Betheseda tried something new for this year’s E3; they started with not one, but two pre-shows. The first was a showcase that introduced different YouTubers and developer studios. They also hosted trivia questions between segments. The actual pre-show was hosted by Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb in a scripted segment that was the definition of cringe worthy. But enough about those ancient G4 hosts, how was the actual event?
Bethesda opened the show by pulling on our nostalgic heartstrings with the reveal of Quake Champions. They have a real knack for bringing those classic id titles and shoving them in our faces cause, well, we demanded it. Yes, we’ve been asking for a new Quake for some time now and no better time than now when the id Software team seems to be on top of their game.
New Fallout 4 DLC was shown off that will allow you to build a vault, crazy contraptions and visit a Nuka Cola theme park so you can spend more time in the post-apocalyptic world not saving your son. Additionally, Tod Howard gave us a taste of a Skyrim Remastered, which was sure to make those medieval-dragon loving fans drool. And although I forgot about Elder Scrolls Online a month after it released, they still made sure to give it its own segment with the upcoming Dark Brotherhood DLC.
A lot of the show was given to Dishonored 2 with extended gameplay sequences and long trailers and a lot of backstory on the two protagonists. While there were some cool moments like going in between two time periods to stealthily kill unnamed guards and disappearing into a cloud of smoke to tear your foes to shreds, the game still felt forgettable. I’ve seen all this stuff before done in a bunch of other games; Dishonored 2 just wants you to think it’s cool since it’s mixing all these crazy things together.
The star of the show? The reboot of Prey was a excellent reveal of mystery and science fiction. The trailer left me wondering how this all came to be and what will happen next. However, I’ve been let down before and that trailer was all CG. I’ll be sure to wait for in-game footage until I make my final decision.
In closing, Bethesda is a studio that knows what their fans want and does what they can to get it to them. They seem to be a company who doesn’t force their studios to put out an annual release until the fans gets tired of it. Although this is all rare to find in a company, it wasn’t enough to get me excited for the VR plans for Fallout 4 and DOOM on the HTC Vive. I still don’t think that virtual reality is going to be the wave of the future no matter what these press conferences tell me.
Buy Dishonored II from Amazon today!
Preorder Prey from Amazon today!
Get Fallout 4 from Amazon today!
Buy Doom on Amazon currently on sale
