It's that time of year again! Mike from Foul ENT is here to take you through the biggest event of the gaming calender; E3! Read on to see the highs and lows of Bethesda's Press Conference!
THE GOOD
Quake: Champions
Image Credit: twitter.com/bethesda
Nobody saw this coming! Before a spokesperson could even say a word, a brand new revival of a classic shooter series was revealed! After the excellence that was the Doom reboot, ID Software and Bethesda are new trying their hand at bringing Quake back to the modern gaming space. Primarily set for release for PC, Quake: Champions will aim bring fast paced competitive area shooting with unlocked frame rates galore. We'll hear more in August at QuakeCon, but for now, it stands as a promising reintroduction following Bethesda's recent pedigree.
Fallout 4 DLC / Fallout Shelter DLC
Image Credit: twitter.com/bethesda
Just when you thought you'd had your fill with Far Harbour, a whopping three brand new Fallout 4 DLC packs were unveiled! The Contraptions Workshop, The Vault-Tec Workshop and Nuka-World story missions are all coming this year, starting next goddamn week! Holy hell!
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition
Image Credit: engadget.com
You asked for it, you got it. The Skyrim Re-master is here. With Mods. On Console. It's a good time to be alive. No word on the release date, but early/mid next year isn't too much of a stretch. Given that Fallout 4 ran on a similar engine, this seemed like a no-brainer. And it was!
Prey
Image Credit: polygon.com
It's finally returned! It's very different, but Prey is back! And now it's a first-person space-set psychological horror game being made from Dishonoured studio Arkane! The original Prey was a first person shooter close to many peoples hearts, and after the shit-canning of the sequel, it seems it's fans may finally get some catharsis with this new title. Or maybe they'll hate the new direction. Who cares, It's available next year for Xbox One, PS4 and PC! Awesome!
Doom DLC/Demo
Image Credit: ubergizmo.com
So, if for some reason you haven't played Doom yet, this week on all platforms, you can play the first level for free. Pretty snazzy. Also, that promised DLC for the multiplayer modes and SnapMap are coming on time and they're adding brand new weapons and demons, as well as the ability to use more single player functions and assets in multiplayer. None of this is bad!
Bethesda VR
Image Credit: twitter.com/bethesda
So here's a turn up for the books! Doom and Fallout 4 are getting the VR treatment on the show-floor, with plans to re-release Fallout 4 for the HTC Vive next year! This was a huge surprise, so for people wondering if a classic hardcore gaming was coming to a VR unit, Bethesda completely has your back. This may prove to be a unit shifter!
Dishonoured 2
Image Credit: kotaku.com
This year was Arkane's time to get the big demo treatment, and it didn't disappoint. We saw more of everything we needed. A direct continuation of the Dishonoured story, players will play as either Corvo or Emily, the little girl who was protected by previous games protagonist. The sizzle reel showed more of the story's continuation, new locations, and an extended gameplay demo that shows off weather effects, vertical levels and selection of new fighting skills and magic. There's also a stupidly cool time-jumping mission with one of the choolest mechanics I've seen in a game for a long time. It's a sequel that is attempting to be better in all aspects, and it's coming this year November 11th 2016 for PS4, PC and Xbox One, with a bumper special edition that will include a physical replica of Corvo's assassin mask.
THE BAD
The Elder Scrolls: Legends
Image Credit: twitter.com/bethesda
In the wake of a resurgence for collectable card games in the vein of Hearthstone and Gwent, Bethesda's thrown hat into this ring isn't entirely bad, but it just doesn't have that special factor that makes it stand out from its peers. I'm happy to be proven wrong, but right now, there isn't much that makes this one look any better than what we already have. Please prove us wrong, Bethesda.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Dark Brotherhood / One Tamriel
Image Credit: twitter.com/bethesda
Look, I'll level with you, I don't think anyone was asking for more TESO stuff. But hey, now there's more to do and you can do it all from the start. If you want. But, who wants that? It's no more or less exciting than it was before, and it wasn't that exciting to begin with. As a cross-platform MMO, I suppose it's pretty neat, but otherwise it's more of a thing which people have already said is painfully mediocre. Great news for those already interested, but nothing that will pull new fans in. Like, at all.
THE VERDICT
For Bethesda's second E3 conference, Bethesda have once again shown the competition just how it's done. From the get-go, Bethesda were showing off games we knew we wanted, some we expected, and plenty we didn't. An incredibly strong second outing for the games publisher only cements how integral to this convention they are going to be going forward. Big, rich and vast games are available in abundance, and I can't wait to get my hands on any of them. A goddamn class act. I'm suitably thrilled and impressed. Bethesda are the ones to beat!
Keep your eyes peeled for more E3 roundups, reactions and criticisms after each conference this week!
Keep your eyes peeled for more E3 roundups, reactions and criticisms after each conference this week!
By Mike Owen
@ThatMikeOwen
The Editor in Chief of Foul Entertainment, Mike edits most of what you see on the site. He runs the production of our podcasts, and currently pens Pop Culture Club and The Death of Video Games
@ThatMikeOwen
The Editor in Chief of Foul Entertainment, Mike edits most of what you see on the site. He runs the production of our podcasts, and currently pens Pop Culture Club and The Death of Video Games