E3: Bethesda’s Solid and Safe Showing

Gonçalo’s take: Creating an entertaining E3 conference that often eludes even the most experienced studios, ask any of the big console manufacturers and they’re likely to have flashbacks ranging from “TV TV” to “giant enemy crabs”. I wasn’t expecting much out of Bethesda’s conference considering this was their first time, but I’m glad to say despite a rocky start I was proven wrong.

Bethesda’s conference opened up with 30 minutes of filler between X-Play’s hosts, Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb. To say that their conversations felt forced, awkward and heavily scripted is an understatement. Luckily, the real show began soon after in the Dolby Theatre commonly known for hosting the Oscars and it only went up from there.

The first game to be shown off was Doom, a remake of Id Software’s classic title. Although it was met with fanfare by its audience, my feelings were far more mixed. As controversial as this may sound, Doom looked more like Halo than it did the original game it’s remaking. I’m well aware the Cyberdemons’ invasion of Mars precedes Master Chief’s campaign, but from a visual and even gameplay standpoint it seems our two space marines have been trading notes. For starters, our character no longer moves at the break neck speed he did in 1993. Moreover, of the two levels shown, I never counted more than 5 enemies on-screen, even the maps seem to have been reduced in size to accommodate for a more streamlined experience.

Not everything I perceived in Doom was negative though. I’m glad to say there is no regenerating health and that players can carry all weapons at the same time, just like in the original. The chainsaw is making a return and it looks extremely fun to use. New to the franchise are finishing moves which may seem counter-intuitive to how most purists view Doom, but I actually quite liked them.

Online battles are also making a return and once again, the similarities with Halo shine through. One aspect that helps Doom stand apart is the snapmap. A sort of map editor for both multiplayer and singleplayer portions that looks far more advanced and versatile than any shooter I’ve seen in recent years. On the bright side, Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb interviewed some of Id Software’s developers after the event and we were reassured Doom would bring hordes of enemies, fast paced arena combat and strafing. So while I still hold some reservations, this does help calm my fears.

During the conference they also announced Bethesda.net, which functions essentially as a headquarters for online play and community created content similar to Blizzard’s own Battle.net. It was during this reveal they showed off gameplay of Battlecry, an upcoming online shooter that mixes Team Fortress 2 visuals and characters classes with Asian-inspired melee weaponry. Little time was dedicated to Battlecry so it’s too soon to form an opinion.

With two shooters under its belt, the conference sidestepped towards the stealth action-adventure, namely Dishonored. Dishonored: Definitive Edition was announced for the PS4 and Xbox One, featuring high resolution graphics and most likely, all DLC included. This was then followed by a cinematic trailer of its sequel, Dishonored 2. No gameplay was shown though it was revealed players can choose new character, Emily Kaldwin and Corvo Attano, the latter of which returning from Dishonored. The developers have also stated both feature different skill-sets to suit alternate play styles. Not much can be gathered from the cinematic trailer, though technology in Dishonored 2’s lore seems to have advanced to the point of possessing robotic foes.

The next title shown was a surprising change of pace for Bethesda, a free-to-play card game based on The Elder Scrolls Universe. Titled Elder Scrolls Legends, the game is currently set to release for PC and iPad later this year. The trailer revealed no gameplay, but from what I can gather it seems to be Bethesda’s answer to Hearthstone.

Finally, we move on to the game everyone’s been expecting, the new Fallout game, or should I say games. The first title, Fallout Shelter is a free-to-play game for iOS and Android, this may seem like disappointing news, but trust me, it looks like one of the best mobile titles I’ve seen years. Players are tasked with running a vault-tec shelter with gameplay seemingly mixing X-Com and The Sims in a positive way. Vault members must be trained, kept happy and increase their numbers through reproduction. Your home can also be upgraded with new facilities. Currency and resources are gathered either by recycling or sending hunting parties outside. I’m usually wary of mobile titles, but Fallout Shelter looks amazing and is available for download right now. My only complaint is the lack of a PC version.

The hype for Fallout 4 was great and Bethesda did not disappoint. Currently set to release on November 2015, it features gameplay segments that take place before the nuclear holocaust takes place. Players may also now choose their gender, build a stronghold in a style similar to Minecraft. These locations may attract merchants and must be defended from raiders via tower-defense mini-games. For the first time, your character features voice dialog reminiscent of Bioware’s Mass Effect series.

Fallout 4 seems absolutely massive, even by the series’ standards. Players may now make use of a dog companion and issue him orders. Graphically, the environments took a nice leap though the dog could use more work. Perhaps my favorite moment was the fact that power armor seems to have taken a massive upgrade as you can now build your own suit and customize it however you wish. The pip-boy was also improved over its predecessors, including more menus, better animations and even small mini-games inspired by classics such as Donkey Kong and Missile Command.

Players interested in a collector’s edition will be glad to know Fallout 4 also surpasses expectations in this regard. The main draw is a life-size pip-boy compatible with smartphones. This accessory comes with its own app further solidifying the illusion of owning a Fallout-themed pip-boy.

Overall, Bethesda had an entertaining showing, it may have suffered from a rocky start but eventually found its own groove with Fallout 4 easily stealing the show.