2015: Bethesda Press Conference Recap

Bethesda brought out a lot this year with their first ever E3 presentation and there were a plethora of releases and information announced regarding Bethesda’s new game lineup.

Doom – Doom was hinted at earlier this year and they had a lot to show in their preview. Built on idtech6 engine, a showcase of the new game emerges featuring the shotgun and the environments while gruesome executions and melee attacks were also included in the showcase to show off the true nature of Doom. Despite all the intensity of the sequences, the action seems slightly slow paced compared to classic doom, but remains engaging enough for fans of the series. From what was shown, switching to different weapons occurs in a more “ratchet and clank” fashion (Everything slows down while you select a weapon to equip) which is different to older titles, but may prove to keep things manageable with how intense the sequences get. Puzzle solving is given no exemption from the violent nature of the game with one instance of ripping a dead person’s limb off to activate a switch. With the new pace of Doom, there appears to be less of a horror element compared to previous titles, although this could just be the nature of the reveal and not of the actual game itself. Multiplayer is featured as well, with classic modes such as freeze tag and domination. With the unveiling of multiplayer and an emphasis on community building they also announced that the new Doom is also bundled with elaborate custom game tools. Doom releases Spring 2016.

Battlecry – An announcement was made just after the Doom showcase for Battlecry, a TF2 style, third person online action game which has now opened registration for their global beta. No release date was confirmed, but you can sign up for the beta on their website right now at battlecrythegame.com

Dishonered 2 – The representatives for the Dishonored series announced that Dishonored 2 is soon to be released (Spring 2016 in fact!) with a short cinematic trailer to keep us excited. It will be available for PS4, Xbox One and PC

Elder Scrolls: Tamriel Unlimited – A short clip was shown outlining the new content in Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited. End-game content in the Imperial City of Cyrodil, and many familiar zones in Skyrim was shown off.

Elder Scrolls: Legends – On the last announcement regarding the Elder Scrolls series, Bethesda revealed Elder Scrolls: Legends. A strategy card game inspired by the likes of Hearthstone and Magic: The Gathering will be coming out soon and will be free to play on PC and iPad.

Finally, the moment we were all waiting for, Fallout 4 and its showcase.

Fallout 4 – Todd Howard definitely had a lot to show off with Fallout 4, especially after the trailer released this passed week, and there were definitely some expectations that had to be met, but there were a few key points that he wanted to make very clear. The world is VERY detail oriented, with character creation, control, and AI interaction being nearly limitless. There was a character creation screen shown off at the beginning of the demo where you can manipulate and sculpt literally any part of your characters face, and of course you can choose to be a male or female. Any and all dialog is now dynamic meaning you can interact in first or third person, leave conversations at the drop of a dime or “shoot them right in the face” as Todd put it. Its also worth noting that the game has thousands of prerecorded names that the characters can address you by which is a very nice touch. The world is entirely fleshed out and interactive as well with a very elaborate crafting system where you can modify, and create weapons as well as build houses, settlements, and towns using any and all items that you can scavenge for, it was made apparently that literally nothing you pick up is useless. From what was said in the presentation, the story takes place in Boston and it starts your character off in a small town right before the bombs begin to detonate. We are left with a sudden cut out before we see what happens with your character and their family. After “events transpire” (-Todd Howard 2015) you emerge from Vault 111, two centuries later to go back to your old home. After a quick little chat with your robot servant, the dog is introduced and there seems to be a lot of commands and interactions you can do with it such as fetching items and fighting along side you. There is surely going to be more info on the story as we get closer to the release date on November 10 2015 on PS4 Xbox One and PC

Fallout Shelter – Lastly we were left with a new app released tonight on the app store called Fallout Shelter, a Sim City/XCOM style game set in the fallout universe with you being a vault overseer. Your task is to manage vault residents and resources while keeping track of other factors like sickness, population, and food supply. It boasts no pay wall game mechanics and does not require a connection to play it which is very enticing for mobile gamers.

With their first presentation complete that wraps everything up! There were no announcements for a new, AAA Elder Scrolls game, but I would speculate that we could expect to see something announced next year in 2016.

Hard to believe its only Sunday….