Bethesda 2018 Was Decent...

Yeah, while "BethesdaLand" was underwhelming, I did enjoy the attempt at being fun, while trying to excite and appease their investors. This year, they ditched that in favor of the same old boring conference. I mean yeah there was the live performance by Andrew W.K., but outside of that, it was pretty standard...

After a live performance by Andrew W.K., we're treated to a rather lackluster story trailer. Lackluster in how it was a atypical grim and gritty story trailer about the main character monologuing about the post apocalyptic environment, while we get gameplay footage that really didn't grab me. None of it grabbed me, especially after the enjoyable off-road vehicle gameplay, mostly because there was no creative variety with the fire arms. But I get it, Mad Max style Post Apocalyptic world, so fine then... It's slated to come out Spring 2019, which is fine.

Next was blathering about Elder Scrolls Legends as it has new cards, modes, and is available on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. We got what I'm guessing will be an upcoming T.V. ad for Elder Scrolls Legends of various people playing it with a monologue about how it's a game for fantasy fans, strategist, etc. I don't expect to see this as a commercial on T.V. or online any time soon.

Next we get a trailer for Elder Scrolls online about how you can create your own character and story within the Elder Scrolls universe. This didn't do much for me, as I already made up my mind to play Elder Scrolls Online two years ago. Though from what I gauged from this trailer, it's for an expansion called "Summerset."

Next what a teaser for Doom Eternal which showed the Doom Guy standing before a Hellish environment. Sounds bland I know, but maybe that would explain my lack of enthusiasm for the teaser, it hadn't shown me anything I haven't already seen from Doom before. Then you've got two of the lead developers from Doom Eternal trying to sell the sequel by saying it'll have powerful weapons and formidable demons, and Hell on Earth. Stuff that I'll believe when I see it. They'll apparently show off more of Doom Eternal at QuakeCon in August.

Next was Quake, which we got some info about a limited free trial period, before they cut to a trailer. Which I'mma be honest with the look of the arenas, variety of the firearms, and designs of the playable combatants, I was getting some mad Unreal Tournament vibes. This isn't a bad thing mind you, as it's been a while since I've seen an Arena Shooter like Unreal Tournament, so Quake Champions might satisfy an old itch for me. There was the Free Trail period, but since that was from June 12-17, which has ended as of the writing of this article, It doesn't matter to me.

Next up was an announcement regarding some DLC for Prey, which shows what I know. I thought fans were disappointed by Prey, but I guess not.(A reason for why research is necessary...) But the DLC launched on June 10th, and is as follows:"Story Mode, New Game+, and Survival Mode." And there's also a DLC called "Moon Crash," which has differentiating enemies, loot, and hazards on each play through. Which should be interesting, as it doesn't seem like you'll be getting the same obstacles twice, which adds to the replay value. They even showed an ad for Moon Crash that showed off the gameplay. One key aspect is every time you die, the simulation resets, and you have a new set of obstacles to face on each reset. It looks like fun, but I can see it getting frustrating for players especially casuals like me. Because you don't know what to expect, and anyone who restarts the course thinking they'll get the same obstacles twice will be in for a rude awakening. And it's also came out June 10th, so no doubt Prey fans are playing and having as much fun as they can. And there was yet another surprise, a hide-n-seek based DLC called "Typhon Hunter." It'll involve one player tracking down five other players who play as Mimics and hide in plain sight as people and objects.

Next was Wolfenstein, as they announced that there would be a Switch port of New Colossus, which probably made Nintendo owners happy. The head developers then announced that Wolfenstein 3 will take place in the 1980s involving BJ's twin daughters. Which of course will involve optional co-op play, which I think is new for the Wolfenstein series. And after the teaser trailer, I have to admit, I'm interested... Though that interest is a weakness stems from a thing I have for gun wielding women, but that's another topic for another time.

Next is an announcement for VR titles like for Prey's Moon Crash DLC, and a VR Wolfenstein called "Wolfenstein Cyber pilot." In this you play as a hacker who controls Nazi robots and turn them against the Nazis. Sounds fun in concept, really.

Next came Tod Howard to talk about Fallout 76, before we are treated to the Amazon Home Skyrim Ad... And I have confirmation that it is real, which blows my mind. Well played Bethesda, well played... But then Todd gets back to explaining Fallout 76, as it's a prequel to all the other games. With that knowledge, I'm guessing "Vault 76," was mentioned in passing in some of the other Fallout games. Otherwise the teaser in Microsoft's conference wouldn't make the announcement of its completion so ominous. After Todd explains that 76 is set in the hills of West Virginia and the player emerges from a vault to a wasteland, we're treated to a trailer. A trailer that showed an armored individual witnessing a nuclear explosion, before it cuts to the announcement of vault 76's completion that was showcased in the trailer at Microsoft's conference. But after that we're told that 76 entails the story of the player being a test resident of 76 awaiting "Reclamation Day." Afterwards we're shown gameplay footage of the player leaving vault 76 for "Reclamation Day," and we see... Beautiful scenery... Fine... And Fallout 76 is an MMO apparently...Groovy...? Sorry if I have reservations, it's just as a casual, I like my offline line single player experiences. And I expected that to be the case with 76, but apparently not. We are then treated to a tutorial video courtesy of Vault Tech on what to expect when exploring the world of Fallout 76 with accompanying gameplay. And that did look kind of fun, but I'mma wait and see what's said upon the game's release before expecting anything great. There's also the ability to build a new home in any environment of your choice, and with access to nuclear missiles to blow up anyone else's environment. Honestly, had I known this kind of stuff was in the original Fallout games, I would've played them ages ago... Fallout 76 is slated to come out on November 14th 2018.

Then we get word Fallout Shelter is coming to the PS4, which its me at ease, because I'm a cheapskate. And the Switch too, which must make Nintendo fans happy.

Next was Elder Scrolls Blades, which is a smart phone Elder Scrolls game. It's an FPS RPG and you can play it with one hand or two. You play as a member of the Empire's top agents known as "The Blades." After some time in exile, you return home to find it in ruins. Luckily for the players, they'll be able to rebuild it with a "town building mode." And while the initial platform release will be for the iPhone, they are looking to port Elder Scrolls Blades to consoles, VR, and PCs. And it will be available in fall 2018 for free.

Next was a teaser for their first original franchise in twenty five years called StarField. And all we're shown in the teaser is a sun rise of the Earth as it pans to a star looking colony or satellite. I'm glad Todd explained what it was, because that teaser wasn't enough to intrigue me. Too bad all he said was they were excited to work on StarField, before moving on to unveiling Elder Scrolls VI. And all we get of that is a panning mountain range with the title card... That got people excited apparently...

And that brought the conference to a close, which was a really low note to end on in my opinion.

All and all, it was a decent conference overall with some low points. I wasn't too thrilled about Rage 2, Doom Eternal(and I feel I should have been...) Elder Scrolls Legends, StarField, Wolfenstein Cyber Pilot, or Elder Scrolls VI. I am glad that Elder Scrolls Blades will be coming to consoles, I will be looking to play Elder Scrolls Online, and Wolfenstein Youngblood. Fallout 76 looks fun. And The Prey MoonChild DLC looks like frustratingly good fun.

I got a little more than what I expected, but it still wasn't enough have me say this was the best conference of E3.