Cake’n Games E3 2016 Round-up. Bethesda

Bethesda

One year ago we were marvelling over Fallout 4 and what it could be. One year later I’m lamenting the fact that every time I reloaded my favourite gun I died. I’m not joking. I quit that game after giving it a respectable 25 hours totally disillusioned with Bethesda’s shtick. Do not launch a game broken. Do not launch a game that I need a high-end PC to get the most out of. Or do, cause you’re Bethesda and I love you. I’ll forgive that one.

Speaking of Fallout 4, Bethesda had built the game off the back of porting Skyrim to learn the new consoles’ architecture and the worst kept secret in gaming was finally announced as a Special Edition that’s coming this Autumn. They haven’t just ported it however. New shaders, foliage and assets are going to bill this as a worthy alternative to the PC version and full mod support rounding out the package. Skyrim is still very much a thing on PC and while super fans might have liked Morrowind or even Oblivion to be remade, this is free money to Bethesda and will hopefully fund the next entry in the series.

Prey is back. Sort of. Prey is being remade? I don’t know. Bethesda are using the name to create what seems like an entirely new IP and Prey is a great name so why not? The trailer was excellent and while far removed from what the original game was I’m happy to see anything new from the team behind it.

Hang on. QUAKE IS BACK. Doom is one of my favourite games of the year. Having taken down the beta on this very site it blew me away with its brutal and bizarrely nostalgic campaign. To take a game so beloved by so many and throw it in the face of the “oh no I’m dying better hide for 12 seconds” tactic of modern FPS’s was a breath of fresh air. To make players attack rather than hide was so obvious but so brilliant. For a release so recent, to answer the prayers of the internet and bring back the final iD IP was something they had clearly expected and made everyone’s dreams come true with the announcement. They’re two for two with Wolfenstein and Doom and if this is a straight-up arena shooter with classes ala Overwatch and its influences I would expect it to be big on the eSports scene and the clamour of support from its old-school dyed-in-the-wool fans will help the everyday gamer get involved. Can’t wait to see more.

We got some Doom DLC plans. Ultimate Doom wasn’t announced but it’s just a month-ish past the game’s release so I can hold out for that.

The main focus of Bethesda however was Dishonored 2. Up to this point in the conference, we had seen surprises but nothing much in terms of meaty gameplay. Dishonored changed that. Every time I thought they were done we just got more. I loved the first Dishonored and seeing Emily and how her new abilities can change the way we see that game is so exciting. Also, its beautiful. The art style in the first game was stunning and to see the power of the latest consoles show off the dirty lines and shadowy textures is something to behold. Their switch to a sunnier, Mediterraenean-esque climate will only showcase their ability to create world’s even more and on top of that, we’re getting more Dunwall. The game will start and finish in the seedy town we grew to love in the first game. We haven’t seen anything of Corvo’s gameplay yet and if they build on what they showed in Dishonored then we are in for a treat. I can’t suggest enough that you watch speedrunners and streamers play it enough. The players have taken that game to a level that the developers are constantly surprised by and that’s the best thing about a game like this. The franchise helped create the emergent gameplay movement and to get another spin at it can only be good in the long run. We’ll all get a shot on November 11^th of this year.

Watch all of Bethesda’s E3 2016 trailers right here:

Watch the entire Bethesda E32016 press conference right here (Courtesy of IGN):

Words by Eoin Monaghan